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09-09-2024, 15:28
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#16
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Boat: Finnsailer 38
Posts: 5,823
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Tom Jones built and sailed several Wharrams and modified versions across the Atlantic and back. He and his wife sailed a 22-foot Hinemoa to Bermuda and back, including a hurricane offshore. Check out his book Multihull Voyaging if you can find a copy. I sailed offshore to the Caribbean from New England and back via Bermuda on a 32-foot French cat. I think 2 to 4 can voyage comfortably on one about 32 feet if you are careful about weight. Plenty of space and load carrying for a couple.
__________________
JJKettlewell
"Go small, Go simple, Go now"
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09-09-2024, 16:32
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#17
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 3
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
wow, such an inspiration. Thanks for sharing!
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09-09-2024, 22:48
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#18
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Panschwitz, Germany
Boat: Woods Mira 35 Catamaran
Posts: 4,556
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Search for "Wharram across the Atlantic" on YouTube.
Some really cool videos there.
Amongst them a 31ft boat with a family..
Some lovely French craziness there too:
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10-09-2024, 00:09
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#19
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Panschwitz, Germany
Boat: Woods Mira 35 Catamaran
Posts: 4,556
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Oh, and this one is a great inspiration too:
I was onboard of a couple of Wharram and the older I get the more I like them for their simplicity and seaworthiness.
They are not for luxury cruisers, but more for adventurers looking for the essence of cruising.
While not on a Wharram ourselves, we are cruising in a 35ft Woods Mira design in the Med. Great for 2 people living aboard, a bit cramped for a full family.
35ft was for a long time considered the minimum safe length suitable for ocean crossing.
Catamaran capsizing is also related to wave height vs beam.
For more on this read the articles here:
Sailing Catamarans - Some Articles on Different Design Features
Richard Woods designed some bigger cats as well, which can be easily DIY built on a budget. See www.sailingcatamarans.com
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10-09-2024, 00:44
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#20
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 42
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Quote:
Originally Posted by southernman
Someone's done it on a Hobie 16 - remember seeing the doco on it.
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I found this https://wavetrain.net/2010/01/29/tha...y-italian-guy/
... but I am not suggesting to do the same ... in fact he is not crazy, he's amazingly good in what he does ... so unless you are as good.
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10-09-2024, 03:34
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#21
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Lower Chesapeake Bay Area
Boat: Bristol 27
Posts: 10,912
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
There have been several 18'-20' catamarans that have crossed the Atlantic.
(And quite a few monohulls under 15')
Cats Across the Atlantic
Cats Across the Atlantic
Madcap sailors have crossed the Atlantic in small beach catamarans. Read about their adventures.
Date Trip Crew Time Information crew
2008 Dakar - Guadeloupe Vittorio Malingri 13d 17h 48m 20� catamaran 1
2007 Dakar - Guadeloupe Beno�t Lequin & Pierre-Yves Moreau 11d 11h 25m 20� catamaran, WSSRC Ratified Passage Record for the "Dakar-Guadeloupe" route 2
2007 Gran Canaria - Guadeloupe Matteo Miceli 14d 17h 52m 20� catamaran, WSSRC Performance Certificate #24 "Las Palmas to Guadeloupe singlehanded" 1
2005 Dakar - Guadeloupe Andrea Gancia & Matteo Miceli 13d 13h 58m 20� catamaran 2
2004 Madeira - Guadeloupe Jean-Fran�ois Pellet 25d 20� catamaran 1
2002 Canary Islands - Guadeloupe Alessandro Di Benedetto 28d 11h 36m 20� catamaran, WSSRC Performance Certificate #11 "First singlehanded 20ft Sport Catamaran. Las Palmas to Guadeloupe" 1
1999 Dakar - Guadeloupe Hans Bouscholte & Gerard Navarin 15d 2h 20� catamaran 2
1993 Dakar - Guadeloupe Jean-Fran�ois Pellet & Fran�ois Picot 21d 6h 18� catamaran 2
1992 Canary Island - Cape Verde - Martinique Federico Di Benedetto & Alessandro Di Benedetto 23d 21� catamaran 2
1986 Canary Islands - Guadeloupe Laurent Bourgnon & Fred Giraldi 21d 18� catamaran 2
1986 Dakar � Guadeloupe Daniel Pradel & Tony Laurent 18d 22h 18� catamaran
First beach cat transatlantic 2
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10-09-2024, 04:54
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#22
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 186
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
There was an earlier reference to this but the name of the boat was incorrect.
