CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Well-Known Member
I took a screenshot picture from youtube of an anchorage somewhere exotic and warm. Most of the yachts in the anchorage are catamarans; it appears that catamarans are getting very popular over there.
Catamarans are getting very popular
- Thread starter CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
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LONG_KEELER
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing Oz . Brisbane way ?
D
Deleted member 478
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I'm guessing that it's an older Delos video from the Bahamas.
EDIT: Anagada is mentioned at beginning of the video, so it's in the BVI and those will predominantly be Moorings Charter cats.
EDIT: Anagada is mentioned at beginning of the video, so it's in the BVI and those will predominantly be Moorings Charter cats.
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Daedelus
Well-Known Member
Not with me they're not.
In the Ionian recently one squeezed in to get on the quayside and was shouldering two yachts aside and really leaning on them with his fenders, his comeuppance came when a thunderstorm with some strong gusts came in at around 0600 and he had to move.
In the Ionian recently one squeezed in to get on the quayside and was shouldering two yachts aside and really leaning on them with his fenders, his comeuppance came when a thunderstorm with some strong gusts came in at around 0600 and he had to move.
pagoda
Well-Known Member
We sailed in the Windward Islands a few years ago. Most charter boats appeared to be big cats. Most liveaboard boats were 35-45' monohulls. We chartered a 41ft monohull and found it excellent for our purpose?
geem
Well-Known Member
Lots of charter cats in the Caribbean but more recently an increase in owned Lagoon and Leopards type of boats. They are a certain type of cat that provides lots of accommodation but not a great deal of sailing performance unless broad reaching. They seem to be a type of owner with less interest in sailing but still wanting their Caribbean experience and why not. These boats provide great space and are brilliant at anchor. Their sailing performance is a secondary consideration. I am not knocking them but its hard to beat a monohull for sailing enjoyment. I say this as a sailor who's previous two boats were catamarans. Very happy with my mono but if I was a lottery winner I might be tempted by the new Balance 620 and venture back to the dark side.........
Neeves
Well-Known Member
And we would look at a Catana.
Neeves
Well-Known Member
We have owned our cat for just short of 20 years.
Catamarans have some very obvious disadvantages.
They are a very significant investment, if you need to upgrade anything it is also expensive. In many locations its difficult to find marinas that will take them (we keep ours on a swing mooring). etc. if this thread runs - I am sure there will be an amazingly long list of disadvantages mentioned (often by people who have never sailed a catamaran).
Most live aboard yachts and charter yachts spend most of their time at anchor - and accomodation is then the critical, or at least important, issue. If you are a live aboard, or you have no schedule then, like most people you do not set off into a howling headwind - all sailing, with the wife and kids, is much better off the wind. Of course if you have won that lottery and must get somewhere - then a monohull will sail to windward much more quickly. Off the wind a cat will outrun a monohull of the same size - easily. Ours is 38', equivalent to a modern AWB of about 45'. I don't know many monos of 45' you can sail, off the wind, one on deck and average 10 knots over 100nm - but we do watch weather windows religiously (and we don't have a schedule).
Horses for courses.
When we had our cat built we were the only multihull in our mooring field, of about 250 yachts. I can see 15 now - and ours is the, second, smallest (the smaller one is a Crowther).
Up north, The Gold Coast, Brisbane and further cats are much more common.
And to comment to Daedelus - you can see as many obnoxious owners (or charter parties) in monos as catamarans.
Jonathan
Catamarans have some very obvious disadvantages.
They are a very significant investment, if you need to upgrade anything it is also expensive. In many locations its difficult to find marinas that will take them (we keep ours on a swing mooring). etc. if this thread runs - I am sure there will be an amazingly long list of disadvantages mentioned (often by people who have never sailed a catamaran).
