Explanation for the Increase in Multihull Popularity

[tamicatana]

well, here's another. Please note the bow wash through the nets, we are underway...

[tamicatana]

Actually, the other pic was a few years ago. She's growing like a weed, and now interacts with manatees (the shape in the water)

[Cruising Couple]

Originally Posted by colemj

Naw, that's all old hash. It's all about baby seats now. Gotta keep up if you want to post in the multihull thread.

Mark

Funny Mark!

Darby

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by tamif27

Actually, the other pic was a few years ago. She's growing like a weed, and now interacts with manatees (the shape in the water)

With the boat she grew up on, I'd be willing to bet speed doesn't bother her in the least.

[tamicatana]

Well, I should say, she's not ours - she's the daughter of friends whom we met, get this, at Mardi Gras... they came all the way from Canada, and visit from time to time

but no, speed doesn't bother her. The same day as the manatee, we made an attempt to go dink around in the Atlantic (the pic is in Sister Creek), it was blowing in the 20s, about 3-5 seas in the Hawk Channel. Her daddy was greening, but her mama was laughing, she was too.

[deckofficer]

My brother used to have the F-28, and in gusty, high elevation lakes (Tahoe in our case), the speed surge during a gust is immediate, and since the heel is so little, the sail doesn't spill the wind and de-power. Lot of fun, those Farrier's are.

[Southern Star]

I can recall when my son was a baby (we had him out on our Folkboat for the first time at 10 days!), he was an absolute joy when under sail, even in relatively boisterous conditions. However, as soon as we dropped the sails and turned on the engine to return to the dock he would start screaming. The point is that he loved the motion of the boat when under sail (and I assume, the relative lack of noise - although a stereo didn't bother him). Would he have enjoyed the motion on a catamaran as much as that little mono? Possibly.

Sailing on a monohull with a baby required some real caution and some creativity - we removed the frame, suspension and wheels from an old pram and wedged the carrier and landau top into the cockpit or cabin sole. Hardly convenient, but when wedged in with blankets, a relatively safe environment with a built in sun shade. Obviously, finding a safe place either on deck or below would have been much easier on a catamaran.

When he started to walk (his second season) there were more bumps and scrapes than I care to recall - and again, I have no doubt this would have been less of a problem on a cat. Even as he got a bit older and started bringing friends along for the weekend, there had to be increased vigilance over these young landlubbers when the boat was heeling. Again, the advantage goes to the cat.

Eating meals, playing with toys, using crayons on the saloon table - again, all would have been much easier on our current cat. But would he have enjoyed the motion as much as on our old monohulls? I really don't know. I could definitely see how the more gentle motion of a full keel mono with a seakindly hull could be more pleasant for an infant than the more jerky motion of most catamarans. And while the risks and difficulties posed by heeling did cause us concerns, he (and his friends) seemed to love it!

Brad

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

I could definitely see how the more gentle motion of a full keel mono with a seakindly hull could be more pleasant for an infant than the more jerky motion of most catamarans.

I dunno... I think he might have grown used to whatever you started him out on, for one thing, and the dizzying rolling and uncomfortable leaning of monohulls might have scared him off had he begun on a cat. Does for me, anyway.

[Southern Star]

I have little doubt that he would have adjusted to whatever we started him out on - babies are remarkably adaptable. I was just pondering about the differences in motion - and whether, for very small babies, the more subdued rolling of certain monohulls might not be more soothing.

Brad

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

I could definitely see how the more gentle motion of a full keel mono with a seakindly hull could be more pleasant for an infant than the more jerky motion of most catamarans. Brad

I had a full keel mono, and at times there was nothing gentle about it's motion! Rolling gunnels under, throwing stuff all over the place, and often in quite benign conditions. (Usually because there was too little wind in fact.)

[Therapy]

Walt is a magician.

Ours started on the 16' Jon boat. Slipped and fell on that. It took 26 years to get to the boat I have now. They have slipped on this one too. Sometimes they listen and wear shoes - sometimes not.

[clifflindsey]

But if you flip them you cant flip it back over!

[PamlicoTraveler]

I've never much liked sailing multi-hulls, but I have to admit we gave up sailing for 12 years when our kids were young. So the deck officer makes a good pitch.

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by clifflindsey

But if you flip them you cant flip it back over!

You do realize this is the Multihull forum, right?


And besides, I'd rather be upside down on TOP of the water, 'cause that lead'll take you right to Davy Jones...

[ShipHappens]

Now that's a perfect example of Darwin's theory of evolution in practice