Used catamaran suggestions

[martins]

We are in a similar situation. Rather than taking the methodical research approach we got a chance to sail and crew on a few cats that were on our shortlist, including various catanas, fps, lagoons, leopards, an admiral, 3 different Graingers and 2 custom built cats one even with an aerorig.
Considering all factors important to us we would settle on a Lightwave 38. Unfortunately they hold their value extremely well and don't come up for sale too often. But the ones from the last decade should be reasonably close to your budget.
Not sure if it helps putting more options on your list 😀
Martin

[conchaway]

From what I have seen, read, etc. ; the main thing of which I would make sure is that it has working escape hatches on the bottom (just an observation).

[lizardofoz]

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

Hi all,

A cat is in our future in the next couple of years. I know next to nothing about cats and am trying to educate myself about what boats we should focus on. We currently cruise a 42' monohull in the Northeast US. We will be cruising the cat here in the Northeast and Caribbean.

These are what I believe my parameters are:
- 2000 or newer
- Located on the East Coast US or Caribbean
- Budget max $300k... so used, obviously
- Owner's version, probably not a former charter
- Stiff and fairly high performance - I am willing to sacrifice super amazing accommodations for a fast, better sailing boat - especially to windward. Daggerboards welcome. Most cat accommodations will likely be an improvement over our monohull.
- A proven reputation as an ocean cruiser
- 38' or larger
- I don't want the center of the boat to slap in steep chop

Tell me if I'm on the wrong track, but I've recently been looking at Fountaine Pajots from the mid-2000's and slightly older Outremers. I like the Outremers, but the ones we can afford look a bit rougher. The FP's are in nicer shape.

Something like this: https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...g#.W5BJ3YJG018

I'd like to hear some opinions on purchasing a 10 year old Lavezzi (or similar) like the one above? Rigging is aging obviously... engines... all the usual monohull stuff, but being new to cats what would we have to look out for?

Sorry for the rambling post.... Thanks in advance.

Suggest a Tim Mumby cat 48 foot that is fast , alloy and has good accommodation. I have owned 1 called Chameleon which I later changed to the name Oasis. Had it for 14 years

[Parallel Life]

The Lagoon 380 is a superb ocean cruiser with a reputation to match. 2005+ has the larger berth windows which turn your berth into a bedroom where you'd happily read a book or have breakfast in bed. performance wise they are Ok. 9 knots. though performance cats like Outremer and Catana are all are in an entirely different league and should not be compared with FP and Lagoon etc. The 380 is an awesome small cat for its size and price. An owners version simply gives you a huge bathroom/shower at the loss of the 4th berth.
The Lagoons have great headroom better than most 50 ft cats

[smj]

Originally Posted by Parallel Life

The Lagoon 380 is a superb ocean cruiser with a reputation to match. 2005+ has the larger berth windows which turn your berth into a bedroom where you'd happily read a book or have breakfast in bed. performance wise they are Ok. 9 knots. though performance cats like Outremer and Catana are all are in an entirely different league and should not be compared with FP and Lagoon etc. The 380 is an awesome small cat for its size and price. An owners version simply gives you a huge bathroom/shower at the loss of the 4th berth.

The Lagoons have great headroom better than most 50 ft cats

What winds get you to 9 kts and what would you consider average speed.

[argonauta1]

If you plan to cross oceans stick to a keel boat. CATS make it around the world sure but many develop rig issues; in an extreme case, a dismasting. Rig is too easy to over stress.

[JasonS]

First - good luck on your adventure to find the right boat for you. Everyone is different. We spent 4 years researching and visiting different makes/models before buying our 1999 Manta 40. We're now in year 5 and working towards retirement/full time living on it. For now, we live in SE Florida and do smaller trips and love it.

Other than "we" and a budget of $300k, not sure of your goals/crew/timelines.

Consider:
- If you're a sailing couple, can one of you handle the boat. Is the boat self-tacking?
- How much space do you really need/want? Increased size is increased cost of maintenance/insurance and creates additional issues such as haulouts. Our 40 foot manta has as much room as some performance 50' cats. There definitely is a speed tradeoff.
- What about support? Is there a good owner's group? One of the things we really love about Manta
- Where are you planning on going? Bahamas? All caribbean? around the world?
- What will the boat perform like not only sailing, but at anchor? Will you spend more time sailing or "living at anchor" or at marinas??

Any boat in your $$ range (not that different from ours) will need addl $$ put in once you purchase even with a really good survey. It varies, but plan on 15-20% first year.

Also, insurance has been increasing steadily. We have a perfect record (boat, car, home), both of us with significant boating experience/training, my better half has a USCG Master's captain's license and we were hit with a 38% increase this year. We negotiated increase in half, but the bad hurricanes of last year are having ramifications on most new policies.

