Help choosing a Catamaran.

[Jimmy_James]

Hello,

Im on a budget and have been looking at some catamarans - Ive seen a Prout 26' ' castaway ' built in late 80's. Its had the a cabin professionally built up, new rigging, sales, stations etc etc. In fact is in excellent nick with all the extras !

The only thing that I'm concerned about is its length - I've never sailed a Cat but I am trying to find a boat that I can go cruising on as well as weekend jaunts with friends. This 26' cat looks like it doesn't have much 'keel' area and I'm worried that if I had more than 4 or 5 people on it the boat might not sail too well !!! The boat is out of the water so I cant check her easily, and to be honest having had little helming experience on bigger boats before It would take me some sailing time to check her out.

Should I be looking for something a tad bigger, 28 - 31 feet ? Is the 26 foot Prout a reputable model ? Does this cat sail well ? It's on the market for around £15,000.

I've also seen a 1971 31 foot prout ranger, same sort of money - Its much bigger - you can stand up in the galley etc. The only thing is it needs loads of work doing to it - new interior, sails, stations, outboard etc. The rigging is new mind. Wonder what I should do -

Help from you experienced people much appreciated.

Regards
James

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[snowleopard]

i think you'll find that 26 ft is too small, especially if you're going to be cruising with 5 people. apart from being squashed, the weigth of the crew and the gear would make it very heavy which is the death of multihull performance.

to get good value in cats you might consider looking beyond popular production designs. two places to look are the big brokerages, multihull world at thornham (emsworth) and multihull centre at millbrook (cornwall). both have extensive lists and quite a few boats to look at on site. a visit to either would help you make your choice.

here are a few options to consider that may fit your budget:

iroquois (30ft) good performance but needs to be sailed with care (see recent postings on scuttlebut)

oceanic (30ft) more of a motor sailer but plenty of space. has been sailed round the horn!

one-offs by kelsall, woods etc. much cheaper than a production boat and good value if you get a well-built example.

good hunting

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[davidbains]

Jimmy,
26ft is a bit small if you want to take your friends sailing.
Although people have sailed long distances in 27ft Heavenly Twins. and
even Telstar tris.
Do visit Multihull world at Thornham, I kept my tri there for many years before the
Med became irresistable. Go several weekends and see if you can do some crewing.
Personally I wouldn't buy an Iroquois they just aren't wide enough at 13ft.
You could suscribe to Multihull International and back copies would fill in your knowledge.
There are also several informative books about multis and you could visit designers
web sites such as Derek kelsall, Chris White, John Shuttleworth.
An old Prout should be fairly reliable ( get it checked for osmosis) and put in a low
offer. Many Prouts have circled the world.
Also visit web site www.themultihull.com

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[elsby]

I cannot offer advice about your particular cat, but don`t dismiss 26 fters for long distance cruising.
My wife and I sailed a Catalac 8m for a few years doing numerous trips from Poole to Cherburg before doing an Atlantic crossing in her. For 2 people she was not small to live on
Obviously a bigger boat is better in all respects for long distance sailing but beggers cannot be choosers
Barry

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[snowleopard]

Catalac

the catalacs, like bill o'brien designs such as bobcat & oceanic, are good weight carriers and will take the load you want despite being pretty short. the reason for that is in the hull form but this has a down side in performance. all these boats are limited to hull speed so their ultimate performance operates by the same rules as monohulls of the same length.

if you want true multihull performance you need longer finer hulls which of course means a bigger boat and less capacity.

apart from that they have all the other benefits of cats: space, level sailing, no rolling at anchor, no cooker gimbals etc.

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[elsby]

Re: Catalac

Yes, agree on all those points, but as James said in his Question , he just wants to go cruising and for jaunts with his mates.
Doesn`t sound likes he`s looking for a record breaker, just somewhere to put the G+T safely between ports!

Barry

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[Jimmy_James]

Re: Catalac

Thanks for all your advice - Brilliant !

Ive made my mind up to go for this 26 foot Prout Scorico.... Should be fun and at least I can get my feet wet and move onto a bigger boat if desired later, with loads more experience under my belt.

Thanks to everyone.

James

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