Calling all catamaran owners.....

Hi BradleyC.

as we are in the process of packing up our house into storage to leave for our boat in 2/3 weeks I want to at least wish you all the best in the beginnings of your search... at the end of the day it will be as much a part of the adventure as actually sailing away, that is how we viewed it anyway.

I spent hours hours and more hours reading everything I could.... the search facility on here, (think up as many different search peramiters as you can) makes great reading.

we have bought a 1989 Prout Snowgoose in need of a bit of cosmetics for 55000 Euros.

you will get all the advice in the world about boats in USA / S.Africa / Aus etc etc but if you are British and want to sail around the Med then the import regs and cost will be prohibative to say the least.

just scour the internet broker sites then go look at some boats. you will quickly get a feel for what is actually available.

and you will also get a feel for the resale potential, an important factor for us, as life has a habit of changing your perceptions, even if it is to upgrade to a bigger better boat, first you need to sell the one you have.

I won't wax on about the Snowgoose, save to say I looked extensively and this was my choice/conclusion.

again good luck
 
Thanks!

Thanks, and all the best for your adventure. Good luck!

I'd be interested in hearing how you get on so please feed back. Are you going to be running a blog?
 
Hi BradleyC

thanks for the best wishes.

we wont be doing a blog only because I know that I would not be dilligent enough to keep such a thing up... however I will be posting updates and photo's as we go along, I qute enjoy reading the info on this site both the practical and the wimsical so it will be good to contribute more, with real experience, weather it be a great new wiget iv'e dicovered or photos of sunsets.

enjoy your boat search... we had several budget holidays under the guise of boat viewings, from scotland to Isle of White, Greece, Italy, and others.

take lots of photo's!

regards
 
I'd second/third/fourth .... all the recommendations for a Snowgoose. I sailed an Event (only 34') in the Med over a number of years. Looking at your budget and requirements, I think that a 'Goose would suit you. The nacelle certainly helps, in my opinion, and you wouldn't really want a trampoline forward, with children on board. I've been out in the Turkish Meltem on the Event and had no problems. We sometimes had 7 on board the Event which was a bit tight, but 6 was fine, and I've also sailed a 'Goose and a South African Prout Manta 38. With 5 on the 'Goose and 6 on the Manta both were very comfortable. Certainly worth considering a 'Goose.
 
Wharrams and other open bridgedeck cats, with or without a central pod, could become very wearing after a while. Yes, they are cheap but there is a reason for that. Some people can happily live for months or years in a 'camping' lifestyle but others, me included, are less keen on having to go out in the rain to go to bed or visit the head. Living in a narrow tube and crawling through a hole to get into the bunk is a young person's sport. I looked at Wharram's 50 footer and it felt claustrophobic down below.

If you are living in a hot climate you want reasonable shade and shelter when on deck so the ability to have an awning, bimini or hard top in place while sailing is pretty vital.

As several people have said, a Snowgoose is good value and big enough to live on. I would advise you to look carefully at some aspects of them before taking the plunge -

Headroom in the saloon is limited; the nacelle helps but it only gives standing headroom in a small area: can you live with that? Possibly not if you are tall.

Again, if you are tall you may find the bunks a bit short. I ruled out the one I was considering buying as I couldn't lie straight in the master cabin (I'm 6'4")

Some I have seen have the chart table 'down', i.e. in one of the hulls. I couldn't live with that as a quick dash to the chart table becomes and obstacle course also I like to be able to see all round while piloting.
 
Calling all cat owners

Thanks for that. I was interested to hear what you said about headroom as that will be a factor for us. I'm only 5''4 but my husband is 6''4, and its pretty important to him that whatever boat we buy has standing headroom in a big chunk of it, as he doesn't fancy being hunched like Quasimodo for the entire trip.

Which cat would you say ranks best for headroom, out of the ones that are within our proposed budget?

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback; its really useful!
 
snowleopard said:
Again, if you are tall you may find the bunks a bit short. I ruled out the one I was considering buying as I couldn't lie straight in the master cabin (I'm 6'4")
Click to expand...

I think snowleopard is right if you look at the open plan but the family plan includes a full queen size berth which might suit you better.
 
As others have said:
* Wharram's great if you like camping aboard rather than living.
* Prout snowgoose excellent value. Strong and many have circumnavigated.

I have not noticed anyone suggesting a Fountaine Pajot Athena. We know people who are now several years into cruising on board and very happy with the boat (as we are with our Belize). You can get a ten year old Athena for the top end of your range.
 
Big thank you

A big thank you to everyone who's replied, as the information you have all provided has been tremendously useful, and a real help. Cheers!:)
 
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