Three boats similar in concept were available for the test: the Dart 16, Topper 16 and the brand new RS 16 Cat - still manageable in size, which means they can be trailered when built up and are still suitable for adult two-man crews. The trio from England is manufactured using the modern and very affordable roto-moulded process, which makes the boats around 30 to 40 percent cheaper than comparable GRP cats. The reason for this is simple: the hulls are filled into moulds as granulate, which are then "baked" in a rotating oven. This thermoplastic construction process shortens the construction time of the hulls to around two hours, as opposed to around 40 hours for traditional laminate construction. The resulting hulls are extremely robust and can easily withstand heavy mechanical stresses such as quaking or unsuccessful docking.
All three boats are also extremely flexible: they are available in a wide range of equipment levels, from beginners to gennaker rockets, which should also be fun for experienced cat sailors. If desired, the boat can "grow" with the crew's experience Even single-handed, the catamarans should be easy to handle.
The Dart 16 is the nucleus of roto-moulded cats, so to speak, and was one of the first to be launched on the market at the end of the 1990s. How do the much younger Topper and the brand new RS 16 Cat fare against the top dog? We put the boats through their paces on the island of Rügen.
Plus: In a service section, cat legend Helge Sach gives tips for cat beginners, explains the most common mistakes to avoid and tells us what makes the boat fast. The detailed test including tips in the new YACHT, No. 15, now available in magazine shops.
As a foretaste, the video of the test has already gone online on YACHT tv.
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Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
