dean catamaran a good choice?

[al.carpenter]

hello everyone,
being new on this forum, I just want to say how interesting and rich I find your posts. I have so far lived on board my boats (classics, monohulls) for more or less four years and loved every minute of it but my partner is not so keen anymore and the last chance I would have to convince her to put her bags back onboard would be to switch to a boat that does not smell of tar and damp and rocks so much... and am thinking of a catamaran. I am on the market for a second hand one and was interested in a DEAN 441 but having read quite a few bad threads about structural problems and bad aftersales behaviour from the builders in South Africa, I am seeking, let say "wider" advice and comments... This being, for me, a major investment, I do not want to ask for trouble and as it is quite high on my wish list, your input would be most appreciated. Thank you and fair winds. Al.

 

[Deleted member 478]

Al

Hundreds of Deans have been built and sailed across wide oceans. Some of them were well built, some not. Some people have been heard to say they are built like brick shyte houses. Some disagree. The 441 is very spacious. In the end, three words, survey, survey, survey.

 

[multihullsailor6]

Al,

Here's some info on Dean catamarans you might find interesting:

http://www.multihulls4us.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1329

I was very impressed when I stepped on one at the La Rochelle boat show a few years back.

 

[al.carpenter]

thank you

thank you for your advice. I know it is going to sound stupid but after a couple of days looking seriously into the problem, I have come to the conclusion that catamarans are not for me... not my idea of cruising... not my idea of a "proper" boat... never has been but I thought, for the sake of my wife it could be a solution but I now realise that it is not an option. Thanks any way. Fair winds to all of you.

 

[tcm]

Hm that's a pity. Can you post details of the wife please?

 

[al.carpenter]

to TCM

Hi again,... 5' 7", 47kgs, blonde but not dumb, with a lot of energy but a little back problem that is not compatible with sailing anymore... You'd like her and I'll swap her for two 26 years old slender brunettes for the duration of my yearly cruise (she is 52...) but will take her back on landing as I am used to having her by my side, she, having been my partner for the last 34 years... More seriously, as a marine carpenter and a boat builder, a wooden yacht owner for the last 35 years, I have difficulty thinking of myself on something else than a long keeler with more in the water than out, close to half my weight in ballast, my nostrils tickling with the smell of Stockholm tar and my feet on my toolbox to repair my beloved "passion"..... and after more thought, I am not too keen on lending my wife so, I will cary on sailing solo... Ciao for now and fair winds.

 

[tcm]

What an excellent response to my daft post. I secretly feel guilty about not doing my bit to keep an old boat going and pass it on in twenty or so years time. I have loadsa tool boxes on catamaran, but sailing or living on the thing long term means a cat is comfier - unless you have a realy gigantic olde boat which finances can mean is rather stronger in the "being olde" dept than is truly all that "classic".

 

[al.carpenter]

Daft post?

no way... personally, right after "l'Amour" as Most Important Topic comes "l'Humour" (I am french you see!), on a par with Woodenboat sailing and Good Food...
To go back to the wooden boat versus catamaran conversation, a classic timber craft does not have to be "old". My last one, a Laurent Giles was built in 1983 and my other alternative to the cat is to build myself a 38ft Ed Burnett nr 116 design (but carvel and not strip-planking/epoxy...) Since the cat is definitely out of my system (this idea was there just a few days, having realised that my partner's back was not likely to ever get better and I was depressed...), it is back to my newbuilt project "full steam ahead"
Thanks again for taking the trouble to reply to my "own daft post"... Ho! and by the way, I hope your many tool boxes are not as heavy as my one and only 150 kgs mahogany own. On a cat weight is paramount......... Fair winds, Al

 

[OFournier]

Hello all,

I did not came back here since "06-05-09" (say this forum ...).

> al.carpenter, as I read above that you are French, you can read this long thread on Dean Catamaran structure problem in the french forum "Sail The Word" :
http://www.stw.fr/forumstw/quest_answers.cfm?quest_id=33047&topic_id=22&st_row=1

And this one to avoid communication liberty on the WWWeb:
http://www.stw.fr/forumstw/quest_answers.cfm?quest_id=33603&topic_id=22&st_row=16

In fact, it is proved (even by several experts) that some Dean catamarans have big structural problems. Due to the lack of real technical communications beetwen the shipyard and the clients, it is impossible to evaluate how many cats are involved.

I have no interests in this situation (like you, I rather like great heavy wooden schooners), but just for security reasons these real dangerous cases cannot be concealed.

So long ...

 

[bigwow]

Do I smell an alternative agenda emerging here?

 

[al.carpenter]

thank you OFournier

Hi, thank you for your post which is rich in informations about Dean Catamarans. I do understand that a certain design can have structural problems (I say design but in this case, the 441, it seems to be the material that's creating them) , after all, nobody's perfect and as a boatbuilder myself, I can assure you that some mistakes do cost a lot, in time and money but let's face it, it cannot in anycase be the client's responsability (if it is indeed a conception problem which only experts can determine) so the least the yard can do is listen, make amend and make sure it does not happen again. This, added to all the other, in my own opinion, disadvantages of a multihulls over a monohull (keep it light otherwise forget it, speed kills, structural stiffness, not getting back-up on its own, windage over wet surface, beating angles and tacking under motorpower, large cockpits, banging waves on the centrepart, two engines, sailing with the mains'l sheet in hand so to speak, not easy to repair anywhere you are, not "romantic" looking... etc...etc.) make it a definitely NO-NO option for me.
But, this is my very own conclusion and being known as a old, narrow minded, ultra conservative (only where boats are concerned...) bear and not wanting to start another multi versus mono debate, I will close here this thread... Fair wind all.

 

[OFournier]

Hello all,

sorry to dig up this post but the situation of three french owners of the Dean cats 441 which have structural problems, is the same : not yet any negociations with the shipyard DEAN CATAMARANS. Just they have now recognized "some small problems".

So we have posted on the STW forum some pictures of the spectacular structure damages in the ship AFRODITE :

This is a small sample among many others (deck or bulkhead broken in 2 parts, etc.).

The specialist will appreciate ...

 

[bigwow]

You might be better bringing this up on
multihulls4us forum