Looking for advice - cat or monohull for med/aegean liveaboard?

[TQA]

A few points in rebuttal to recent posts.

Yes mobos make good liveaboards but most will roll really badly at times in anchorages. The ones I see in the Caribbean usually have serious flopper stopper system added.

I too would have said that getting a catamaran at their budget would be unlikely but Yachtworld came up with 20 in Europe including a nice looking Fontaine Pajot.

For the winter it turns that their are marinas that don't charge extra for cats. I have no idea if they are good places to stay but they are there.

 

[tcm]

Thanks one and all for the very helpful advice and suggestions, food for thought and no mistake. Once we've digested everything you've all said, we shall come back in more detail, and meanwhile we're very grateful to all of you for your assistance to a pair of wannabees!
Paul & Juliette.

I bet you've been googling camper vans for under £30k, eh? Oh c'mon you may as well tell us

 

[Scillypete]

Get a monohull. After all cats aren't real boats are they!

Get a catamaran . . . . . . . . after all monohulls are only halfboats

 

[vyv_cox]

Yes mobos make good liveaboards but most will roll really badly at times in anchorages. The ones I see in the Caribbean usually have serious flopper stopper system added.

The OP is heading for Greece. It can be rolly there at times but in the vast majority of anchorages, not much.

 

[Bertramdriver]

Rolling is the least of the problems. Biggest problems are maniac cat drivers who think they're driving sport boats and yachties who believe they can squeeze their 10' beam into a 6' space. Either way it's the gel coat that tells the stories.
Big advantage of a mobo is that when you're charging backwards there's always plenty of crew on the yachts to help you in. Just don't lose your nerve.

 

[RupertW]

The OP is heading for Greece. It can be rolly there at times but in the vast majority of anchorages, not much.

Agree compared to the Caribbean but after 3 seasons up and down Croatia we had begun to believe that our mono barely rolled at all. Then we moved down to Corfu and recently came back from our first week there. We rolled in nearly every anchorage - worst was Kalami, but Lakka and Two Rocks bay weren't much better. Partly the washes but almost invisible swell coming in wasn't great.

I do hope the Ionian isn't all like that but perhaps the mixture of windy Southerlies and Northerlies didn't help.

 

[charles_reed]

Lots of good advice in the thread.
Though I have had a sailboat around the Med for 12 years, for liveaboards, not interested in performance, a catamaran gives you far more living space - as Vyv suggests a power boat could be even more practical in the Med where you seldom see a sailboat with its sails up.

However your budget is a bit too low to get a good catamaran or power boat and equip it for the Med, so your probably stuck with a pre-loved monohull.
You'd be well advised to buy here in the Med - the boat will already be fully equipped and the you won't be faced with the challenge of getting it here. Though some would consider that the best part of the trip.
Winters - now that's when living space becomes really critical (or are you intending to keep a foothold in the UK?)

 

[RichardS]

We rolled in nearly every anchorage - worst was Kalami, but Lakka and Two Rocks bay weren't much better. Partly the washes but almost invisible swell coming in wasn't great.

We just spent a week in Kalami and even on our cat the swell / wash from mobos and water-skiers was a bit annoying, although it can't have been that bad because Thomas' Place taverna was so good that we spent a whole week never eating anywhere else!

Talk about lazy!!!!!

Richard

 

[Tropic Cat]

I can't really improve upon prior responses other than to point out that there are catamarans within your budget in England and sprinkled throughout the Med. here's a link to catamarans for sale by owner. Scroll towards the lower part of the page to have a look.

http://www.catamaransite.com/catamarans_for_sale_less_than_38.html

People usually cite a 50% increase in interior room for a catamaran over a monohull. That may be true of larger catamarans, however in the 8 to 10 meter boat range I would say a catamaran provides a legitimate 33% increase in living area for a given boat length.

 

[Artic Warrior]

Don't go above 5 mtr beam as in Greece there is no travel lift that can cope with that,,,,i believe any way.
Turkey no problem thou for winter lift out,
Ive gone from trying two cats to two different mono then power boat now back to lift keel mono,,,,not knowing what I really wanted,,
Love cats,,,,but marina prices scare me on our budget,,,

 

[BurnitBlue]

It is an individual decision. I sailed catamaran around the Atlantic for 6 years. My mistake was selling her in Miami and switching to monohull. Cats are in demand everywhere and therefore expensive even older models. I would love to get back aboard a catamaran, but unfortunitely out of my budget these days unless I sell my house.

One thing I did notice was that the short seas in the Med did not suit my catamaran. Not enough weight to plow through but was stopped dead frequently. Maybe the modern models can cope better with short steep seas.

 

[TQA]

It is an individual decision. I sailed catamaran around the Atlantic for 6 years. My mistake was selling her in Miami and switching to monohull. Cats are in demand everywhere and therefore expensive even older models. I would love to get back aboard a catamaran, but unfortunitely out of my budget these days unless I sell my house.

One thing I did notice was that the short seas in the Med did not suit my catamaran. Not enough weight to plow through but was stopped dead frequently. Maybe the modern models can cope better with short steep seas.

The short steep sea in the Carib known as the Caribbean two step stops them dead too. Smaller cats often have to motorsail to make significant progress and it is vomit making motion.

