Can't Get a Slip if Beam 16'+?

[capcook]

I was reading Cruising In Catamarans by Charles Kanter where he indicated that if your beam is GT 16 feet or about 5 meters, you are pretty much out of luck getting a slip in most marinia's around the world... he says many are converting the ends to more slips and those that remain are left for the mega yachts (with mega fuel bills)... Since all the Cats I am looking at are much wider.. will I have to use moorings all the time if not on the hook.. thinking East Coast USA or Europe...

Cheers

[Vasco]

Many marinas on US East Coast have T heads where cats can tie up. I'm talking about transient slips.

[TaoJones]

If you check the copyright on Kanter's book, you may find that it was written several years ago, when cats were just beginning to gain popularity. Marina owners were not happy about losing space to greater-than-average-beam vessels when they were charging on the basis of LOA. That led to the "catamaran premium" where cats were charged 50%, or more, above the LOA rate.

Eventually, it all worked out, and everyone who wanted/needed a slip got one, at some price. The anti-cat bias was most evident in Europe, where every inch of space is highly-valued.

The problem, now, is that cats have gotten so beamy, that it can be very difficult finding a yard that can haul a very wide cat.

TaoJones

[Cheechako]

no problem, just rent two! ;>(

[Captain Bill]

Sorry Cheechako, that doesn't work very well. Most slips have pilings between the two conventional slips which owners are not willing to remove even if you offer to pay for it and pay to have it put back when you leave.

Capcook
Even though my cat is relatively narrow at 19 feet I have had issues finding a slip. The current marina I am in has 4 cat slips about 28 feet wide between the finger piers, and two spots on the T-dock. The cat slips rent for 30% more than the regular slips. In the past I have been forced to rent a 65 foot slip (and to pay the 65 ft rate) just to accommodate my beam, or to use a T dock. Except for the present marina I'm in, I have not seen an interior slip that could accommodate more that about a 21 foot beam. One Marina in Melbourne Florida had a dock they called their cat dock on which cats were tied up along a long dock with no piers. Effectively this was about the same as a long T dock since you had no outside piers. I was tied up there for a couple of months and had no issues, mostly because the water is very shallow and essentially on a dead end that is very sheltered and discourages high speed boat traffic. On occasion I have seen wide very shallow draft cats on the interior most slips of a dock where the marina could not put in another conventional slip due to water depth between the first finger pier and the seawall. One marina in Punta Gorda Florida had a couple of cats in these types of slips. While you will have to hunt you can find a place to tie up your cat in a marina.

[imagine2frolic]

In 7 years from St. Maarten to N.E. Florida, and everything in between. I have not found this problem? Maybe I have just been lucky? My beam is 23'3" too. My biggest problem is getting hauled!.Both sides were just as tight.......i2f

[BlueSovereign]

Down under, is starting to also recognise the value of offering "Cat Berths".

If I recall Gulf Harbour, a location gaining increased preference by cruisers, is currently building/recently completed several berths specifically for this purpose. Westhaven, the largest marina in S Hemisphere, has several that I know of. Thus Cats get their fair share of "consideration".

William

[capcook]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

The problem, now, is that cats have gotten so beamy, that it can be very difficult finding a yard that can haul a very wide cat.

Thanks... ya all... Yes, he made that point too that most lifts can only handle at most a 20' beam, so he suggests that leaves you at commercial yards in most places if you need hauled out... I suppose that would not be the end of the world...

For those familar with France, Portugal, Spain and the Med... is it realistic to assume you can stay on the hook around significant towns and cities ?

[Cheechako]

Sorry Cheechako, that doesn't work very well My Bad!, I forgot how so much of the world doesnt know how to build floating docks and finger piers like we do up here...!

[Pelagic]

Just wondering what the reaction would be if this title was accidently posted on a women’s fashion forum…..

[Cheechako]

hmmm.... 12 I can visualize, but 16 hmmmm... that's pretty beamy, she'll not be tender though!

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by capcook

I was reading Cruising In Catamarans by Charles Kanter where he indicated that if your beam is GT 16 feet or about 5 meters, you are pretty much out of luck getting a slip in most marinia's around the world... he says many are converting the ends to more slips and those that remain are left for the mega yachts (with mega fuel bills)... Since all the Cats I am looking at are much wider.. will I have to use moorings all the time if not on the hook.. thinking East Coast USA or Europe...

Cheers

The slip is 19.5' wide. The three 17-19' slips next to it are MT now.

The trick is shallow water. Deep water slips are expensive, and bulkheads are often in the deepest water. Moor in less than 4 feet and the prices go way down.

Additionally, I am in a hybrid recreational/work boat marina. No facilities, but big slips.

Look around for smaller marinas and shallow corners.

[schoonerdog]

That book is pretty dated... more marinas are catching on to the growing cat population and making bigger slips or more t-heads.

Our first cat was a 18 foot beam and now we have a 24 foot beam. We shopped around recently for a potential marina move and even though we're a beamy beastie, we still had ample choices. Not as many as a mono, but enough to pick and choose through.

You CAN rent 2 slips. Our marina offered to pull the piling in the middle if we signed that we'd pay to have it put back in when we left (about $150). It doesn't hurt to ask. Now we're on a t-head and loving it.

The bigger issue is definitely finding a place to haul, but again, places are changing with the times. With such a shallow draft (we draw 3 feet) your slip options go up and you can beach for some work that you might haul out for otherwise.

Don't let that 16-foot thing stop you from getting the boat you want. Just do your homework in your home port and make sure you know your options ahead of time.

(Schoonerdog's wife- cindy)