Enough gear capacity?

[Shockandyaw]

Hey all!!
Been lurking and learning for awhile trying to learn all I can about monos and cats. After much research I think the cats the way to go......except for one question.. will a 38ft cat be able to carry enough gear and provisions for extended cruising?

Shock

I have to admit one of the reasons I like the cat.... room to brew BEER

I guess you need to know how many onboard.. Doh..
I'd just be the wife and I.

[Woods Designs]

You shouldn't have any problem with most 38ft catamarans.

Jetti and I lived on board our 32ft performance cruiser Eclipse for 5 years and, from the UK, sailed to the Caribbean, Bahamas, up to Maine, down to Cuba, Belize and C America. So first, is that the sort of cruising you mean by "extended cruising'. Or do you mean non stop round the world??

Eclipse was a performance cruiser and won many important races before becoming our live aboard home. So the loading capacity was marginal at about 1500lbs.

However in that weight we carried enough food and water for 3 people for an Atlantic crossing, also a sailing dinghy, a sewing machine, most of the tools I used to build the boat, 3 computers, a solid fuel stove, 8 sails, a generator, lots of books and DVDs, enough fuel for 200 miles motoring etc etc. And we could still average 9 knots all day and peak speeds of 14-16 knots were common.

We now have a 34ft catamaran, Romany, a proper cruising boat this time. With the same sort of gear on board we are still floating above our marks even when living on board (last winter we sailed from Annapolis to the Bahamas; Romany is now in the St Johns river, Fl)

I said "non stop round the world" earlier. The first catamaran to sail round Cape Horn was a 30ft Oceanic sailed by Rosie and Colin Swale and their two young children (one was born on board). They sailed non stop from Australia round Cape Horn and back to the UK in the early 1970's. Look for Rosie Darling and Children of Cape Horn at Amazon for more.

In proportion if a 30 ft cat can carry 2000lbs load, a 34ft cat 4000lbs then a 38ft cat can easily carry 5500lbs, as loading capacity depends on the cube of the length (by and large)

And 5500lbs is a lot of beer, especially if you brew it yourself.

You can see more about my Eclipse and Romany as well as lots of basic background information on catamarans on my website, below.

I hope this helps

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

Woods Designs Sailing Catamarans

[Shockandyaw]

Hey Woods
Thanks for the response. We plan to circumnavigate but with lots of stops to check out the local flavor. My main concern was the hardware such as generator, tools ,watermaker,and all the other stuff needed to maintain the boat.
I know this next question has been beat to death on these boards but ill ask it anyway ...and then run for cover
The Bendytoes , Catalinas and Hunters have been sorta trashed in the mono hull boards, but I love the layout and look of the lagoon 380. Is that the case in the cats? Should I be looking at a prvivilege or a prout?
If you dont want to stir anything up I totally understand. Maybe IM would be the best way to answer this

Shock

[Woods Designs]

I forgot to say we also had a watermaker on Eclipse.

I'd go for the Lagoon 38 over the other two. But I suggest you also look at my Transit 38 (see one on my Preowned boats page)

I also suggest you read my comments on my FAQ's page about charter boats and also my basic "Why sail a multihull" article, which is on my Latest News page

Of course the big advantage of the Lagoon is you can test drive one easily by chartering it, and it is a popular design so you can sell it quickly once you have finished your cruise.

I hope this helps you chose the right boat for your needs

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

Woods Designs Sailing Catamarans