Most live aboard yachts and charter yachts spend most of their time at anchor - and accomodation is then the critical, or at least important, issue. If you are a live aboard, or you have no schedule then, like most people you do not set off into a howling headwind - all sailing, with the wife and kids, is much better off the wind. Of course if you have won that lottery and must get somewhere - then a monohull will sail to windward much more quickly. Off the wind a cat will outrun a monohull of the same size - easily. Ours is 38', equivalent to a modern AWB of about 45'. I don't know many monos of 45' you can sail, off the wind, one on deck and average 10 knots over 100nm - but we do watch weather windows religiously (and we don't have a schedule).
Horses for courses.
When we had our cat built we were the only multihull in our mooring field, of about 250 yachts. I can see 15 now - and ours is the, second, smallest (the smaller one is a Crowther).
Up north, The Gold Coast, Brisbane and further cats are much more common.
And to comment to Daedelus - you can see as many obnoxious owners (or charter parties) in monos as catamarans.
Jonathan
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RupertW
Well-Known Member
I enjoyed a Lagoon on an out of season rough cross-Atlantic ages ago. Good speed - 15 knots was our best on a 410 but the 380 made 18 in similar conditions. I’d have catamaran anytime in an anchorage or beating when cruising.
Tomahawk
Well-Known Member
Easy to beat... both upwind and downwind... But Tomahawk is an Outremer... described by some as the Porche of the seas
RichardS
N/A
In a recent thread we were discussing something with Vic and I observed that there were 14 boats in our bay in Croatia and 6 of them were cats. When we started sailing in Croatia 10 years ago there would have been only a couple.
Richard
Richard
geem
Well-Known Member
Ah yes, fully agree. If the Outremer is a Porche then what are the Gunboats? For me I would always want a performance cat with daggerboards. Friends have an Aikane 56 high performance cat. I weather routed them across the Atlantic in May. St Martin to Azores in 12 days. A strong fast and light cat with a huge amount of space. Carbon daggerboards, carbon mast.Easy to beat... both upwind and downwind... But Tomahawk is an Outremer... described by some as the Porche of the seas
The dilemma comes in high performance cats that they only stay high performance by keeping them light. As a liveaboard you have to be very careful not to overload them or they become low performance. Our heavy monohull was designed to carry lots of stores. She doesnt suffer a performance disadvantage like many cats and monohulls when you load here up. We have a boat full of toys, large fuel and water tanks and lots of space for food, tools, etc. If we were lottery winers we would probably have upgraded from our last catamaran to a larger high performance cat but we weren't! We made the conscious decision to move to a monohull that worked as a liveaboard boat and provided good sailing performance and safety. We have never regretted it. The money we saved was invested in property that provides us an income to retire early and enjoy our life afloat.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Well-Known Member
Up to very recently, we have been sailing on the South Coast and the Solent and during the last seven years, I don't think we have seen many catamarans around. So, perhaps, catamarans are becoming popular primarily in the Caribbean and to a lesser degree in the Med.
geem
Well-Known Member
They are perfect for outdoor living. Med and Caribbean boats for sure. I used to get excited when I took my jumper off when sailing in the UK!!
Praxinoscope
Well-Known Member
50 years ago we had a mooring in Mudeford, we were surrounded by 9m Catalacs, at least 7 of them, mind you Tom Lack did used to build them just down the road, so that may have something to do with it.
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Old Harry
Well-Known Member
You surprise meEasy to beat... both upwind and downwind... But Tomahawk is an Outremer... described by some as the Porche of the seas
dgadee
Well-Known Member
What was the one held in Newlyn after the drugs bust recently? Best looking cat I have seen, I thought. Lots of Lagoons about the med but they seem high and out of visual balance to me. But op is correct - very popular.
scotty123
Well-Known Member
Ugly boats.
[3889]
...
Spot on. I sailed a Lagoon 50 to the BVIs last year and, despite the code 0, never broke 10 knots. My own 36' plastic blob would have compared favourably performance-wise, though sadly lacking aircon and the 3 fridges and 2 freezers.
RobF
Well-Known Member
Having been to that spot in Anegada, there is about 1.9m of water (with minimal tide). This precludes most of the larger monohulls who need to anchor a bit further out. The monohulls are there, but out of frame in the deeper water. .