# Opinion on a 26' world cat



## boonjg (Jun 26, 2007)

Im looking at a 1998 26' world cat with 2006 four stroke yamahas, just wanted to get everyones opinion as far as the ride and efficancy I have herd they are better than a mono hull. I have only been in a cat once what do yall think?


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## Argo (May 21, 2004)

go for a test drive in the boat you are looking at and decide for yourself. we all have differing opinions on cat vs mono......Alot of different opinions......I have fished on the 26 worldcats on many occasions and they are great boats.....


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## CLVL (Aug 17, 2005)

A WC 26 is a good riding power cat, but it will ride very different than a 26 monohull - some like the cat ride, some like the monohull. If you have only been on a WC 26 one time, try to get a couple rides under your belt before purchasing. In general, a 26 monohull with twins will be faster (top end) and more fuel efficient than a 26 WC. You can expect 1.6-1.7 mpg on 26 WCs with Yamaha 200 4-strokes. Capt Kirk here on the board has a 26 WC w/200 Yamahas so you might PM him for his opinion.

Here's a few threads with World Cat info in them:

This one has a little on the history of WC and Seacat
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=108789

This one has lots of likes/dislikes discussed on cat hulls, including the 25 and 26/27 WC.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=124619&page=1

There's a set of pics by manintheboat in this post that illustrates various cat hull designs (the SportCat is the same hull below the waterline as the WC):

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=123019

Here's one where a couple comments comparing my boat and a WC are discussed.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=134024&page=1

Here are a few more with opinions:
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=115567&page=1
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=133454&page=2&pp=10

Lots more to be found on 2cool with the search fucntion


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

I have a 25' World Cat and absolutely love it. The ride is much better than a mono hull. The top speed is not as high as a mono hull, but who is racing anyhow? I have had my boat in 3-5 foot seas with a six footer thrown in every now and then and still ran 15 kts against the wind, and 25 with it. They definitely handle differently than a mono hull, but that can be figured out fairly quickly if you have driven boats a little. As far as when they are at rest out there in the Gulf, they seem to be a little more stable then as well. I personally would NEVER have any other kind of hull. A friend of mine that I take fishing out in the Gulf calls my boat "the magic carpet ride" because of they way it takes chop.

If you are not too familiar with catamarans there are three types of hulls, planing, displacement and semi-displacement. The planing hull is faster than the displacement hull, but does not have as good a ride. Examples of planing hulls are the ProKat and Twin Vee. The ProKat is a decent hull, but I do not like the Twin Vee. An example of a displacement hull is the Glacier Bay. It has the best ride, but tends to be slower and not as fuel efficient. I have also heard rumors of Glacier Bay going belly up. The World Cat is a semi-displacement hull. With that you get the best of both worlds. My boat has twin OX66 150 HP Yamahas which are not known for their efficiency. It gets 1.4 mpg at 30 kts and can maintain that speed in choppy 3' seas without any jarring or discomfort. If I drop down to 20 kts I can get 1.5 - 1.6 mpg, but I am traveling 10+ less miles in an hour of running, so I stay at around 30 kts.

The boat will get out of the hole like it has been shot out of a cannon; however top speed is only around 35 kts, but like I said, who is racing anyhow? I looked at a lot of cats before buying the World Cat. I also talked to owners of a variety of different catamaran hulls and everyone told me the same thing. The mono hulls out run them in the channel, but the cats pass them back up when they get in the Gulf where it is rougher.

If you are close to the Beaumont area you can go for a free test ride in a World Cat at Heritage Marine. They offer a no obligation test ride. They also have a couple of real nice used boats there. They are pricey, but in the long run well worth it to me. I actually bought mine used from an individual in LaPlace, LA, but you can at least go for a test ride with Heritage and they are very helpful if you have any questions or concerns.


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## Cat's Meow (Sep 5, 2006)

I don't think that Glacier Bay has necessarily gone belly-up. I read a short news-piece on yahoo finance stating that the company had been bought by a private-equity firm.


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## CLVL (Aug 17, 2005)

Twin Vee is a semi-displacement design like the WC, SportCat, and 96-98 Sea Cats. The ride into a head sea is not quite as good as a displacement design, but the ride with a following sea is better. Top speed is a little faster than displacement hulls with the same HP. Fuel efficiency is also a little better than displacement.

Glacier Bays are displacement hull designs. They have very good head sea rides, but can bow steer in a following sea which can make handling more challenging than the other types. 

