the horse's mouth: Sailing Photo Of The Day. Paper Tiger Cat.

June 17, 2009

Sailing Photo Of The Day. Paper Tiger Cat.

Peter Robbins sailing PT 888.

The Paper Tiger Catamaran is an exciting 4.3m (14ft) single-handed catamaran that provides competitive one-design racing for beginners through to champions. The class rules ensure tight control over the major dimensions of the boat which guarantees exceptional racing, yet they provide the freedom to experiment with gear and equipment for the boat.

Background from Wikipedia:
In 1967 when Ron Given was discussing with friends how he planned to design a father and son training catamaran which he proposed to build on a simple mould by sticking plywood together with fibreglass tape, his friends began to comment that he may as well use sticky paper. Eventually, the word 'paper' and also the description of 'paper boat' kept coming to mind during talks about the new boat. As a result, 'paper' soon became part of the name, followed by 'tiger' because the tiger is an active member of the cat family. By the end of 1967 five Paper Tigers were built and one made its debut at Cat Week during January 1968 at Brown's Bay, New Zealand. By the end of 1968 the New Zealand Paper Tiger Catamaran Owner's Association had been formed.

Class Information:

The 14 foot, one design hulls can be professionally or amateur built from fibreglass with foam sandwich or marine ply with both methods providing a long competitive boat life.

A minimum hull weight of 50kg ensures that the Tiger can be easily handled by teenagers, adults and veteran sailors.

The Paper Tiger points high into the wind, has an exhilarating acceleration, runs well downwind and above all is deslightfully responsive. These attributres thrill the pleasure sailor and racing skippers.

Specifications:
The basic specifications for the Paper Tiger Catamaran are set out below. For more detailed information, please refer to the Class Rules.