Do Multihullers Ever go Back?

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If you think about it.. you may remember how many folk post on here... "Never sailed but thinking of buying a 50' catamaran.. I have a plan.."
I can think of at least 4 threads this year along those lines.. not counting the one running right now.. and I can think of a coupla 3 cats over the years I've delivered where the owners had crewed on mono's but never owned one..
Not having a pop.. or trying to put anyone down.. just saying..
Man you guys got no sense of humour

And how many threads saying "Never sailed, but thinking of buying a xx foot monohull"? Maybe it's you who has no sense of humour - I did throw in all the smileys....

And how many of them do you think end up actually doing it?

Maybe I have to spell it out for you - the comment about moving back to a monohull implying that moving to a cat was moving forward, was not intended to be taken seriously. (Even if it is true )

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by smj

I think they were discussing cruising performance under sail.

It's a monohull mindset: want to go faster? Fit a bigger engine. Works for the racing yachts......

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Polux

Very interesting what you say regarding motion sickness. Can I know what was the boat you have before?, the one where your wife get seasick? I have heard about some studies regarding motion sickness that say that some are more susceptible to longer period more ample motion and others to less ample shorter period sharper movements. It may relate with that.

In my wife's case it specifically relates to heel. Because of an inner ear problem she can't handle tilted fun houses. I belive the short period/long period motion is less of an issue. Another thing that is very important to her, and I believe helps all people, is being able to see the horizon; either being on-deck or in a raised salon helps. In fact, she can't handle cats with cabins forward (no forward view) or monohulls with salons below.

These features get me out on the water with my family. I'd sail a pink paddle boat if that was the answer! Well, maybe there are limits; certainly not a power boat.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Coops

Looking at that slightly askew, then one could say that 99% of multi owners never buy another one.

Coops.

I'm on my third. However, I like it so well I feel it will probably be my last.

Much slower than my last two, by the way. I'm older now.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If you think about it.. you may remember how many folk post on here... "Never sailed but thinking of buying a 50' catamaran.. I have a plan.."

SNIP

If you think about it .. you may remember a few people saying " never sailed but I have scraped together $US8,500 and want to buy a blue water monohull to circumnavigate" and their plan is to work as they cruise to finance their trip. At least most of the posters looking for a fifty foot cat seem to understand it will cost them six figures and plan to have a cruising kitty before they leave.

I live on a cat in the Keys on a ball at Boot Key. Know how much it costs for the ball, food from Publix, and the repairs/upgrades I have done so far. Been sailing on monohulls since 1959 and multihulls since the late seventies.

I got my cat because it fits my wants/needs to cruise in the Keys/Bahamas where passages are basically all in daylight and anchorages can be in shallow water. I like the room, speed, storage capacity, comfort when sailing, and the fact that the boat is a babe magnet.

It is not just a babe magnet. Plenty of guys like to sail/cruise on a cat. There is an unwritten rule that folks in the harbor switch off taking others out on their boats. I have sailed on lots of monohulls and other cats. Had dinner/drinks on even more. Without exception cats are the favorites for day sailing and entertaining. Have to say the Fboats give cats a run for their money for day sailing for those who don't mind getting wet.

Bottom line is there would be a lot more multihulls in the harbor if peeps could afford them.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

And how many threads saying "Never sailed, but thinking of buying a xx foot monohull"? Maybe it's you who has no sense of humour - I did throw in all the smileys....

And how many of them do you think end up actually doing it?

Maybe I have to spell it out for you - the comment about moving back to a monohull implying that moving to a cat was moving forward, was not intended to be taken seriously. (Even if it is true )

[Polux]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

It's a monohull mindset: want to go faster? Fit a bigger engine. Works for the racing yachts......

A multihull with a bigger engine is way faster and regarding the ARC some record numbers belong to cats: a 43ft that motored for 140 hours, a 44fft for 120, another 44ft for 108 hours. They need to have a big tankage on those cats, much more than on most similar sized monohulls

[Polux]

Originally Posted by tomfl

....
Bottom line is there would be a lot more multihulls in the harbor if peeps could afford them.

Yes I agree with that!

