Catamarans: is it really sailing?

Saguday

Saguday

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Feb 2006
Messages
3,263
Location
Me: Zummerzet Boat: Plimuff
Visit site
I mean, no heeling, swaying, getting drenched in spray and all that stuff. SWMBO and I went on the Broadblue 385 at LIBS, the first time we've ever been on board a cruising catamaran. Ever. Now, I have to be honest and say the reason we went on board was to satisfy our 5 year old son, who has been obsessed with catamarans ever since we passed umpteen Lagoons during our cruise up and down the US East Coast last year (it has to be a cruising cat for him, not yer basic Hobie or Dart) . We wanted to get some nice brochures and pics for him to look at and draw. Nonetheless we stayed on board for about half an hour. You can't help but be impressed by all that space - like having 2 narrowboats joined together by your living room. The family gets a hull each - domineering parents to port, oppressed offspring to starboard. And all those arguments about flat, steady sailing, easy-peasy, no panic, even leave the wine glasses and pot plants out on the table as you beat gently into the F6 gusting 7. And so much boat, storage space, deck space, and all for such a "relatively" modest outlay.

And yet, and yet...

I thought SWMBO would fall for it, that we'd have to plan to put our beloved IP up for sale and buy this floating flat. But she didn't. And I dunno why not, what it was that didn't quite click... Logically it all makes sense. Rationally the arguments are irrefutable. Economically, pound/sq.m, it can't be beat. Living aboard? it's the only way to go. But somehow we couldn't quite connect with it emotionally, couldn't quite get that gut-level yes! this is it! flush that we got as soon as we stepped on the boat we bought last year. We're not hairy, bearded balls-out trans-ocean hero-types but I did wonder whether perhaps we have a masochistic need for at least some level of discomfort to remind us when we're in a hostile environment.

Have we missed something? Would it all change if we actually sailed one, I wonder? Dare we cave in to temptation?

James? Talbot?

Neil
 
Go on, have a bash at sailing one - if nothing else, it will at least blow some more misconceptions out of the water re what cats should and should not do well (or not well).

I have a welly in each of the mono and multi camps, and can see advantages and disadvantages of both.
Some pals of mine have a Cal 36 monohull - they have just bought a Fountaine Pajot Tobago 35 cat for her parents, and they all think that both boats are wonderful in their own right for what they want the boats to do.
 
[ QUOTE ]
No! Not for you.

Get a Winnebago..... and a Hobie 18!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

A Winnibago heels more than an IP, but points higher and is easier to manouvre going astern /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
It's tempting to try it sometime, see what it's like, if SWMBO were to be interested.

Problem is, maybe I see cats as great for wafting serenely around the Caribbean or Med islands in glorious sunshine, gently nudging golden sands while the bronzed crew desports themselves gaily on the foredeck. I can't fit this image in with most of our sailing experience, bashing around northern latitude coasts in the brief gaps between depressions.

Maybe it's the cruising cat marketing image that's the problem? Great for charter holidays, but not for serious cruising...?
 
[ QUOTE ]
.... leave the wine glasses and pot plants out on the table as you beat gently into the F6 gusting 7....

[/ QUOTE ]

You've not sailed a cat then!

Cats don't roll, they bounce.
 
[ QUOTE ]
It's tempting to try it sometime, see what it's like, if SWMBO were to be interested.

Problem is, maybe I see cats as great for wafting serenely around the Caribbean or Med islands in glorious sunshine, gently nudging golden sands while the bronzed crew desports themselves gaily on the foredeck. I can't fit this image in with most of our sailing experience, bashing around northern latitude coasts in the brief gaps between depressions.

Maybe it's the cruising cat marketing image that's the problem? Great for charter holidays, but not for serious cruising...?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you have just answered your own questions /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
wafting serenely around the Caribbean or Med islands in glorious sunshine, gently nudging golden sands while the bronzed crew desports themselves gaily on the foredeck

[/ QUOTE ]

thats it! i knew I'd find the answer on these forums one day!

cheers! I'm off /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
wafting serenely around the Caribbean or Med islands in glorious sunshine, gently nudging golden sands while the bronzed crew desports themselves gaily on the foredeck

[/ QUOTE ]Its been blowing HARD through much of the Carib for the last three weeks or so. The boiled lobsters on the charter cats at least have had the sense to stay tucked up in their marinas. If you see them desporting gaily on the foredeck, its because they've just dropped the anchor on their foot.

The bronzed demigods out braving the oggin (and hopefully avoiding nudging the golden sands etc) are those on the liveaboard monos. That's the answer! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
We had a Catalac 9M for 11 years when the kids were younger. It was ideal for holidays around the Ci and France. It did not sail well except with the wind behind the beam and then needed a good 4/5 to get it moving. In these conditions we were up with the reat of them + it was very confortable with plenty of living space.
Now we have a Hunter 26 which is a real sailing boat, will go where you point it with spray in your face.
Every boat has its place, its what you want to achieve and what you enjoy. A larger and more "modern" cat has a lot of advantages.
 
