Looking for Point of Views on the best sailing Catamaran for a couple who cruise the

[ElmBrook]

I'm hoping to find some opinions, thoughts and reasons for choosing the best catamaran for cruising the Carib, east coast and Gulf of Mexico. Most often the captain and crew will just be my wife and me. Thanks
Elm

[Sand crab]

Ummm, all of them.

[ElmBrook]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Ummm, all of them.

A two person crew is large enough to sail any size catamaran?

[boatman61]

Lagoon 380 owners version... that'll leave you 2 double cabins and shower/heads in the other hull.. nice boats..
Why buy bigger and pay more in marina's etc..

[Privleoplag]

I'd for sure get an owners version, no matter who the manufacturer. Pretty much any size cat can be handled by two.

[Sand crab]

If the hardware is set up properly then it is possible to single hand a pretty big boat.

[ElmBrook]

Maybe I should try to be more concise. I'm looking for opinions on cats that are large enough to handle the east coast, Carib and the Gulf of Mexico but small enough to be captain and crewed by a husband and wife

[Privleoplag]

still the same answer.. 2 people can crew just about any size catamaran, I'm sure.. although the largest my wife and I have done alone is a Leopard 46... and was easily handled.

[ElmBrook]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Lagoon 380 owners version... that'll leave you 2 double cabins and shower/heads in the other hull.. nice boats..
Why buy bigger and pay more in marina's etc..

Yeah I agree, I don't want any more boat that what's needed. I hear such mixed opinions on 380's and Gemini's it's not clear which would best suit or needs

[Privleoplag]

and of course, my answer to the question when I had it was to buy a Leopard owners version Leopard 39/Moorings 3900.

[ElmBrook]

Well it's clear you all agree it should be a owners version

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ElmBrook

Yeah I agree, I don't want any more boat that what's needed. I hear such mixed opinions on 380's and Gemini's it's not clear which would best suit or needs

The Lagoons a higher bridgedeck for ridings seas to the best of my knowledge.. Delivered down the Atlantic coast and on to the Canaries from NW France.. and another from the Adriatic to the Canaries.. handled some heavy weather just fine.. tho' they are noisy compared to mono's in the same sea's...
They're also faster than Gemini's..

[Sand crab]

You probably want to look for cats where all the winches and hardware are right there in the cockpit. If the winches are attached to the mast then it's tougher. A few cats that are very user friendly are Mantas, Maine Cats, some FPs. Lagoon has some as does Privilege which makes an easy cruise EZC version that is easier handled than the non EZC version. And just like cars there are a zillion different options available for any one model. Plus there are modifications by the PO. It's not a huge expensive to move winches and hardware to where you want so it's not a deal breaker. The other item is a self tacking jib. On these boats you just turn the wheel and you are done. But again so many boats don't have this that it is not a deal breaker either.
Try a charter.

[Privleoplag]

maybe I'm spoiled, but electric heads too. when we've chartered other boats, few things we miss often but electric heads we miss all the time. Then in no particular order.. electric dinghy davits, generator/air con, power halyard/sheet winches. Of course, you'll want all the standard stuff... auto pilot, diesel, good electronics, etc. etc.

[boatman61]

The Lagoon 380's I delivered.. one brand new of the shop floor all had all the lines leading back to the helmsmans position... also had a 2 speed electric/manual winch right there which was great for raising/reefing the main.. could do with a better line storage system tho'..