The Reason People Are Moving Away From Monohulls

[sailjumanji]

So the Vagabonde couple decide they want to trade in their big monohull for a catamaran, and provide their reasoning. In return, numerous monohull-owners feel the need to post why the couple are wrong on their boat choice, wrong to be raising money from videotaping their adventures, how they must now have full disclosure on all of their finances, etc. I'm surprised no one posted the couple were racists!

It seems like every multihull thread ends up like this. The only subject to consistently bring out more attack is carrying a firearm on a boat. Of course to be truly safe, one should carry a firearm in each hull.

I haven't been to the monohull forum. But do threads there get attacked in the same way, when someone says something positive about a monohull? Think about it.

Moderator, you might as well shut this one down.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by weavis

It always surprises me how all the support vessels for offshore work are Cats.
In some of the worst weather in the world they choose Catamarans.

Must write them and tell them that CF reckons they turn over in bad waves..

sheesh.

What idiots...

Not in our part of the world.
Fishing boats and oil platform support vessels can't run for port when the weather cuts rough and are monos.

[Catmandu]

Well how about a report from the Miami Boat Show as if that is any indicator. There "seemed" to be a lot more cats at the show than mono's but this is not really true. It would be better to say that the Cats at the show took up A LOT more room and had a "bigger presence" than the mono-hulls. The Outremer booth was visited by many, many people who were not as interested in the boat as they were hoping to meet and greet the young La Vagabond couple that made the deal with Outremer. They are famous and I hope it all works out for them... :0

Cats and Monos are different and they each have there advantages and disadvantages. It all boils down to your "programme" (use case) needs and budget.

There were many cats at the show that would make the perfect party platforms to motor/sail line of sight from one island to the next in the BVI's. My experience is that many of these motor better than they sail and I would not trust my family to them on the open ocean. There were other cats represented that I have experienced that sail REALLY, REALLY well hard on the wind and off and will take you around that world in any seas in safety style and great comfort.

I think the same can be said of the mono-hulls at the show. Some would do great on the weekend others there were built to cross oceans (I LOVED THE NEW Hylas 48).

The cats do make a great splash and seemed to be the show's center of mass. Does that mean that people are moving away from monohulls or does it mean that there are "new salts" being attracted to sailing who don't know any better?

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I hear a lot of talk about cruising cats being more popular, but when I look out the window in our 900 boat marina, there is ONE cruising cat, a Catana 40. It sits on a more expensive end tie ...

You know, several people have posted about the higher expense of having a cat in a marina, vs a monohull. I've stayed as long term or transient in marinas all the way from Texas thru Florida and down thru the Exumas. I have never paid more per foot for a marina spot than a monohull. And end ties - or even space along the long piers - have never been more expensive than a slip. In my experience, boaters would rather have docks on both sides, which leaves the end slips vacant. Some of the muni marinas in Texas have even put in wide slips near the bulkhead, and reserved for cats, at the same price as the end ties. Sometimes the water is shallower, but most times its just a little harder to get in and out (which is less of a challenge for a dual-engine cat, vs a single engine whatever).

When we go into a yard, the crane charges by the foot - no upcharge for cat. The yard space is by the foot and day. No upcharge for cat. The two divers that I have used over the years to clean the bottom, charged around 50% more for a cat vs the monohull rate. That's ok because its more hull to clean. But its not twice as costly as some say.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Sure looks like a whole LOTTA turbulence out the aft end of the cat hull. Almost like they are motor sailing. Weird. I'm assuming that a cat like a mono when sailing and not motoring, does not churn the water like it's motoring. Probably the marketing guy asking for more speed to make the bow wake bigger.

Maybe it's just shopped to look faster.

Maybe not.

I often see similar wakes, even on my Seawind. The really fast ones can throw up a rooster tail.

This is how the big boys do it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BsOszhRB4o

And how my boat does it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irPI...ature=youtu.be

YMMV

[weavis]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

Not in our part of the world.
Fishing boats and oil platform support vessels can't run for port when the weather cuts rough and are monos.

eh?

listen to the accent.......
These boats stay out in all weathers.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-aLHqMuTWo

[PaulinOz]

Quote "I see virtually no cruising cats around my area in the PNW either.Anyone know why that is? Marinas not set up to handle them? Harder to heat and keep warm? In any case I feel the statement 'people are moving to cats' may be limited to certain geographical areas..."

