Retirement Sailing

[svcattales]

Originally Posted by gonesail

the cats are nice but you should have the credit card ready .. they don't fit in a standard slip so you pay for 2. also 2 engines to maintain but nice steady platform

True on both counts. We never stay in marinas while cruising so that's how we keep cruising costs low. Two engines are a pain for extra maintenance, but it is nice having redundancy. We had an alternator fail on our current cruise so it was nice to have another alternator immediately available. When we motorsail, we usually only run one engine so the fuel cost and periodic maintenance (oil, filter changes etc) cost are not double the cost of a single engine. On the other hand, we have double the opportunity for things to break and parts are expensive.

[smj]

Originally Posted by gonesail

the cats are nice but you should have the credit card ready .. they don't fit in a standard slip so you pay for 2. also 2 engines to maintain but nice steady platform

We've owned cats for 18 years and never payed double for a slip, though that may be what things are coming to.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by gonesail

the cats are nice but you should have the credit card ready .. they don't fit in a standard slip so you pay for 2. also 2 engines to maintain but nice steady platform

Of course the Gemini fits in 1 slip and has one engine....

My PDQ 32 has bullet proof construction and has been very easy on the wallet.Except when I bought it.

I have arthritis in the hands and shoulders - a cat has smaller sails for the same amount of living space. My wife has had a knee replacement; she won't go near a mono hull, as she has too much trouble with the lean. It motors very dependably in many conditions, and with 2 engines is easy to park.

It does not point as high as a good monohull, but it goes on a reach or down wind better.

Take one out. I find the Geminis have poor visibility and pound, but perhaps that is personal. I think a trawler would bore me.

[Full Sail]

I'm mid 50's and I moved aboard my cat FP Bahia 46 owners version about 6 months ago and love it. I motor if I want, sail if I want. Its got all the things the lady wants(needs)..electric head, a real shower stall..a vanity..washer dryer..its really a floating condo. The most I ever paid was 1 1/2 for a slip. 2 engines are great for docking without yelling. I've already decided that if I decide I can't sail anymore, I'm going to just take off the mast and motor.

[meyermm]

When is old? At some stage most will sell the boat any boat and head for a retirement home so it depends which age group you look at. 50-60, 70-80, 80-90? Some could not afford a power boat and still do extended distances, Fuel! I am sixty and still planning to leave in the future, not even looking at retirement at this stage.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by DRS

Sailboats have engines to. In the worst case senerio you are a power boat with a really tall antenna

In the eastern Caribbean you will more of those p.b.w.r.t.antenna catamarans than catamarans under sail. I have seen first hand catamarans screaming mayday because the engines quit and they have no idea how to put up and use the sails. They end up getting towed in by local fishermen or local towboats. Its a growth industry for the locals and they love it.

[YOGAO]

What is your experience in sailing? Do you two fit into the stereotypical "guy has the sailing dream; wife will 'put up with it' for a few years" scenario?

Bottom line: Paul L really has it - "how long is a piece of string?". Only you can answer what is right for you.

Aside: our general anecdotal (CYA caveats) experience is that many sailing cruisers who go the trawler route have never considered a catamaran with its "easier sailing" capabilities.

Fair Winds,
Mike

[osirissail]

The main difference between a "power-cat" and a "sailing-cat" is that they leave off the mast and double the hp of the engines and make the fuel tanks bigger. I would like to have a sailing-cat but specify that the engines be double hp and the bigger fuel tanks. Then you have best of both worlds as Full Sail mentions in his post #19 - you can motor when you want or sail when the conditions are conducive to sailing - or if the engines quit. Nice to have options . . . But definitely go the catamaran route if you want the "admiral" to be happy and enjoy the experience.

[djmarchand]

Each of us has a different retirment lifestyle. We are planning to retire in a year or two and live near Annapolis. From there we will take 1-3 day trips to interesting places and anchorages.

But my wife likes the destination and at least on a sailboat I like the journey. So we are torn between a sailboat and a power boat. With the power boat we can get there quicker or farther away in one day. With the sailboat, well most of you know what is nice about sailing.

If we were doing extended cruising then I think that the sailboat would get the nod. Lower cost, reliability of two independent power sources would be the reason. Plus the ability to enjoy sailing.