We went mono to cat and back to mono. And we are still unsure about which we want, or at least I am. SWMBO is decided and its a cat.

If I were cruising the med or the windies, I would go cat for reasons of comfort (ride quality) and space. But they are not fun to sail in the same way as monos, so for day sailing and the occasional race and overnighter it has to be a mono. And not a very big one either.

The only rationale for sailing is the enjoyment of the sailing itself. That means a handy boat, a reasonably sized boat (IMHO 2 people in a 45 footer doesnt make for fun) - something nearer to cruiser racer than to motor sailers.

My Prout was more of a (very competent) caravan and not much fun to sail or to handle shorthanded in confined spaces like marinas and harbours.
 
Second that. The normal winter winds in the Caribbean are what many would consider marginal for going out in a sub-30 footer back home. Passages between islands are F4-6 on the beam with ocean-sized waves: 'lively' if it's someone else's boat you're chartering, unpleasant if it's your own boat. A long-term liveaboard couple we met out there (sailing a 40ft steel mono) said they regarded passages between islands as work days and time in the lee of the islands as holiday.
 
Horrible place...... Much nicer with wind against tide in the Alderney race in January. Bit difficult to water the pot plants at times I grant you, but if you avoid the sunburn and don't spend too much time chatting on the foredeck to relieve the boredom it's wonderful..... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Catamarans: is it really sailing?

[/ QUOTE ]


It's great fun sailing the Prout 37 we have, even better when we overtake all the mono's around! There is sailing a boat and there is sailing a boat! :-)
 
Yes, but if it's all so effortless where's the sense of achievement in it? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If that's all there was to it I'd just buy a mobo and blast past everyone flying a rag...
 
i agree that sailing a cruising cat is a more remote sailing experience than a mono. You aren't wired-in to the the sea as you are on a mono. With a cat you're often shifting along of course, but you can consider that the heeled-over monos are doing some other activity. It's like being in big saloon car overtaking an roadster or a classic motorcycle - they're having a more of a hoot during the journey, but you're faster and comfier.

However, if you're on a cruising mono then the dinghy and hobie catters are also doing a different activity, further over into the even-wilder side of on-water exhilaration and at a certain point (for me somewhere a good deal short of kitesurfing) one realises than one doesn't need to do it all the time, erm if ever.

But if you plan to stay on board for weeks or months rather than hours or days, and really really like living on board (and i do), dozing for lazy days, occassional swim, reading, bit of boatfixing, discussing lunch and all that, then a cat can be just fantastic. We rented one for a fortnight in tahiti and i don't think we've ever been so happy doing so little. We hardly went ashore, anchored every night, and finished the holiday more relaxed than at the start which is not normal on a boating trip really.

You get solid sleep on a cat at anchor as the boat is not only more stable but (more importantly for long sleep) the boat never gets rocked at that resonant frequency that is usually the reason why you wake up at night on a mono. Nor does the boat move much as speedboats belt past, and all this means you can spend far longer at anchor, a big advantage in hot coutries as marinas are sticky, at anchor is cooler. And a cat reflects a normal house in that general living/cooking is all on one level.

I have heard many say that the movement on a cat is very strange, bouncing rather than rolling. But we found that it was very like being on a cruising powerboat, a faster motion but er since we do powerboating as well, not at all unacceptable.

However, although moving about is quite fine, it's not the sole reason i like boating. There's the company, the destinations, the freedom to go places and more options with the ability to beach/dry out.

Oh, and one other thing : there is no problem renting a bareboat mono, even quite a big one over 50 feet. Whereas the charter companies seem to draw a line at about a low-spec 45 foot cat before inisisting you need crew. It seems to be a boat value thing. Even with plenty of bits of paper, a sizeable catwith lots of modcons like genny and aircon is crewed charter only, sir. So on a split decision, i spose you could buy a cat and rent bareboat monos for a laugh now and again.

Hm, bit one-sided eh? Ok, i admit it - we're off to the carib on Wednesday to see about buying one....
 
[ QUOTE ]
You aren't wired-in to the the sea as you are on a mono. With a cat you're often shifting along of course, but you can consider that the heeled-over monos are doing some other activity. It's like being in big saloon car overtaking an roadster or a classic motorcycle

[/ QUOTE ]

Naaaa.... then you are not sailing you are sat back and relaxing, nothing wrong with that and you can do that in a mono just as well as a Cat. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

On the cat I'm always watching the telltails and tweeking, that's how you get the speed. Apparant wind is a lot more noticable and you have to use it or loose it.

Sailing a multihull is different than a mono and I think more fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

capnsensible
Worlds toughest row. Atlandic Edition.
2
Replies
27
Views
657
ridgy
R
R
Brokers.
Replies
6
Views
475
Irish Rover
Irish Rover
zoidberg
'This month's hot boating topic....'
2 3
Replies
42
Views
1K
tjbrace
tjbrace

Share this page

Top