I think that is probably correct, Cats are moving into geographical areas where the current crop of cruisers wish to cruise and away from geographical areas seen as not such a desirable cruising destination. Be that based on types of sailing destinations available or service and support for multi-hulls within said geographical area.

I believe the majority of people prefer to sail where heating of the vessel is not a requirement at all. Along with all the benefits such a climate provides in the way of lifestyle and entertainment.

I am biased though cruising full time on a cat in the tropics.

[tomfl]

Of course it is hard to beat the Jackal at anything, including throwing up a wake sailing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KUQdbWUCgY

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by weavis

eh?

listen to the accent.......
These boats stay out in all weathers.....

30,000 litres fuel capacity, 2,700HP of engine power. Up to 600nm offshore.

Not my sort of offshore cruiser.

[Newkid]

https://youtu.be/51WWDBOcJFE?t=510

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by PaulinOz

Quote "I see virtually no cruising cats around my area in the PNW either.Anyone know why that is? Marinas not set up to handle them? Harder to heat and keep warm? In any case I feel the statement 'people are moving to cats' may be limited to certain geographical areas..."

I think that is probably correct, Cats are moving into geographical areas where the current crop of cruisers wish to cruise and away from geographical areas seen as not such a desirable cruising destination. Be that based on types of sailing destinations available or service and support for multi-hulls within said geographical area.7

I believe the majority of people prefer to sail where heating of the vessel is not a requirement at all. Along with all the benefits such a climate provides in the way of lifestyle and entertainment.

I am biased though cruising full time on a cat in the tropics.

Our home is Vancouver and like Seattle the marinas are generally filled. It's also super hard to get a new marina approved in either area plus the land is so expensive it doesn't make economic sense. These marinas are set up for monos and there are very few Cats and if you are not on an end tie you'll pay double the rate in many places. Monos rule in the PNW for lots of other reasons and one of them is heat as you mentioned plus many marinas don't have travel lifts wide enough. It would not be a good place to own a Cat. The tropics and Cats go together although there are quite a few in the Med. Caribbean is loaded with them.

[rallyman1122]

Originally Posted by Catmandu

Well how about a report from the Miami Boat Show as if that is any indicator. There "seemed" to be a lot more cats at the show than mono's but this is not really true. It would be better to say that the Cats at the show took up A LOT more room and had a "bigger presence" than the mono-hulls. The Outremer booth was visited by many, many people who were not as interested in the boat as they were hoping to meet and greet the young La Vagabond couple that made the deal with Outremer. They are famous and I hope it all works out for them... :0

Cats and Monos are different and they each have there advantages and disadvantages. It all boils down to your "programme" (use case) needs and budget.

There were many cats at the show that would make the perfect party platforms to motor/sail line of sight from one island to the next in the BVI's. My experience is that many of these motor better than they sail and I would not trust my family to them on the open ocean. There were other cats represented that I have experienced that sail REALLY, REALLY well hard on the wind and off and will take you around that world in any seas in safety style and great comfort.

I think the same can be said of the mono-hulls at the show. Some would do great on the weekend others there were built to cross oceans (I LOVED THE NEW Hylas 48).

The cats do make a great splash and seemed to be the show's center of mass. Does that mean that people are moving away from monohulls or does it mean that there are "new salts" being attracted to sailing who don't know any better?

That don't know better? Careful your basis is showing.

[smj]

Loved the Outremer at the show but the salesman we dealt with was by far the nastiest. Guess I should have worn my gold Rolex.

[buzzstar]

Anyone with an interest in the subject might want to Google, "offshore oil service vessels" to see what results you get in the photos. Since the oil companies can afford whatever they want it might be instructive. I have not done it myself yet, but am about to, so I suppose I am a risk taker.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Our home is Vancouver and like Seattle the marinas are generally filled. It's also super hard to get a new marina approved in either area plus the land is so expensive it doesn't make economic sense. These marinas are set up for monos and there are very few Cats and if you are not on an end tie you'll pay double the rate in many places. Monos rule in the PNW for lots of other reasons and one of them is heat as you mentioned plus many marinas don't have travel lifts wide enough. It would not be a good place to own a Cat. The tropics and Cats go together although there are quite a few in the Med. Caribbean is loaded with them.

The Great Lakes is another area where cats are few and far between. There are lots of large monos on the Lakes, but few marinas are set up to manage large cats. Haul out options are a lot fewer, and the vast majority of boats come out for the winter.