Moorings Yacht Charters is 90% Catamarans Now

[pathlesschosen]

Heard the same thing about the furling sails from somebody at Moorings years ago. But I think they used tape.

[Catapault]

Originally Posted by pathlesschosen

On a recent trip to the BVI I was amazed at the lack of qualification requirements displayed by several of the motor cats. At least the sailing cat skippers had some skill. I usually arrived early then watched the entertainment, such as connecting mooring lines to just one cleat. Or the best one was looping the eye on the mooring ball to a cleat then wondering why their boat drifted away. Scary.

You only need 2 qualifications to charter in the BVI.

1. Working Credit Card
2. Heartbeat.


Sometimes #2 seems optional.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by pathlesschosen

On a recent trip to the BVI I was amazed at the lack of qualification requirements displayed by several of the motor cats. At least the sailing cat skippers had some skill. I usually arrived early then watched the entertainment, such as connecting mooring lines to just one cleat. Or the best one was looping the eye on the mooring ball to a cleat then wondering why their boat drifted away. Scary.

Love it! Reminds me of the time I watched a lagoon 450 charter crew try and pick up a mooring ball by standing on the crossbeam and repeatedly throwing a mooring line at the ball. Apparently the line was going to loop through the eye and then magically return back to them like a boomerang

[Pelagic]

It makes perfect economic sense.
Investors who want the occasional use of a boat would choose what relative newbies out for 10 days of fun in the BVI prefer....new and roomy and comfortable and faster.

Also as the leading edge of sailboat design for consumers, its resale value in 10 years will be better than an ex mono charter boat.

People like me, who are happy with and prefer their heavy monos, realize it has nothing to do with a wise choice....it is simply an emotional one, like an old pair of slippers or long term partner...we like what we have.

[yeloya]

Originally Posted by Barra

Exactly which is why its such a shame the ideal charter cat is moving further and further away from the ideal cruising cat design wise

Hımmm, I am not sure about this. Maybe the manufacturers also have seen what we are seeing, if you take for example the new FP 47 and Bavaria 46, they are better compromises between performance and space.
There is still one issue tough, charter companies prefer 4 cabin cats while after market is mainly for owner version (3 cabins)

In some mono's the fore cabin is convertable from master cabin to a double cabin with a sliding separator. In cats it's much more complicated and costly work. Perhaps in the future cat manufacturers will find a solution to that, who knows ?

Cheers

Yeloya

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

I Agree.

For the charter business that typically runs 7 days and with so many islands to see. You can not see all the good destinations and still tack up the Sir Francis Drake Channel all day.

Most charterers hate to anchor, so you really have to be at your next anchorage by 12 am to get a mooring ball.

We chartered a Moorings 433 PC 3 cabin owners version Power Cat.

We covered 76 miles and used 37 gallons of diesel for the ten day vacation.

The Moorings was surprised we used so little fuel.

We used only one engine at 2000 rpm going 7.5 to 8.5 knots depending on sea conditions.

She tracked straight as an arrow on autopilot.

The Moorings 433 has two 260hp Yanmar engines.

The ten day sail and used 37 gal. of diesel at $3.38 a gal = $125 in fuel to cover 76 Miles.

A great time was had by All.

Actually for many cruisers a power Cat makes lots of sense. They stay in one large geographic location and never cross oceans and tend to motor most of the time anyways.

[meirriba]

Last week I have spent an hour with two couples preparong them for a BVI charter
This is no statistically significant, but both couples chartered similar 38 ft. monohulls from Sunsail in Tortola.
So maybe the monohulls are not extinct yet.

[denverd0n]

They're not extinct. Things are just moving in that direction. There are now far fewer of them available from Moorings and Sunsail than there were ten years ago.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by meirriba

Last week I have spent an hour with two couples preparong them for a BVI charter
This is no statistically significant, but both couples chartered similar 38 ft. monohulls from Sunsail in Tortola.
So maybe the monohulls are not extinct yet.

Moorings = SunSail = FootLoose

All 3 are the same company

The Moorings Charters are new to 5 years old

SunSail are 5 to 10 years old

FootLoose are 10 to 15 years old

[Factor]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Actually for many cruisers a power Cat makes lots of sense. They stay in one large geographic location and never cross oceans and tend to motor most of the time anyways.

Could not agree more.

[weavis]

A year or more go, I think it was Kenomac and myself, were discussing a power Cat for use in the Med. Apart from the initial cost, Its way past 'ouch' and closer to 'shock induced headache', the idea is a good one.

From the East coast of Spain to the Balearics, is only 50 to 100 miles, and then over to Corsica and Italy is just a little bit more.... Fuel costs are minimal and you are no longer subject to the vagaries of the weird wind conditions.

Power cats are stable, roomy, economical, fun and just an all round good vessel for that part of the world..

[robert sailor]

They would be perfect for the Caribbean and Mexico as well. South Pacific, not so much, passages are too long.

[Heliades]

Watch for a flood of used ex Charter Lagoons in the next (now) few years.

[Barra]

Originally Posted by cncarstens

Watch for a flood of used ex Charter Lagoons in the next (now) few years.

Spoken like a true boat buyer

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Moorings = SunSail = FootLoose

All 3 are the same company

The Moorings Charters are new to 5 years old

SunSail are 5 to 10 years old

FootLoose are 10 to 15 years old

Not quite correct. Sunsail are new to around 5 years old and Footloose are around 5 - 10 year old former Sunsail/Moorings boats.

Sunsail and Moorings are pretty much the same in what they offer but the Sunsail brand is way bigger in Europe and Moorings bigger the closer you get to the USA.