Why little popularity in pocket cruising catamarans?

[Bobcat]

Modern catamarans are mostly designed for charter or racing ... and that is where the money is! There are plenty of good, small family friendly older cruising designs out there but they are no longer built because they are not as profitable as the large charter cats or giant high speed 'hull flying' cats.

[hsi88]

Have a friend with a Gemini 105. Something like 33 feet long, not overly wide and fits easily in a normal sized slip. I would think this is pocket cruising size.

[Redreuben]

Derek Kelsall had a great range of wide bodied catamarans in the 25' to 35' or so range, timber or foam sandwich but they have all fallen by the wayside with his new building system and the pricing is stupidly expensive.
So nobody has built them.

[44'cruisingcat]

There's a couple of young ladies cruising the Qld coast in a small Wharram.


It must be pretty cramped, they don't seem to have been able to carry much in the way of clothing.


Every cloud has a silver lining...

[Bobcat]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

There's a couple of young ladies cruising the Qld coast in a small Wharram.


It must be pretty cramped, they don't seem to have been able to carry much in the way of clothing.


Every cloud has a silver lining...

Yes but a 21ft Wharram recently completed a circumnavigation with a young couple on board for much of the voyage ... they are truly 'blue water' cruisers - check out their website!

[Bulawayo]

Website.....which is? Is the boat called cooking fat or cooking oil or something like that? I seemed to recall reading or hearing something like that a few years ago. Sounds interesting.

Originally Posted by Bobcat

Yes but a 21ft Wharram recently completed a circumnavigation with a young couple on board for much of the voyage ... they are truly 'blue water' cruisers - check out their website!

[salticrak]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

There's a couple of young ladies cruising the Qld coast in a small Wharram.


It must be pretty cramped, they don't seem to have been able to carry much in the way of clothing.


Every cloud has a silver lining...

Any links?

[salticrak]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

Website.....which is? Is the boat called cooking fat or cooking oil or something like that? I seemed to recall reading or hearing something like that a few years ago. Sounds interesting.

Rory McDougall.

[Bobcat]

www.wharram.com

There were a few of the 31ft ones being sold off on the Zambesi a few years ago. They were being used for wildlife safaris - others are for charter in Thailand I think. They can be bought ready built in the Philipinnes.

[Bulawayo]

Yes, Kariba Lake Charters - on Lake Kariba, the Zim side. Im not sure of the curent status but shall be home at Christmas so if anyone is really wanting to know I could check. They are / were based out of Kariba itself.

Originally Posted by Bobcat

www.wharram.com

There were a few of the 31ft ones being sold off on the Zambesi a few years ago. They were being used for wildlife safaris - others are for charter in Thailand I think. They can be bought ready built in the Philipinnes.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Edel tried to revive their older concept with new small cats and it did not work all that well for them.

gamme

I think a great concept but maybe geographically misplaced. Or possibly poor marketing skills/budget.

I do not see any flaws in the concept. They look like a good option for many sailors. And yet, they did not mean to sell well (contrary to the older Edels that sold very well and are still much in use today).

Cheers,
b.

Unfortunately.... To my eye, the designs look a little home built and early IKEA.... That may influence the lack of sales more than the concept....

slideshow E33

[rthompsona]

My wife and I live on a 20 year old EndeavourCat 30. We have had it less than an year but it has been very comfortable and sails well.

EndeavourCat no longer makes sailing catamarans. I asked the owner why. He said that many of the people who had purchased the sailing catamarans came back looking for power catamarans as they aged. He said that he should consider making sailing catamarans again to appeal to a younger market.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by weavis

Unfortunately.... To my eye, the designs look a little home built and early IKEA.... That may influence the lack of sales more than the concept....

slideshow E33

maybe the aventura 33 is more appealing?Aventura 33 : l'harmonie parfaite entre qualit?, confort, performance et s?curit? pour une fiabilit? sur toutes les mers du monde.

Starting around 160k Euro: 2016 Aventura 33 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Never seen one in person though. Their previous 36ft Model was just plain ugly.

[hsi88]

MacGregor used to make a 36' cat. Was more like a very large Hobie with cabins in each pontoon. Was supposed to be very fast. They too gave up on the cat concept although they could easily have produced one with a between the hull saloon for a reasonable price. And the white "plastic" look of MacGregors would have fit right in with the cats currently being built today for a whole lot of money.

Love the speed and living space/layout of cats, but as an admirer of the classic J class boats, I am not thrilled with the visual appeal. I suspect modern wide beam monohulls are somewhere in-between, yet still have that plastic Ikea look inside. But anything that might bring young people to sailing is fine with me. Would be nice to see more people on the water.

[12BCruzn]

Yes, always great to see more sailors out there, until you pull into a full anchorage at 0100....


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