Larger Cats Like the 59' / 61' Privilege

[ozdownunder]

Hi all is it possible to set upa a larger cat like the 59 61ft Privilege two be operated by a husband and wife team.

We would really like the extra room of these sized cats.

Any thoughts and views would be appriciated

Regards Terry

[Gordon]

Hi Terry,
We know a couple well into their 60's that have owned and sailed virtually single handed a Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera 60 up and down the Australian east coast. We met them here in Port Hacking as they were sailing to Tasmania. I know of one for sail, a 2005 model with very few blue water miles.
Gordon.

[Mustang Sally]

Thats a lot of boat and sail to be handled by a couple.

[ozdownunder]

Hi Mustang Sally, thanks for your input, can you please give some insite into what actually is alot to handle, not being a sailer what are the hardest parts to do as just a couple. Thanks again Terry

[Excalibur5]

Anything can be set up, but the question is cost & difficulty. When talking about this size of cat, the sails are very large, and the loads on the sheets are also very large, requiring large winches, and a lot of power assist. As a comparison, just raising the mainsail on a 47' Moorings 4700 required some heavy breathing, and a rest break due to the weight of the sail. The one you are talking about would be exponentially larger. I would assume you might need electric or hydraulic assist for sail handling with only two people on board.

Docking and maneuvering is also more of a chore with these larger boats, and it helps to have more hands available for line handling (at least 3 people - one bow, one stern, and one to drive).

The real question is, with a 1.5 million dollar + yacht, why can't you just hire a crewmember or two to help you?

[rocma]

G'day Ozdownunder.

I am managing a Privilege 585. In summer there is a skippers couple that runs the yacht for the owner. Mostly the skippers couple run the boat alone and take it to wherever the owner wants it to be.
It is do-able, as long as everything works. Mooring and setting sail on this particular cat is actually not that complicated, as most of it is done electrically. This 585 even has one bowthruster. So yes, two people can manage......until something goes wrong. I.e. having to remove the mainsail or mooring up in windy conditions. Than things get tricky. Either because of the weight and size of things or just the fact to get round the decks. Having to quickly get from stern to bow takes up serious time if you need to act quickly. Then suddenly it is an enormous platform.
Still, it can be done, especially if you are still relatively fit and plan your manouvres carefully.
But as a couple, I would imagine 50ft would be still a lot of space, but generally more manageable.
In a couple of years, my wife and I will be buying our world cruising cat, but that will be max 48 ft. Mainly because of the manageability of things.

[FSMike]

ozdownunder -
You might check out the multihulls4us forum for additional thoughts.

[caribcat]

I did this for 10 years on various larger cats with my wife. It's not a big deal in bluewater, might just require a little more timing and preparation. Half of my charter miles have been singlehanded while my missus spent the majority of her 14 hour day in the galley. This made me pretty fit on a Lagoon 57 but later just smug on an all-electric 585. I disagree with the docking issues, I think that is down to the boat. Size does matter, but windage verses weight and helm position have a greater influence. I have friends who run a P745 for a private owner between the two of them and the negatives for them are outweighed the annoyance of having more crew.

Notice I said bluewater. Higher lattitudes and ocean passages need bodies. It's not the day to day stuff that's a worry, just when stuff goes wrong.

[rocma]

In addition to my previous post. Today I spoke to a guy who does projectmanagent for larger cats (60 to 100ft). I mentioned this topic and he said that cats as big as 72 ft are run by couples quite easily. But, mainly in more local areas. For ocean crossings or extended trips, usually an extra hand is hired making crews of 3 or 4. Just in case something goes wrong and i.e. the mainsail needs taking down because of damage.

[caribcat]

Terry,

You might want to look at the TAG 60. Greg young design, really quick, full carbon layup, convertible cockpit for extra room and fully designed to circumnavigate with two people.

[edsailing]

Originally Posted by ozdownunder

Hi Mustang Sally, thanks for your input, can you please give some insite into what actually is alot to handle, not being a sailer what are the hardest parts to do as just a couple. Thanks again Terry

I think you have just put your finger on the possible problems......

All the examples given are of experienced sailors, mainly professional crew - if you are not already a sailor, you need to get some experience in fast if you are seriously considering this idea.

[oscar]

not being a sailer what are the hardest parts to do as just a couple.

What Ed said. Some couples would have no problem, some couples get in trouble in a 22 foot mono hull. If you have to ask, the answer is NO. I've solo'd a 42' mono off shore. It was easier alone than with people on board. You get the point.

[Joli]

Even a spectra main will weigh 350#'s. Big gear, big loads. People learn how to handle what they buy or they get rid of it. If you go this way, be careful, the loads will be very high. Get some good coaching from someone who has experience aboard something like this.

As an example, my wife was dropping our main a couple years ago and wasn't really watching what she was doing (and she knows better). Instead of surging the halyard and easing the main down she let it jump the winch and come crashing down. She could not let go of the halyard quickly enough to avoid severe rope burns. You are not going to stop 300# of main sail and gear from falling by hanging onto it. You must use gear to control all aspects of sail handling.

Be extremely cautious around all standing and running rigging.

Good luck,

Joli

[hefestus]

Originally Posted by ozdownunder

Hi all is it possible to set upa a larger cat like the 59 61ft Privilege two be operated by a husband and wife team.

We would really like the extra room of these sized cats.

Any thoughts and views would be appriciated

Regards Terry

Thou Privilege is fine cat, I'm afraid that is not designed for shorthand crew in that size. On the other hand many of this cats in charter are maintained by 2 person crew. They need extra hands at some long range/trans delivery otherwise they can handle it smoothly.
Do support your idea of having a longer hulls if you can afforded. They are faster and speed is safety factor.
You should take a look at some other designs. Design is big factor not just size. Many singlehanded sailor race Open 60 class monos. So it's not just a size.

Actually is mostly about $

Take a look at Atlantic 57(s) cat. Guess it's cheaper than Privilege very cleverly designed for a couple or singlehanded sailing. Would be my first choice. Not glamorous as Privilage but designet for a cruising couple/family with crusing i mind not for a owner who spent 2-3 weeks on his cat and rest is in charter. Which most of this big Privilege cats are.

Or similar even more hi-tech Gunboat 66 (not to big for couple). But could be a lot of $.

When choosing any boat you should be very realistic about usage. Many ppl like to circumnavigate the globe but only few of then do. What is your primary cursing ground? Beaten track or exploring Alaska, Falklands rounding 2 capes ... There is no ideal boat but I think that Atlantic 57 could satisfies most of the criteria specialty your concern handling.

[rallyman1122]

For a bunch of reasons already mentioned by hefestus, I am considering an Atlantic 57. A few members here have indicated they feel the front cockpit of an Atlantic 57 may be uncomfortable for sailing in heavy weather and due to the layout, there may be challenges when needing to reef the main. My plan is to investigate this further, if I can ever find some time away from my business to charter one of the two Atlantic 57's available for charter, (That's another story and part of the reason I want to make a big change in my life)

One of the things I like about the Atlantic 57 is the design is oriented towards performance. I like the idea of being able to cover enough distance fairly quickly to avoid bad weather.

The Atlantic 57 is a semi-custom build. Chris White (the designer) is heavily involved in every build, something else that appeals to me.