Your choice for cruising with 4 adults?

[tradrockrat]

Hi all. This is my first vague and general post. :-)

Over the next few years, I and three others will be wrapping up careers, setting up the sailing kitty, and getting ready to sail. We are two childless couples with a history of hanging out together and we are seriously considering cruising for a few years as a crew of 4. We've already decided that if we are doing this, the boat will be a Cat.

The question for you all is this: If YOU were cruising with 4 adults, what size cat, or what size range, would you require, and why? I'm not looking for advice on what Cat I should get (not yet, anyway), I just want to know what you would do if you were in my place.

Thanks for your input!

[pathlesschosen]

The Mahe 36 and Lagoon 39 come to mind as the both sell 2 cabin versions, so two owner cabins.

Providing price point and cruising desire (coastal vs blue water) would help CF members better respond.

Cheers.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[tradrockrat]

Originally Posted by pathlesschosen

The Mahe 36 and Lagoon 39 come to mind as the both sell 2 cabin versions, so two owner cabins.

Providing price point and cruising desire (coastal vs blue water) would help CF members better respond.

Cheers.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Thanks for the response. For us, we're looking to spend our first year coastal cruising, but the goal is Bluewater passages and distant destinations. A circumnavigation is expected, but the reason I left that out was because I'm hoping to hear ideas from you all about what you would do at your price point and your chosen sailing lifestyle. We are still very much in the base learning and planning stages of our goals, and are still unsure of what our price point will be. Right now, we're just collecting data and knowledge.

thanks again.

[amiller]

For sure, get the Catamaran! 2 couples require 2 hulls.

I'm sorting out some of these same decisions for next year, but we'll have 2 adults in one hull and 2 kids in the other!

My plan is to save money up front by getting a solid but well used boat. Once we're aboard and realize what's important to us we'll upgrading to the sails and gear and feature list that is most important to the family.

[maxingout]

For me, the minimum size would be forty feet in a catamaran.

Bigger would be nice, but it would cost much more to purchase and maintain.

Our Privilege 39 works great for us because I can singlehand it without a problem as long as the autopilot is working.

Bigger would not be better for me.

[TOT]

Originally Posted by maxingout

For me, the minimum size would be forty feet in a catamaran.



Bigger would be nice, but it would cost much more to purchase and maintain.



Our Privilege 39 works great for us because I can singlehand it without a problem as long as the autopilot is working.



Bigger would not be better for me.

I agree l would look at 40 feet as a minimum based on what your sailing plans are.

The Lagoon 400 is a great boat.


SV TOT
Wayne 😃

[tradrockrat]

Thanks for the replies so far! I'm very curious to hear more. While we are still just learning about Cats (I've been a small monohull sailor my whole life) The consensus between the four of us is 40+ as well.


Of course the debates around the planning table have already started over Lagoon vs. Leopard. vs. Catana - and we've never been on any of them!

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by tradrockrat

Thanks for the replies so far! I'm very curious to hear more. While we are still just learning about Cats (I've been a small monohull sailor my whole life) The consensus between the four of us is 40+ as well.


Of course the debates around the planning table have already started over Lagoon vs. Leopard. vs. Catana - and we've never been on any of them!

My vote is for Catana for the ability to sail. I have owned a FP and sailed Privalage and Lagoon

[Juho]

1) Minimum requirement: two cabins with double beds, one head. That's all I'd need when I'm sailing with some good friends. But you may well want to have some more space, two heads etc.

2) If you plan to occasionally invite some friends to sail with you, you need one more cabin. That cabin will be (very useful) extra storage space when you don't have any guests.

3) If I would still have some money left, I would invest in more space. But I would not use the whole budget on the boat. A considerable part of the budget would be left for upgrades, unexpected problems and regular maintenance.

[FSMike]

I would definitely prefer two heads, not only for eliminating lines (lol) but so you can still have a functioning head when the other clogs/breaks/etc. Which it will.
Two showers?

Two comfortable sleeping cabins, and a main saloon with enough space for four people to lounge comfortably. I would want galley down to promote room in the main saloon. Enough room for all four to watch a movie?

Aside from that, if you want to cross oceans the bigger the better as long as you can sail it short handed so as not to wake the off watch.

Our 36 footer (one head) will carry two couples comfortably, but I wouldn't want to do that for an extended period.

[hamburking]

Welcome to CF tradrockrat!

IMHO, if you want to remain good friends, you should get 2 boats...one per couple.

There are many advantages to this, not the least of which is privacy and control or your own vessel. Living in very close proximity can strain any relationship. Are you really ready to mingle finanaces? Do the 4 of you share one home right now...I bet you don't.

I'm sure you can think of many other advantages to 2 boats.
Also, 2 smaller boats likely costs less than one bigger boat...but thats just a guess.

Just something to consider.

[ZipTie]

tradrockrat,

If your looking to circumnavigation with 4 people than you will need lots of payload.

A 40 footer may be too small for 4 people and payload for a few years on the water.

All boats get smaller the more time you spend on them.

More and more circumnavigator’s are going with 45 footers now with tons of solar and larger refrigerator’s/ freezers.

[tradrockrat]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Welcome to CF tradrockrat!

IMHO, if you want to remain good friends, you should get 2 boats...one per couple.

There are many advantages to this, not the least of which is privacy and control or your own vessel. Living in very close proximity can strain any relationship. Are you really ready to mingle finanaces? Do the 4 of you share one home right now...I bet you don't.

I'm sure you can think of many other advantages to 2 boats.
Also, 2 smaller boats likely costs less than one bigger boat...but thats just a guess.

Just something to consider.

We have had that very conversation. We do lots of traveling and vacationing together, but that's all short term living. We have decided to plan as if we're going to be 4 on a boat, but build our Kitties separately. The plan is a 6 year plan, and in year five, if we're still all on board (pun not intended) we (my wife and I) will be selling our house and moving in with them for the last year as we shop the boat, wrap up jobs, tie up loose ends of land life, sell off all the extra stuff we don't want to store, etc. that way, if we decide that living together is a strain, we'll switch to the 2 boat discussion before it's too late.

Thanks for the reply!

[tradrockrat]

Originally Posted by ZipTie

tradrockrat,

If your looking to circumnavigation with 4 people than you will need lots of payload.

A 40 footer may be too small for 4 people and payload for a few years on the water.

All boats get smaller the more time you spend on them.

More and more circumnavigator’s are going with 45 footers now with tons of solar and larger refrigerator’s/ freezers.

That's good knowledge to have - thank you.

[tradrockrat]

Originally Posted by Mark Killam

My vote is for Catana for the ability to sail. I have owned a FP and sailed Privalage and Lagoon

That's my vote, too. I've always been performance over comforts guy, but I lived on a Cal25 for three years, so my judgment is not to be trusted...at all. The other couple seem to have fallen in love with the layout of the Leopards.