Reasons to stay "Monohull"

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Sandero

This is not entirely accurate... I bought a brand new Contest 36s which had an installed instrument package. To take the boat offshore needed a whole bunch of "upgrades" and equipment such as a AP and a Windlass.. position fixer (GPS these days), Storm sails and tracks. The boat I bought could be cruised locally and was from the day I bought it. But the surveyor correctly noted that the boat was capable of offshore long distance cruising... but would require upgrades, equipment, spares and so on. These projects were leisurely accomplished over 5 years as I learned to sail the boat and find the best solutions. I certainly could have done it in less time... I still had an active architectural practice and other personal issues which prevented me from speeding up the process. I left at the right time and just getting rid of and storing all my stuff took a several months!

Sure if some world cruising yacht comes up for sale... you can buy it... spend some time learning the boat... and be gone while you deal with all your property and affairs in a few months. And I suspect there are a fair number of tricked out offshore boats on the market... sort of ready to go. I suspect the process to take the average equipped coastal boat to an offshore live aboard world cruiser is likely longer than 2 months. I think this is unrealistic

AP, Windlass, Chartplotter....all commonly available options for a new boat purchase and typically present on a used boat. Storm sails are a purchase, maybe a day to check how they fit and practice putting them up.

Sure sounds like you took 5yrs because you were still working not because it takes 5yrs to get a boat ready to go.

Obviously some of it depends on what you define as necessary for safe offshore sailing. Are we talking tricked out niceties or actual necessities?

Two weeks might be on the low side assuming you head directly offshore (most coastal cruise for a little bit before jumping off) but assuming 2yrs is necessary is just silly.

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

AP, Windlass, Chartplotter....all commonly available options for a new boat purchase and typically present on a used boat. Storm sails are a purchase, maybe a day to check how they fit and practice putting them up.

Sure sounds like you took 5yrs because you were still working not because it takes 5yrs to get a boat ready to go.

Obviously some of it depends on what you define as necessary for safe offshore sailing. Are we talking tricked out niceties or actual necessities?

Two weeks might be on the low side assuming you head directly offshore (most coastal cruise for a little bit before jumping off) but assuming 2yrs is necessary is just silly.

I am reporting on MY experience. I bought a a European built boat which had been imported into the US and the dealer was was not going to install the upgrades...and before I had studied what was out there I was not prepared to even specify what needed to be installed. My case may be somewhat unusual. I bought the new Contest as a beginning sailor with the idea that one day I would be able to sail off to the Caribbean. I did not order a new boat equipped to spec. In fact I WANTED to install all new critical systems so I would be intimately aware of them and able to service them when off the beaten track.

Some of my upgrades were to the 12v system... a pair of 8D and a starting batt, a new battery selector switch, high out put alternator and custom brackets, smart charger, 12v monitor, solar panels.. and new mains wiring.

I also installed an Espar heating system which extended my sailing season and made the Fall passages south more "comfortable" for sure.

In my case 2 months would have been impossible... even assuming I was no longer working.

Aprt of MY preparation involved a lot of hands on experience with my boat... not only coastal day sailing, but offshore bits too... and single handed! I entered the Marion Bermuda race JUST to prepare myself and the boat for offshore work... not to compete with other boats.

I can't speak for other coastal cruisers... but getting hit by a gale in the Gulf Stream is rather different than a squall in Long Island Sound. Dreamers who work in a boat on the hard or at dockside may not be ready as SAILORS... and that prep time can't be dismissed either.

[boatman61]

POVERTY...!!!!

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Sandero

In fact I WANTED to install all new critical systems so I would be intimately aware of them and able to service them when off the beaten track.

^ that's what I consider as one of the most important things for sailing away from *** marinas, what ever the systems in question might be..

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by smj

(...)

Thanks for the compliment on our boat. She would appeal to maybe 5% of the current crowd of multihull buyers as she is a wood composite build and doesn't resemble a luxury condo! Just a common sense cruiser in our opinion.

Ah.

But you know: that remaining 95% - those that may look on your boat as unworthy of their looks ;-) ... they may be still at the keyboards while you will be out there, sailing!

To me, your boat looks 100% a comfortable and desirable cruising and sailing platform.

And, being just a shell inside, while outwardly ready to go is actually the best thing since sliced bread - YOU will decide what systems you want, where you want them, down to the colours and patterns.

And believe me, only very few things are actually a "must" to take off and the rest can be added on as you go.

You want fresh water (and extra water can be also stored in jerry cans), you want a sleeping place (and sleeping on a karimat under a sleeping bad is done too), and you want a cooking place (a plain gas hob and a hired cooking gas flask are good enough to start.

AND YOU ARE SET.

We are sailing a small mono, while I take free lance jobs with maxi boats (also cats, at times), but as time moves on, I can see maybe a cat will be our future boat. Why not.

I think you are doing it. I have the feeling we will run into you this winter 2017 somewhere out there in the West Indies ...

Fair winds,
Cheers,
b.

[Hoosiersailor]

Just to chime in to this discussion, for the sailing I want to do (NC, Southeast US coast, FL, Caribbean, Bahamas and with the funds I have, I would choose a shoal draft mono.


If money is no object, I would get a 40'ish cat.


Everything about a cat is going to cost more and I just can't afford it.

