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Old 11-03-2008, 01:49   #1
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Eleuthera 60

I am looking to buy a cat for circumnavagation. I have look at the FP Eleuthera 60. The layout is appealing as is the helm position and deck layout. But I have some questions re suitability for ocean crossings and the build strenght. Would appreciate any opinons
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Old 11-03-2008, 08:33   #2
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I like the boat also but it doesn't have a ridgid top bimini. It would also be difficult to handle with two sailors. Have you looked at the St. Francis 50?
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Old 11-03-2008, 10:41   #3
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Twosail I understand the appeal - the lines are, in my eyes, gorgeous and the saloon is - well, an incredibly artful and effiicient design. I have no personal experience with the Eleuthera 60, although the bridgedeck clearance of most FP's is adequate (or better). Their smaller boats do have a reputation for rather 'light' construction, although FP apparently uses state of the art finite stress analysis in finalyzing their designs and construction. I have little doubt that one would be capable of a circumnavigation, although there are both faster (but smaller) and more solid (but smaller) cats available in the same price range.

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Old 11-03-2008, 12:11   #4
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Rigamarole thanks for your reply, I am not familar with the St Francis will search around the net and see what I can find. Last weekend I was able to see over an Eleuthera and a Catana 58. I was impressed with the Elenthera's volume with in the hulls, and undersatnd that this volume gives her good load carring capacity.

Brda thanks to you also, this is my concern, it appears to me that FP make light cat's. I am not an expert on construction so I am wondering if the lightness is due to structual short comings or because the construction technique makes light boats.

Tha major appeal to me is the volume of this yacht so while I am sure their are faster cats but do they have tha same area to store suppliers and live aboard?
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Old 11-03-2008, 12:17   #5
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twosail - if you're considering cats in the 60 ft range, load carrying capacity should reasonably not be an issue. Do you plan of carrying a grand piano? - or just a baby grand?

Perhaps describe your intentions for cruising, how many people you intend to carry, your boat buying/outfitting budget, and any other specific considerations you have? Then more specific recommendations could be made.

What different cats have you sailed?

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Old 11-03-2008, 13:25   #6
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Twosail, you may have read this already, if not here's an interesting article.

Cruising World - Master of Arts and Sciences
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Old 11-03-2008, 15:37   #7
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We have mostly sailed in monohulls but have spent a week on a moorings cat and an afternoon on a Lavezzi 40. We absolutly love sailing on a cat the living spaces are to die for not mention sailing level!! We have children who will travel with us most if not all the time. Our budget is ample to purchase a Eleuthera and fit her out. We are fortunate to have a busines that allows us to run it from any where. We are planning tis advenuter to begin in 24-36s months

I am trying to get a feel from other peoples experience on how these boats compare to similar size cats in terms of their comparmise from performance to comfort in the living spaces and what is the perception of them as they age?

Thanks Erik I have seen that article is in my cat scrapbook!
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Old 11-03-2008, 15:54   #8
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If your budget is ample, you'll have lots more to pick from than the Eleuthera. Because you won't have too many opportunites to see these big cats in the flesh, recommend you look at as many smaller versions of the FP line as well as the other production cats that make lengths in the range you're interested in. If you think an FP would suit you, look also at the big Lagoons. Consider Privilege and Catana for a notch above (in my opinion). (But you may find your needs best met by a custom builder.) A measure of "perception of them as they age" for the production cats can be made by observing resale values on yachtworld.com of the various builders.

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Old 11-03-2008, 16:59   #9
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Thanks Dave. What is it about Catana's that you like? I was on one last weekend, and while is is a beautiful piece of work, there are a couple of things that didn't suit me.

The hulls are narrower so the cabins don't have the roomy feel of the Eleuthera which I was able to board straight after.

Also I am not keen on the unsheltered helm more from sun than rain view.

Also can you explain why a Catana is a better performer given that it is heavier. I presume the dagerboards would give it the windward performance, but what about down wind? I am thinking a light wide hull against heavier narrower hulls?

I know I sound like an idiot, but I am trying to figure all this out so not to do something I regret.

cheers
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Old 11-03-2008, 18:12   #10
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I just came back from visiting friends who sail a cat that is very well done. It's made by Dolphin in Brazil. The workmanship is tops and it shows. I was a bit surprised when I was told that it is extremely noisy under sail. The owner says that the water noise slapping the hulls and the under deck can be deafening to the point he and his wife wear ear plugs. They believe this to be true for all cats.The owners wife also claims she cannot function when under way due to the erratic motion of the boat but does fine on a mono hull. Today they Sailed from Guadeloupe to Antigua about a 40 mile sail and said they were tired out from the motion and the noise, wind aprox 14kts, left over sea swell and small wind driven waves.
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Old 11-03-2008, 20:48   #11
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Twosail
I just came back from visiting friends who sail a cat that is very well done. It's made by Dolphin in Brazil. The workmanship is tops and it shows. I was a bit surprised when I was told that it is extremely noisy under sail. The owner says that the water noise slapping the hulls and the under deck can be deafening to the point he and his wife wear ear plugs. They believe this to be true for all cats.The owners wife also claims she cannot function when under way due to the erratic motion of the boat but does fine on a mono hull. Today they Sailed from Guadeloupe to Antigua about a 40 mile sail and said they were tired out from the motion and the noise, wind aprox 14kts, left over sea swell and small wind driven waves.