A cat would be nice in any case. I single handedly sailed on a 35' cat for 8 months last year from Florida to Maine and I really liked the stability of the cat. Twin engine maneuverability was also a big plus. But it didn't sail to weather very well and that caused for more motoring.

David

[osirissail]

Remember there are many different types of catamarans. A charter boat catamaran is whole lot different from a performance cruising catamaran. Charter catamarans are "dumbed down" performance wise to keep the inexperienced from getting into trouble.
- - Performance catamarans have things like double headsails, tall daggerboards, and a different hull design under the water. These boats scream right along and can do much better to weather than a catamaran built for the charter business.
- - Just like mono-hulls, there are coastal/island boats and Water boats">blue water boats - different strokes for different folks . . .

[colemj]

Originally Posted by osirissail

The main difference between a "power-cat" and a "sailing-cat" is that they leave off the mast and double the hp of the engines and make the fuel tanks bigger.

It may cosmetically look that way from the topsides or a distance, but that is just not true from engineering and design aspects. Powercats are whole different animals from the start.

Mark

[robmacriner]

I've spent the last 26 years of skippering bare-boating worldwide with the goal of learning what I can to eventually retire on a boat. I'm about 3 years away from that goal now but a few things have changed.

At the start, I thought I would like to live-on board a 50' mono-haul for 12 months of the year,....I now see three months a year in a fractional ownership arrangement being more practical for my wife and myself. I also thought I'd end-up in the Caribbean and sail that cruising ground along with South America. I now see myself in the Med. based in Malta, and cruising Italy, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Spain, France and alternating to Northern Africa and the Canaries over the winters months. ..(Although I also haven't totally ruled out Thailand.).

I do still see myself on a 50' -55' mono-haul like a Hunter 50cc., but then that's my mind set today with a focus of three years away.

Any thoughts from live-aboard vets would be greatly appreciated.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by colemj

It may cosmetically look that way from the topsides or a distance, but that is just not true from engineering and design aspects. Powercats are whole different animals from the start. Mark

Very true in today's world - the market has dramatically increased from years ago so the manufacturers are building to the market which makes good business sense. But the first power cats were actually regular sailing cats without a mast and larger engines and fuel tanks. It did not take long for the market to increase to the point that making the boats specifically for power use was profitable. And shortly thereafter the old power yacht builders saw the trend and their old monohull displacement boats are being redesigned to dual hulls. So the Power Cat market is coming together from two sides: one from variations on the sailing cat and the other from variations on the traditional power yacht side.

[downunder]

A lot is happening with motorsailers in Australia at present.
essentially using sail hull slightly modifed aft underwater.



http://www.lightwaveyachts.com/cgi-b...l?page_id=1073

The long sleek hulls and generous rig and sails set up, offers you the magic of sailing effortlessly to a favourite anchorage and delivers remarkable top cruising speeds of 12 - 14knots under sail. If the weather turns for the worse or you just want to get to your destination quicker, commanding power is delivered from the various engine choices (150hp - 260hp) where speeds of up to 23 knots under power are achieved. Additionally, the efficiency of the semi-displacement hulls give you a cruise range of over 1000nm without re-fuelling.



Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning
Power and Performance
The recommended 75hp inboard engines are designed as a shaft-driven installation but a saildrive version could also be used. The saildrive installation would be positioned further aft and save space internally. The engines are fitted in the aft cabins with the starboard engine below the aft double bunk and the Port engine in its own dedicated engine bay. The aft cabins are designed with a ‘soft patch’ engine removal hatch for if or when the engines may need to be removed.
The expected performance with the above engines under power will be a cruise speed of approximately 12 to 15 knots and a top speed of around 18. Motion at sea is always excellent under power for a ‘semi-displacement’ power design, the slim hulls slice through the water and the efficient hull shape rides level. Under sail, the performance should be very respectable if compared with other ‘cruising’ cats if not quicker.

Grainger Designs For Custom Catamaran Design and Trimaran Design For Cruising or Racing
Note: Tony Grainger designed the Lightwave vessel and I believe they are currently doing a 38 ft vessel
Schonning designs also has and can do motor sailers.

[downunder]

Lightwave 47 ft motor sailer. an expensive vessel.