Catamaran

[DaveEP]

I am looking for a boat that will give good service long term, but be good for cruising from the UK down to the MED, and also to the Caribean. I have have been considering a catamaran for the overall space and general 'no leaning' (my wife does not enjot the leaning part!

I am concerned by local sailors who tell me that cats are 'dangerous' and 'far less stable'.

However, none of these people have actually owned a catamaran, and I would appreciate some feeback from people who 'know by experience'.



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[simonfraser]

Hi,

cruising cats are very stable, dagger boards are dangerous to the un-initiated.

you'll love them.

check out multihull world in Emsworth, the have a great stock to get you going.

Simon

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[snowleopard]

having been to the caribbean and back in a cat and never had the slightest concern about stability, i would dismiss those who call them 'dangerous' as ignorant and prejudiced. you can equally say that monohulls are dangerous because they sink if you knock a hole in them.

i would mention that cats increase greatly in stability as they get bigger, i draw the line at anything under 30ft for ocean crossing though it's purely a personal opinion and many have done it in smaller boats.

the space a cat gives you is fantastic in a hot climate and the freedom from heel and roll is great. get out there and try one!

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[DaveEP]

Thanks. I have seen lots of Cats around, specifically in the warmer climates, like the Med and Caribean, but typically those climates are also not as rough as say the North Sea. I had not really considered one until I visited the Canes boat show last year, and was impressed by the overall living accomodation.

However, safety is one of my major concerns. My last real sailing adventure resulting in us making a dash for home in a force 8, surrounded by 10 feet waves. How will a cat stand up in those conditions? I am assuming that you came across these kind of conditions transatlantic, where there is no where to hide..... ?

Sorry to ask simple but naive questions at this point, but I am not sure where else to go to get unbiased opionions. Clearly if I ask any one selling a Cat then they are biased!

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[DaveEP]

Actually - can any one recommend a good book on sailing (cruising) Catamarans? May be I need to sit down and read all about it.... instead of listening to local 'know-alls'!

Thanks in advance....

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[wagenaar]

I have never owned a catamaran, but are very much interested in them and consider building or buying one. As preparation I read a number of books and suggest "Multihull Voyaging" by Thomas Firth Jones as a good book to get an idea about catamarans.

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[chippie]

themultihull.com is a site devoted to cats and tris with a photograph section, have a look.
Being caught in rough seas isnt much fun in any boat, a decent cat would be as safe as a similar length monohull in my opinion.

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[snowleopard]

a couple of points on the rough weather issue: if you can get hold of a copy of the recent edition of Adlard Coles' Heavy Weather Sailing there is an account of riding out a storm in a kelsall 35ft cat. the skipper was new to multis and thought his last hour had come until he realised that the boat was riding it comfortably and was quite dry.

i have been through a force 9 in mid-atlantic. i went off onto a broad reach under the windage of the mast alone (doing 9 knots!) and we took no water aboard. at no time was there any hint of lifting a hull.

if the conditions got to bad for running before i would deploy my parachute anchor, those who have used them swear by them.



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[kesey]

We sailed a Leopard 42 at Christmas in the Caribbean. We were out in a Force 8 gusting Force 10. The cat was as happy as larry. More importantly, so was my wife. If we had been on a monohull at the time, my wife would have been a mite dismayed - and would have communicated the fact to me in no uncertain terms!!

There's no problem with the right cat. Just reef her early enough to ensure she is not overpowered.



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[Talbot]

Lots of cruising cats have done long distance voyages without problems - even in bad weather. Even the cheapest available are perfectly capable ( I know of one german who has reached Australia on his round the world trip, and he is sailing a Very old plywood bobcat. It is difficult to give advice on the correct make of cat to buy without some idea of your budget, but as a rough guide, a Prout Snowgoose elite (37ft) makes a good long distance boat. A number of people have done round the world in "Twins" , and I am gradually modifying my own Catalac 9m for a trip to Australia. If money is not a problem (I wish) then a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boats.com/listing/boat_details.jsp?entityid=321390&searchtype=research&searchid=1&back=/builder/builder_boats_handler.jsp?mid=1768&showDL=false&showMD=true&clk_srclnk_name>44' Lagoon</A> would enable you to do the trip in some luxury! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

The most important item has already been mentioned - daggerboards have absolutely no place on a cruising catamaran.

The

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[DaveEP]

Thanks for all the replies - you have all made me more sure than ever that a cat is the way to go.

As for budget - I wish money were no object, but as I suspect it is for most of us, budget is an all too important factor.

I guess I am going to be conservativea at this point, because I know how things get out of hand once you start adding bits and pieces, so a cat in the £30K-£40K region would be a good start (may be trade up later once my wife is more convinced). Also, 30ft is the shortest I would consider, and more towards 40ft the better.

I realise I am not going to get a nice new one for less than £200K , so I am looking at the S/H market.....



<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by DaveEP on 31/05/2004 21:42 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Talbot]

In that price range you are really looking at a Prout quest 33, or possibly a twins or a catalac - the prout is likely to be the oldest, but the other two are also pretty old designs so their performance to windward will leave somewhat to be desired /forums/images/icons/smile.gif - thus weather planning will become important. All of these for long distance cruising will suffer from a weight penalty (i.e you will need to look at every item and decide whether it is essential, and you will need to make some hard choices. It will be essental to get a watermaker as you will be unable to carry sufficient water.

For myself, I am planning to add additional buoyancy forward and aft (bulbous bows, and sugar scoops) in order to provide the extra carrying capacity, and also to lengthen the waterline.

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[boatmike]

Agree with most other posts. Would only suggest however that you consider a boat built to cruise which will look after you at sea. Steer clear of very light boats with very high beam to length ratios. People think these are more stable. This is not so as the real danger is pitchpoling rather than lifting a hull. All boats are a compromise. Be aware of all the advantages and disadvantages. There is no such thing as the ideal boat for all.... There ARE some dangerous designs out there. But then there are a lot of awful monohulls too.... On balance a well found and equipped cat is a superb and very safe cruising boat especially over about 36 ft. Small (under 32ft) cats tend to perform less well.... My own boat (Snowgoose Elite) while heavier than it should be with all cruising goodies on board, is probably, for it's size, the best, most comfortable and safest boat I have ever sailed. But then I crossed the channel once in a very light French cat with extreme beam which was so skittish I took the ferry home!


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[boatmike]

Agree with most other posts. Would only suggest however that you consider a boat built to cruise which will look after you at sea. Steer clear of very light boats with very high beam to length ratios. People think these are more stable. This is not so as the real danger is pitchpoling rather than lifting a hull. All boats are a compromise. Be aware of all the advantages and disadvantages. There is no such thing as the ideal boat for all.... There ARE some dangerous designs out there. But then there are a lot of awful monohulls too.... On balance a well found and equipped cat is a superb and very safe cruising boat especially over about 36 ft. Small (under 32ft) cats tend to perform less well.... My own boat (Snowgoose Elite) while heavier than it should be with all cruising goodies on board, is probably, for it's size, the best, most comfortable and safest boat I have ever sailed. But then I crossed the channel once in a very light French cat with extreme beam which was so skittish I took the ferry home!


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