Catamarans are ugly.

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burgundyben

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On Sunday we popped over to Cowes for Lunch (The Anchor, was rather good for a pub lunch sort of thing).

On the way into Port Hamble I noticed a couple of Lagoon sailing catamarans and commented to better half that they were ugly. Very ugly.

Another post today and my inquisitive mind led me to a website of catamarans which are have no rag and stick and I thought they were ugly too.

I've always held the opinion that there is no need for an ugly boat, as a pleasure device it should always look good, in the way a Super Aquarama looks good or a big Wally looks good or a Sunseeker Hawk 34 looks good or a Flemming 55 looks good.

I am very proud of my boat, delighted when I get the chance to say 'that one over there', imagine this conversation

Casual onlooker 'which boat is yours?'

Catamaran owner 'er, um, its that ugly double hulled device over there'

Casual onlooker 'was it build from ugly trees?'


Does anyone think catamarans look good? does anyone think its ok for a boat to be ugly?

I accept my boat has its faults but at least it looks good.
 
I see your point, and yes i will happily contribute towards yet another BB thread about how nice yor boat looks, jeez...

Mind you, last i looked your Fiasco car was a right ole wreck so it's not all joyous beauty in Burgundybenland, is it? The car wasn't quite as ugly as a cat, but not that good really.

I spose after a while being on the cat it wouldn't matter would it? You wd get used to it, and go to places where there were more ugly boats praps. Maybe.

Racing cars use to look all luverly and swoopy, whereas since about 1974 they have been plastered up with fablon stickers, and not innocuous stickers that say 333 onnem but adverts for fags etc. Altho aren't 333 ciggies as well?...
 
Agreed, I would have claimed to take a minimalist approach to motoring but have just bought an e type (cos it looks good, same argument).

But the point is, you also think its v important to have a boat that looks good, thats why you choose the boat you did, its swanky and flash, and a motorboat should be.

The notion of an ugly boat rally is an interesting one, it implies there are ugly boat owners that accept the fact and would like to socialise (would it really be socialising? or maybe all ugly boat owners are socially inept?) with other ugly boat owners?
 
Agreed, I would have claimed to take a minimalist approach to motoring but have just bought an e type (cos it looks good, same argument).

But the point is, you also think its v important to have a boat that looks good, thats why you choose the boat you did, its swanky and flash, and a motorboat should be.

The notion of an ugly boat rally is an interesting one, it implies there are ugly boat owners that accept the fact and would like to socialise (would it really be socialising? or maybe all ugly boat owners are socially inept?) with other ugly boat owners?

Celebrity Ugly Boat Onwer Big Brother - new reality show?
 
E-type

glub, er rightyho, you've bought an e-type. Umm, well i spose in that case i will have to agree that things are all quite nice and luvverly in Burgundybenland.

Mind you, it's a teeny bit gittish of you to wait until you have nice boat and nice e-type and then dumping on catamarans. Actually, very gittish indeed, really.

Anyway, bits of the hamble are a bit ugly, especially at low tide, sometimes, a bit, or at least some bits of Hamble village itself are definitely a bit ugly once outside the village, sort of. I spect he's gonna say he lives in the villagey bit now, dammit... also if it's 2+2 fhc it's not *that* pretty cos the screen is a bit too vertical with higher roofline (getting a bit desperate tho i admit)...
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to think that the Lagoon cats look great - the vertical windscreens look like the proper job. And to be honest I'm not a great believer that Fairey's are the best looking boat about around and would much prefer a Nelson or Linssen.

Good job we're all different eh?!
 
Depends on what you are used to. It looks all the more attractive when you know you are not unnecessarily throwing money away on fuel. The MC27 was designed to look like a mono to overcome this issue. I guess if cats were everywhere your mono would look like the ugly duckling. If there was the same amount of money spent on Sunseeker looks as any cat i bet a good designer could produce something pretty stunning. Sailing cats have more of a problem to look good because they need huge beams for rig stability. This does not apply to powered catamarans. Why no Uk powerboat manufacturer invests in this type of boat is beyond me. Virtually all concept boats and marine industry (apart from leisure that is) are turning to cats.
 
Re: Not all...

...I reckon most of the boats competing in Class 1 Offshore racing look fantastic, but then they are missing out on those tradional cat virtues...double-priced marina berths, the ability to return 0.006 gph fuel consumption, minimal wake, and a cockpit big enough to land a helicopter on.
 
Is an ugly cat twice as ugly as an ugly mono? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

cheers Joe
 
Ugliness is only skin deep! Cats' look great until you put a cabin on them. The Olympic Tornado has beautiful lines as per the big racing cats in the Thomas Crown Affair, but stick a cabin on them and phew! Might as well strap two caravans together on floats. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
to me it's all a matter of proportions - some boats have them and other, in the same range, don't; -

Extreme example Botnia Targa 25 Ugly - 27.1 Nice
Most Norhavn's Nice - Baby one Ugly
Most flybridges under 34ft - Ugly

Agree about the Hawk 34

Lagoon Power 43 is definitely one of the better proportioned - but that's not really saying a lot I suppose. Wouldn't chuck it off my berth? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Yes they are. So are caravans and people carriers.
Anything designed with maximum volume in mind will be abhorent to look at.
Not many Alfa Spiders can take the whole family, dogs and picnic around. But there again who wants the etc etc when you have a beautiful car, boat or whatever to gaze at.

Saving grace is that as the skipper you don't have to look at the bloody thing, but can drool over classic yachts from a stable camera platform.
 
Fairey Huntsman 28 looks like a bag of crap

Straight out of the 1960 high rise no taste grind another boat out of the lazy designer with copious amounts of plastic finish. Oh yes indeed good ditch crawling boats that have hit every ugly tree along the muddy banks where they should stay.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to think that the Lagoon cats look great - the vertical windscreens look like the proper job. And to be honest I'm not a great believer that Fairey's are the best looking boat about around and would much prefer a Nelson or Linssen.

Good job we're all different eh?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Have to agree with this sentiment and when you take into account other factors like economy (could be even more important next year), bags of room, stability, seakeeping, beachability, unsinkability! etc etc. In fact have recently fallen in love with the Fountaine Pajot Cumberland 44 - ticks all my boxes and me a current Princess owner as well!

As to the extra berthing costs MDL do not charge extra for cats - purely by length I am told.

Anyway watch this space - may just be smitten!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Was it the Cumberland at LIBS? I had a good look around, but I thought the quality is still way behind the main mono manufacturers, unfortunately. You do get quite a bit of space though. I did like the sensible placing of the fuel filters and strainers and plenty of space for a generator or two (if you want one for light work and one for heavy duty perhaps?).

They gave me the MDL spiel too - but I'm not convinced. Where I was last year (MDL marina) if I'd had a cat, then the boat next to us would have to have been moved to allow for the extra beam of the cat - so you really think that you won't get charged more? I suspect if they can find you a hammerhead, you may not be charged more, but once Victor has sold everyone a cat, what then? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Rick
 
Cat quality

i agree that cat quality seems low. However, i think it is mainly that the weight restrictions prevent lovely extra mouldings and finishing etc cos either it wd weight a ton and lose cat advantages, or cost loads. In loads (most) places in a cat you are looking at single-skin grp.
 
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