PVC Pipe Catamaran Sailboat RebelCat 5 on the MOVE!
(Note: YT comments not showing – said will fix this week) Finally, actual video of RebelCat 5 (see RebelCat.com) sailing, and fast. I mounted camcorders on the cat – you have to watch this video to see how cool this is. Many thanks to those who requested video – I know, pics just don’t convey the thrill of a speeding catamaran. Now with new sails, centerboard and rudder, RebelCat 5 really moves. If you want this kind of thrill, my DVD shows you how to make this cat from ordinary PVC pipe and locally-available materials, with simple hand tools and no boat-building skills required. When your RebelCat is ready, let’s all go sailing! Updates appear on my web site regularly, as I and others improve on an already great-performing cat. You can get the DVD free and even win 0 for making the cat – details at www.RebelCat.com. See you on the water! Music by Muse.
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looks like prescott, az. where is this_
That rocks!!!!! PVC pipes are amazing. Was camcorder aboard in a housing? This gives me the idea to so do someting similar on my sail canoe, for my camcorder. Thank you for sharing.
awsome!
Wow… The plans are fully scalable, right?
The ultimate rebel cat! Sooooo impresive
I’m soooo glad you liked it.
Yes. With the plans on DVD, you can build this cat larger or smaller. The design is quite simple, so making parts larger or smaller is easy. It can also be made longer or shorter. In fact, RebelCat 5 can be made in two (or more) versions, one is 15′ and one is 21′. The long version has pontoons made from two sections coupled together, and it can be made shorter in minutes by removing the 6′ extension section. This video shows the 21′ version. The ride is sooo smooth.
That’s what I was thinking when I was flying across the lake. Of course, speed isn’t for everyone. Some people prefer to poke along in a fat sailboat. But if you like moving, a cat will suit you just fine. Personally, I like speed.
Yes, it does rock, even though the ride was smooth. The camcorders front and back just above the water were in homemade housings made from clear food canisters from Walmart, with acrylic windows added for clarity. The other cams were mounted on a long pole w/o housing. If you look at the cat just as I sail past the dock, you will see the cam and pole at the front, and a cam in a housing on the front spreader. That pole cam mounts at the back also, and that’s what I used for the other clips.
The first clips (and later ones with big cliffs) are Hite at Lake Powell. The other clips are Willow Lake in Prescott. Never sailed Willow Lake before, but what a rush! Good wind that day, as you can see, and no traffic.
So, you could make it to the scale of rebelcat 1, right?
That’s right. RebelCat 4 was scaled UP, using 15″ pipe, it was complex and huge, with many innovations. RebelCat 5 is the best of cats 1, 2 and 4, in a much smaller, simpler design. You can scale it up or down, and when you see how it is made, you will understand how easy it is to make it any size you want. I do think RC 4 was the upper limit for a car-topper. Each pontoon was 100 lbs. I realized that the smaller a boat gets, the more fun it is. RC 1 was a lot of fun, and so is RC 5.
Awesome, looks like I’ll have to get me a pair of them plans!
The plans on DVD have a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. If for any reason you feel you will not be able to scale the plans to the size cat you want to build, just return the DVD for a refund. I have given a lot of thought to this design, so that anyone with simple hand tools and basic skills can build it from local materials. When you see the video you will know that you can do it. If you have any problems, I’m here to help.
GREAT job it looks like lots of FUN for many ages. What are the purple runners from the bow to the cockpit? Just for added storage?? Jim
Thanks Jim. Cockpit, that’s funny. They are just polyester fabric, sort of cargo nets without the netting. They hold things like the oars, shoes, rope. Actual cargo nets aft hold things like baggage, throwable flotation. If you make this cat, you can do what you want in that space. Put in a hammock! And you’re right, it is so much fun. Make one in the Spring and have it for next Summer.
Awesome boat and idea! I ordered the DVD from you on Friday and am looking forward to my new spring project!
Thank you. You are going to love this cat. When we get enough of them made, let’s have a cat meet at some nice lake. Many are being built this year, so this may happen sooner rather than later. I hope you like the DVD.
have you ever had ot uncaptsize it
No. I sail carefully and don’t push the cat so far. Racing a cat with one hull flying can lead to a capsize, and sometimes does. RebelCats are made for cruising, not racing. However, as you can see from this video, this cat can go pretty fast with both hulls on the water, certainly faster than most monohulls in the same wind.
Every Plumbers dream!
love the video and the cat, maybe one day i i will be able to sail like that
Hi,
Very impressive and inventive, I’m realy impressed!
Did you consider polyethilen pipes that are liighter, instead of the PVC pipes?
I have not seen pipes lighter than the PIP PVC pipes I use. I do not use schedule 40 PVC – much too heavy and expensive. PIP is the thinnest and cheapest and works great.