Catamarans in Heavy Weather

[Lrfiori]

I read ya'll quite a lot, but I keep to the sidelines because I defer to your collective experience over my rather short (6 years around home) sailing life. My captain and I have a Pacific Seacraft Flicka but we have dreams of a cat and some long trips along the pacific coast and who knows where else when we retire in about 7 years.

So I've been reading a lot about cats and I keep seeing posts that mention how differently they behave in heavy weather. Can we please talk about how they behave and how to best sail a cat in weather? And what are the characteristics that make one cat better at heavy weather sailing than others?

(I thought this might be more interesting than another post about cats vs. monos. )

[Seaslug Caravan]

Dear Lrfiori, whilst this is not a mono V multi Question , I'm sure it will elicit the same response.

To survive heavy weather you need , a strongly built (heavy), low windage (NOT a high sided ,flat bottomed, butter box), stoutly rigged (with facility to hoist storm sails not simply roll up the existing headsail), with inboard diesel motors (not unreliable outboards exposed to the weather,requiring the electrics to remain dry to work)boat.

From recent flips of namely the Chris White and Robin Chamberlin style of performance cruiser we can see that these are completely unsuitable.

Select something with a good capsize record (ie number built to capsizes) such as the older Prout style of vessel.

Whilst these designs are modest sailors your chances of survival will be higher.

There is exceptions to every rule, but as the saying goes, one swallow does not a summer make.

[0urh]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

Dear Lrfiori, whilst this is not a mono V multi Question , I'm sure it will elicit the same response.

To survive heavy weather you need , a strongly built (heavy), low windage (NOT a high sided ,flat bottomed, butter box), stoutly rigged (with facility to hoist storm sails not simply roll up the existing headsail), with inboard diesel motors (not unreliable outboards exposed to the weather,requiring the electrics to remain dry to work)boat.

From recent flips of namely the Chris White and Robin Chamberlin style of performance cruiser we can see that these are completely unsuitable.

Select something with a good capsize record (ie number built to capsizes) such as the older Prout style of vessel.

Whilst these designs are modest sailors your chances of survival will be higher.

There is exceptions to every rule, but as the saying goes, one swallow does not a summer make.

If I agree with any of the above, we will both be wrong!

[UpOnStands]

here we go again.

[aclmck]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

Dear Lrfiori, whilst this is not a mono V multi Question , I'm sure it will elicit the same response.

To survive heavy weather you need , a strongly built (heavy), low windage (NOT a high sided ,flat bottomed, butter box), stoutly rigged (with facility to hoist storm sails not simply roll up the existing headsail), with inboard diesel motors (not unreliable outboards exposed to the weather,requiring the electrics to remain dry to work)boat.

From recent flips of namely the Chris White and Robin Chamberlin style of performance cruiser we can see that these are completely unsuitable.

Select something with a good capsize record (ie number built to capsizes) such as the older Prout style of vessel.

Whilst these designs are modest sailors your chances of survival will be higher.

There is exceptions to every rule, but as the saying goes, one swallow does not a summer make.

What does the outboard/inboard have to do with a cat in heavy weather? the Chamberlin that flipped in the river has crossed (racing)from new Zealand to Australia and through the Southern ocean in Very Very big seas, This has a lot to do with knowing your boat and learning about your abilities with that particular boat, its not the fault of the boat, most of the heavier boats you refer to will be de-masted anyway if treated the same way.

[Seaslug Caravan]

Originally Posted by 0urh

If I agree with any of the above, we will both be wrong!

I see you own an Easy.

They have a propensity to capsize at their moorings (Tasmania)

So lets rule that style out as well.

[aclmck]

Originally Posted by Lrfiori

I read ya'll quite a lot, but I keep to the sidelines because I defer to your collective experience over my rather short (6 years around home) sailing life. My captain and I have a Pacific Seacraft Flicka but we have dreams of a cat and some long trips along the pacific coast and who knows where else when we retire in about 7 years.

So I've been reading a lot about cats and I keep seeing posts that mention how differently they behave in heavy weather. Can we please talk about how they behave and how to best sail a cat in weather? And what are the characteristics that make one cat better at heavy weather sailing than others?