Minisailor
I was talking to a friend recently who was telling me of a friend of his who sailed to Fiji on a cat and had to tye himself to the galley as he prepared food due to the lurching forward and then slowing quickly as the cat raced down waves and plunged in to the sea at the bottom slowled and then taking off again. But any yacht can be a bit uncomfortable in rough weather though 14kts is just a nice breeze, can any one else enligthen?

I have seen the Dolphin 60 over the net and quite liked it also, Have seen a Dolphin 46 live and it looks beautifully finished.


I have a leaning towards a wide hulled cat, not because I am an expert but I see some logic in the design. Do wide hulls not increase bouyancy? What makes a cat like Catana faster than and FP? I was of the understanding that weight in a cat = less performance and narrow hulls = more hull submerged = more drag?
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Old 12-03-2008, 01:14   #12
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Twosails
Unfortunately 60ft cats are outside of my experience and probably most of the posters on this site.
If I had that sort of budget I would probably look at Sunreef and Yapluka who only make cats of this size and larger rather than FP, Lagoon and Leopard. Another point I would mention is that you will get a much better service from the premium builders than you ever will from the others. A friend who bought a Orana met a guy who had ordered an Eluthera at the factory. They went out for a few beers and even though he was spending in the region of £1mil UKP with FP on the Eluthera he was made to feel like a second class citizen everytime he visited the factory.
I would spread your net a bit further if I were you.
Just my 2p's worth.
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Old 12-03-2008, 05:21   #13
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Unfortunately 60ft cats are outside of my experience and probably most of the posters on this site.
If I had that sort of budget I would probably look at Sunreef and Yapluka who only make cats of this size and larger
Adaero
Twosails - I'm with Adaero completely on this point. I've never sailed a cat bigger than my own which is why I can't recommend specific big cats and could only recommend you do research on the smaller boats of the production builders that build something in the 60 range - if you want to buy a production builder's boat. In my earlier post I neglected to include Dolphin and Gunboat. There may be others.

Despite the recommendation to pursue custom builders, I'll try to answer the questions you asked above:

Quote:
What is it about Catana's that you like? I was on one last weekend, and while is is a beautiful piece of work, there are a couple of things that didn't suit me.

The hulls are narrower so the cabins don't have the roomy feel of the Eleuthera which I was able to board straight after.
There are many things about the catanas I like. Obviously. But in your range, perhaps the 581 is not for you. I don't know what size Catana you were on to compare it to the Eleuthra, but unless you were on a 581, i.e., if you were on something smaller, interior size comparisons are meaningless.

But I wouldn't be surprised if the 581 hulls are narrower than those of the Eleuthra. The Catana range goes after a different market > more performance oriented over living standards. Do you want a sailing machine first and a home second or vice versa? Putting those dagger board trunks in the hulls costs money and room. I started sailing as a child, sailed and cruised many, many monos and cats, and have raced small cats for many, many years. My predisposition in a cruising cat was one that emphasized sailing over driving. Others clearly have differing priorities and there is no right and wrong here.

Quote:
Also I am not keen on the unsheltered helm more from sun than rain view.
For a discussion of outboard helms, see this thread:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...elm-13229.html

Again, this arrangement may not be for you. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. But you are not me.

Quote:
Also can you explain why a Catana is a better performer given that it is heavier. I presume the dagerboards would give it the windward performance, but what about down wind? I am thinking a light wide hull against heavier narrower hulls?.
Heavier than what? The 581 is heavier than the FP60? I honestly don't know but I hope it is. Read between the lines on that point. (My 471 is heavier than a Bahia 46. Compare the resale values on these two models.) If you want to emphasize downwind performance, yes, wide and light is what you want. Just be prepared to motor upwind more than you might want to.

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Old 12-03-2008, 07:10   #14
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The Dolphin 460 is one of the nicest Catamarans I have seen at the shows. I have no experience sailing it, however, and am surpried that its motion is such that the wife likes the ride in a monohull better. Usually I find the motion in a monohul at sea very fun and harmonious, but after a few days annoying as it is hard to live having to grab handhold to handhold just to move from one part of the cabin to another.

I find the multi hull, which I admit not having all that much experience, has a more akward, less than gracefull motion, but less of it, so functioning is much easier.

The dolphin seems to have the perfect layout for a family. Instead of 2 heads in each hull, there is one head in each hull, and a couple of little bunks for kids. Very nice. And, I like the daggerboard design.
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Old 12-03-2008, 10:59   #15
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Originally Posted by twosail View Post
I am looking to buy a cat for circumnavagation. I have look at the FP Eleuthera 60. The layout is appealing as is the helm position and deck layout. But I have some questions re suitability for ocean crossings and the build strenght. Would appreciate any opinons
Cheers
You might consider talking to one of your fellow countrymen who is one of the world's foremost catamaran designers. Malcolm Tennant Multihull Design Ltd - Home
Decades of experience and a truly nice guy. I'm sure he give you lots of insight into the tradeoffs between sailing ability vs handling vs power ability, slender vs wider hulls, he's has one of the few designs I've heard about that sail and power well, usually it's one or the other. In that size range, they are all essentially custom builds, so a local designer and/or builder might have value to you.

Good luck, let me know if you need a hand on your shakedown cruise ;-)
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