Family thinking of cruising, new to catamarans

[SteamboatFamily]

Hi all,
My family consisting of my wife and two boys (4 and 6) have been seriously considering cruising for some time now and the opportunity to do so has presented itself.
My wife and I have been sailing monohulls via lessons and charter for 3 years and we have comfortably skippered a monohull of 52 feet LOA. We now have the potential to cruise, as I can work from the boat very part time and make a good wage. However, it is abundantly clear a catamaran fits the bill for my work needs and our family's space/comfort needs. We have never sailed a catamaran, but have been on plenty (I know, it's just like staying at a Holiday Inn Express). We are in the process of scheduling ASA 114, but we also have an experienced captain who is willing to show us the ropes for a few days should we purchase one sooner if the right opportunity presents itself.
Our plan is to stick to the USVI/BVI region for 8 months minimum, as I need to be in US waters for work 5 days per month with the rest of my contract and this area seems to offer a good cruising ground for learning a new boat and getting started cruising (easy to take a passage to BVIs and be back in USVI when needed for work). When this contract is up, we can start journeying further.
My question is really if this plan is somewhat reasonable, namely jumping into the catamaran space directly from monohulls with essentially zero catamaran experience, save for maybe ASA 114. We are no strangers to sailing and the lifestyle (just got back from a week charter sailing the Sea of Cortez, which was a great trip). But, again, it's abundantly clear to us we need a catamaran to meet our long-term work/life needs and goals.
Any constructive feedback/discussion is appreciated.

[Jeannius]

Easy transition to a cat, just reef as soon as you think you might need to reef, not when you know you need to reef. Then spend an hour practising manoeuvring with just the two throttles. Job done.

As to working in US waters, you don't need to bother. Just get yourself a Starlink and you can work anywhere in the Caribbean. The BVI isn't great for long term cruising. The authorities don't like cruisers and you'll soon get fed up of wasting a day every month renewing your visa (unless things have improved since I lived there).

[Tin Tin]

Transition to a catamaran is pretty straight forward, I am sure you will research the relevant literature about sailing one and the differences between a "performance" light weight dagger boarder and a production fin keeled cat (by far the majority on the water). The thing about cats is that don't have the same forward momentum (inertia) as a mono hull, they turn side on to the wind very quickly when (not under sail) at very slow speed, and when the wind catches them they move side ways surprisingly quickly. Most won't point as high as you are used to without considerable leeway when sailing. They can stall more easily when tacking.



Insofar far as USVI/BVI there great places to hang out in pretty safe harbors (outside hurricane season), in the Spanish Virgin islands there are a couple of pretty cool places as well, they fall under the province of PR, does that count as the USA for your purposes?

[jt11791]

In the Virgin Islands, if you know how to motor and pick up a mooring you'll be fine, no sailing skills required. Bonus points if you know how to anchor.

[fxykty]

The transition to a cat is nothing to worry about at all. A cat will feel incredibly wide the first time you try to dock her, or more to the point leaving a dock for the first time. Then you’ll realise that you have two engines that can have you turning circles within your own length. Very soon you won’t even notice the width as being strange.

[SteamboatFamily]

As far as US waters, PR definitely counts - anywhere in the US or its territories is fine. But due to federal regulations with my contract, I have to be in US waters, so USVI made the most sense (and PR is an option too).
Thanks to everyone for replying this far.

[Kettlewell]

Hurricane Season, June-October, is your big problem. The Virgin Islands are right in the bullseye of many storms, and there are way too many boats based there to allow everyone to go into one of the few hurricane holes. If you haven't dealt with hurricanes before they are not just "storms." They can be life threatening. As some have pointed out Puerto Rico counts as US waters, so should be included in your thinking.

[SteamboatFamily]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Easy transition to a cat, just reef as soon as you think you might need to reef, not when you know you need to reef. Then spend an hour practising manoeuvring with just the two throttles. Job done.

As to working in US waters, you don't need to bother. Just get yourself a Starlink and you can work anywhere in the Caribbean. The BVI isn't great for long term cruising. The authorities don't like cruisers and you'll soon get fed up of wasting a day every month renewing your visa (unless things have improved since I lived there).

We are definitely attuned to hurricanes having lived on the Florida coast for over a decade.
Our plan is to ideally buy a boat on the US southeast coast and wait it out until the end of next October to make our way to the islands. My contract will expire in the early 2025 and we will be free to travel out of the hurricane belt, or we can go back to the US mainland if needed. PR is definitely on the radar for working too.

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

Transition to a catamaran is pretty straight forward, I am sure you will research the relevant literature about sailing one and the differences between a "performance" light weight dagger boarder and a production fin keeled cat (by far the majority on the water). The thing about cats is that don't have the same forward momentum (inertia) as a mono hull, they turn side on to the wind very quickly when (not under sail) at very slow speed, and when the wind catches them they move side ways surprisingly quickly. Most won't point as high as you are used to without considerable leeway when sailing. They can stall more easily when tacking.



Insofar far as USVI/BVI there great places to hang out in pretty safe harbors (outside hurricane season), in the Spanish Virgin islands there are a couple of pretty cool places as well, they fall under the province of PR, does that count as the USA for your purposes?