(I thought this might be more interesting than another post about cats vs. monos. )

Hi Lrfiori, in my experience the cats over the 40 ft mark have a nicer ride in that they tend not to bob around as much and generally don't hobby horse any where near as much, the heavy cats also tend to be a little better in some heavier sea conditions but the lighter are better in the smoother conditions (this is only my opinion) each cat will ride a little different to the next so you need to test drive a few different styles and find what suits you best.Generally speaking the cats need to be kept light or somewhere near the designed weight so this is also important to investigate as well as an overloaded boat will perform differently to a light boat ( not necessarily dangerously but in most cases a little sluggish) and some prefer this so a lot of variables to how a boat will perform .

[Seaslug Caravan]

Originally Posted by aclmck

What does the outboard/inboard have to do with a cat in heavy weather? the Chamberlin that flipped in the river has crossed (racing)from new Zealand to Australia and through the Southern ocean in Very Very big seas, This has a lot to do with knowing your boat and learning about your abilities with that particular boat, its not the fault of the boat, most of the heavier boats you refer to will be de-masted anyway if treated the same way.

Motor reliability for charging batteries through CLOUDY STORMY BAD WEATHER EVENTS, and self rescue if dismasted, is important to those that don't have the rescue services on speed dial.

I suspect some think that those nasty waves will never swamp their outboads no matter how rough it gets.I guess the tradeoffs are cheaper and lighter "V" reliability when the chips are down.

I forgot about Big Wave Rider, I'll add that to the other Chamberlain boats that have capsized.


May I add, Lrfiori, that as you appear to have little multihull experience, and a multihull requires vigilance and experience from the crew to stay upright. If short handed, crew can only stay attentive for so long. After that the boat has to be able to look after itself. Something that a light, high windage multi with tall rig is going to struggle with.

[DotDun]

Please define heavy weather.....wind speed, wave height/period, and duration.

At 30-35kts wind gusting 40, triple reef both head and main, beam reach, fantastic ride. Could do this for days.

Once caught in 55kts, dropped sails and motored into it for the 4 hour duration.

When and where makes a lot of difference.

[Mariano]

If remember well, BIG WAVE RIDER was a performance cat, and broke a record (round Australia think) so is not a good example of a cruising cat

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Please define heavy weather.....wind speed, wave height/period, and duration.

At 30-35kts wind gusting 40, triple reef both head and main, beam reach, fantastic ride. Could do this for days.

Once caught in 55kts, dropped sails and motored into it for the 4 hour duration.

When and where makes a lot of difference.

DotDun, I like the way you think. Its a breath of fresh air.

This thread is going to NEED more smart cat cruisers just like you, as it had a very bad start.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Once caught in 55kts, dropped sails and motored into it for the 4 hour duration.

When and where makes a lot of difference.

Or.. just drop your sails, lock your wheel and go with the flow..

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Or.. just drop your sails, lock your wheel and go with the flow..

if location allows!

[downunder]

I think for such sailing boat length will help.

There was a american owned 50ft M&M design that was built in NZ that cruised Aus and was based in Tasmania for a while. Adiago or some name like that.

Here https://adagiojournal.wordpress.com/

They did at least one voyage from Tasmania to NZ and from NZ to Patagonia from memory with no issues. Others have done similar voyages.

50ft would be better than 40ft in larger seas and perhaps the charter builders would not be best in these situations.

[onavegador]

As Seaslung Caravan has written rumour goes that Prouts have a good capsize record.

But to the otherside they give you not much pleasure in sailing them because ponding, ponding ...again and again is normal. I now several people who bought and sail now prouts because they gave the capsize record to much weight. And now they sail as less as they can and are allways looking for a weather window with flat seas and possibly no wind (As they prefere to use the engine). To leave an anchorage for a passage is allways a decision not easy to take.


I had an other catamaran and with her was sailing a joy even she performed not so good as a Chris White may do, but she performed also very well when having strong weather eg. in the Falkland Islands, near Cape Hoorn, the Indian Ocean to SA or sailing up the Red Sea, to name a few.

Nethertheless it is good to have in mind that weak winds are the most present weather when sailing a circumnavigation on the barefoot track and even when sailing higher latitudes in the right time of the year.

Choose your cat well and enjoyy happy sailing with her.

James