Rory MacDougall was the guy, and "Cooking Fat" was the name of the 21' Wharram TIKI design on which he circumnavigated, and did the Jester Challenge. Google, and you can see the history. AFAIK, this to date is the smallest catamaran to circumnavigate.
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10-09-2024, 15:05
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#23
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2014
Boat: Shuttleworth Advantage
Posts: 2,692
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Darren Newton - the owner/designer of DAZCAT sailed Clarks Air a 26ft cat across the Atlantic in 1994, she is still racing 35 years on.
Not really a gamily cruiser though.
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14-09-2024, 19:54
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#24
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 437
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
I would sell my 2002 34x26 Farrier Command ten trimaran in Wales for $30k us,
And buy her back anywhere across the pond.
Great for 2 people, autopilot,GPS, roller furler, yanmar diesel, I would even service her if you purchase
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14-09-2024, 20:15
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#25
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Bellingham, WA
Boat: Gulfstar 50 ketch
Posts: 342
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
This 16ft didn't cross, but did make it from Vancouver Island (Canada) to Cuba and back. The first leg was on top of a station wagon! Quite an interesting design concept, construction and trip. Definitely worth a read: https://turtleislands.net/tmc/
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15-09-2024, 02:03
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#26
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2014
Boat: Shuttleworth Advantage
Posts: 2,692
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bellinghamster
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What a lovely little cat, love the unstayed masts. Is it a one off?
Thought the link was to a picture didn't think to scroll down. Inspirational story.
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15-09-2024, 18:29
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#27
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, in Tasmania, Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 29,567
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Yes, we met "Cooking Fat" in Gladstone at the marina, one year early in the '90's. It was painted a sort of creamy color then. Nice guy on board.
People who circumnavigated in the 20-22 ft. range all counted on squalls to top up their water. You can carry enough beans and rice, but not enough water; we'd divert to get to a squall, just for the fresh water. It is a different way of cruising from what people are doing now, but eminently doable. Simple boats with simple systems.
Ann
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
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16-09-2024, 09:35
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#28
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Lifeaboard
Boat: FP Lavezzi 40
Posts: 3,796
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
One part is what people did in the past, their level of security and risk plus the purpose of doing it.
People used rowing, boats, barrels and beach cats doing it just for the purpose to proof it's possible.
People done it on prout snowgouse aka the bridgedeck slammer because at that time nothing else affordable and available, is it safe...lala is, is it nerv racking...yes it is with constant slamming...
Acceptable safe and some basic comforts starts at 35ft but only very few are really safe offshore. The no. 1 choice here is the FP Mahe 36 and a PDQ 36 (pdq 32 is really absolute limit).
But to avoid pitching and hobby horsing and good behaviour in ocean waves >=40ft is recommended.
So if going small simply make a stern/sugar scoop extension on the 35/36 to 40ft. If you are on a small budget below 100k that's the way to go. But they have not much payload, enough for 2 but not for 4 on these on long passages.
The 38ft class is the minimum unmodified for 4 in length i would choose eg the FP Athena, the Lagoon 38, manta 38, Admiral 38 to name a few.
The sweet spot remains at 44-45ft.
The big question here is what's your budget?
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16-09-2024, 09:47
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#29
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,773
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
I am sure Atlantic has been already crossed on a Hobbie.
I remember the Pacific has also been attempted on a similar boat. I think successfully.
Probably a thing for very young people who will tolerate all the effort better.
For me myself and I - I would not go in anything smaller than say FP Antigua, a Catalac, or a Prout.
ymmv
b.
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16-09-2024, 10:38
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#30
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2014
Boat: Shuttleworth Advantage
Posts: 2,692
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Re: Smallest Catamaran to attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainRivet
People done it on prout snowgouse aka the bridgedeck slammer because at that time nothing else affordable and available, is it safe...lala is, is it nerv racking...yes it is with constant slamming...
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Most ocean crossings are downwind. Prouts otherwise low bridgedeck is not really an issue in tradewind conditions and their mini-mainsail big foresail rig is ideal, something that has been adopted more recently by some Lagoon models. They do not excel to windward so avoid that point of sail wherever possible. Most sailors do that anyway.
These will get you across safely albeit a little slower than more model designs but with very low crew stress.
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