Catamarang's ! What are they like ???

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Jimmy_James

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Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Hello,

Im in the process of buying a boat with the intention of taking a year out and sailing the Med ! Yipee

Ive sailed a couple of 30 footers for short periods of time but have never even been on a catamarang !

Im on a budget £15,000 - £25,000 with intention of doing some work myself. Ive seen some cat's out of the water and they seam like good value !

What are these boats like to sail ? Do they have any quirks ? How come there
not popular as keel boats ?

There will be 4 of us on this boat and a 30 foot cat has loads of room ! Seams like good value for money.

Any advice will be a great help.

Thanks
Jimmy

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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Is a catamarang like a lemon meringue?

<hr width=100% size=1>I can't see the whites of their eyes, I'm not tacking....
 
Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

G'day Jimmy,

Re: "What are these boats like to sail"?
Fantastic, no spilling drinks when you tack, very stable, however you will do a lot of close hauled 'into the wind' sailing, because you will moving faster so the apparent wind will move further forward.

Re; "Do they have any quirks"?
The motion is quite different to a mono, the deck tends to come up and meet you, causing you to sort of trip, however this only applies to heavy weather sailing. At anchor they are super stable, no rocking, it's like sleeping at home some nights, and because the shallow draft allows you go places you could never get to in a mono, you can run her over a sand bank that dries and float off in the morning, this also good for hull, prop and other below water inspections, no lift out required.

Some greedy marinas will try the old, "oh you will have to pay for two births" or "Sir will have to pay extra for a catamaran berth", don't let them get away with this, try for a berth on the end of the finger, your width will make no difference, though a 30 foot cat should be no problem in most pens.

Re: "How come there not as popular as keel boats"?
Put simply, they cost a lot more per foot; however a 30 foot cat can have the space of a 45 foot mono, or multiply the length of any cat by 50% to same spaced mono.

With 4 of you on board you will need plenty of battery power and water capacity, some planning will be needed as catamarans do not perform well if carrying too much weight, so keep this in mind as it's tempting to fill the massive storage area aboard.

You will have to fill in your profile with boat details, and perhaps post a picture.

Good luck and enjoy your trip..............





<hr width=100% size=1>Andavagoodweekend, Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif
 
Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

that's right, they are white and crunchy and come in pairs

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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

""How come there not as popular as keel boats?
Put simply, they cost a lot more per foot; however a 30 foot cat can have the space of a 45 foot mono, or multiply the length of any cat by 50% to same spaced mono."
Alternative answer:
Put simply, in many people's opinion, their natural attitude is inverted!

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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

sent you a pm take a look & contact me if you want further info or discussion


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Re: Catamarang\'s - Glaswegian Joke

Jimmy is looking in the bakers' windae . . .

"Is that a fairy cake or a meringue?"

"Na, yer right - it's a fairy cake"

- Nick



<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>http://www.bluemoment.com</A></font size=1>
 
Re: Catamarang\'s - Glaswegian Joke

Sorry but even after 18 months National Service in Maryhill Barracks in the early 50s I just don't get it. I must be thick?

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Re: Catamarang\'s - Glaswegian Joke

Jimmy is looking in the bakers' windae . . .(Window)

"Is that a fairy cake or a meringue?"

"Na, yer right - it's a fairy cake"


Translation as follows

Is that a fairy cake or "am I wrang" (or am I wrong)

"Na, yer right - it's a fairy cake"



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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

i think in general the pluses outweigh the minuses
my missuss loves being on a cat cos there is no over on your ear stuff. they do swing around at anchor if it blows so you need lots of space cos you will not swing with in line with the monos
but they sail ace

you have to reef earlier and remember to as the boat does not heel so you can overstress the rig.
the marina charges are a pain but with all that space who needs marinas all the time?

go for it.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>By 'eck the sun is out</font color=red>
 
Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Just one point.

If you ever take it to an area where the sea gets rather extreme (eg 50 - 60 deg S), it may be a bit difficult to turn the right way up again after a big wave. However 99.99999% of the time this won't be a problem, unless you have a death wish of course.


