Ocean Crossing around the world are best in Monohull or Catamaran???

[Sickest]

A friend and I are looking to buy a boat to then sail around world without our a destination in mind but to end up back in Australia. I'm for monohull because I think it's the safest option but a cat has so much space. I don't know what to buy

[Hasbeen]

In 8 years of running tourists boats in the Whitsunday Islands I was called out a few times in search & rescue missions.

The 4 rescue missions were for one yacht dragged ashore, when a northerly had swung southerly in the middle of the night.

The other 3 were all multihulls. 2 were in only about 30 knots of trades, & both had dug the bow in & pitch polled. Both were racing, were of fast rather than cruising design, [one tri one cat] & were being driven hard, but again only in 30 knots.

The other was a fast cruising cat. In about 35 knots or perhaps a little more, it had been dismasted & turned over, but the crew were so distraught they could not really tell us what really happened, or in what order.

All three stayed afloat, & were towed in.

Personally I am more worried about windage at anchor in bad weather than anything else for long range cruising, but having the thing stay afloat must be of advantage.

[Paul L]

The simple answer to your title question is Yes.
If you are doing a typical tropics type sailing, then I don't think it is valid to say a mono is safer than a cat. Not a lot of real data to show that. Have you done any passages in one or the other? That might help you decide.

[1HappySailor]

My rule of thumb is:
If she gets knocked down, can she get back up?
Turtles are a joy to watch, but on a CAT not very fun.

My vote goes to monohulls.
👣😎👣

[Tetepare]

Many people come to me for advice on buying boats and guns, both of which I suppose I'm a perceived expert.

In 99% of the cases I shock them with "DON'T". Because if you have to ask, you shouldn't be buying.

If you want to cross oceans, I suggest Star Alliance.

[Alberg30Shill]

When big gusts hit the boat in a blow, a mono will simply heel more and present less sail to the wind like an automatic sail depowering system :-) Guess what Cats don't do? +1 for Mono.

[Sickest]

Thank you for the replies as I like the space provided by big cats as apposed to the safety or security of monohulls. I'm sure when we get closer to purchasing a boat it will come down to price vs practicality. Next hurdle to jump through is locating a boat from what corner of the globe. Looking for the best value for money and in respect to our Aussie dollar.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Alberg30Shill

When big gusts hit the boat in a blow, a mono will simply heel more and present less sail to the wind like an automatic sail depowering system :-) Guess what Cats don't do? +1 for Mono.

That’s a silly comment. First off, cats generally don’t need as much sail area as a similar mono, so it takes way more of a gust to cause problems for a cat. As well, cats do heel and to about 45 degrees still have plenty of righting moment to spill wind and come back upright. But it takes an enormous amount of wind to even lift a hull. Finally, most cats will accelerate with the gust, which depowers the rig.

Monos lose a throughull, drop a rudder, lose a keel, hit a reef, and SINK! A cat will still float through all of those. +1 for Cat.

Cats and monos each have their pros and cons. Ultimate safety, especially for a trade winds circumnavigation, is about equal. So let’s not get into a cats flip and monos sink discussion.

For the OP, visit a yacht broker or go to a boat show and explore the different types of boats. Take some sailing lessons and take a skippered charter on different types of boats. You and your family need to figure out for yourselves what suits you best.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by fxykty

That’s a silly comment. First off, cats generally don’t need as much sail area as a similar mono, so it takes way more of a gust to cause problems for a cat. As well, cats do heel and to about 45 degrees still have plenty of righting moment to spill wind and come back upright. But it takes an enormous amount of wind to even lift a hull. Finally, most cats will accelerate with the gust, which depowers the rig.

Monos lose a throughull, drop a rudder, lose a keel, hit a reef, and SINK! A cat will still float through all of those. +1 for Cat.

.

I don't agree with some of your points loose thru hulls both will flood hit a reef and hole the hulls both will flood . Drop a rudder well that's a difference depends on the vessel. You can't drop the rudder on any of my boats without significant damage to the hull and keel. Many keel boats have encapsulated keels can't drop them or even significantly damage them. So the correct answer is it depends.

Similar sized monos are less than half the cost of a cat. So more boat is less money.

[Sickest]

Originally Posted by fxykty

That’s a silly comment. First off, cats generally don’t need as much sail area as a similar mono, so it takes way more of a gust to cause problems for a cat. As well, cats do heel and to about 45 degrees still have plenty of righting moment to spill wind and come back upright. But it takes an enormous amount of wind to even lift a hull. Finally, most cats will accelerate with the gust, which depowers the rig.

Monos lose a throughull, drop a rudder, lose a keel, hit a reef, and SINK! A cat will still float through all of those. +1 for Cat.

Cats and monos each have their pros and cons. Ultimate safety, especially for a trade winds circumnavigation, is about equal. So let’s not get into a cats flip and monos sink discussion.

For the OP, visit a yacht broker or go to a boat show and explore the different types of boats. Take some sailing lessons and take a skippered charter on different types of boats. You and your family need to figure out for yourselves what suits you best.

Good points taken and thanks for your your input. Personally I've never sailed a big cat but like the liveable space provided. I'm keen to go out and try the cat because of all pro you mentioned

[double u]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Many people come to me for advice on buying boats and guns, both of which I suppose I'm a perceived expert.

In 99% of the cases I shock them with "DON'T". Because if you have to ask, you shouldn't be buying.

If you want to cross oceans, I suggest Star Alliance.

[double u]

"...Finally, most cats will accelerate with the gust, which depowers the rig...." yeah sure, with the wind forward of the beam...sure

[CatNewBee]

I think, a good (conservative) sailor will enjoy both, mono's and cats on passages. Sailing is always risky, get prepared and do the right thing at the right time.

When going with a multi-hull, you have to reef according to the spec / wind speed. on a mono-hull you reef according to the heeling and your gut feeling.

That's the difference.

Also the comfort is different. In a multi there is less heeling and more banging - opposite to a mono. Multi-hulls are in general more spacious and more comfortable for living / cruising. They are just different to sail. If you can adopt - you will enjoy them. There are mono-sailors and circumnavigators that sailed monos and switched to cat's and love them.

[double u]

having rtwed in both types my dictum remains:
for the same $$$ & payload no cat will come close to a comparable (age, equipment, ...) mono, neither in saftey, nor in speed. anecdotal evidence btw will support the "side" of you choosing!
in 3 rtw & 14 years of voyaging I found only two (2!) unbeatable advantages of a cat remain: no rolling in a rolly anchorage (Marquesas,..) or in a flat calm at sea

[double u]

"There are mono-sailors and circumnavigators that sailed monos and switched to cat's and love them."
& vice versa!!!