Is a 40 cat enough to sail oceans?

[chicagocpo]

That's a great dream, I hope you realize it. By itself, 40 feet is plenty, for a seaworthy boat it's more a question of how much you can handle.

I invite you to read Sailing Alone Around The World, about Joshua Slocum's first ever solo circumnavigation. The Spray was 36' 9", and an oyster fishing boat! I'm not familiar with cats, except to observe that they give you lots of space to live in.

[smj]

Originally Posted by skenn_ie

Sorry, I don't believe that.

Interesting read.
https://www.yachtingworld.com/news/k...ng-facts-60006
I wonder how many we don’t know about that have found their final resting place on the bottom?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by smj

It’s obvious that a 40’ catamaran wouldn’t hold the payload necessary to keep YOU happy while crossing an ocean, yet 1000’s of 40’ and below catamarans have done it successfully. I think your argument pertains to your personal needs and not those of the masses.

In charter cat central at the moment. (Whitsundays)
No shortage of overloaded and poor performing cats getting around , many with raised waterlines, some with bottom level of swim step aglub, many with low bridgedeck clearance and they are only out for several days.

Imagine if they loaded up for several months with actual spares, decent anchoring gear, larger battery bank, extra refrigeration, more solar panels, decent tenders, dive tanks, lead weights etc etc.?

Yes, they can and do do it, but they are compromised.

I have built and owned multihulls and have built boats most of my life.
My observation is that the majority of 40fters bought wish they were 45ft, if not why are step extensions relatively common,
Why do some cats get cut in half and have some extra added in?
Reality for most is they should have got the 50.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by lituya1617

I have seen rogue waves over 100 feet high that could be heard roaring as they broke even over the howl of the wind of a full gale. A properly prepared small sailboat would survive being hit by such a wave - probably would lack some rigging and deck gear tho - but a cat would be flipped.

Oh really... ?

The Queen's Birthday Weekend Storm in the Pacific in 1994 was the final nail in the coffin for that type of thinking.

Nine boats with a total of 24 crew issued maydays. One boat and her three crew were never seen again. Seven other boats with 17 crew were eventually rescued.

It was the heavy, slow monohulls that got slammed (some of the lighter, faster monohulls were able to avoid the worst). And the lighter (by comparison) multihulls were the ones that survived the best.

Yes they still got a kicking too, because these were very extreme conditions, but they remained upright whereas most of the monohulls were rolled multiple times, lost masts, injured their crew, etc.

Catamaran Ramtha in the below screenshot (a 38-foot Roger Simpson design) was abandoned only to be recovered later in surprisingly ok condition. In fact it was far more dangerous to leave the boat, the crew should have stayed onboard.

In case you are not familiar with it you can read more about this event here (and more on google):

Multihull Dynamics, Inc. - News Article

https://www.rutgerson.se/discover/qu...irthday-storm/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa7KxGtUlAA

[smj]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

In charter cat central at the moment. (Whitsundays)
No shortage of overloaded and poor performing cats getting around , many with raised waterlines, some with bottom level of swim step aglub, many with low bridgedeck clearance and they are only out for several days.

Imagine if they loaded up for several months with actual spares, decent anchoring gear, larger battery bank, extra refrigeration, more solar panels, decent tenders, dive tanks, lead weights etc etc.?

Yes, they can and do do it, but they are compromised.

I have built and owned multihulls and have built boats most of my life.
My observation is that the majority of 40fters bought wish they were 45ft, if not why are step extensions relatively common,
Why do some cats get cut in half and have some extra added in?
Reality for most is they should have got the 50.

No doubt, people want to load the crap out of their boats where honestly they would be better of buying a waterfront condo.
Take Ramtha on the previous post. A 38’ Simpson design that rode the Queens Birthday storm out well. I’m guessing the owners had her correctly loaded to make her such a seaworthy vessel.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by smj

No doubt, people want to load the crap out of their boats where honestly they would be better of buying a waterfront condo.

Or the appropriate sized vessel

Take Ramtha on the previous post. A 38’ Simpson design that rode the Queens Birthday storm out well. I’m guessing the owners had her correctly loaded to make her such a seaworthy vessel.

Credit to a good designer who understands real world payload and displacement
And possibly to the builders/owners who understood the limitations of a 38fter and didn't load her up like a 50fter even though she has the space.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Or the appropriate sized vessel







Credit to a good designer who understands real world payload and displacement

And possibly to the builders/owners who understood the limitations of a 38fter and didn't load her up like a 50fter even though she has the space.

So given that I believe you are saying a 40’ cat is fine for crossing oceans as long as you adhere to the payload limit?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by smj

So given that I believe you are saying a 40’ cat is fine for crossing oceans as long as you adhere to the payload limit?

Yes and on many, 3 crew, a couple of batteries, a couple of hundred litres of water and a mars bar and you are almost there.

What's the payload on a lagoon 40???
I can't find it, but I can find that they weigh in at 10.8 tonne from the factory, so pretty bloody heavy for a 40fter, how much more can those hulls realistically carry yet still be on its lines?

[Simi 60]

Interesting article re: Lagoon and weight.

A Weighty Question - Lagoon inside

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Yes and on many, 3 crew, a couple of batteries, a couple of hundred litres of water and a mars bar and you are almost there.

What's the payload on a lagoon 40???
I can't find it, but I can find that they weigh in at 10.8 tonne from the factory, so pretty bloody heavy for a 40fter, how much more can those hulls realistically carry yet still be on its lines?

Two tons would be pushing it methinks.. and that's including fuel and water..

[Simi 60]

I dont think even an extra 2 ft would have helped.

I have a Lagoon 380 which has the added weight of 3 AC's 9,5 genset, Large watermaker, large add on freezer, 5 additional 8D AGM batteries, etc etc.
I had the vessel weighed loaded it weight's 25,000 pounds. the water line has already been raised 6 inches and is back to being level with the water.
I would like to add a fiberglass hardtop and arch which would add another 500 pounds. I am worried it is already overweight. I read somewhere the displacement is 16,000. i also read that the dry weight is 16,500 pounds.
What is the allowable weight for a 38ft cat. and is my cat overweight.
any advise???
Thanks

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ght-84544.html

[smj]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Yes and on many, 3 crew, a couple of batteries, a couple of hundred litres of water and a mars bar and you are almost there.

What's the payload on a lagoon 40???
I can't find it, but I can find that they weigh in at 10.8 tonne from the factory, so pretty bloody heavy for a 40fter, how much more can those hulls realistically carry yet still be on its lines?

I found the weight of the Lagoon 40 to 29,300 lbs., and that’s for a 38.5’ cat! To put that in perspective, the older Lagoon 570 weighs in at 31,300 lbs. and has skinnier hulls at the waterline than the much smaller Lagoon 40.
We own both a 38’ cat and a 40’ cat that weigh in at 6700 lbs. does that mean we can have a payload of over 22,000 lbs to match the weight of the Lagoon 40? Just kidding of course.
The payload of the 40’er is about 4,000 lbs and the 38’er is about 2500, though the designer says it could handle more with no problem.
We’ve cruised both cats and don’t seem to have a problem, but then again we dont need a lot on board to be happy.

[conchaway]

The best place for a "cat" is in a mill pond.

[chicagocpo]

You people are funny. I'm a monohull sailor. ALL cats are fast!! 😆

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by django37

Yes, 2 on a Lagoon 380 is perfect for round the world. 4 is ok for a 3 weeks cruise. 6 is too many.

Six for drinks, four for dinner, two to stay aboard. The proper maximum occupancy onboard most every boat.