Prowler, ProKat, and 93-95 Sea Cats are planing hull designs. They tend to ride a little harder in head seas than semidisplacement, but a little better in following seas. For the same HP, they are faster and more fuel efficient than semi-displacement (for comparison, between 20-30 kts I will get 2.1 - 2.4 mpg).

None are bad designs, but each has its strengths vs other cat hull designs.


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

My bad on the Twin Vee. I thought they were planing hulls. Thanks for the clarification. I guess I just assumed they were planing because they were so shallow compared to mine.


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## KD (Aug 11, 2005)

We own a 1999 World Cat 266SC. Very happy with ours. 

As with any boat, I would suggest getting a good survey done per purchase. We looked at a bunch of older before buying ours, and only saw one WC with issues (had run over a sunk barge, so not the builders fault...). Also, check to make sure the transom bracket upgrade has been done to support the added weight of the 4S motors - definately needed on the '98-99 vintage boats.

Like everyone else said, take it for a ride in the rough stuff before you buy - we like the way it rides, but it not for everyone. 

-KD


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## Splitshot (May 23, 2004)

Some of the smaller Twin-Vee cats are planing hulls, with a bit rougher ride at times, but they do get better mpg's. 

I have a 20' Twin-Vee with twin 50hp-4stroke Ev's(Suzuki's). A bit underpowered with the 50's(Max hp - 140) but gets there and back with no problems. Been running out a solid 50mi all summer long getting 4.5+ mpg with it running 20-26 knots.

I'll probably be looking at something of the 26-29' class in the future.


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## boonjg (Jun 26, 2007)

Thanks for all the good info


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## Pktdeace (Apr 13, 2006)

I have a 1998 2665 and love it! Great boat, was going to sell it to move up but just can't bring myself to do it. Way to great of a boat. Not slow either, I can cruise at 40 mph. Twin 200 Honda's.


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## Cat Man (Jan 11, 2007)

*Catamaran hulls*

Twin Vee is a planing hull as is the Pro-Sport


Snap Draggin said:


> My bad on the Twin Vee. I thought they were planing hulls. Thanks for the clarification. I guess I just assumed they were planing because they were so shallow compared to mine.


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## S-3 ranch (May 26, 2004)

got a 22 glacierbay gets super mpg but forget trolling but on slick days and they sneeze / fine mist spray every wave , will run on auto 25 mph in 4+ ft holds 100 gal fuel and run 65+ mles one way and still have fuel has 90 honda's which i feel is under powered


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

Cat Man said:


> Twin Vee is a planing hull as is the Pro-Sport


That is what I thought. Thanks for the help Rick.


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## coxhw (Jun 7, 2007)

I don't know about you but I'd get a kayak. They are cheaper to run and don't cost as much. Besides they ride better. Tight lines and will see Ya Sat.


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## arkintexas (Nov 16, 2007)

Just bought a 27 worldcat.Looked at all brands and the worldcat seem to be the best for me.Much better ride than the monohull we had.Don"t think u could go wrong with a worldcat,but they are pricey


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## CLVL (Aug 17, 2005)

*22 & 26 Twin Vees are semi-displacement hulls*



Cat Man said:


> Twin Vee is a planing hull as is the Pro-Sport


Here's a picture of a 22 Twin Vee. No flat planing surfaces on this boat.


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## CLVL (Aug 17, 2005)

*Difference between a planing and semi-displacement cat hull*



Cat Man said:


> Twin Vee is a planing hull as is the Pro-Sport


OK, pic above of the 22' semi-displacement Twin Vee. To compare, since pics are worth more than words, what a semi-displacement hull design is vs what a planing hull design is.

Here's pics of a 1994 25' Sea Cat (planing), 1996 25' Sea Cat (semi-displacement), 1999 World Cat (semi-displacement, same as 1996 Sea Cat), 2001 26' Glacier Bay (displacement), a 2001 22' ProKat (planing hull), and my favorite ('cause it's mine), a 2003 Renaissance Prowler (planing).

I hope these pics help clear up the different hull designs. the planing hulls have flat planing cross-sections while the semi-displacement is a shallow curved cross-section with a small chine.


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## manintheboat (Jun 1, 2004)

Thanks for posting that CLVL. Besides the flat or rounded running surfaces, I think the width and sharpness of the entry of the sponsons, as well as tunnel width/ space between sponsons have something to do with whether or not a boat is planing or displacement. I cannot remember at this time, but the fastest way to tell is by what you have shown above. 

I think that the only small production boat that was a true displacement hull was the old glacier bay 22. All others that are not planing hulls are some form of semi-displacement.

That is a very shallow tunnel on that twin-vee.


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