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Hurricane Season, June-October, is your big problem. The Virgin Islands are right in the bullseye of many storms, and there are way too many boats based there to allow everyone to go into one of the few hurricane holes. If you haven't dealt with hurricanes before they are not just "storms." They can be life threatening. As some have pointed out Puerto Rico counts as US waters, so should be included in your thinking.

[clamshack]

Originally Posted by SteamboatFamily

We are definitely attuned to hurricanes having lived on the Florida coast for over a decade.
Our plan is to ideally buy a boat on the US southeast coast and wait it out until the end of next October to make our way to the islands. My contract will expire in the early 2025 and we will be free to travel out of the hurricane belt, or we can go back to the US mainland if needed. PR is definitely on the radar for working too.

Have you owned a boat of similar length? Are you going to pay cash for the boat? If you have a note you’ll need insurance. If, so do you want to use a carrier that is subject to laws in the United States.

Based on the location, season and ownership history. It may not be possible to get insurance.

[SteamboatFamily]

Originally Posted by clamshack

Have you owned a boat of similar length? Are you going to pay cash for the boat? If you have a note you’ll need insurance. If, so do you want to use a carrier that is subject to laws in the United States.

Based on the location, season and ownership history. It may not be possible to get insurance.

We are paying cash and will be obtaining insurance.
While this will be the first boat we own, we have a favorable sailing resume. Clearly the insurance market has changed in recent years, so I am a little anxious about premiums and coverage. But we're not looking to stick around the hurricane belt/islands for hurricane season. We'll head back to the US East Coast during hurricane season (or south to Grenada if time permits, but not likely our first season out).

[clamshack]

Originally Posted by SteamboatFamily

We are paying cash and will be obtaining insurance.
While this will be the first boat we own, we have a favorable sailing resume. Clearly the insurance market has changed in recent years, so I am a little anxious about premiums and coverage. But we're not looking to stick around the hurricane belt/islands for hurricane season. We'll head back to the US East Coast during hurricane season (or south to Grenada if time permits, but not likely our first season out).

USCG Cap and ASA classes will help, but the companies are looking for ownership of similar vessel. Catamarans are generally hardest to insure. I would get in touch with a yacht insurance broker before you buy.

Also make obtaining insurance a condition of your offer.

[Kettlewell]

We once moved from a 37-foot mono to a 32-foot cat, though we are back on a mono now. One of the difficulties we encountered with the cat was do to the sheer size of the beast when dealing with dockage, marinas, haulouts. Larger cruising cats are much more common today and more boatyards and marinas can accommodate them, but it can be a factor to consider. Plus, with their considerable windage it can make docking more difficult in certain situations. Twin engines can help, but when you slow up and you have a big wind on the beam the boat can move sideways quite fast. OTOH, you are often less subject to strong currents, which can make things easier. We anchored out almost all the time, so docking was not a constant problem, but still we had to periodically get fuel or approach a dock for another reason and I found those situations often difficult.

[FranklinGray]

I am not a multihulled sailor but have spoken to many of them in the Caribbean and South Pacific Islands when I was considering buying one. My conclusion was after my conversations with them and my own 8 years of experience cruising was to find a bigger monohull.

I am surprised you don't think the 52' monohull was big enough for you. I own a whitby 55 and have just as much room as a 45' cruising cat and can sail faster than them, can go up wind, and much safer (lots of arguments about all that but fact is, the Whitby 55 may be the safest boat ever built). We heal over just 12 degrees at hull speed on a close reach, so not like the newer monohulls. It's like having the best of both worlds...the space of a cat, the speed of a cat, and the upwind performance of a monohull....all for half the price of a 45' cruising cat.

Now I know this is multihull board and what I saw is not going to be taken well at all with lots of disagreements, but My wife, son and I love cruising on our boat and I have been working from the boat/home for 11 years now. We sailed back to the states when the virus hit and I bought a house for my wife. We both miss cruising and will go back soon.

[RedneckRedcoat]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

As to working in US waters, you don't need to bother. Just get yourself a Starlink and you can work anywhere in the Caribbean

I wish it was that simple, I have starlink but there are still contractual agreements due to employment laws and taxation.

I’m in the middle of negotiating a new contract and have to have special permission to work out side US territory as well, even for the Bahamas. Companies want to know where their equipment is and how they can get it back in the event they let you go. There may also be laws in regard to security and financial institutions, ie banking, space x or government all require you to work in US waters if you are working for a US company.

To the OP why a cat ? Why not get a bigger monohull

We thought about getting a Cat but decided we would be better off getting a 50 foot Monohull, you get the same amount of space and better sailing and would be cheaper on the budget

[singlespeed]

Insurance coverage for cruisers during hurricane season in the Puerto Rico/USVI can be difficult to obtain and very expensive. Start contacting insurance agents now. You will need to show proof of insurance for almost all boat yards and marinas in the EC just like the US. The search for insurance with your experience and choice of cruising grounds may be a much more difficult act than actually finding a suitable boat.