The interior is a main factor for most when they buy a new boat. Mass market monohull cruisers have not the best rigging, the faster hull neither are the faster cruising boats but certainly have the nicer and the bigger interiors for the same size. Cats are just better in what regards that, not only in overall space but on the view from the saloon and on the deck space. Since that is what most cruisers value more I have no doubt you are right.

It is not also by chance that the cats that sell way more are not the good sailing ones but the condo type, with a "reasonable" sailing ability but a great and huge interior. I believe the Lagoon is the best sailing one? Followed by several similar typed cats.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by smj

I think they were discussing cruising performance under sail.

Why? Must it matter how we get there? Are you not "cruising" if you cross an ocean in a power boat? How about in a motorsailor? It's ridiculous to insist we can only compare numbers done strictly under sail, and the only people who would seriously suggest it are those who are handicapped in any other regard...

[minaret]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

It's a monohull mindset: want to go faster? Fit a bigger engine. Works for the racing yachts......

Silly. Bigger engine isn't about going faster, it's about burning the fuel in your large tankage more efficiently, and going farther. A multihull simply doesn't have the load capacity for really big tanks.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Polux

SNIP

I believe the Lagoon is the best sailing one? Followed by several similar typed cats.

This could open up a real can of worms. I spend too much time in the dingy running around the harbor taking pix of the back of cats. Many of them look like a brick wall. My Seawind is able to run away from most of the boats in the harbor. A boat like a Lagoon, FP, and other condomarans have about twice the beam in the hulls of my Seawind. A friend has a Shuttleworth which has hulls with beams similar to mind. Maybe not in the same class but there was a Chris White boat here a while back and it was in the same class. Same goes for the St. Fransiss having hulls that have a somewhat narrow beam compared to the condomarans.

I will say one of the most enjoyable evenings I have spend was on a Lagoon. Had AC, microwave, ice maker, and all the toys to make life enjoyable in warm/hot tropical weather. Downside was the noise from the genset.

As an aside the only boat that gave me second thoughts about my decision to get the Seawind was when I was aboard an F39. Home build but the guy did a bang up job, and knew what he wanted. It had plenty of space for him and his wife and had a solid five knot advantage or more over my boat. I also suspect the price point is above a cat that sails reasonable well. What convinces me the Seawind was the right boat for me is that I can easily single hand it. The F39 is a legit twenty knot plus boat, but it probably needs a crew of four or five.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by minaret

Silly. Bigger engine isn't about going faster, it's about burning the fuel in your large tankage more efficiently, and going farther. A multihull simply doesn't have the load capacity for really big tanks.

Not sure if you remember the movie Waterworld, but the tri in that movie had a 220hp Volvo. Not sure about the efficiency but that boat could move when it had to.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by minaret

Silly. Bigger engine isn't about going faster, it's about burning the fuel in your large tankage more efficiently, and going farther. A multihull simply doesn't have the load capacity for really big tanks.

For working 140 hours on a 43ft cat two engines need a big tankage and I believe we can assume the skipper kept a security margin. Contrary to what many think a cat has a big max load, normally bigger than the one of a monohull with the same length, I mean the one that is stipulated by the designer by safety reasons.

It will not make any good to the cat performance but the boat will remain safe to sail. On a monohull a similar load (that would be over its Max load) will diminish substantially the AVS, making the boat dangerous in what regards reserve stability (or the lack of it).

[minaret]

Originally Posted by tomfl

Not sure if you remember the movie Waterworld, but the tri in that movie had a 220hp Volvo. Not sure about the efficiency but that boat could move when it had to.

Did it also have four or five hundred gallons of fuel?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Polux

For working 140 hours on a 43ft cat two engines need a big tankage and I believe we can assume the skipper kept a security margin. Contrary to what many think a cat has a big max load, normally bigger than the one of a monohull with the same length, I mean the one that is stipulated by the designer by safety reasons.

It will not make any good to the cat performance but the boat will remain safe to sail. On a monohull a similar load (that would be over its Max load) will diminish substantially the AVS, making the boat dangerous in what regards reserve stability (or the lack of it).

Now cats are less susceptible to overloading than mono's!? ROFL!


Wonder why the worlds container ships aren't all cats...