 

[seastar777]

Two years ago my husband and me asked the same question, after considering all of the above and financial part of the deal, we decided to buy a monohull and as we found out two years later that was best decision we ever made. Cat for only two of us would be too big I think. Now we have just perfect boat for us and occasional friends or family visitors.

 

[pja666]

My word, much to cogitate on!
Firstly, apologies for my tardiness in replying to you all, and in thanking you for all the advice and information, including some very useful links to other informative sites.
Anyway, to respond to some of the points raised, firstly I can confirm that although we want to buy a motorhome/camper and live in it whilst travelling the coasts of the Med and ferreting out the vessel for us, we are both definitely committed to a live-aboard lifestyle as soon as we can achieve it, and no, my better half has no desire to substitute a life in a small box on wheels for a life afloat, whether said wheeled box has a Zodiac strapped to the roof or not!
Went to the boat show in Southampton recently and have concluded by about 55% to 45% to go with a monohull over a Cat, probably a French built 35 footer as suggested by one of your helpful responses above. Various reasons most of which have been discussed already both in this thread and elsewhere on this site.
Particular thanks to the contributor who discussed the advantages and safety issues relating to sailing out of sight of land rather than hugging the shore all the time, we take that on board and have to say the more people we speak to the more we are coming to understand the realities of a life under sail. So far, we have heard nothing alarming enough to dampen our enthusiasm, much to feed the fire of our ambition, and even more to bolster our confidence that what we want to do is realistically achievable.
Many thanks once again to all who have taken the trouble to respond to our initial request for advice, and since we are still novices at present, keep it coming if you can find the time and feel you have something informative to share with us and anyone else thinking along similar lines to ourselves. After all, you were all wannabe landlubbers once too.....
Regards to one and all,
Paul and Juliette.

 

[pja666]

Yep, we have, but not for quite the reason you rather shrewdly suspected! See my post on this thread of 30/9/14 for riveting details ad nauseam......!!

 

[tcm]

My word, much to cogitate on!
Firstly, apologies for my tardiness in replying to you all, and in thanking you for all the advice and information, including some very useful links to other informative sites.
Anyway, to respond to some of the points raised, firstly I can confirm that although we want to buy a motorhome/camper and live in it whilst travelling the coasts of the Med and ferreting out the vessel for us, we are both definitely committed to a live-aboard lifestyle as soon as we can achieve it, and no, my better half has no desire to substitute a life in a small box on wheels for a life afloat, whether said wheeled box has a Zodiac strapped to the roof or not!
Went to the boat show in Southampton recently and have concluded by about 55% to 45% to go with a monohull over a Cat, probably a French built 35 footer as suggested by one of your helpful responses above. Various reasons most of which have been discussed already both in this thread and elsewhere on this site.
Particular thanks to the contributor who discussed the advantages and safety issues relating to sailing out of sight of land rather than hugging the shore all the time, we take that on board and have to say the more people we speak to the more we are coming to understand the realities of a life under sail. So far, we have heard nothing alarming enough to dampen our enthusiasm, much to feed the fire of our ambition, and even more to bolster our confidence that what we want to do is realistically achievable.
Many thanks once again to all who have taken the trouble to respond to our initial request for advice, and since we are still novices at present, keep it coming if you can find the time and feel you have something informative to share with us and anyone else thinking along similar lines to ourselves. After all, you were all wannabe landlubbers once too.....
Regards to one and all,
Paul and Juliette.

Ooh, it's not often I guess this well. Have a go at the travelling with a motorhome first. The extended periods away from home will be quite a change. Many people with a cruising boat ... previously had some other boat, and before that their parents had a boat.

 

[Garry & June 'Friendship']

Hi pja, sorry for late reply to your thread. We are currently in the process of doing the same as you plan. We have purchased our boat (Broadblue 38 cat) and this winter will start the process of making it into a liveaboard vessel with a view to setting off next spring to warmer climes. Have been researching all this for years and been following these forums for just as long. As you now no doubt realise there are supporters of the pro's and con's of both mono's and cats but I think as pointed out at the very beginning with your available funds you would be hard pushed to find a suitable cat at that price. If however you do manage to go that route and want any advice then please do not hesitate to pm me and if I can help I will. Either way I look forward to maybe seeing you In a year or two down in the sun where we maybe can share a beer or three!!
Regards
Garry & June

 

[Tropic Cat]

Thanks one and all for the very helpful advice and suggestions, food for thought and no mistake. Once we've digested everything you've all said, we shall come back in more detail, and meanwhile we're very grateful to all of you for your assistance to a pair of wannabees!
Paul & Juliette.

In your quest for the right boat, you might enjoy looking at catamarans offered for sale by owner. Quite a few are in the Med..

http://www.catamaransite.com/catamarans_for_sale.html

 

[pragmatist]

Two years ago my husband and me asked the same question, after considering all of the above and financial part of the deal, we decided to buy a monohull and as we found out two years later that was best decision we ever made. Cat for only two of us would be too big I think. Now we have just perfect boat for us and occasional friends or family visitors.

So do tell us what is your much loved boat ? And is the 2 years later simply experience or did something make it obvious ? I love our boat (monohull - Rival 41) but always look round at others - especially since my brother built his own cat and is therefore rather biased about the benefits of two hulls

 

[pragmatist]

I was going to say that you are restricted to a monohull just on price but did a Yachtworld search and surprise surprise 20 possibles turned up in Europe, Discounting the bib projects

Being dumb I know but what is a bib project​ ?!