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Old 16-08-2019, 15:28   #1
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I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Wifey flew the coop years ago and kids are grown up and now I want to get a *nice cruising multihull and surf and fish my way through Mexico, Central America and the South Pacific for as long as it's fun. I plan on doing this solo. Once I have the boat wired from trips to the Channel Islands off of Southern California then I might do a solo from Southern California to my old stomping grounds in Hawaii and back.

Due to budgetary constraints, i.e. CHEAP, a *nice cruising multihull for me that's suitable for singlehanding will probably be something like a sound and well-built Searunner 34 or Marples CC 35.

MY DILEMMA: Relatively inexpensive and very good cruising monohulls are so much more plentiful than inexpensive cruising multi's. Since I LOVE the feel of a great surfboard, I also LOVE that responsive on rails feeling of a good multihull. (Not to mention the surfing!) I'm not ready to leave today, but I'm losing patience in trying to find the boat I want. So, should I keep looking or should I bite the bullet and buy a nice cruising monohull? (For example, I just found a very nice 31' full keel cruising mono with with a proven track record as an excellent blue water cruiser with almost everything needed for long distance cruising - and it's only $12,000.)

Thanks

P.S. I've read all the survival books and the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink - and they tend to sink FAST. Yes, multi's can capsize, but I will sail with reserve offshore and set up the boat beforehand to live in relative comfort upside down until rescue. (Beats the hell out of living in a life raft.)
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Old 16-08-2019, 15:34   #2
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Only you can answer that question. We'll all have our own answers. Maybe you need to sail some different boats until your mind is made up?

If you think monos sink, read up more on Fastnet 79.
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Old 16-08-2019, 15:34   #3
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Have you thought about a trimaran? Edit: oops, just re-read the OP.
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Old 16-08-2019, 15:59   #4
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

I like multi hulls but bought a monohull. For the money I wanted to spend on a boat, I would have been able to afford a very mediocre multi, but a very nice well equiped cruising mono. Market forces are such that lots of people must have a multi hull and that drives up prices. Mono hulls languish as a result. I just don't care how many hulls as long as the boat is well equiped and reliable. Our boat is complex and has all the creature comforts, and is a reasonably good sailing, which makes living aboard a pleasure. I would have had to pay 75% more for a multihull with a comparable level of comfort and performance. If the price differential was less, I might have made a different decision, but it wasn't and isn't.

Its just myself and my wife (and two cats), we didn't need an extra hull. Actually the space on our boat works out better for us. The cruiser we know with multihulls seem to use the extra hull mostly for storage. We try not to have so much stuff. We cruise 6 months a year.

But everybody has a different take on this, none right or wrong, just different.
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Old 16-08-2019, 16:28   #5
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

What's your budget?
There's a Condor 40 for $40K if you like fast. It's almost like being on rails.
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Old 16-08-2019, 16:56   #6
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

If I could answer your question, my own life would be so much clearer.

I actually have both. I'm trying to decide between them. It's not an easy task. Each has its selling points.

Multi:. Fast, no rolling, no sinking if it's designed well, one big room and spacious deck, skinny water.

Mono: You actually use the whole hull and have different rooms, cheaper to haul, can find places to haul, cheaper to berth, fits in crowded anchorages better, blend in better, costs less, etc

You have to see if the tradeoffs are worth the financial trade off.
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Old 16-08-2019, 17:38   #7
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by magentawave View Post
Wifey flew the coop years ago and kids are grown up and now I want to get a *nice cruising multihull and surf and fish my way through Mexico, Central America and the South Pacific for as long as it's fun. I plan on doing this solo. Once I have the boat wired from trips to the Channel Islands off of Southern California then I might do a solo from Southern California to my old stomping grounds in Hawaii and back.

Due to budgetary constraints, i.e. CHEAP, a *nice cruising multihull for me that's suitable for singlehanding will probably be something like a sound and well-built Searunner 34 or Marples CC 35.

MY DILEMMA: Relatively inexpensive and very good cruising monohulls are so much more plentiful than inexpensive cruising multi's. Since I LOVE the feel of a great surfboard, I also LOVE that responsive on rails feeling of a good multihull. (Not to mention the surfing!) I'm not ready to leave today, but I'm losing patience in trying to find the boat I want. So, should I keep looking or should I bite the bullet and buy a nice cruising monohull? (For example, I just found a very nice 31' full keel cruising mono with with a proven track record as an excellent blue water cruiser with almost everything needed for long distance cruising - and it's only $12,000.)

Thanks

P.S. I've read all the survival books and the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink - and they tend to sink FAST. Yes, multi's can capsize, but I will sail with reserve offshore and set up the boat beforehand to live in relative comfort upside down until rescue. (Beats the hell out of living in a life raft.)
I see lots of marginal tris and cats on your coast Checkm thread here "boats under 30K"
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Old 17-08-2019, 09:24   #8
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Short multis lose much of what makes multis worthwhile.

