Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star
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Does it matter if most of the new cats sold are viewed by mono owners (or even some other multi-owners) as 'condomarans'? |
No, it does not matter but the reason most owners changed for condo cats does :This thread is about why cat sailors do not return to monos.
A sailor can chose multihulls by several reasons but the main two are space and speed; but space and speed on small to medium multihulls have contradictory demands. On a less than 45ft
multihull the space needed to make an acceptable
cabin on a
hull implies fat hulls and the needed standing weight on the
saloon a big windage that is not diminished on the condo types by curved surfaces to have more
interior space and have standing height everywhere. The lateral surfaces are almost flat, producing a huge windage, to not lose any space, because space and not performance are what the sailors that chose those cats are looking for.
Yes there are a small number that will change for multihulls for having a better sailing performance but those will sacrifice some space for performance.
The increasing number of cats belongs to the first type, including a fast growing number of
charter cats. I really would like that it was the other way around but it is not.
The first type of cat, the condo ones are not overall faster than a modern
monohull cruising
boat of the same size and slower than a performance
monohull cruiser. Off course they will be faster than old heavy sailing ones, at least in most circumstances, but that is to be expected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star
No more than it matters if many of the new, high-volume production monos sold could be perjoratively called 'monomarans' - you know, monohulls that are trying to emulate some of the popular features of catamarans, at the expense of compromising some aspects of monohll seaworthiness, such as:
- higher freeboard (and compromised ability to tack, anchor, or reduce speed downwind under bare poles in heavy conditions);
- greater beam and relatively flat underbodies aft (that increase inverse stability and the tendancy to pound to windward);
- larger, less well protected cockpits (increasing the risk of injury in heavy conditions, especially when heeling);
- higher, brighter deck salons (which further increase windage and the center of gravity of the boat, to say nothing of having larger portlights that are at risk of imploding in a knock-down - something which is much more likely in a mono than a multi); |
I have to say that the above does not make much sense. First of all they are not emulating cats but taking their
hull characteristics from solo racers and they are doing so because contrary to what you say that type of hull provide very powerful and fast
boats,
seaworthy boats with a bigger stability than older ones. Yes they use more form stability than older designs (that's what makes them more powerful) the shape of the hull also provides more
interior space (and that come as a bonus) but they remain with a good AVS and a good reserve stability. Contrary to what you say, they are faster, sail better and are more
seaworthy than previous boats.
Yes they have more freeboard but lower cabins and anyway their windage is nothing compared with the one of a condo cat, hull and
cabin all together as a flat wall.
Regarding the larger hull port lights their risk of implosion is much smaller than those vertical huge "glass panels" on a condo cat. You should know that those port lights were used before for many years on fast motorboats (that have more stressed hulls) and they showed no weakness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star
.
..
The number of monohull owners who have switched to multihulls is huge (and no doubt includes the majority of multihull owners on this site). The number that have gone in the opposite direction - from a multihull to a monohull is....judging from this thread, pretty small. I suppose this could mean that those who made (and are sticking with) the move from mono to multi are lacking in knowledge and the capability of undertaking a performance/accomdation analysis that is possessed by, or that can be performed by all monohull owners. Well, all except those who owned monos and then inexplicably moved on to a multi.
.....
Ultimately, however, a simple question was asked in this thread. From some of the defensive posts here by monohullers, am I to take it that you are at least conceding that few who buy multihulls move back to monos? And that while individual preferences/needs may vary, there must be valid reasons beyond the incompetence/lack of experience/lack of analytical capabilites of their owners? |
It seems to me that the reason that leads to the ones that changed to multihulls not coming back to monohulls, at least in a significant way, depends on why they moved to multihulls in first place.
The few that changed for multihulls to have faster sailing boats (and own performance cats and trimarans) don't want to get back to slower boats and some (trimarans) would not even mind to live in a smaller space for the speed
privilege.
The ones that changed to catamarans to have more space (and have condo cats) will never return to a boat with a considerable small area and without a great looking view from the
saloon, even if for that they have to sail a slower and less enjoyable boat (while sailing). It was space that brought them to cats, not performance or sailing fun so that is just secondary.
While for different reasons, according with the ones that have condo cats and performance multihulls, there is no reason to change to monos again, except if some high latitude sailing is on the program and a safer boat (for the same size) is a more prudent choice (as someone that own a multihull has stated before).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star
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The point is that all boat designs are a compromise. What is important to one person may be unimportant to another: priorities vary.
|
I could not agree more
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