50 ft mono vs 40 ft cat

[alsail]

Hey guys . Don't wanna start a debate. Just curious about opinions of experienced sailors.
I own an Amel SM 52ft. The catamaran idea it's not off completely yet.
So a 40ft, 42 ft cat...how is it compared to my 52 ft mono?:
Speed all points of sailing
Comfort in open sea
Comfort at anchor
Maintenance costs
Safety
Any other interesting points....
Thanks.

[Steamer]

Originally Posted by alsail

I own an Amel SM 52ft. The catamaran idea it's not off completely yet.
So a 40ft, 42 ft cat...how is it compared to my 52 ft mono?:
Speed all points of sailing
Comfort in open sea
Comfort at anchor
Maintenance costs
Safety
Any other interesting points....

Hi, Al.

I personally not yet met any cat sailor switched back to mono during my sailing career.

Can this answer ALL Your questions?

Hv a good luck with Your cat ideas!

[Fransw]

The load carrying capacity on a 42' cat is only about 2 tons, much less than the average 50ft mono. It may be a problem for some..

Interesting question!

[daletournier]

I have a Catalina 470, just shy of 48ft. I'd like a big cat 44ft+. I wouldnt trade my largish modern mono for a 40ft or smaller cat (talking the common cats here).

My personal opinion is they aren't faster in full cruising mode than my mono (often slower), they aren't more comfortable and they arent more roomy (it's a different space). Also I prefer the motion of my bigger mono to the jerking of a smaller cat BUT monos motions can vary depending on the mono one has, I got lucky, Sukha isnt a big roller.

For me things change above 44ft when talking cats, preferably 46ft and up.

Just my opinion based on cruising in company with a variety of boats over the years.

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by daletournier

For me things change above 44ft when talking cats, preferably 46ft and up.

We are on a 42’ Cat and I have to agree. I would not move from a 52’ or larger mono to a 40 to 42’ Cat. I would want 45’ or larger.

[chowdan]

You already own a boat. What's wrong with your current boat?

[yeloya]

One part of the equation is Amel 53, the other part you said a cat, but which one ? There is a huge difference between Lagoon 42 and Catana 43 for example..

Amel is a very solid , proven , well made mono but not particulary fast one.
In terms of space any cat of 42+ ft would give you equal space, if not more.
In terms of performance, Catana's, Outremer's will be significantly faster to every wind direction. Again on the anchor you would roll much lless in any cat.

53 Amel is 74 sqm vs for example FP Astrea 90 sqm. That means in most of the marinas you will pay 20 % more. Remember also that not alll marinas can lift cats.

Amel is an exception but most of cats nowadays keep their values much better than monos.

In terms of maintenance, cats coud be slightly more expensive because of double engines to service. In turn, having double engines pay off largely whith much better manouevring capability + more autonomy.

Safety is a largely debatable one.. Everyone has his/her of understanding on safety. To me, cats are safer because they have a sufficient buoyancy (well, most of them) thus they don't sink or sink slower.

Finally the price of cats went up drammatically over the last couple of years. I bought my first cat at 44 footer 10 years ago at 300 L €. Today same size of cats of the same brand come at min. 500 K €.

At this price range you can probably not buy a new Amel 53, but Benetteau, Jeanneau kind of boats around 55-57 ft length.

Lastly, it does also matter where do you want to go and what do you want to do with the boat; circumnavigation, island hopping, coastal sailing, long passages or live a board, etc..

Hope this helps..

Cheers

Originally Posted by alsail

Hey guys . Don't wanna start a debate. Just curious about opinions of experienced sailors.
I own an Amel SM 52ft. The catamaran idea it's not off completely yet.
So a 40ft, 42 ft cat...how is it compared to my 52 ft mono?:
Speed all points of sailing
Comfort in open sea
Comfort at anchor
Maintenance costs
Safety
Any other interesting points....
Thanks.

[LuckyCanuk]

Not an experienced sailor nor boat owner, so bow to opinions from experienced sailors in both. Recent courses on both cat and mono highlighted the following:

To provide single handed access to sheets for mainsail and foresails (outriggers, furlers, uplifts), raised cat helms are much more busy & crowded spaces than for cockpits for monohulls.

