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Craigus · 13-05-2016, 21:17

Hi all ...we that is myself and my wife have been looking a selling up and going cruising . We are undecided what Catamaran to target our energy into , I guess it comes down to budget and ours tops out at 150 k . We have owned a couple of monohull so prior but are lacking any real knowledge on cats .
We are looking to keep her 40 ft to 34 ft or there a bouts , I guess we are really wanting a boat with as much room as we can afford .
Have not physically inspected to many.. and are open to ideas Glass verses glass over ply etc . Any Advise and thoughts do you experienced cat owners have what be appreciated

tomfl · 13-05-2016, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigus

Hi all ...we that is myself and my wife have been looking a selling up and going cruising .

SNIP

Not everyone has the same definition of cruising. To some folks it is leaving the dock for a three day weekend sail to a crowded anchorage in a protected bay. To others it is rounding the three great capes. A boat for cruising the coast of the US would be different than a boat for cruising the Bahamas which would be different from a boat to cruise remote islands in the Pacific.

You need to get a good idea of what you mean by cruising to get a real answer to your question. Where are you going to cruise and for how long for starters. And you most likely want a glass boat.

carpe vita · 14-05-2016, 15:26

There are many great values that may suit your needs, depending on space and how much you are willing to upgrade your own boat. We have an 1994 FP Venezia 42. It is strong and well built though not as well laid out of some of the near boats. We enjoy upgrading to the latest stuff. A similar boat will be in the 150 to 230 range.

Craigus · 14-05-2016, 23:58

Thanks for the feed back ..my mistake I was under the impression my comments were limited to Australia where we intend to purchase and cruise .
Regards

Steamer · 15-05-2016, 00:37

There in Australia You will have a wide choice of A1 cats for extended cruising!

ozsailer · 15-05-2016, 08:02

Hello Craigus,
hard question, it really comes down to what you want as there are so many variables, not only in multis but any boat. Here are some of the things Sue and I looked for when we went searching for our Cat.

1) We made a decision to go for a galley up model. For us it was about how we cruised and ease of making meals etc and also remaining part of the group while preparing food. In saying that if we found a suitable boat with galley down it also made the short list.

2) We wanted a known brand. Just from our experience with monos, a known brand can be researched as far as issues or strengths. Resale was also an issue and we have always found a known brand with good reputation tends to hold its value and sells better (imo)

3) Sailing performance - we wanted a boat that could sail well on all points of sail. We didnt need a performance oriantated boat but still wanted something that could cover the seal miles easily. We cruise easily at 8 knots under motor or sail and in the right conditions easily do 10s and 11s.

4) We did not want to go over 40 ft as we found this is easily handled by a couple.

5) Bridgedeck clearance. Absolutley important. The higher the bridgedeck clearance the less slam and more comfortable the ride.

6) Liveability of the boat. Liveability is a term Sue and I use to describe how comfortably you will be able to live on the boat. This includes such thing as cockpit space, refrigeration, galley and general ability to be comfortable on the boat. When crusing you will be at anchor or in a marina 95% of the time is it is imperative that you are comfortable on the boat and it is laid out accordingly. For instance we basically live in our cockpit when crusing so the set up in the cockpit is very important to us. We eat sleep and entertain there so room and access is important.

7) Helming position, So important. Is it comfortable for long hauls. Can you see all parts or large parts of the boat. I have excllent vision of all the bow and stern for anchoring or entering a marina to berth. Some Cats I have been on there is limited or not sightlin of the stern or some area of the front of the boat. Also on some cats you cannot see the person at the front of the boat when anchoring. For comfort of sailing I find being in a protected area from the weather is a big plus.

8) Construction material is a personel choice. There are plenty of ply/glass boats out there that have done ocean voyages. The perfect buiding medium has not been made yet there are faults in any medium you use. Do your homework and be aware of each strengths and weakness's.

9) Study the boat market to ascertain what the market value of boats are. Yacht hub, Boat point, multi hull solutions etc will give you a good idea of boat prices.

10) Look for everything thats included in the sale. IE electronics, safety equipement, dinghies , motors, sails (age as well)

11) Make a decision as to what type of motors you want. Multis can come in a multitude of setups and configerations. For instance you may get a multi with a single outboard just big enough to get you in and out of a marina to twin outboards to twin diesels.

This is by no means a complete list of requirements and is only a very short list of things we were looking for but it may give you some insight as to what to look for

Greg and Sue
Sunshine
Lagoon 410

hogHunter · 15-05-2016, 08:17

For that price range a Gemimi or Wildcat will probably be in your price range. It'd also suggest that you try out the cats first. Most people prefer a galley up format where the galley is between the hulls (as opposed to the galley down where the galley is inside one of the hulls). A galley up format allows whoever is doing the cooking to be more a part of the activities on the rest of the boat. It also makes them more available in case they are needed on deck. It also prevents you from having to carry dishes up and down inside the hulls.

You will also want to think about if you want an "owner's layout" or a "charter layout". The owner layout typically has one (or both) hulls that is just one cabin/head combo that takes up the whole hull. The charter layout has 4 cabins, one in each end of each hull. This layout accommodates more people, obviously, but has less room for each cabin.
For us it made more sense to have the charter layout because we have so many friends visit. Depends on how much room you'd like to have for your own cabin and how many guests you intend on having.

Craigus · 16-05-2016, 13:32

Hi Greg and Sue thankyou for life taking the time to give us such good positive feed back . You are so right in your comments and most of these things we have discussed .
1.Galley up is our preference .but as you said it it possibly woundnt deter us from the right boat .
2. Brand is important for resale ..but my interpretation of the current market is that a well designed well built well maintained boat is and will always be easier to resell .Especially in our price point 150 k an under . Note also harder to obtain .
Our preference is for fibre glass also agree that when it comes to boat size 12 m or a tad smaller is more manageable and also cheaper to berth and insure etc etc
We also feels that things like motors ,bridge deck clearance ,cockpit space rear access to transoms ,vision, Double berth access and size for us important .We prefer twin diesels and mini keels.. once again a compromise on windward preformance .Our biggest problem I feel will be to get all these goodies for the budget we have . Not impossible just difficult we have been interested in the Simpson Cloud 10 bridge deck version (more clearance in salon head room ) no galley up as they say Every boat is a a compromise . Thanks again for your constructive feed back if your ever in Bundaberg and feel like a chat or a cold one Would be great to catch up .
Craig and Lisa

ozsailer · 16-05-2016, 16:28

Hi craigus,
currently sunshine is berthed at Hervey Bay. We return to her on the 25th where we will be preparing her to depart north for the cruising season. We should be calling into Bundy on our way. Please feel free to come on down to the boat for a chat on our experiences when searching for a cat either while we are at Hervey Bay or Bundy. Always happy to talk boats

Greg H
Sunshine
lagoon 410

rabbi · 17-05-2016, 05:24

at 150k AUD (110k USD) there are not many choices, and almost all will be at least 15-20 years old.

If these 150k AUD is the fixed budget I would not spend more than 70-80% of this on the purchase of the boat and leave the rest for unforseen things. With old boats there are always unforeseen things.

So just check out what yachtworld has to offer locally.

AD28 · 17-05-2016, 05:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabbi

If these 150k AUD is the fixed budget I would not spend more than 70-80% of this on the purchase of the boat and leave the rest for unforseen things. With ALL boats there are always unforeseen things.

fixed it for you. And for my part, IMO given they're in good condition, older boats are better designed... at least the Catanas are...