Catamarans sailing the Great Lakes.

[Espiros]

I would like to buy a Catamaran and sail the Great lakes and then go to the Golf of Mexico on it traveling the Mississippi or Tennessee rivers..
My question is, why I have not seen any Catamaran for sale in the Great Lakes area?
Is there a problem with them sailing the lakes?

[finleyg]

Hey!

Not really a prob with sailing them in the Great Lakes, but other than TomCats, not too many there. I was sailing my F28R on Lake Superior and saw a TomCat there, but that was the only cat I saw. I think the main issue is that it is very hard to get one there or out of the Great Lakes chain.....

[Espiros]

Originally Posted by finleyg

Hey!

Not really a prob with sailing them in the Great Lakes, but other than TomCats, not too many there. I was sailing my F28R on Lake Superior and saw a TomCat there, but that was the only cat I saw. I think the main issue is that it is very hard to get one there or out of the Great Lakes chain.....

Thank you,
I'm thinking about a Gemini 30 feet, they are only 14 feet wide.
Lowering the mast it could be transported from down south.

[Sand crab]

There are 5 cats for sale on YW. A Nautitech 47 in Quebec, 3 Gems and a Stilletto. In the last year or so there have been other offerings. There was an Outremer 55 called Double Nickel (i beleive) FS there too a few years back. They are there but it's the logistics and the short season that hold them back.

[KimSails]

I agree that you don't see them much. Mooring balls seem to be less common here than in other parts of the world. Most Great Lakes boats in the areas that I see are marina-kept. That can be pretty pricey for a cat, and I would guess is a big part of the reason.

Still, I expect that they will eventually propagate here over a long period of time. But, marinas will need to change over, and as they do they will be charging a high price for that.

[Espiros]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

There are 5 cats for sale on YW. A Nautitech 47 in Quebec, 3 Gems and a Stilletto. In the last year or so there have been other offerings. There was an Outremer 55 called Double Nickel (i beleive) FS there too a few years back. They are there but it's the logistics and the short season that hold them back.

Thank you, I saw a Prout in Ontario, Now I understand why they are not many around here.
Cost of brining them here...Most likely then and then, Marinas charging to much or not build for them.

[Mike OReilly]

Not a lot of cats on the Great Lakes, at least not in my experience. Those that do sail there are mostly the smaller varieties: Gemini, Prout. Can’t say I’ve seen any large ones on the upper lakes.

Why? The infrastructure is generally not geared with the wide beams of large cats. Marinas, haul out facilities, etc. I also wonder how much the short season has an effect. Maybe because GL sailing is often lumpier (shorter fetches, steeper waves)? This last one is speculation.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Espiros

Thank you,
I'm thinking about a Gemini 30 feet, they are only 14 feet wide.
Lowering the mast it could be transported from down south.

The beam of most cats have little bearing on their ability to traverse the Great Lakes. However they would have the same docking issues that they have world wide. It just takes some scouting.

[Paul Howard]

I am commodore of the Toronto Multihull Cruising Club (torontomultihullclub.com) and we are a multihull exclusive club. I have been sailing a Manta 38 and an Even Keel 38 on the Great Lakes (and various oceans) since 1999. There are many cats in the Great Lakes, though as a percentage of boats, nothing like some other places. We have PDQs (built on Lake Ontario) Geminis, Manta, Wharrams, Schoinning, Beneteau Blue II, Kelsall, Crowther, etc.
Go to our website and there are usually some ads. for boats for sale. Docking can be a problem as many clubs and marinas on the Great Lakes used to not accept multihulls, though that is now changing. Our boats are kept on moorings, though the neighbouring marina, Outer Harbour Marina, accepts cats and tris on docks, but need a end of dock or wall or extra wide berth. Those are usually taken up by large power boats.
The Great Lakes are 'great' for multihull sailing.

[S/V Alchemy]

Hello, Paul! Yes, PDQs are not exactly common, but form a number of what cats I've seen. Same with Gemini 105s, which are probably the most common cat I've seen. And a fair number of F28 tris and Wharrams, too. I've seen maybe one Leopard, a big 'un.

At National Yacht Club in Toronto, we have several dozen empty mooring balls suitable for a cat, even a bigger one. The trouble is that cats either take up two slips, or have to go on a finger end or the wall, of course. Visiting cats usually go to the sea wall for convenience here. There's certainly zero issue with sailing them around here: any well-found cat design will blast all over the lake relatively easily.

[henryv]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Hello, Paul! Yes, PDQs are not exactly common, but form a number of what cats I've seen. Same with Gemini 105s, which are probably the most common cat I've seen. And a fair number of F28 tris and Wharrams, too. I've seen maybe one Leopard, a big 'un.

At National Yacht Club in Toronto, we have several dozen empty mooring balls suitable for a cat, even a bigger one. The trouble is that cats either take up two slips, or have to go on a finger end or the wall, of course. Visiting cats usually go to the sea wall for convenience here. There's certainly zero issue with sailing them around here: any well-found cat design will blast all over the lake relatively easily.

I sail a PDQ32 on Lake Simcoe. The marina travel lift can accomodate my 16 foot beam and the width has never been a problem in terms of slip accomodation.

[AKA-None]

Lake Superior has little in the way of dock options for cats once away from sate st Mari

[pbmaise]

I looked at bringing my trimaran to the Great Lakes and found several giant concerns.

#1 Where to haul out in the winter, and winterizing the vessel to sit for months on the hard. This basically meant that being their in the winter was not possible.

#2 There are rules about human waste going over the side from the head. So what are you going to do with it if there are no marinas large enough to accommodate your vessel? Incinerator toilets are an option by very expensive.

[Huey2]

We purchased a Catfisher 28 because of the beam width (13'1").We have a second one in Florida where we spend the winter. 1750 RPM and cruising at 7 1/2 MPH. Next year we will try the sails!
Marinas would have to pull pilings and charge double for the wider beam catamarans. With my beam I pay the same price as the power boats.

[Espiros]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

There are 5 cats for sale on YW. A Nautitech 47 in Quebec, 3 Gems and a Stilletto. In the last year or so there have been other offerings. There was an Outremer 55 called Double Nickel (i beleive) FS there too a few years back. They are there but it's the logistics and the short season that hold them back.

I imagine that to be the reason.
Thank you.