Catamaran vs Monohull... advantages, disadvantages?

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by AuChante

I've always been curious about the extreme lack of cats out there. It's probably due to the obvious downsides of cats... higher price tag, marina and haul-out price and availability. I'd like to hear from folks who switched to cats (I imagine no one started with a cat) and liked it, and especially from folks who switched back to monohull.


Are the above issues the main deciding factors? It seems that cats are far superior other than those. It seems that they have an incredible amount of room. Even the old Gemini cats are mansions compared to my Hunter 31, and they still fit in a regular slip. It also seems like a plus to walk about the boat rather than climb... heeling and all.

Wow... that all took some reading. FWIW we did start with a cat, the motion on the mono we did our training on made the Admiral sea sick... we've had a lot less (virtually none) of these problems with our 48ft cat.

We knew it would cost more to own but when some say its more to look after we see it as more redundancy... I can still motor using one engine whilst working out how to fix the other... same goes for toilets. It would take a lot more money than we will ever have for us to afford a better boat than we have, so that makes it perfect for us. Despite our complete lack of experience and very limited knowledge we plan to circumnavigate so we bought a boat that would be better than our sailing ability and would do that.

Despite some of the disagreements in here most would probably agree that it's horses for courses... when we say our 1st boat is a 48ft bluewater cat, some people look surprised.. but we see it that we want to go now, so get whats needed and get on with it.

Fair Winds

[donradcliffe]

While Phil went with the Lasers, I raced the Hobie 14 for 10 years, which I considered a breakthrough boat. It was faster and more stable than the Laser, until suddenly it was upside down. Great fun, because I could right it myself.

Locally, we race in the open sea, and multi racing really hasn't taken off. There were a couple of multis entered in the local races a few years ago, but there were a few spectacular capsizes and near capsizes, and only one boat came out this year.

The near and offshore races on the West Coast have invited multihulls for at least the past 5 years, but participation has been limited to a handful of boats, mostly the Mod 70's and Gunboats. The word on the docks was that one of the Gunboats had a close call in a Transpac squall one night and they haven't been back. It wasn't as well documented, but this is the type of experience I mean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvab4IKr8fM

On the other hand the sled mono class is thriving, with 10 boats already signed up for next year's Transpac. Even Roy Disney has gotten tired of going really fast on his Volvo 70 and entered a sled. The racing will be close and these boats are a joy to sail. Although I have aged out of the racing scene I am looking forward to delivering one of them back to the mainland next year.

[Tupaia]

Maybe that is the difference. I personally have absolutely no interest at all in racing. But I am an engineer and the pleasure for me is in the machine. A multihull is the coming together of hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, structural engineering and materials technology which is a beautiful thing to see in action, a monohull is not. As is proven if nothing else by the dominance of multis in the racing world. We regularly achieve days of 200Nm plus when passaging with low human stress levels as either one of us can run the boat while the other sleeps and we can cook regular meals in virtually all conditions.

Everyone is still very welcome on board for a beer when we are at anchor regardless of what you sail.

Maybe if I was a little younger and a lot richer I would opt for an Eagle Class 53 cruiser. There it is again multis are expensive.

https://vimeo.com/323492398?embedded...&owner=3722376

"Owners have the choice of a variety of performance options, including the option of a standard rig or Hybrid Wing. The Eagle Class 53T is a turbo-charged version of the Eagle Class 53. Standard C-foils are replaced with carbon fiber T-foils creating a platform which foils at very low wind speeds and significantly increases the speed potential of the boat in medium to heavy wind conditions. The 53T also comes equipped with our fully automated foiling control system. The possibilities are endless"

https://www.fastforwardcomposites.co...an-eagle-class

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Maybe that is the difference. I personally have absolutely no interest at all in racing. But I am an engineer and the pleasure for me is in the machine. A multihull is the coming together of hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, structural engineering and materials technology which is a beautiful thing to see in action, a monohull is not. As is proven if nothing else by the dominance of multis in the racing world. We regularly achieve days of 200Nm plus when passaging with low human stress levels as either one of us can run the boat while the other sleeps and we can cook regular meals in virtually all conditions.

Everyone is still very welcome on board for a beer when we are at anchor regardless of what you sail.

