Can I sail in the ocean with a RebelCat?
The short answer is ‘not recommended’. The reasons are that oceans are far more unpredictable than lakes and can be treacherous, even for boats that are designed for the ocean. These boats break up and sink with their crews every year. RebelCats are designed for the calmer waters of lakes. There are cats which can be assembled and which sail in the ocean, but they are expensive to make or buy and to maintain. RebelCats are designed for people who want to make their own sailboat from locally-available materials, using hand tools, without fiberglass and resin, without costly stainless steel boat fittings, and without learning new boatbuilding skills. RebelCats are not HobieCats and don’t try to be. For ocean sailing, I suggest buying a used HobieCat or other racing cat. But be prepared for expensive parts and repairs. Search for a replacement part on the Web, like a mast or sail, and notice that you can build an entire RebelCat 5 for less!
