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Old 27-10-2020, 18:22   #1
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Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum. I am really curious about this. Cats have what everyone wants, supposedly....no rolling (youtubers Kevin Boothby and Patrick Lane constantly talk about how tiring and unpleasant this is), things stay put, relatively more room. A non-tilted, non-rolling, roomy lifestyle. So what is the attraction of monohulls?

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

Two years of reading threads and watching videos and I still don't get it.

Thanks.
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Old 27-10-2020, 18:30   #2
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

My opinion:

It's because monohulls offer a different sailing experience than cats, and some of us like it better. The fiscal realities are that cats tend to be more expensive to buy, maintain, store, and equip than monohulls. For some sailors, the cost differential is important.

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Old 27-10-2020, 18:43   #3
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Quote:
Originally Posted by river251 View Post
Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum. I am really curious about this. Cats have what everyone wants, supposedly....no rolling (youtubers Kevin Boothby and Patrick Lane constantly talk about how tiring and unpleasant this is), things stay put, relatively more room. A non-tilted, non-rolling, roomy lifestyle. So what is the attraction of monohulls?

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

Two years of reading threads and watching videos and I still don't get it.

Thanks.
What kind of boat do you own?
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Old 27-10-2020, 18:45   #4
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Cats are expensive and there aren't nearly as many side-ties available as slips! But if I were to go multi-hull I'd go all the way to trimaran! There's a Newick I'd love to get... If I keep mentioning it enough I'm hoping someone will just donate it to me!
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Old 27-10-2020, 18:57   #5
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

river251 I think cost has a lot to do with it. I pay $5000 a year for a 10 meter mono hull berth and would be looking at way more if I can find a berth for the same size cat. Not to mention slipping costs are way more. I would like a cat but the cost/benefit ratio just does not work for me.
As for "Good Older Cats" this will be probably get me flogged on this forum but where are they? I survey loads of older cats and none are that great. Low bridge deck clearance, lack of headroom, old heavy build and style, slow, over priced the list goes on. I have done plenty of sea trials on the relatively smooth waters of Hervey Bay and the bridge deck slap from these older designs is just terrible. I often say to the buyers have you looked at a similar priced mono just as a comparison.
As for the constant motion on a mono, take a teaspoon of cement and harden up. I can't say the motion on a yacht is really an issue. You just get used to it and in the end it's just background noise.
Don why do you need a yacht with training wheels?
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Old 27-10-2020, 19:00   #6
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Quote:
Originally Posted by river251 View Post
Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum. I am really curious about this. Cats have what everyone wants, supposedly....no rolling (youtubers Kevin Boothby and Patrick Lane constantly talk about how tiring and unpleasant this is), things stay put, relatively more room. A non-tilted, non-rolling, roomy lifestyle. So what is the attraction of monohulls?

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

Two years of reading threads and watching videos and I still don't get it.

Thanks.
  1. Higher overall cost profile
    1. Used market is much tighter
    2. New prices are higher due to cost of manufacture
    3. Because of the wide beam, there are fewer low-cost choices for slips and haulout
    4. Cost of maintaining two engines and saildrives
  2. In practice, upwind performance is slightly worse
    1. When comparing performance cruiser monos, to performance cruiser cats, as typically outfittted.
    2. Adds to the risk posed by lee shores
  3. They aren't as seaworthy.
    1. Odds of hitting something or catching a line are doubled by the twin hulls.
    2. They are more highly engineered, and engineering failures are occurring at greater rates than with monos
      1. Inversions due to undiscovered holes in the stability envelope
      2. Emergency hatch leaks
      3. Structural failures
    3. They are more susceptible to serious damage when a collision does occur
      1. By example, e.g. the family that hit a fish trap in the Med
      2. Due to reliance on saildrives (in nearly all cases), with attendant line-trap and collision risks.
    4. Generally not able to motor on one engine, therefore, twice the risk of a problems from engine failure.
  4. There is some slamming on the waves in heavy seas.
    1. Due to the bridge deck hitting the water.
    2. Alarming to the uninitiated. Undermines the advantage of being friendly to non-sailors
  5. Limited weight carrying ability
    1. Limits tankage
    2. Limits ability to carry dive gear and compressors
    3. Leads to tradeoffs regarding emergency equipment and spares
    4. Undermines some of the benefit of the extra space
  6. Wider beam limits where they can go in some cases
    1. Some notable, historic inland rivers and canals
      1. Broads bridges
      2. Canal du midi
    2. Reduced availability of slips particularly in the USA
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Old 27-10-2020, 19:11   #7
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

We have a mono so we sail a mono. We could sail a cat if we had one. I do not care how many hulls a boat has. As long as it sails fine and takes me places.



I think today almost everybody who can afford a cat, gets a cat.