Monos use foresail as power sail, cats use mainsail as power sail (with fractional rigging to maximize sail area).

Cats are more efficient sailing beam and away from the wind - monos are better at harnessing power closer to wind.

Cat was less susceptible to rolling (esp when moored), mono was less susceptible to "bucking" (my partner gets seasick so was/am investigating best solution for both of us to enjoy cruising sailing)

More room on cats from full use of pontoons and deckspace between = larger social space in galley/dining, cabin and deckspace (aft and fore).

Despite weight distributed across larger surface area, average cruising speeds were more or less the same for both cats and mono.

Reefing of sails in gusting/changing wind-boat direction was done sooner on cats vs mono.

Manoeuvrability under power was greater for cats with power in each hull than monos.

[alsail]

Thanks for the comments. To clarify a bit , I do not want to sell my boat now, it is a very good sturdy boat, but I am willing to investigate . To me, the pluses for s cat is shallow draught . Biggest drawback is the look. A 44ft cat is way too big and expensive for us, I think a 40 ft would b more than enough and roughly same space. It is not a cat vs mono , it is 50ft mono vs 40ft cat.
Cruising Au, NZ and S pacific.
Thanks

[daletournier]

You need to look at the type of space not just the sq foot.

[alsail]

Originally Posted by daletournier

You need to look at the type of space not just the sq foot.

My questions are about speed, motion, maintainance etc. The space is easy for me to determine. Thanks

[boom23]

I had a Lagoon 450 for 3 seasons in the S. Pacific. I found her easy to handle and amazing at anchor. She was safe, but extremely loud and with jerky movement, when the seas were rough. I did not care for the motion. I was probably overloaded also.

I now have an Amel 50. She has less outdoor living space than the L450, but can carry more stuff. Equipment is so much more accessible, which leads to better & easier maintenance. Finally, the motion and sailing feeling is so much better. I will not even compare the quality.

It all depends on how you want to use the boat. I recommend that you spend some time on a catamaran before you commit.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by alsail

My questions are about speed, motion, maintainance etc. The space is easy for me to determine. Thanks

Ok, well what cats and monos are we talking about? Theres significant differences between various boats. An outreamer 40 is very different from a lagoon, an island packet is very different from a Beneteau.

If I had to generalize ie let's say lagoon 38 vs my Catalina 470, my mono is faster and mostly has a better motion, not to mention will go to wind like a freight train.

As I said earlier this changes alot once the cat gets bigger, I would choose a big cat over a mono nearly everyday but not a small cat.

Maintaince, it's a boat, maintaince is a constant, I think the differences are minimal even though a cat has two engines.

[Sailing August]

My wife and I are ready to retire and start full time cruising. We want to upgrade from our Morgan OutIsland 41.6 to an Amel 46 or a 38' to 42' up galley catamaran. I want the Amel because of its a proven design "go anywhere" boat. My wife likes catamarans because they feel more like a home with open spaces and comfort........Since life in general is easier when my wife is happy, we are getting a catamaran.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by boom23

I had a Lagoon 450 for 3 seasons in the S. Pacific. I found her easy to handle and amazing at anchor. She was safe, but extremely loud and with jerky movement, when the seas were rough. I did not care for the motion. I was probably overloaded also.

I now have an Amel 50. She has less outdoor living space than the L450, but can carry more stuff. Equipment is so much more accessible, which leads to better & easier maintenance. Finally, the motion and sailing feeling is so much better. I will not even compare the quality.

It all depends on how you want to use the boat. I recommend that you spend some time on a catamaran before you commit.

It's often assumed cats have a better motion ie dont roll etc, my personal experience is this isnt true, they jerk. I prefer the slow movement of a large mono that has a fair degree of form stability ie beamy and fat bum, combine that with a deep keel and you have reasonably pleasant ride.

The reason I mentioned type of space was the OP talked about a 40 ft cat having the same space as a 50 ft mono, it may in a cubic feet sense but feel sense it dosent. It has a bigger cockpit, and more cabins but the saloon galley area is much bigger on my mono than a 40 ft cat, 8 ft headroom as well, also my cabins are very large although I only have 2.

Modern monos have evolved.