Catinmeringue = furious puss (they hate their whiskers getting sticky)

Regards

Richard


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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Go for it. Cruising Cats are safe and very forgiving. The motion can be different from a mono but the lack of heel makes up for it.
After 23 years sailing a 9m Catalac I would only buy another Cat. Preparing for sea is making sure that the tonic is in the gas fridge and the ice tray full !
What ever you buy is possibly best with a single or twin diesels for fuel economy, but do not be put off by outboards. Also look at
http://www.mocra.org.uk/


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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Jokers.

School Doctor: Have you ever had trouble with appendicitis? Fred: Only when I tried to spell it. School Doctor: Have you ever had trouble with appendicitis?

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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

First witch: Here's a banana if you can spell it.
Second witch: I can spell banana. I just don't know when to stop.


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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

There is a problem with some catamarans that have poor headroom on the bridge deck, much less than the saloon of an equivalent hull length monohull. There seems to be a minimum length cat that gives reasonable headroom throughout. I wonder what others feel about this and what size cat they feel is suitable for longer cruises (two weeks on board plus).
Richard

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Re: Catamaran\'s ! What are they like ???

I've taken the G out....

I sail on an Edel Cat 35 and would/could/will happily spend a very long time on their on a very long cruise!

It is helped by the fact that the bridge deck is separate from the space in each of the hulls. Safe too. If one gets a hole, the other two will float!

By the way, it's blummin quick too!

<hr width=100% size=1>I can't see the whites of their eyes, I'm not tacking....
 
Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Headroom is an inherent problem with cats, but one that goes away as the boat gets longer. You need 2 or 3 ft of bridgedeck clearance to minimise slamming, then add on 6 ft for the height of a person and you have a cabin roof 8 or 9 ft above water level. This is why the modern french cats look so tank like. Prouts used to get round it by reducing both headroom and bridgedeck clearance, but looked sleeker. There is also a practical issue in that height of cabin top affect windage and manoverability(?) in harbour.

One reason there are fewer cats around is prejudice. People who have never even sailed on a cat will tell you that they wont go to windward (remember the Americas cup cat that trounced a mono twice as long and to windward) and that they capsize. In engineering terms its easy to show that a cat is much more resistant to capsize than a mono of the same length. The difference is that if it does turn over, it will never turn back on its own. But then what will have happened to the mono that turned over earlier. Has it sunk since its ballast makes it heavier than water in all but a very few cases?

In favour of a cat is - better ride, more room, shallow draft, better at anchor, easier to handle since needs less sail, faster (about 15% for a cruising cat). Against a cat is - bit less fun to sail, more difficult to manoeuvre in harbour, some marinas charge extra.

I've had both cats and monos. Personally, I wouldnt go long distance cruising in anything but a cat. But I would not have a cat for day sailing, general club use.


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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

Normally spend 2 weeks on board my 9 metre with no problems. Did a 3 week stint a few years ago, again with no problems. You get used to only sitting in the bridgedeck area and standing in the hulls.

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The difference really is prejudice.

I've never sailed in one and probably never will. They are faster, drier and more comfortable than a mono-hulled sailing boat, but then so is a big motor boat or a caravan, and none of those reasons encompasses why I love my boat and go sailing. If I wanted to stay warm, dry and comfortable I'd buy a garden in Barbados, not a boat in England.
In car terms, there are more reasons why a man of my age should by a volvo estate than a ferrari, but given the choice, I'd still have a motorbike.


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Re: Catamarang\'s ! What are they like ???

I too favour 'cats' and have spent time on monos, cats and tris but never more than a couple of days on the multihulls. I am personally interested in a Prout Snowgoose 35 which is a little long in the tooth but a good price range! The hulls are only about 5' beam compared with a monhull around 12' beam so the only place for a decent size double berth is the bridge deck. One has to go to double/treble the price and get nearer a 40' to get a wide berth in the hulls. My other half likes plenty of space (3/4 of a king size when at home!).
I also noticed that cats tend to become sluggish when even lightly loaded. I guess the narrow hulls have less displacement.
Richard

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