I assume you have now looked at all the Sagitta you tube videos. So you will have seen it sailing at 9 knots to windward, “bashing” to windward, relaxing in the comfortable cockpit,
steering with one finger, overtaking other (larger) catamarans, the big
galley and big saloon (incidentally there is more, much more on my “real” videos).
To get an impartial opinion you can look at postings about Sagitta on other
multihull forums. The censors on this site ban mentioning their names, so you will need to
email me to get the links if you cannot find them yourself. For example the Sagitta Mandu recently sailed the Atlantic and you can find full reports of that trip online.
I assume you will get at least as much information about the KD860 before deciding which boat is for you. After all, you wouldn’t buy a car just from the sales brochure. You cannot really tell how fast a car is, or how well it handles, just from its hp and kerbside weight.
I am not going to start comparing one of my designs to another, at least not in public.
However I will answer some questions in a general way. Clearly a smaller boat (like the KD860) should be lighter than Sagitta. It will probably also have less room, load carrying and be slower.
In my previous
posting I mentioned the longer/higher cabin option. This turns the Sagitta into a shorter Eclipse, but at the expense of cockpit space and
deck lockers. All of Sagitta’s accommodation is aft. That keeps the bows light and leaves room for sail lockers and other stowage. When we designed Sagitta we reckoned a 30ft cat with an accommodation of 20ft wide x 12ft long would be at least as good as a 30ft
monohull with an accommodation “box” of 20ft long and 12ft wide. So it is not a small space, it is certainly bigger than an Iroquois, for example, which although the same length is 7ft narrower.
You queried the comments on the bunk position. I think most experienced
catamaran sailors will agree with me when I say that the forward bunks are bouncy and the aft bunks are much more comfortable. Many people prefer sleeping fore and aft rather than athwartships. It is awkward getting into a transverse bunk, while bunks on the bridgedeck are high off the floor, which also makes access difficult. I always design bunks with good sitting
headroom. I like reading in
bed and having a coffee bought for me in the morning (fat chance) so a big comfortable bunk with useful shelving (coffee cup, glasses,
books etc) is essential in my book.
I hope this helps you decide on the best boat for you.
Richard Woods of Woods Designs
Woods Designs Sailing Catamarans