For the money a mid 40’ mono will do all and more.
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Old 17-08-2019, 09:27   #9
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

After owning a Solihull for a number of years, I succumbed to the multihull allure. I' never go back. My surfboards have suffered way less damage by storing them attaching them to the bottom of the bikini rather than trying to negotiate the narrow companon way and steep steps, even with padded bags. Getting into the dinghy with longboards from sternsteps is so much easier than from the rail.
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Old 17-08-2019, 09:38   #10
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Quote: "... the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink... I will sail with reserve offshore..."

Isn't that rather illogical? If you "sail with reserve", i.e. if you are a competent seaman, you obviously aren't going to sink your boat, whether it be a mono or a cat.

Quote: "I'm losing patience in trying to find the boat I want."

If having patience is a problem for you, the cruising life may not be for you. There are few things more BORING (or wearing) than being on passage! A 30-footer isn't going to get you further than about 30 miles over the ground on a typical day of single-handing coastwise, and 100 off shore if you are a competent "blue water man" in a well found boat. If you push it further than that, when single-handing, you may not be "sailing with reserve".

And if being rail meat is your joy, a full-keeled 30 footer is most certainly not going to give you that joy, but then again, neither is a grown-up cat. On passage in a mono you would only exceed 15º of heel if you were in distress. And your going on the weather side deck, dinghy style, while on passage, while being exquisitely dangerous, won't net you a single discernible degree of reduction of the heel. And we won't even talk about going on the leeward side deck!

It seems that a good deal more reading, and not of "survival books" but of the literature that helps to keep you out of survival situations, as well as a good number of increasingly challenging passages in OTHER PEOPLE's boats, competently skippered, would be a sensible way to go.

All the best,

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Old 17-08-2019, 09:46   #11
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Not all mono hulls sink. If Not equipped with water tight bulkheads modify them your self. If you solo sail you eventually have to take nap. Can you trim your sails and sleep? Or do you motor only. Just asking.
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Old 17-08-2019, 14:33   #12
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Quote:
P.S. I've read all the survival books and the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink - and they tend to sink FAST. Yes, multi's can capsize, but I will sail with reserve offshore and set up the boat beforehand to live in relative comfort upside down until rescue. (Beats the hell out of living in a life raft.)
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Hello, magentawave,

I've spent the years since 1986 living aboard with Jim, and cruising two different monohulls. Yes, of course they can sink, however, they can be made somewhat less sinkable. Water tight bulkheads fore and aft go a long way. And, there are records of many, abandoned in the Queen's Birthday Storm years back along the NZ to Tonga route, which were subsequently found floating. It is that, while sinkable, sinking is infrequent, as is capsize, especially, for cruising catamarans.

Imho, akprb hit it on the head, and it is not something someone else could decide for you. Plus, there's nothing wrong with "loving" cats and still buying a monohull that will take good care of you, both, at the same time.

Be careful about the concept of it being able to use a capsized cat for a living platform. The open ocean generally has enough motion and wetness to it that everything is always moving, and often slippery, making those emergency settings more difficult to handle.

Cheers, mate, and have a good time with it.

Ann
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Old 17-08-2019, 19:43   #13
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

There is nothing better than hearing the rigging singing to you on a 60' monohull with the rail buried. Just my opinion...... but.

There is nothing better at anchor than everyone enjoying your expansive deck. At anchor (90% of the time on a boat) the catamaran becomes the dinghy dock and the excellent platform for everything. Girls (mywife) digs the catamaran deck.
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Old 17-08-2019, 20:42   #14
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by magentawave View Post

. Since I LOVE the feel of a great surfboard, I also LOVE that responsive on rails feeling of a good multihull. (Not to mention the surfing!)

the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink - [I]and they tend to sink FAST
Not sure what you mean; comparing a surfboard to a cat. If you sail only downwind, then the comparison might be apt. I hear that cats pound - "slap hard" might be the correct phrase - going to weather. And that is motoring as well as sailing.

I have always heard boats sink slowly and people are surprised at how long it takes them to sink. There are exceptions, like the boat that was run down near new Zealand by a log ship with no running lights and the propeller cut the sailboat in half. The couple still managed to free their half-inflated dingy before the boat went down.

Monos are fast, comfortable, and safe.

But >you< like multi-hulls and I suggest you stay true to yourself. If you really change your opinion and a monohull looks good to you, then consider it. But unless you are true to yourself and your own desires, cruising will fall short.
Somewhere there is a boat that was made for you and you'll probably know when you see her.
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Old 17-08-2019, 23:11   #15
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Re: I LOVE multi's but tempted to buy a mono. Change my mind.

Guys, I really appreciate your comments. The challenge I'm faced with is that
decent multihulls in my price range are rare everywhere - and especially on the west coast. The other problem is that 98% of those in my price range are beat to death neglected projects that often weren't good designs to begin with and will require thousands of hours and many thousands of dollars to fix up. Maybe if I was twenty, but most aren't worth the time and expense.