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Old 27-10-2020, 19:55   #8
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post
  1. Higher overall cost profile
    1. Used market is much tighter
    2. New prices are higher due to cost of manufacture
    3. Because of the wide beam, there are fewer low-cost choices for slips and haulout
    4. Cost of maintaining two engines and saildrives
  2. In practice, upwind performance is slightly worse
    1. When comparing performance cruiser monos, to performance cruiser cats, as typically outfittted.
    2. Adds to the risk posed by lee shores
  3. They aren't as seaworthy.
    1. Odds of hitting something or catching a line are doubled by the twin hulls.
    2. They are more highly engineered, and engineering failures are occurring at greater rates than with monos
      1. Inversions due to undiscovered holes in the stability envelope
      2. Emergency hatch leaks
      3. Structural failures
    3. They are more susceptible to serious damage when a collision does occur
      1. By example, e.g. the family that hit a fish trap in the Med
      2. Due to reliance on saildrives (in nearly all cases), with attendant line-trap and collision risks.
    4. Generally not able to motor on one engine, therefore, twice the risk of a problems from engine failure.
  4. There is some slamming on the waves in heavy seas.
    1. Due to the bridge deck hitting the water.
    2. Alarming to the uninitiated. Undermines the advantage of being friendly to non-sailors
  5. Limited weight carrying ability
    1. Limits tankage
    2. Limits ability to carry dive gear and compressors
    3. Leads to tradeoffs regarding emergency equipment and spares
    4. Undermines some of the benefit of the extra space
  6. Wider beam limits where they can go in some cases
    1. Some notable, historic inland rivers and canals
      1. Broads bridges
      2. Canal du midi
    2. Reduced availability of slips particularly in the USA



Some of this is true but much is not. I don't know how much hands on experience you have, but a lot of this is old wives tales, starting with the idea that most cats can't motor on one engine. Most can, which increases safety through redundancy. Cats designed to carry substantial loads and therefore have sufficient sail area carry compressors and lots of other stuff. mine carries 265 gallons of water and 160 gallons of fuel, is rated for a load of 10,000 lbs, and beats most monos a good bit longer.
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Old 27-10-2020, 19:55   #9
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Quote:
Originally Posted by river251 View Post
Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum...

Maybe all the cat owners are out there sailing them while the mono owners are just reading about it.
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Old 27-10-2020, 19:56   #10
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Quote:
I think today almost everybody who can afford a cat, gets a cat.
Barnie, the sales of expensive monohull yachts are not dying, so clearly this isn't true.

I reckon that the big sales numbers of cats is largely driven by the charter market (and the destruction of charter fleets by cyclones) and not by private owners. And I won't argue that for holiday chartering cats are very popular... and deservedly so, for they fill that bill quite well.

Jim
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Old 27-10-2020, 20:09   #11
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

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Originally Posted by Jim Cate View Post
Barnie, the sales of expensive monohull yachts are not dying, so clearly this isn't true.

I reckon that the big sales numbers of cats is largely driven by the charter market (and the destruction of charter fleets by cyclones) and not by private owners. And I won't argue that for holiday chartering cats are very popular... and deservedly so, for they fill that bill quite well.

Jim

You will be right.


My view is biased by where I am - in Las Palmas. This is mostly boats bought in the EU and going to vacation in the Caribbean (most of them with the ARC, hence generally the rich and the super rich). So what I see is more and more cats - in pure numbers - but also as a percentage of the fleet.


But this is just one place. And a specific one - btw a rich continent and an expensive vacationing ground.


Clearly monohulls sell well too - HR, Oyster, Amel are all doing fine. I believe Swan is still around too. My newest client has the newest Swan. Splashed this year, I think.



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Old 27-10-2020, 20:09   #12
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

I have sailed a cat before and even though I loved the space I just couldn’t get her to tack properly in light winds and I didn’t like her upwind sailing characteristic much. That said, if and when I can afford a performance cruising cat I might give it a serious thought, might because I love sailing our current mono.
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Old 27-10-2020, 20:22   #13
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

I would really miss not being able to trailer the boat (to my home) in the off season.

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Old 27-10-2020, 20:38   #14
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

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Originally Posted by Panope View Post
I would really miss not being able to trailer the boat (to my home) in the off season.



Steve

That’s one heck of a trailer to move Panope around! Good point though.

I don’t know of any trailerable catamarans (besides beach cats), but Farrier/Corsair and other trimarans certainly do fold or demount for road trailering. I heard someone say that their fastest passage to Mexico from Vancouver was on the I5 and towing their F27 aft cabin. They spent a lovely 6 weeks on the Sea of Cortez and no Baja Bash to boot!
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Old 27-10-2020, 20:43   #15
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Re: Why do you guys like monohulls so much?

Older well built monohulls are built a multitude better with beefier equipment than most modern catamarans. The rigs are well designed and sturdy for offshore use and the hulls can take a pounding. They are also very comfortable in tough seas. I suppose that our cat is faster than our old mono but we learned a long time ago that sailing slow-er is almost always more comfortable than sailing fast when the weather is up so that doesn't really matter.
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