Who Builds the Best ?

[Capt.Magic]

AMEL

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Capt.Magic

AMEL

is not a catamaran.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by The Turners

I am talking about quality, sturdy construction. I want a boat that is built strong and built to last, cosmetics can be updated and/or fixed

Privilege and Catana are the two makes with a long history of making quality boats. Of course that means you'll have to pay more - new or old. There are other good makes about ( Manta made a great cruising boat but they are no more) but you'll not go wrong with Privilege or Catana.

[The Turners]

Originally Posted by Factor

The OP said

You said

Why?

because theres more room, there is no way that me, katy, and the dog can live on a 38 motoryacht but a 38 cat has much more living space, when we started looking at motoryachts we started around 45-50 feet and seemed to keep goin up in size and before we knew it we were sayin "that 65 hatteras is perfect" and thats just too much boat. when we began considering a cat, we started looking in the 45-50ft range and have been coming down in size ever since and have settled on looking in the 38-40 range, these size cats have plenty of room for the 2 of us, and a couple extra cabins for when the parents visit

[Sand crab]

I agree with Richard jordan about Maine Cats. Great boats and unusually well equipped. Can't go wrong with Catanas or Privileges either. The older Lagoon TPIs were exceptionally well built. Mantas seem to only come fully loaded, could be good, could be bad. I like Outremers. I beleive they are the only production boat with solid fiberglass hulls so no core issues and they are super fast with slim hulls so smaller interior. These boats are one of the few to crack the 20 knot barrier, regularly. To muddy the waters have a look at the Contour 50 tri. BOB

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by cat man do

is not a catamaran.

i love cats, but for the money the Amel is better.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Doodles

i love cats, but for the money the Amel is better.

And a lot slower. In the Chesapeake last summer in 10 kts of wind we blew past an Amel 51 in our Seawind 1000 like he was sitting still.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by smj

And a lot slower. In the Chesapeake last summer in 10 kts of wind we blew past an Amel 51 in our Seawind 1000 like he was sitting still.

Maybe so, but I looked at an Amel Mango a couple weeks ago and was blown away. I've never seen such quality and innovation ... mono or multi. I thought surely my next boat would be a multi but now its an Amel.

[Richard Jordan]

Yikes. This is getting off topic.
In terms of the big 3 cat makes ( FP, Lagoon, and Leopard ) I think Leopard has the highest build quality.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Richard Jordan

Yikes. This is getting off topic.
In terms of the big 3 cat makes ( FP, Lagoon, and Leopard ) I think Leopard has the highest build quality.

Yea, sorry about that.

I would vote for Catana.

[Double-Wide]

Shawn & Katy,

Before you buy make sure you check out the Seawinds. They have won a lot of awards for design excellence. They will easily out sail the lagoons & Privilege and have great livabilty. We have been living aboard our 1160 for 4 years.

Keep in mind that factory service is very important. We have found the people at Seawind go out of their way to help owners with technnical advise & spare parts replacement. As an example I emailed the tech rep in Australia and told them that one of the on deck locks had the hasp corrode and fail. Could a buy a replacement. They sent me 8 new ones no charge wh an explanation that if one failed I should replace them all. What great service. Ask a Catana owner or a Lagoon owner if they ever got anywhere near that kind of help from their builder. I think not.

[Multihull]

For 250k USD you will not find a Catana or Outremer. Probably an older FB, Lagoon or Leopard.
<u choice would be to save untill at least double and buy a four year old Outremer 49

[barnakiel]

I like the Privilege and the Catana.

I would chose Privilege for the interior finish / Catana for sailing qualities. Both are very nice, sail very well and keep value well.

b.

[Captain Bill]

From the sounds of it you are looking for a bluewater cat. I've sailed Mainecats and while solidly built i'm not sure how comfortable I would be in that open cockpit in a storm at sea. Endeavour Catamaran Corp. built their own boats as well as the Manta 38's, 40's and some of the early 42s. Most people consider the Endeavour 44 that I have a coastal cruiser or I would recommend looking at one. The Manta's are built using the same techniques and materials and I've never heard a complaint about the quality or strength of anything built by Endeavour. The Manta's are good strong boats and the 10 year old boats are pretty much in your budget and will probably fit your bill.

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by Multihull

For 250k USD you will not find a Catana or Outremer. Probably an older FB, Lagoon or Leopard.
<u choice would be to save untill at least double and buy a four year old Outremer 49

Outremers and Catanas under $250,000 here
1990 Outremer 42R Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
Navigator Yacht Sales (Hobe Sound, FL)&

I can show you more if you like..........BOB