Catamaran or Monohull?

[MermaidIndie]

So I'm looking into buying my first sailboat and in a couple years or so I would love to make an Atlantic crossing and travel a bit. Is a catamaran necessary? Because a lot of blogs and such that I've read online say to go with the catamaran because monohulls aren't good in bad weather, you'll sink, die, or be stranded in a life raft. Though I've never really heard of anyone sailing around the world in a catamaran. Any opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated


The crash of waves and salty air are the signs of freedom

[a64pilot]

Gotta have a Cat, before Cats, all boats sank.

Sounds silly, and it is

[a64pilot]

Really, it's a decision you'll have to make yourself.
I doubt that statistically you could prove one design is safer than the other

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by MermaidIndie

So I'm looking into buying my first sailboat and in a couple years or so I would love to make an Atlantic crossing and travel a bit. Is a catamaran necessary? Because a lot of blogs and such that I've read online say to go with the catamaran because monohulls aren't good in bad weather, you'll sink, die, or be stranded in a life raft. Though I've never really heard of anyone sailing around the world in a catamaran. Any opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated


The crash of waves and salty air are the signs of freedom

LOL! On many forums, you'll hear the exact opposite! ie. First puff of wind, a cat will flip, and everybody will die!

The truth is, you can sail round the world in a cat or a mono. They'll both get you there safely >99.9% of the time.

Make your decision based on what you'd rather live on, and what you can afford.

[nulik]

Originally Posted by MermaidIndie

So I'm looking into buying my first sailboat

I am also looking into buying my first sailboat and these are the reasons why I will buy a cat:

1. Monohulls produce more sea sickness than multihulls
2. In bad weather monohulls will wallow a lot, cats are much stable and are better for ocean crossing
3. Multihulls are faster than monohulls.
4. Multihulls have more space than multihulls
5. Multihulls have low draft, you can beach them.

cats can sink also, if they are not designed to be unsinkable

A cat is basically 2 monohuls joined together, this means you will pay the price for 2 monohulls, so , quick answer to your question would be:
cats are a better boat design for cruising, if you have money, buy a cat, if you don't and really want to sail, buy a monohull.

[Andrew B.]

nulik it sounds like you got your experience in a bathtub, recently maybe ?

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Gotta have a Cat, before Cats, all boats sank.

Sounds silly, and it is

Don't be ridiculous. The catamarans only sink in the Atlantic. This is because England, Spain, and Portugal are on the Atlantic and everybody knows they all love to build monohulls. The French are being contrarians as the French have historically chosen to be, and build catamarans but they much prefer to sell them outside of Europe and the Atlantic.

In the Pacific it's the other way around. In the Pacific the common practice is for the monohulls to sink. The Catamarans flip upside down and people live in them happily for years in some cases. Until the food or rum runs out. In fact, the French specifically put hatches in the bottom of their catamarans just for their Pacific customers.

I know you think I'm pulling your leg, but think a moment. Who are the greatest sailors that the world has ever known? No. It's the Polynesians. They sailed across incredible stretches of open Pacific, with no GPS or even a decent Casio Pathfinder wristwatch among them. Not a single USB connector on board. Living on dead fish and coconut water. And they were sailing to little bitty islands. Their navigation had to be spot on. And those Pacific Storms!! Oh my, just look at this season alone. Hawaii is starting to look like an anemometer, fer chrissake.

And anyhow, ask yourself, WHAT kind of boat did those masters of the sea choose? Yep. Bamboo Hobie Cats and chicks with coconut bras and grass skirts.

Now who you gonna listen to when it comes to advice on monohull vs catamaran? Lord One-Legged, pasty faced Nelson? Or The Palau Party Polynesians? I sure know what kind of sailors I would want to emulate.

[nimblemotors]

Neither. You will certainly die or worse using one of those.
You want a boat with Three Hulls.

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by MermaidIndie

The crash of waves and salty air are the signs of freedom

...and any seaworthy boat, no matter how many hulls it has, will get you there. If I were in your position (and we all were at some point) I would buy something affordable, move aboard and see how you like the lifestyle. After time you will learn what is important to you in a boat and then you can decide whether you need to change. In the meantime, you will be on the water and that is the important thing.

[nulik]

Originally Posted by Andrew B.

nulik it sounds like you got your experience in a bathtub, recently maybe ?

if this is what it sounds to you, then I think you have to wash your ears....

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Neither. You will certainly die or worse using one of those.
You want a boat with Three Hulls.

Oh, well, I thought they wanted a SAIL boat, with the salty talk and such. You ain't gonna get the wind in your goatee and the crashing waves sitting down in the entertainment center playing World of Warcraft on the wide screen. The sound of the aircon alone will keep you from fully experiencing the controlled environment.

I agree on the trimaran idea, though. Why not? It's a monohull combined with a catamaran. So does it have both all the pros, AND all the cons of both combined?

[SVNeko]

Oh god, not again.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[smackdaddy]

If you have the money - get a cat. If you're tight on money - get a mono.

[Pelagic]

Some of you guys take to the bait like a school of piranhas..

[SearenitySail]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

Oh god, not again.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Some of you guys take to the bait like a school of piranhas..

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

If you have the money - get a cat. If you're tight on money - get a mono.

Can't someone just give MermaidIndie a link to one of the countless threads on this subject on the forum so we don't have to go through this again?

Smackdaddy, your answer is probably the best I have read on the subject!

Marshall