*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Looking to upgrade my Mako 1801, which will be in the trading dock real soon. Im looking to move into a Prokat 21'Baykat. I also like the lines of the 21' Cobia and the 22' Sea Chaser. I have heard some controversy about trolling with a catamaran. What do yall think?
Capt_Ben
I did use the search option, but I did not come up wih the information I was looking for.
I've only been fishing on one cat and it was a 26 world cat. I thought that the boat rode well but I didn't like the way it drifted or slow trolled. it seemed like it rocked over and back alot quicker than what you would think. I deep vee will roll slow and in a predictable maner but the cat kind of wipped you around a little.
Thank you for the reply, this is what I have heard also. My Mako is very stable at drift and slow troll, I would hate to give this up as this is what I do most of the time.
I fished last year on a Glacier Bay. It ran sweet but was a pain trolling. Lots of hull banging in the 3 footers we were trolling in. This was offshore trolling at 6 or 7 knots. I didn't mind it beam to or following but when heading anywhere near into the sea it banged. That is the only cat I've been on and I don't know if they all do it or not.
I fished last year on a Glacier Bay. It ran sweet but was a pain trolling. Lots of hull banging in the 3 footers we were trolling in. This was offshore trolling at 6 or 7 knots. I didn't mind it beam to or following but when heading anywhere near into the sea it banged. That is the only cat I've been on and I don't know if they all do it or not.
same on a 26 pro kat took some people trolling for grouper a few weeks back.was not impressed with the ride at all.and the other thing i could not stand was the transducer was mounted in the center somewhere not sure where{as i did not see the boat out of the water} but you could not see the bottom unless you where idling along.and i look at bottom when i troll and was impossible with this boat.now i'm not sure if this applies to all of the cat boats someone else will have to chime in on that.
The reason the cats react differently is you have two hulls responding to the rollers instead of one. Once you embrace the physics of a cat you can understand and anticipate it's reaction to the seas the more comfortable they are. I first fished a 21 Sea Cat in 1994. The Dealership I worked for picked the boat line up. Before then we sold strickly monhulls. after one season I would fish only cats!! My brother and I run a 2150 Pto-Kat rigged with a 225 Opti. This rig runs!!
I fished on the lower Chesapeake around the bridge tunnel, around the Ches Tower and out to the Norfolk canyon. I started in a 19' mono hull, moved up to a 23' mono hull and settled on a 25' Ocean Star cat. I can honestly say that the cat is the most stable of these platforms. I agree that the cat rolls differently, but I don't think as much as a DV mono hull. I really liked it when working up close to the islands or trolling along the bridge.
I have no idea why someone would mount a transducer in between the sponsons. I have owned three cats and all three you could read bottom at 30 mph. The two cats that I have trolled with were fine for slow to moderate but didn't troll well fast. Hull slap absolutely happens with all cats some are just worse
I can read the bottom at full cruise on my cat and I catch more fish trolling than 99.9% of mono hull owners and I do it without tunnel slap and becuase I do not troll directly into a head sea....
Had a 27' cat for 4 years. Yes, you'll get tunnel slap trolling into a chop or head sea. Its just an inherent thing with cats. You can reduce it by quartering the seas, but thats not always possible if you're trying to work a specific spot. And yes, you,ll get that quick jerk roll (sometimes called a snap roll) that a mono doesn't have due to having two hulls vs. one. I have gone back to a monohull, as thats my pref. after having owned both. Taking nothing away from the cat ride tho, as in many conditions its great.
__________________
2005 McKee 23 TE/FS with 200 Zukes
50 Ton Masters with Towing Endorsement.
The Cat I owned was a pain in the azz trolling anything over 8Kts. At that spd & above it would start to plane. Then you re-set and do it all over again... ()*&%$(
The total difference between an 18 mono and a 18 ft cat is unbelievable. If you haven't tried it, there is really no way to sum up the good qualities of a cat.
I would not suggest a prokat product however, and would suggest you seatrail a Seacat 18 or 22.
If you turn slightly off of head sea, trolling slap is eliminated, and if you use a $15 sock on the drift this also eliminates all rocking drift problems.
But there is no remedy to a lousy mono ride in a small hull that equals a cat, so like I said. try one out, don't just theorize.
Trolling cat vs. mono 