Get out on as many different cats (in your price range) as possible. If you're in the SE Florida area, happy to show you ours. PM me or check out Breathe Sail Dive on Facebook or web.

Good luck - try to enjoy the process!

Jason
Breathe
Manta 40 Hull #49

[smj]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

If you plan to cross oceans stick to a keel boat. CATS make it around the world sure but many develop rig issues; in an extreme case, a dismasting. Rig is too easy to over stress.

You make me smile😁.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Warren149]

Hi,
you will need a good dealer/ broker to avoid problems.
Just catamarans in Ft lauderdale. Talk to ‘Kent’.
And watch YT videos from ‘gone with the Wynns’ when they went thru the buying process and refitting for cruising.
Also their website
They were new to sailing but are in pacific now.
Real info on what to expect with a much bigger yacht!
Cheers Warren

[Parallel Life]

I've lived onboard my Lagoon 380 for 6 years. been through the south pacific twice. most sailing in New Zealand is a healthy 20 plus knots. she'll do slightly less than half the wind speed up to 20 knots then excels in 25 to 35 with a reef but still sits on 8 to 9 though depends mostly on the sea state. had several surges into the teens but consistency is what I'm counting. The vertical windows eliminate heat and the high ceilings in the bedroom mean your girlfriend can sit on top. An often overlooked consideration on cruising yachts.

[andybaldwins]

I think a catamaran is the best floating party barge in all of St. Thomas, USVI. I really love getting invited to a party on a Cat that is between charters. I am a monohull owner that loves them at anchor. All the other times I am smug. I can get a slip half price at a 14ft beam. Any yard can haul me out. I maintain one engine and one drive system. I don't need three air conditioners to cool the boat. It will point into the wind with half the leeway. When I go into the cabin I have privacy and I am not standing 5 feet above the water. Lastly when sailing I doon't feel like a soldier in a foxhole recieving incoming artillery fire. Lastly $$$, since hurricanes nearly wiped out the catamaran fleet their value has gone up. A really nice 54ft AMEL can be had for less than a poorly equipped CAT.

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by Parallel Life

and the high ceilings in the bedroom mean your girlfriend can sit on top. An often overlooked consideration on cruising yachts.

No offense to the rest of you, but is the best advice I've gotten yet.

[texpie]

I support Jason's post on choosing a Manta. The Mantas were built exclusively for cruising couples. Very solid boats! 5 Mantas have circumnavigated and one is halfway to completing a second trip.

We have lived on ours over 2 years and love the accommodations and amenities. The refrigerator/freezer are the envy of much larger boats. We had a friend that owned a late model Leopard 48 and redesigned his galley to be almost identical to a Manta galley.

Easy to sail with a self-tacking jib. We have always felt very safe on a Manta and that includes 3 Gulf of Mexico crossings. The GOM can be a washing machine at times.

Good luck in your search!

[WantTo]

I agree with the two recommendations from the other Manta owners. Here is something I posted earlier this year for a similar topic. It adds to some of the things the other Manta owners said. Don't buy something else until you have at least looked at a couple of Mantas.



When my wife and I got married 10 years ago, it was with the understanding that we would go cruising when I retired in another 4 years. I had always sailed monohulls (44 to 80-foot boats) but my wife had a 30-foot trimaran. We did a Moorings charter in a cat and decided that is what we wanted. We started looking at all the cats out there but had some requirements. Due to my issues with skin cancer, we wanted a protected helm. That immediately eliminated Catana and some others. Even Lagoon only had a small bimini without much protection from either sun or wind/rain. When we saw a Manta, we knew that was the boat. It was the best cruising catamaran at that time as far as we were concerned. We spent two and a half years cruising Bahamas, Virgin Islands, back to U.S., up the east coast to Chesapeake Bay, Salty Dawg Rally back to BVI, hopped the islands to Trinidad for hurricane season, then back up the islands and returned to west Florida. We have been aboard many other catamarans and some of the things we liked best about the Manta other than great weather protection at the helm were spacious owner's cabin, large refrigerator and freezer, quite a bit of storage space, easy engine access, and it is the only boat we saw where passengers in the cockpit had a place to sit (the famous sling seat) where they could see out the front of the boat. Mantas are not produced anymore, but 120+ were made and several may be available that are a good buy.

[Scubatony]

Most people are put off by the look of them but have you considered a Wharram TIki 38. It meets or exceeds all your criteria accept maybe windward performance but you can have a great new one built for $175k custom to your specs. Not a lot of used ones on the market but for that price it is a hell of a boat. Mine is almost done and I know the builder is ready to start another one right now. They are great sailing boats. I was in your shoes a year ago and decided on this boat as my world cruiser.
http://www.andy-smith-boatworks.com/...ts/tiki38.html