Best Reviews on YouTube.

[manno]

Hi all
Currently in market for cruising catamaran for couple. I'm looking on YouTube for reviews, seems the main reviews are by people who don't have a catamaran but predominantly sail monos?
Are their YouTube reviews out there by experienced catamaran owners you would recommend?

Cheers

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, manno.

[ol1970]

The O’Kelleys did a nice review a month ago or so on a Balance 526, also discussed what great features you’d want to consider on a boat.

I do find it interesting the number of YouTuber’s that started in a monohull and switched to a catamaran. I can think of 7 without trying too hard.

[Sand crab]

Ruby Rose did 10 reviews of boats recently. They also switched from a mono to a new Seawind 1370 which is still being built. They have been full time sailing for about 7 years now so are pretty competent about boat life.

And who were that other couple that actually contracted a few boats before rejecting them for various reasons. They spent a few bucks on that "adventure in buying". Maybe someone can jog my memory?

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by manno

Hi all
Currently in market for cruising catamaran for couple. I'm looking on YouTube for reviews, seems the main reviews are by people who don't have a catamaran but predominantly sail monos?
Are their YouTube reviews out there by experienced catamaran owners you would recommend?

Cheers

Just a word of warning, be careful with "reviews" from the internet / youtube. I know, this should go without saying but still...



Some (most?) of those people will say and do whatever is necessary to get some sort of return or financial gain. Regardless if the information they are conveying is accurate or even true.


We did all the internet research we could do when we were in the market. While doing our own independent research, we discovered that what was conveyed by some was less than accurate. One channel in particular blatantly lied about some cat reviews. A few months after this, they subsequently announced they were getting a particular boat which shed light on their previous reviews of the "competition". They never disclosed any financial gain from that deal but it became pretty clear later on that they did indeed have a horse in that race.


Caveat emptor manno!

[ol1970]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Ruby Rose did 10 reviews of boats recently. They also switched from a mono to a new Seawind 1370 which is still being built. They have been full time sailing for about 7 years now so are pretty competent about boat life.

And who were that other couple that actually contracted a few boats before rejecting them for various reasons. They spent a few bucks on that "adventure in buying". Maybe someone can jog my memory?

This may have been GTFO channel, they ended up contracting a new Balance 482, which will be done I think in early 2023, which seems like an excellent choice.

[celle2000]

Many specific boat reviews are out there and usually not totally objective for obvious reasons - and some are upfront about that. The "lifestyle" you tubers reveal many of the pros and cons of their boats and can be very helpful in narrowing down your search. As mentioned by one reply - the O'Kellys have reviewed some boats, posted about their own adventures - and ran a breakdown of how much they spent and on what to convert their charter cat to a cruising cat. Sailing Zatara posts as they roam in a 58 ft? privilege. Sailing Kiwis. Gone with the Wynns. Sailing Vagabonde. Watching people deal with life on their boat every day highlights many aspects of the boat they are on. Anyway - best of luck!

[Sand crab]

Who's GTFO?

[jim King]

I agree with the others who say a review can be biased or bought. It's going to be hard to find an unbiased review. I went to the Miami boat show three years ago in search of my second catamaran and for various reasons choose a Leopard 45. It has its limitations, but for the value I have been very pleased with it. You can check out several types of catamaran on u-tube channels. It's a good study in those who have chosen cats over monos and how they are doing. I think all the catamarans you see or review have compromises. It depends a great deal on what your needs are. For me, I am at anchor 95% of the time, so speed is not so much an issue as livability.
Cheers and best of luck with your decision.
jim

[Sand crab]

I found it. I hadn't seen this channel before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O36mlLOfF4U

[boatman61]

https://youtu.be/zz8wBICiLD8

[lyl]

check out Tula's Endless Summer on youtube. They had sailed a catamaran for a long while, and now they are waiting for their Seawind. A lot of real life experience - fun and informative.

[Cadence]

Not a promo? You could have fooled me.

[Snore]

Keep in mind you tube stars make money from hits and magazines get paid by advertisers. Also no manufacturer is going to give a you tube star a $1.5M yacht to review. Generally, it is rare you will see a truly negative review. Most will simply be ‘not positive’.

Even delivery captains are not the best source. We move boats that have been used and abused.

IMHO, one of the best indicators of value is residual value. Look at the price of 10 year old vessels.

[SV Blown Away]

Here’s a good couples video comparison and contrast review on four different Leopard catamarans. https://youtu.be/av6Ew5j4Etc