Catamaran Charter Questions

[felipelombello]

Hello folks,
For the past two years, my family of 6 has rented a 60 foot crewed monohull powerboat for a 3 day cruise. On our last trip, the captain mentioned catamarans, and how they were usually cheaper to charter than powerboats, and you didn't have to pay for fuel. I have a couple of questions for people who own or charter catamarans.

1. Around how much would a 4 day three night cruise on a catamaran around 45 feet be?

2. Are catamarans as stable and comfortable as a monohull powerboat?

3. Your overall opinion on catamarans.

Thank you in advance.

[StuM]

> Around how much

Where? Mediterranean, Carribean, Whitsundays, Lankawi?

[felipelombello]

Either Caribbean or Florida.

[FLLCatsailor]

Shoot me a pm for insight/advice

[DRS]

FWIW I have a 38 foot cat by brother in law has a 68 foot power boat. At anchor you feel more motion on his power boat than you do on my cat. He'll use more fuel in a weekend than I will use all year. To be fair he'll be there hours before us though

[Rubikoop]

A quick search on a few websites will give you pricing. Moorings, Sunsail, TMM, CYOA etc.

There is a large price range based on vessel age and manufacturer.

Are you looking for a captain only charter or a crewed charter?

[belizesailor]

Big price differences between some charter venues too. Can't really compare without knowing where you want to charter?

[Jeannius]

The BVI has lots of crewed charter cats. 45 foot is at the smaller end of the range but a nice boat all inclusive will cost between $10-$15k a week. Not many will do 3 nights in high season but those that do will probably want 60-70% of a week's charter rate.

[felipelombello]

Thanks for the replies. To clear it up a bit more, I'm looking for a crewed charter in either miami or the florida keys. Caribbean is also an option but I would prefer in florida.

[dan360]

Fewer options in the US because of the Jones Act and the requirement for boats to be US made, most cats are made in France...

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by felipelombello

SNIP

1. Around how much would a 4 day three night cruise on a catamaran around 45 feet be?

2. Are catamarans as stable and comfortable as a monohull powerboat?

3. Your overall opinion on catamarans.

Thank you in advance.

Cost depends on location and time of year. Do a google search on "charter catamaran Florida" and you will get a lot of hits.

To some extent stability and comfort are a function of wind and current direction and wave size. In almost all conditions a cat will be more stable and comfortable than a larger monohull, but there may be some exceptions, especially if the current and wind put the waves at the wrong angle.

I have a cat, live on it, and am very happy. As others have pointed out even with perfect wind speed and direction you will almost always get there faster in a power boat.

One consideration is you seem to be interested in a very short time on the boat. You will have a much longer range in a power boat, be it cat or monohull, than a sail boat.

[xxuxx]

Originally Posted by dan360

Fewer options in the US because of the Jones Act and the requirement for boats to be US made, most cats are made in France...

As long as the charter capacity is under 12 persons, one may petition the maritime administration for an exemption to the Jones Act provision of only US made boats. So, in actuality, any foreign made cat under 12 person capacity can qualify.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by xxuxx

As long as the charter capacity is under 12 persons, one may petition the maritime administration for an exemption to the Jones Act provision of only US made boats. So, in actuality, any foreign made cat under 12 person capacity can qualify.

And, not hard to get an MRAD waiver (Jones Act waiver). Simple process, helpful staff, just a few months in duration to complete.