Maintenance - Cat VS Mono

[Tropic Cat]

Greg

Was there a difference in performance under sail with the new props?

Haul outs are priced about the same up the coast where I live, but I find that marinas do not charge a premium for a cat. Most have a couple of shallow slips that go unused, the only question is if they're wide enough.

Rick in Florida

[fhrussell]

Originally Posted by rickm505

Haul outs are priced about the same up the coast where I live, but I find that marinas do not charge a premium for a cat. Most have a couple of shallow slips that go unused, the only question is if they're wide enough.

That has been my experience as well with hauling....by the LOA foot, not square foot. And yes,...there is usually a shallow slip that goes unused in marina's. But, I keep her on a mooring otherwise, ..safer and more privacy.

[Joli]

Some jobs on each boat will have similar costs. Pulling a spar is pulling a spar. Other jobs that are based on square footage or require multiple systems will be more costly on a cat. Winter storage is by the square foot so a 38 foot cat is $6200 while a 38 foot mono is $2850.

But let's be honest, the big cost of boat ownership is resale. So who really cares if the storage fee is a couple of extra grand a year when the value of the boat is dropping by tens of thousands every year.

Costs be damned, we do it because we love it.

Not sure about cats, but my tri takes almost 50% less bottom paint than my mono of similar length. The wetted area is substantially smaller. Topsides are another story. Aside from that, the costs on the cat and a half seem to be about the same as a mono until you get to slip fees, but I won't go there. One nice thing about the deck is painting goes very quickly. Lots of large flat areas. Can't comment on paying someone to do it cause I am too cheap. As for the cost of parts and systems, you pay for quality. Same goes for electrics. The more you want, the more you pay. If you want to read by candle light or change out the D-Cells in your lamps, it makes no difference if it is on a cat, or a mono. Cats tend to be a little more like homes than a traditional mono, so the temptation to add lots of systems and conveniences is much stronger. Overall, I would say the cost is very equal until you get to the engines. Two engines + two fuel tanks, two sets of filters, two water pumps etc. etc ...

[cat man do]

And another good thing is you can take to the bottom for a quick job if required. Actually saw a guy up north with a genny and compressor giving topsides a respray and bottom a lick of antfoul between tides. Bit tough on our hull challenged friends.

Multis Rule
Dave

[fhrussell]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Does any one in the states use a crane to lift cats?? In Australia we always use a crane and slings at about $100 Aud/hour and it rarely takes that long to do a lift. Cats oer about 35ft would need 2 cranes but it's still a quick job.
Dave

Yes.... I just recently started using the travellift. For years the boats were all hauled by a custom made wire bridle hitched to a crane. My present boat at only 1.9K lbs. unloaded can be hauled by the crane they use to step large masts! This boat is also only 12 feet BOA.
I'm curious, do most of the production cats allow for a lifting bridle? My boat has specific lifting chainplates aft that double as snatchblock points.

[cat man do]

fhrussel, dont' know any one who would use wire,would'nt it cut into your hull? These are mobile franna style ctanes i'm talking about,using straps around hulls at back beam and where hulls meet front of b/d.and a long spreader bar to take loads. You can lift boat and slowly drive it to a spot to work on it.Most of the boats over here are 20ft plus in beam, so not much room for error in a travellift, plus their too bloody expensive. Don't know of any boats with dedicated lifting points built in, why go to all the extra expense and weight when straps work fine.

Dave

Dave

[fhrussell]

My boat was built before travelifts were everywhere...1963. I am tempted to remove the plates,....although they do provide additional holding points. The chainplates are above the deck. When rigged, forward, it's the shroud chainplate..aft, I use the plate to hank on a snatchblock for lightwind sails. The bridle is attached to these four points with shackles. The wire never touches the boat. I have a pic of the boat on the bridle, but dont know how to post a pic here. Here is a link though:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/fhruss.../ph//my_photos

[cat man do]

Gee mate, she's pretty as a picture, would have been a rocketship in her day and I reckon she'd give a few a run for their money today. Nice simple Classic lines. Well done.

Dave

[schoonerdog]

I hate to say this, but if I had a budget of 120k and a family of four, I wouldn't look at catamarans. They have wonderful advantages, but there are FAR more large monohulls out there from the 1970s which could carry everything you need. Boats like an Erickson or Formosa. And yes, maintenance is a big cost. For me to get 8 GA wiring from solar panels to my battery banks will cost far more than if I had a monohull. Cats have probably 3 times as much wiring and plumbing as a comparably sized monohulls. Slip fees will be more as well, much more. Go to the monohull thread and see what they think 120k will get you and I think you'll find far more choices.

Good luck!!!

[cat man do]

But ya keep spillin' ya drinks. Had a Y.W Diamond, [30ft, multichine ply and 2 up on trapese] cost a carton of beer every time we took her out. Never drank any, all ended up in bilge.

Great fun though [sailing the boat, not spilling the beer ]

Dave

[Canibul]

Its mostly a matter of draft with me (the boat, CatMan,not the beer). Where I live its pretty common to be in 15 ft. of water inside the reef and see coral heads coming up to within 3 ft. of the surface at low water. And they are not on any chart.

The other nice things about catamarans is that unlike a boat filled with lead, they dont sink.

Hmm...doesnt hit the hidden coral, doesnt sink, can park it on the sand without falling off the deck...the rest is gravy. The choice is easy.

[cat man do]

Hey Canibul, dont have to convince me , look in my gallery.
Dave

[yona]

Schoonerdog thanks for caring
I was lurking quite a lot in this site for the last couple of years and it hepled (and still helping) me a lot in finiding our way into the cruising world.
Anyway, my wife and me decided to get a better boat. This will be our home for many years. It will be more than a home, we will stay there days and nights, so it is equivalent to home+car+office. That is why it is so important both of us will be happy with it.
Now we are thinking on putting 250K-300K. It means we will need to delay our plan by a year or so and in the first few years travel in cheaper places (e.g. we may stay longer in the Philippines instead of rushing to NZ)
We are thinking of buying the Mahe or Maxim 380. Maxim looks more appealing, but the problem with living in Hong Kong is that it is very hard to get a first hand impression on the boats. The boat show here is nothing compare to the shows you have in the US.
We still have 2-3 years before we buy, so that gives us time to make our minds.
Is the boat show in Miami is the best? Any big boat show in Europe?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Canibul

The other nice things about catamarans is that unlike a boat filled with lead, they dont sink.

Hmm...doesnt hit the hidden coral, doesnt sink, can park it on the sand without falling off the deck...the rest is gravy. The choice is easy.

Canibul,

Sorry to disillusuion you but two large cats sank early this year off Mayaguana. Sad tale but thankfully no lives lost.