Why Do Catamarans Motor Nearly 100%

[Kenomac]

Why is it that nearly every time I see a catamaran here in the Med, it's motoring from place to place? Even when the winds are favorable... they're under power. When we were looking for our present Oyster, I went on a test sail of a 45ft Leopard at the boat show">Annapolis boat show because I want to like them with the enormous living quarters, but the thing sailed horribly.

I see many, many Lagoons around here, but nearly 100% of the time.... motoring with sails furled. Why is that? Do they sail that badly? Wouldn't motor sailing be preferable? Why not just buy a powercat if all they do is motor?

I really like the Sunreef powercat. Maybe someday.

Ken

[atoll]

people get addicted to that 8 knot cruising speed(illusion)...hence if they cannot sail at 8 knots they motor

[Kenomac]

Around Sardinia and Corsica, the wind blows 10-25 knots nearly every afternoon. Surely, the catamarans can make 8 knots in these conditions?

We sail every opportunity we get, even if we're only making 4-5 knots; or we motor sail to bring it up to 7-8 knots.

Why don't the catamarans do the same?

[robert sailor]

Its a good thing you are not a **** disturber Ken, LOL. I think most of the Cats there are on charter and those folks want to get to the next port asap. To be frank if I was on a boat for a week with a bunch of friends I'd probably do the same thing. The Med to us was always more about what was on land to see.

We see many Cats motoring even in the Caribbean with the trade winds but most of them are sailing. I hear that because of the charter market the motorized Cats (no sails) are very much in demand and the sales numbers are really rising. Makes sense to me.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Its a good thing you are not a **** disturber Ken, LOL. I think most of the Cats there are on charter and those folks want to get to the next port asap. To be frank if I was on a boat for a week with a bunch of friends I'd probably do the same thing. The Med to us was always more about what was on land to see.

We see many Cats motoring even in the Caribbean with the trade winds but most of them are sailing. I hear that because of the charter market the motorized Cats (no sails) are very much in demand and the sales numbers are really rising. Makes sense to me.

I definitely think our next boat will be a powercat, you can't beat the living quarters and the living room view.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I definitely think our next boat will be a powercat, you can't beat the living quarters and the living room view.

I agree, they make a lot of sense. Unlike a typical trawler type that sailors would often choose the motoring Cat is very stable underway as well as at anchor. Having been on a number of Cats now I can see the attraction, they make a lot of sense.

[model 10]

When our little overloaded tub can out sail a modern charter Cat into the wind, I can see why they would motor so much. It looks as if they drive like a car or truck? Maybe all these charter guys are more used to that, so it's easier to just drive around all the time.
The whole thing looks weird. They seem to have sliding glass doors into the cabin, just like your patio at home might have. People seem to be sitting around in lawn chairs or something. Nobody seem to be doing anything execpt the guy driving. It does looks like they go pretty good under power.

[Kenomac]

Our friends here in Sardinia keep their flower vases and plants out even when underway on their Lagoon 400. That wouldn't work out so well on a monohull. But they also admit to motoring nearly all the time. Why? They live full time on the boat and have all the time in the world to get from place to place.

[markpierce]

Few catamarans here, but motoring mono-hulls are commonly seen in sailable conditions unless they are racing. Motoring sailboats are common regardless of the number of hulls.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Guy

......... Nobody seems to be doing anything execpt the guy driving. It does looks like they go pretty good under power.

Certainly easy to operate, but then... Why the sailing rig?

I'd really like to hear from a few multi owners. Hopefully, all of them haven't been offended by my post. I certainly didn't mean it to be that way.

Mrs. Kenomac (Pammymac) also wants to know why?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Few catamarans here, but motoring mono-hulls are commonly seen in sailable conditions unless they are racing. Motoring sailboats are common regardless of the number of hulls.

Here, we see the monohulls usually motor sailing in light conditions. Why don't the multi hulls motor Sail?

[weavis]

Why dont you ask one of them...............

[goat]

Mono hulls are less 'rolly' with sails up? I don't know. I'd rather use wind. Scottish/Dutch ancestry.

goat

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[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by weavis

Why dont you ask one of them...............

That's why I posted this on the multihull forum. I'm asking some of them.

It's much easier than going boat to boat.

[jwing]

You would have to ask the people who are not sailing why they aren't sailing; I couldn't tell you. In my history of chartering in the Caribbean, we sail in open water, motor in anchorages and mooring fields, regardless of the number of hulls. There is nothing inherent about multihulls that would make me choose to motor rather than sail. Catamarans are way more fun than monohulls for chartering vacations with more than two people.