Future of yachts

Are multihulls the future .... well, quite possibly the future for most people.

In 2017, for the first time in history, the number of new multihulls ordered by the world's charter companies exceeded the number of monohulls.

I suspect that the future is writ large in that one fact, which bears repetition. :encouragement: :encouragement:

Richard
 
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RichardS said:
Are multihulls the future .... well, quite possibly the future for most people.

In 2017, for the first time in history, the number of new multihulls ordered by the world's charter companies exceeded the number of monohulls.

I suspect that the future is writ large in that one fact, which bears repetition. :encouragement: :encouragement:

Richard
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How many multis were written off in the Hurricanes last year, and how many monos...?

I don't know, but I think you have to know if this is to increase the fleets, or to replace what was lost.

For example....

Hurricane-Irma-1-Credit-Ron-Gurney.jpg
 
RichardS said:
Are multihulls the future .... well, quite possibly the future for most people.

In 2017, for the first time in history, the number of new multihulls ordered by the world's charter companies exceeded the number of monohulls.

I suspect that the future is writ large in that one fact, which bears repetition. :encouragement: :encouragement:

Richard
Click to expand...

You can draw any conclusion you want from a simple statement of fact if you lack an enquiring mind or it suits your argument. It can mean what you want it to mean until you find out the reason for the change. For example if for the last 5 years the number of cats ordered by charter fleets represented 45% of total each year and last year went up to 51% then the statement is pretty meaningless as an indicator of future trends.

If on the other hand the number of cats wrecked in the hurricanes far exceeded the number of monos leading to a shortage of cats on the fleet and an excess of monos it would not be surprising if the number of cats on order increased significantly. It could also come about because of a decision not to buy any more monos but to keep the existing boats in service longer - perhaps because the market for retired boats is flat, or to reduce costs in order to fund the cat replacement programme.

Then of course you have to consider what proportion of the total market is represented by the charter companies before you can have any idea whether this is a one off, the start of a trend for the future, or even relevant to the market as a whole.

Of course the number of cats in the private market will increase as the current new additions and those already in the fleet find their way into the market, but it will be several years before this happens, even assuming some don't get wrecked .

So your "one fact" is just that and largely meaningless as a predictor of the future so does not bear repeating as a mantra, although it does warrant further investigation to find out what it really means!
 
flaming said:
How many multis were written off in the Hurricanes last year, and how many monos...?

I don't know, but I think you have to know if this is to increase the fleets, or to replace what was lost.

For example....

Hurricane-Irma-1-Credit-Ron-Gurney.jpg
Click to expand...

Flaming
I have no specific answer to your question, but my impression from talking with people about Group Beneteau is that this is a continuing trend. Take this statement from their website about the latest nine month sales:

The sailing segment, which generated 44% of sales over the first nine months of the year, is continuing to benefit from the good progress with catamarans.
 
35 ish years ago I was contemplating a boat. Among the boats I looked at, were Sadler, Jenneau Beneteau.
The Sales pitch for the Sadler was about the traditional lines, no unsightly bulges to fit double stern cabins. We know how history and traditional designs turned out.

I didn't by a boat. I met a girl and my life style changed.
I continued sailing in a new location. I instructed for a successful charter company. 30 years ago the charter boats were predominantly domestically built C&C and Catalina. I sailed lots of both makes, along with a few others.
Times change. The current charter fleet still has Catalinas, now Beneteaus, Jenneau's, Bavarias and a couple of cats.

Now I own a boat a 35yr old C&C , traditional, style lines, no wide stern, no Aft cabin. It was never a charter boat. I chose it because it was cheep, I was familiar with the make, I like the way it sails.
Old C&C tend to have faired better than old The Catalina's. A nice Catalina was outside my budget.

Todays affordable boats a designed for the charter market. I might look at one in 20 years.
The Cats have some disadvantages, I have never sailed one so I am not familiar with one. The cost of keeping one is much higher.
If I was looking for a boat I would look for a boat I was familiar with. I suspect many others would do the same. possibly boats they had chartered.
Do the advantages of a cat out way the disadvantages enough for me to consider a used one?

It would have to be very cheep.

Still my choices may be limited. My future boat will be a used boat. I can only choose from what is available.
 
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I don’t think they are the future of UK yachting. Too expensive for a typical weekend boater. Too big for a lot of harbours. Look at how few there are. Numbers could quadruple and there still would be few. For long term or live aboard use they make sense. They especially make sense for charterers who want minimal berth rental costs and a flat platform to keep the family happy. The charter market is where a lot of sales come from.

It’s true what others say that they are usually built badly. I inspected a lot that were damaged in last years Caribbean hurricanes and was pretty unimpressed. Flimsy structures, poorly fixed bulkheads and generally poor impact resistance
 
I saw a clip recently (it may have been posted here) where somebody was discussing their choice for a liveaboard cruising yacht. They were orignally thinking in terms of a 45' monohull.

Then he watched a Devos episode where they analysed their use of the boat. They said that they passed 95% of their time moored.

At moorings there is no contest.
 
RichardS said:
Unless the Contest mono can deform the spice-thyme continuum like the TARDIS, or it was a tiny cat, more of a kitten, they've made a serious blunder. ;)

Richard
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Stuffing a multihull full of "things" like you would a monohull is one sure way of getting it to sail like one as well.....
 
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