[Jorgen vs]

Hi,

In 1992 my girlfriend and I bought a brand new 40 ft Catamaran, and weeks later we set of for an Atlantic crossing from Cape Town. We had zero experience, but hired a skipper for a month till Barbados, after that we sailed the Carib and Bahama's. We always felt safe despite rough conditions at times. We sold the cat in Florida and bought a bigger new 47 ft cat, and this bigger cat was much easier to sail. I believe we started the influx from South African Catamarans to the Caribbean at the time!

Bridge deck clearance is one of the most important aspects out on the ocean for a cat and from memory on the 47 Ft the clearance was about 90 cm or 3 ft. The new boat hardly ever had waves hit from underneath, unlike the 40 ft

Slamming of waves can be nerve wrecking in 30 knots plus. In general I loved sailing catamarans and for long distance, and cruising between the islands they are the way to go.

We again sold the second cat in Florida, and I have not sailed since 1994. year ago we bought a 46 Ft Bavaria Cruiser, (2014 model) my first ever experience on a mono hull. It was like learning to sail all over again! I literally had to learn from scratch.

I absolutely love sailing a mono hull, the heeling is not an issue and is actually a good feeling. Sailing a mono hull vs a cat is like driving a sports car vs a Toyota Landcruiser They both get you from A to B, however sailing the mono hull is more sportive, you are much more in tune with ocean and wind conditions and generally can sail blind while feeling the boat if that makes sense. I am now 53, my kids come out with me on calm days, the wife does not. She may come out if I swap over to a catamaran.....

Advantage monohull.
-Sailing close to the wind
-Less ocean noise, no water moving between hulls as this gets noisy at night!
-More sportive and much more feel for what is going on out there
-Cheaper in mooring fees, and this can add up as I have a home port and in winter I moor the boat up North paying double marina fees, would be quadruple on a cat.

Advantage cats:
-shallow draft and ability to beach and clean the hull.
-less tiring on longer trips
-positive flotation, mono hull sinks if you get a big enough hole, I would prefer a cat for an ocean crossing for that reason
-ability to outrun a storm at sea at greater speed.
-even a big boat is small out on the ocean and the extra room of a cat is very handy.
-if one engine fails, you have another one, also separate fuel tanks is additional safety
-Ability to carry more gear and mod cons.
-looking out the windows while cooking

I am very happy with my mono hull, and feel like after 13000 miles in cats over 20 years ago, only this last year I learned to sail properly, although I still have a lot to learn

I have to be honest here and will likely end up with a cat , 45-50 ft with a high bridge deck clearance, I like inviting lots of people on board, and more than 3-4 is a crowd on the 46 ft mono, where on a cat 6-8 people is no problem

One more comment, the oyster is obviously a stunning boat, just from hear say needs a lot of wind to get going, my Bavaria 46 will hit 9-10 knots boat speed in 15-20 knots... The modern boats are not as strong, but a lot faster.

Also a centre cockpit would not be my option, rather a twin helm set up.

Hope the above helps you make up your mind somehow....

Cheers

Jorgen

[ParadiseParrot]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I have owned both. ..... Also cost more initially. .

I have heard this said many times but my research says otherwise. GRP boats seem to be sold by the pound of glass. Unless your comparing a 40 foot mono to a 40 foot cat which is ridiculous. Mono's in the 56 to 60 foot size which are more comparable to a 40 something cat are generally much nicer fitted out with expensive woods etc compared to the bare "plastic" cats so I cant figure out why this keeps being said.

[twohapence]

The only reason for having a monohull is if one of your legs is much shorter than the other...... :-)

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Jorgen vs

Hi,

snip

Sailing a mono hull vs a cat is like driving a sports car vs a Toyota Landcruiser They both get you from A to B, however sailing the mono hull is more sportive, you are much more in tune with ocean and wind conditions and generally can sail blind while feeling the boat if that makes sense.

snip

Jorgen

Try sailing a trimaran. You'll love it, your wife will love it.

All the "feel" of a mono, more "sportive" also, and only slight heel (5-10-degrees in flat water).

I've sailed monos (displacement and planing sport boats), cats (heavy cruising cats and beach cats), and tris (light sport tris and heavier cruising tris). I've owned 3 tris since 2001 and am convinced that there is no better sailing experience than a tri.

[double u]

the money that buys you a reasonable rtw-mono (lets say 37' for lets say 100.000usd) - buys you what in the multihull world???

[smj]

Originally Posted by double u

the money that buys you a reasonable rtw-mono (lets say 37' for lets say 100.000usd) - buys you what in the multihull world???

Go on Yachtworld and do a search for multihull a under $100,000, you'd be surprised at what you can sometimes find.


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[daletournier]

Originally Posted by smj

Go on Yachtworld and do a search for multihull a under $100,000, you'd be surprised at what you can sometimes find.


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Sorry but very little. My next boat maybe a cat but there's not much in the way of good condition decent size cats under 150k, in fact most start 200k and up. You can get alot of value in monos in the 100k range, 150k still better though.

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[smj]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Sorry but very little. My next boat maybe a cat but there's not much in the way of good condition decent size cats under 150k, in fact most start 200k and up. You can get alot of value in monos in the 100k range, 150k still better though.

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Guess it depends on what you call decent size. There's no doubt you can get a seaworthy cat for less than 100k but it may not be what your looking for.


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[malbert73]

Originally Posted by smj

Guess it depends on what you call decent size. There's no doubt you can get a seaworthy cat for less than 100k but it may not be what your looking for.


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It's true there's more than before but if you're looking for turnkey equipped blue water cruiser under 100K there are probably 50 times as many monos. That is slowly changing though as more come on market


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