Buying a DIY Cat vs production boat

[Vlogliveaboard]

I want to buy a Cat. I am not in hurry.

Saw this one a couple of days ago on Inautia

https://www.inautia.com/used-boat-68...949664570.html

I like the offer. But the boat is DIY ( the owner sais he is a boat designer ).
The owner says bridge deck clearance is 70cm, but in the pictures it seems a lot less.
The weight empty is 12 tons, which seems to be on the heavy side.
The owner said that the boat starts to react with winds above 7knts.

thoughts ?

[boatman61]

Built under supervision.. clearance looks just about right.. it is metal not grp..
Strength or lightness.. Something had to give.
Looks a nice boat.

[44'cruisingcat]

To me, the reasons you'd buy a DIY boat are similar to the reasons you'd build one.

That you can't get the same combination of performance or space or whatever for the same price in a production boat.

At 165k euro this is up against a few production boats, and at that weight it's unlikely to be far ahead in performance.

However it is aluminium, which you won't find in many production boats. If the pros (and cons) of aluminium are important to you, then you're really limited to DIY style boats. If you'd be fine with fibreglass there are a lot more options.

[Dave_S]

If it is a one off I wouldn't be deterred I would spend a bit more effort in having it checked out though. It's had 2200 views, you might think it might have sold if it was worth it. That's not meant to put you off, just a cautionary note to be very sure you are happy with the boat and you might be able to negotiate a good price.

The bridge deck does look low to me compared to the antifoul line but that's not the waterline, it may be painted well up the sides.

[Vlogliveaboard]

This pic shows it from the front in the water

https://www.nautal.com/rent-catamara...i-athens-47965

The price the seller told is his threshold is 160k euros

If the pros (and cons) of aluminium are important to you.

My concern is i want to feel safe and have a boat that is long lasting without giving much trouble of maintenance ( that's a dream of course )

[moseriw]

DIY is almost always better than things you get and you do not need or do not understand in detail.

And this, in spite, is a mayor security risk at all.

Btw. was on a southern german built charter boat last week.
1.) Almost everything has to be settled and switchedv via the B&G board computer.
I worked in it, thought I did understand the curious logic but when I needed the windlass it took 15 minutes to find the right GUI-Sreen and Submenu.



No fuses, no manual switches no electrical distribution panel that is easy to open.
Even with the fridge/freezer off the house battery went down from 12,6V to 10,2V within 9 hrs.

Would never happen on a DIY...

[Paul Howard]

The cat is likely heavy because it is built of aluminium, a material that, when strong enough to withstand the stress of the underway twisting/working of a multihull is likely heavier that other materials of same strength.
DIY boats often have un-conventional ideas of the owner/builders incorporated in the design and outfitting.

It was probably built by someone not familiar with catamarans.
Look very closely at the designer's plans and look for disparities.
But it might be a very good boat.

[captlloyd]

It looks like a well built, well cared for boat. Aluminum should be OK for a cat this size. Bridge deck clearance is really minimal though. Expect some slamming going to wind.