New Adventure

[hunkylad]

Hi, My home goes on sale in 2 weeks I will be buying a catamaran. Ok now for the time everyone has a laugh.... I've only been on a cat (or any boat) for 2 weeks but loved every minute of it. I'm lucky that I don't have any commitments wife kids etc the kids have grown up and left home the x wife just didn't grow up lol. I have approx £300,000 to spend on a cat that will leave me enough to buy a couple of houses to bring an income to support me. (I hope) I will be living aboard hopefully a 50' secondhand cat and sailing where and when I want. Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Dave

[syoder]

Wow! A 50' cat for just one person? Keep in mind, the bigger the boat, the bigger she'll cost to keep up.

Good luck in your new life.

-Steve (along with his wife on a 28' monohull)

[boatman61]

Who's a lucky boy then......
Congrats on the ambition and have fun living the dream...
I would concur that 50fts a bit big... a 36 - 40ftr would be more suited if you plan on travelling shorthanded...
But.... thats just me...
Welcome to CF...

[hunkylad]

Originally Posted by syoder

Wow! A 50' cat for just one person? Keep in mind, the bigger the boat, the bigger she'll cost to keep up.

Good luck in your new life.

-Steve (along with his wife on a 28' monohull)

Thx Steve I understand the costs but hopefully the boat should be in good condition plus I'll enjoy keeping it going (need something to do lol) all the best to both of you. Dave

[barnakiel]

Seen a well priced s/h Schionning in Las Palmas in that size. Check it out it may still be there.

Good luck!

b.

[Paul L]

I'm with SYODER, aka Steve. A 50ft Cat is not a very forgiving boat for a singlehander. Granted it has two engines for control, but there are plenty of tight spaces these things need to fit. Get caught up side ways to the wind singlehanded and you had better be real good or real lucky. There's a 44footer that comes in here and drops its dink before docking to have some extra push to fit in. Get a little fatigued and hold off reducing sail and the next gust could be the ships last. A 50ft Cat is a great boat if you are a big time entertainer or have a large family/crew with you. Get a boat that is more fun to sail for the crew size you expect to typically have.

[atoll]

with that budget,why not get a real boat,ie mono hull,50ft,bow thruster etc,
with a bit of practise you will be able to dock it without having to have 3 people on board every time you want to move on and off a slip,plus they are alot more forgiving on novices.

[hunkylad]

Thanks for all your advice. I am listening. I have lots of friends and family that I expect to come stay with me on occasions. Also my thoughts are that I have to live on this and I enjoy space. whilst sailing is a new experience common sense and correct training will be very important. The 2 weeks I sailed the cat (day skipper) it came very natural to me although I'm not under any illusions. I just want to make sure I buy the right boat for me. Dave

[PamlicoTraveler]

Originally Posted by hunkylad

The 2 weeks I sailed the cat (day skipper) it came very natural to me although I'm not under any illusions.

Your screen name indicates you will not have a lack of confidence.

[Mark1977]

Nice...... Welcome to cf

[hunkylad]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

Your screen name indicates you will not have a lack of confidence.

I have all the confidence in the world... but not over the top lol.

[Fullmoon]

This is my experience after buying a 44 foot mono and living on it in the BVI for the last 9 months.
At first I was only looking at cats because I liked the way there were layed out. However, I found that I could get more boat for the money with a mono. I shopped the internet for months. In fact we made an offer on a 38 foot Voyage. Thank God they didn't accept it. If I was going to live on a cat it would be 42 or 44 feet. We bought our Hunter 44 DS 2003 for less than we could have bought a 38 foot cat of a similar year. We see a lot of 46 to 50 foot cat down here and they are just to big for a single or couple to really enjoy moving around. We have no regrets getting the mono. Also, remember that it will cost your friends and family to get to your boat and we found that that eliminates a lot of guests. For 300.000 euro you can buy a nice new 40+ foot mono, well equiped for living aboard. Plus it will be fun to sail.