Maybe if I was a little younger and a lot richer I would opt for an Eagle Class 53 cruiser. There it is again multis are expensive.

https://vimeo.com/323492398?embedded...&owner=3722376

"Owners have the choice of a variety of performance options, including the option of a standard rig or Hybrid Wing. The Eagle Class 53T is a turbo-charged version of the Eagle Class 53. Standard C-foils are replaced with carbon fiber T-foils creating a platform which foils at very low wind speeds and significantly increases the speed potential of the boat in medium to heavy wind conditions. The 53T also comes equipped with our fully automated foiling control system. The possibilities are endless"

https://www.fastforwardcomposites.co...an-eagle-class

wonderful looking machine - for daysailing.

but we obviously have vastly different ideas as to what constitutes a cruising catamaran !

cheers,

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by chrisr

wonderful looking machine - for daysailing.

but we obviously have vastly different ideas as to what constitutes a cruising catamaran !

cheers,

Yeah.... probably limited on storage space and dive gear would be an issue.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Yeah.... probably limited on storage space and dive gear would be an issue.

Hell I'll rent dive gear.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Redreuben

Semen

Or that..
Its a real compliment when a woman reckons I'm Spunky..

[double u]

...I am still waiting for the catamaran proponents to come forward with their candidate:
for the same money
with the same payload
to be a better bluewater cruiser than a mono
(please: build-quality, equipment, if used: age & state of upkeep being the same!)
I am listening!

[double u]

& to concede two points:
in swelly anchorages
in a dead calm at sea
MUCH better motion on a cat than a mono, much!

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by double u

...I am still waiting for the catamaran proponents to come forward with their candidate:
for the same money
with the same payload
to be a better bluewater cruiser than a mono
(please: build-quality, equipment, if used: age & state of upkeep being the same!)
I am listening!

I believe I have the perfect solution. I need a friend with a sturdy monohull that enjoys sailing slowly. I can put all my gear on his boat and meet him at our destination. I can suss out the dive sites and test all the restaurants so we can visit the best ones together when he arrives. All the parties can be held jointly on my boat.

[double u]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I believe I have the perfect solution. I need a friend with a sturdy monohull that enjoys sailing slowly. I can put all my gear on his boat and meet him at our destination. I can suss out the dive sites and test all the restaurants so we can visit the best ones together when he arrives. All the parties can be held jointly on my boat.

[Kinkircating]

Originally Posted by double u

...I am still waiting for the catamaran proponents to come forward with their candidate:
for the same money
with the same payload
to be a better bluewater cruiser than a mono
(please: build-quality, equipment, if used: age & state of upkeep being the same!)
I am listening!

HH55 or Balance 526, for a cruising couple would carry far more gear than needed, sail circles around any blue water monohull, are constructed of superior materials, can easily mount 3.5kW of Solar allowing off-grid living….the advantages just go on an on. Ripping off consistent 260 mile days for weeks at a time, being able to sail in light winds instead of motoring, makes these two cats stand out although there are definitely others in this category as well.

The monohulls I compared these with were the Oyster 565, HR 50, and Amel 60, which both were awesome boats, they just didn’t compare in the livability category. It’s just nice to not even have to break a sweat sailing 14 knots in 16 knots of true wind.

[double u]

Originally Posted by Kinkircating

HH55 or Balance 526, for a cruising couple would carry far more gear than needed, sail circles around any blue water monohull, are constructed of superior materials, can easily mount 3.5kW of Solar allowing off-grid living….the advantages just go on an on. Ripping off consistent 260 mile days for weeks at a time, being able to sail in light winds instead of motoring, makes these two cats stand out although there are definitely others in this category as well.

The monohulls I compared these with were the Oyster 565, HR 50, and Amel 60, which both were awesome boats, they just didn’t compare in the livability category. It’s just nice to not even have to break a sweat sailing 14 knots in 16 knots of true wind.

So you have to get into the 2,8 to 3Mio$ range to get a cat better than a mono?

[smj]

Originally Posted by double u

So you have to get into the 2,8 to 3Mio$ range to get a cat better than a mono?

I paid $35k for a cat that’s better than any mono, of course this is just my opinion and wouldn’t think everyone would agree with my opinion.

[carlosproa]

10 pages of nonsense and counting hahahaha.