Two years ago a super nice and beautifully built Marples Constant Camber 35 trimaran in ready-to-cruise condition with all the goodies sold on the east coast for only $35,000. THAT was a killer deal but I wasn't ready to jump then. Last year a nice professionally built Searunner 34 tri came up on the west coast and sold for only $20,000. Early this year a 37' Polynesian Concept cat with foam sandwich hulls sold for only $20,000. Downside was that the interior was bare and would have been a major project to finish. I checked her out but wanted to sleep on it and she sold later that same day.

On the other hand, good affordable fiberglass monohulls are plentiful out here. As of today, I know of two solid and very beautiful cruising mono's for sale with diesels with asking prices of only $12,000 and $22,000. I'm tempted because I'd like to get something soon and trial the heck out of her and then solo to Hawaii next May.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Sand crab View Post
What's your budget?
There's a Condor 40 for $40K if you like fast. It's almost like being on rails.
I've been seeing it on Craigslist for a while. Looks like a bargain and must be crazy fun to sail. I think I'd like something a little more cruiser oriented though with a place for everything and everything in its place - like maybe a Searunner 34. Having said that, I would definitely take a look if it was on the west coast.



Quote:
Originally Posted by geoleo View Post
I see lots of marginal tris and cats on your coast Checkm thread here "boats under 30K"
I don't want marginal.



Quote:
Originally Posted by akprb View Post
Short multis lose much of what makes multis worthwhile.

For the money a mid 40’ mono will do all and more.
True, which is why I should be fine with a 34' Searunner or 35' Marples CC.



Quote:
Originally Posted by singlespeed View Post
After owning a Solihull for a number of years, I succumbed to the multihull allure. I' never go back. My surfboards have suffered way less damage by storing them attaching them to the bottom of the bikini rather than trying to negotiate the narrow companon way and steep steps, even with padded bags. Getting into the dinghy with longboards from sternsteps is so much easier than from the rail.
Makes sense. If I get a trimaran I might build and install a super lightweight board box on the deck. That's a great idea for attaching them to the underside of your bimini. I'm going to have to think about that. Do you have enough head room under there with the boards attached?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Tillsbury View Post
Only you can answer that question. We'll all have our own answers. Maybe you need to sail some different boats until your mind is made up?
Of course. Lots of experience on this forum so I'm just striking up a conversation.



Quote:
Originally Posted by TrentePieds View Post
Quote: "... the one fear I have of mono's is that they can sink... I will sail with reserve offshore..."

Isn't that rather illogical? If you "sail with reserve", i.e. if you are a competent seaman, you obviously aren't going to sink your boat, whether it be a mono or a cat.

Quote: "I'm losing patience in trying to find the boat I want."

If having patience is a problem for you, the cruising life may not be for you. There are few things more BORING (or wearing) than being on passage! A 30-footer isn't going to get you further than about 30 miles over the ground on a typical day of single-handing coastwise, and 100 off shore if you are a competent "blue water man" in a well found boat. If you push it further than that, when single-handing, you may not be "sailing with reserve".

And if being rail meat is your joy, a full-keeled 30 footer is most certainly not going to give you that joy, but then again, neither is a grown-up cat. On passage in a mono you would only exceed 15º of heel if you were in distress. And your going on the weather side deck, dinghy style, while on passage, while being exquisitely dangerous, won't net you a single discernible degree of reduction of the heel. And we won't even talk about going on the leeward side deck!

It seems that a good deal more reading, and not of "survival books" but of the literature that helps to keep you out of survival situations, as well as a good number of increasingly challenging passages in OTHER PEOPLE's boats, competently skippered, would be a sensible way to go.

All the best,

TrentePieds
I read the survival books a very long time ago. Sinking isn't the least bit illogical when the ability to stay upright relies on thousands of pounds of lead. I would sail with reserve offshore but there's junk out there like slightly submerged containers and whales, etc. I was a cabinetmaker for many years and raised two boys so patience was something I had to learn. Maybe I should have said "eager" instead of patience. I pretty much know what kind of boat I want, but they are rare.



Quote:
Originally Posted by KP44 View Post
Not sure what you mean; comparing a surfboard to a cat. If you sail only downwind, then the comparison might be apt. I hear that cats pound - "slap hard" might be the correct phrase - going to weather. And that is motoring as well as sailing.

I have always heard boats sink slowly and people are surprised at how long it takes them to sink. There are exceptions, like the boat that was run down near new Zealand by a log ship with no running lights and the propeller cut the sailboat in half. The couple still managed to free their half-inflated dingy before the boat went down.

Monos are fast, comfortable, and safe.

But >you< like multi-hulls and I suggest you stay true to yourself. If you really change your opinion and a monohull looks good to you, then consider it. But unless you are true to yourself and your own desires, cruising will fall short.
Somewhere there is a boat that was made for you and you'll probably know when you see her.
You can definitely experience that "on rails" feeling with a well designed tri while beating to windward - IF it has a good centerboard or daggerboards. Considering my budget, it's more likely that I'll be getting a trimaran instead of a cat so pounding shouldn't be as much of an issue with the design I'm looking for.
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