What is the best Catamaran to cruise and retire on?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Honda Blackbird 1100XX is certainly not slow, And neither am I,

I was only referring to your advice that being retired means sailing slowly and the implication that you apply that advice to yourself.

What does a motorcycle have to do with choosing a boat?

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by fxykty

I was only referring to your advice that being retired means sailing slowly and the implication that you apply that advice to yourself.

What does a motorcycle have to do with choosing a boat?

Being retired doesnt mean you live only on a boat,
Being retired doesnt mean you retire from life either,
Cruising on a boat means around seven knots, Average,
A good steep sea and you get up around 20 knots,
You inferred Im slow because I am retired, The bike is my other life from boats,

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Being retired doesnt mean you live only on a boat,

Being retired doesnt mean you retire from life either,

Cruising on a boat means around seven knots, Average,

A good steep sea and you get up around 20 knots,

You inferred Im slow because I am retired, The bike is my other life from boats,

Mr B, you wrote in post #43

Originally Posted by Mr B

Cruise and retire on, That means going slow, Not racing,...

My statements were nothing to do with your retirement status, just your words to someone else.

I have no judgements here - everyone’s life is theirs to live as they want.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Cruise and retire on, That means going slow, Not racing,

Cheers, Brian,

Cruising on a sailing Catamaran, is usually around the 7 knot mark,
I would call that slow,

A racing catamaran is an entirely different animal,
Its usually stripped of everything inside to make it go fast,
You normally dont cruise or live or retire on a racing Cat,

Just to clear up a point for the knit pickers,

[arsenelupiga]

here you go, mathematical answer:

for desired livability and performance one can usually pick brand, for example FP. FP makes same style boats in different sizes, like any other cat factory.

Optimum choice is the smallest boat of one brand that feels big enough for living and safely carrying possesions.

Choosing say 30% longer boat than what is enough by above criteria, will increase performance and seakindness for roughly square root of length increase around sqrt(1,3) -1 ~ 14 %.

However costs of purchase, maintenance, time to maintain, will increase by power of three

1.3 **3 - 1 = 120%.

now please close this thread as this is final and correct answer

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by kryg

I’m a monohull sailor, so I fully understand the need to get to windward. This request is for two good friends of mine, who are in fact also mono hull experienced sailors. Possibly because I’m older and I have a beard, they ask me an important life-changing question for which I have no practical experience, only monohull chatter to draw on.

And that is; What is the best Catamaran to cruise and retire on?

I’m looking to receive some independent feedback from the cruising form to draw on the best catamarans to consider say around 50’ which will give them enjoyment and keep them out of trouble.
My outreach to the cat community is my attempt to help them not make an error in buying a bad performing unsafe catamaran, which looks good in the harbor but not traversing oceans.

Thank you ahead of time, for your input and considerations,

Outremer 49-51

[schoonerdog]

Too many variables to answer easily. Do they like to entertain, see sailing as something mainly to get them from point A to B, want room, lots of water and huge food storage of a modern house? Bali catamaran or secondly Bavaria Open. Do want to do their own repairs, like simple things, and want something small that's easy to keep up? Seawind 1120 with outboards. Do they want something that sails really well and is a thoroughbred? Outremer or Neel. How about a decent good sailing boat with good accommodation, not the biggest or fastest, but a balance between each - FP or Lagoon. Something with lots of speed, accommodation, storage and value though still probably close to a mil? St Francis 50.

There ya go, 20 years of living aboard and cruising multihulls in a paragraph.

Cheers,

Doug

[44'cruisingcat]

Mine is, for me.

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Mine is, for me.

mine is, for me.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by schoonerdog

Seawind 1120 with outboards.

Hmmm, I've been a Seawind 1000 owner for twelve years (actually, up until last week - when the boat sold.) Love Seawind, because I am a sailor foremost and like to sail. Now we are having a Seawind 1160 Lite built. And both have outboards. But all that said, I have never heard of a Seawind 1120. Maybe you are mixing up some numbers?

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

Hmmm, I've been a Seawind 1000 owner for twelve years (actually, up until last week - when the boat sold.) Love Seawind, because I am a sailor foremost and like to sail. Now we are having a Seawind 1160 Lite built. And both have outboards. But all that said, I have never heard of a Seawind 1120. Maybe you are mixing up some numbers?

Chartered with skipper, $1120-00 per night,

[schoonerdog]

Sorry! Yep sea wind with outboards, we had a pdq 36 for years, and it was powered by outboards and easy to repair

[CatNewBee]

Lagoon 400S2 OW for us, i hope. Not retired yet.

[sailorcherry]

Originally Posted by schoonerdog

Sorry! Yep sea wind with outboards, we had a pdq 36 for years, and it was powered by outboards and easy to repair

I'd love a cat with outboards, seems the obvious choice these days. Did you ever get on a PDQ 32 or 36 with inboards diesels to be able to hear the noise and vibration difference vs your o/bs?
I imagine the 4 stroke outboards would be a good deal quieter?

[jcb47769]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I'll take a shot. Gunboat 66.

I'm in Panama right now repairing the retracting drive system on a Gunboat, I have to say that although their performance is outstanding, they wouldn't be my first choice for a cruising cat. Likewise, I'm not a big fan of the Lagoon and Leopard boats, too far at the other end of the spectrum. Cheap and roomy, but performance and safety offshore suffer for it. I would look at Fontaine Puegot, Nautitech, or similar boats. Even a used Gold Coast, with a decent conversion for liveaboard (mostly they are day charter boats but very well built)

One good way to get more info is to chat with a very patient broker and look at a bunch of boats. It will help you narrow down exactly what you are looking for, and hopefully point you in the right direction.