Would I be crazy to cross oceans on a 32' LWL, 11' beam catamaran?

[flyingnut40]

You obviously have no clue what you are proposing...... Hitch a ride with someone doing a crossing of even 500 miles and you will know how crazy this idea is. Do more reading, watch more videos.... find someone who has crossed an ocean in a small boat (as little as 12') and then realize that it was NOT their first crossing. Take a seat on someone else's $200,000 and see if you feel the same after. JMHO

[flyingnut40]

Cheating DEATH is a national pastime for some......

[Blue2cat]

STOP THIS BOAT, I WANT TO GET OFF!!!

YOU SAID: My concerns would be:
1. Avoiding the possibility of capsize by beam seas on a vessel who's length to beam ratio is closer to 3:1 than 2:1 and
2. Light weight facilitating acceleration down following seas to the point of breaking deep and
3. Carrying the necessary weight of fuel in jerry jugs on a light vessel to make blue water crossings feasible.

You are either brave beyond belief or foolish beyond belief. You need to do much more research! You may just be naive beyond belief. And I say all of this with due care for you and your situation.

I am presently preparing my Beneteau 34 cat for a crossing with drogue, gale sail, and other precautions. Training a crew in the Med this year and crossing with 2020 ARC next year.

Pitch poling, broaching and pooping are your three dangers. Due to light hull weight waves will drive you into the base of the next wave = pitch pole, due to limited size and weight waves will overcome your steer and force your boat under and fill the cockpit = pooping, and since there are no sails you will not broach but you will flip sideways since you have no sails to maintain direction and will find yourself turned broadside to the waves = actually broaching without sails.

Waves can be 12' but that is normal. Potentially you can be dealing with 30 ft or more and they can come at you from more that one direction at a time.
YOU can make it across in a rowboat with the right conditions but 90% chance of wrong conditions over 2 plus weeks means any and all of the above.

But if you are intent on a record then get some safety options in place like a jordon drogue and even a small sail will help in storm conditions. Read about these conditions and redesign your plan.

And how will you be receiving off shore weather updates. When your boat flips where will the equipment end up, how tied down are you and your equipment, jerry cans, motor etc. for the probable flip/poop/pitch syndrome?

Yes the Polynesians did it but how many made it across the ocean and how many did not? We do not know. Much care and concern my friend.

[Steve 3]

Originally Posted by dustman

This would be an ultralight(<1000#), minimalist, powered catamaran. Slender hulls with semicircular cross section and fine entry/exit, hull draft 4" to 5", 30" bridgedeck clearance, comparatively low windage with very small aerodynamic cabin, relatively low center of gravity.

It seems to me that you would like to build a boat within a reasonable budget.
Reasonable of course is subjective but as many have said sailing across makes more sense.
Take a looksee at this link below, then reach out to Kurt he is a reasonable fellow to chat with when of coarse he has time.

While this may seem like a smallish cat and if memory serves a sailor build one then cruised many thousands of miles in fact I believe it was said "half way around the world"

Reach out to him, if you are serious put some money on the table and see if he can come up with a viable option..
All the best
Kurt Hughes Multihull Design - Catamarans and Trimarans for Cruising and Charter - 30' Cruising Catamaran

[sailingchiro]

I have previously motor/sailed a good functioning electric catamaran. Batteries could not sustain much more than 2-3 knots after 30 minutes of use due to no wind. Not fun.
I am not sure of your motivation but doubt the perpetual solar electric motors will make it across a bay, let alone the Pacific.
Hey, I am a catamaran guy with sails but if it is money that is holding you back, there are alot of monohulls that could sail that distance with alot less work, money, and time. The trial and error of engineering and building of such a beast would cost 3-4 times a good functioning monohull. There is one perpetual device on a boat, it is called a sail and they function rather well.
Have you considered the weight of your water, food, tools, extra electric motors, batteries, charge controllers, extra parts. On a boat and a airplane, I have been taught not to run out of options. I see many limiting factors that could run out of options.

[conchaway]

Yesseree Bob..

[Teleman]

Your propulsion will fail within sight of land after you set off. 500 watts is just enough for 5 lightbulbs. Your expensive project will be towed back at some expense, and everyone will shake their heads and laugh at you. This is the best outcome......

OR: You will limp over the horizon at 2 knots before your propulsion fails. Due to weight limitations, you will die of starvation and dehydration. (Unless you get overwhelmed by bad weather and drown first.)

If you don't want to sail, you'd be better (and cheaper) off building a 50' X 25' raft with a big deckhouse. Plenty of carrying capacity for food and water, safe in most conditions. Windage and currents will help you drift at about the same speed as your electric idea.

I have done 4 Atlantic passages from the bottom of Africa to the English Channel on smallish cargo ships. Have been in weather (50-60 knot wind, 30'+ breaking seas), that sank a larger Russian freighter with all hands about 100 miles from us.

The open ocean is no place for half-baked ideas or clueless operators.

[keyway]

Well just for a reference I have a light weight 30 foot cat 16 foot beam. For auxiliary power I use a 9.9 4stroke out board. I can cruise 5/6knots with no sweat and use less than 1gallon per hour. In the best case google scenarios I would need over 600 gallons of gasoline to make an Atlantic crossing. That kind of weight is crippling to a lightweight cat they are not freighters. But there’s those two crazy brothers that took a tunnel hulled flats boat from Florida to Germany. So I won’t say it can’t done. Good luck

[KJThomas]

Originally Posted by rickwest

I crossed the Pacific ocean in a 38ft sailing cat...its all about weather and time of year
Never had an issuse never had seas over 12ft more or less did not go to New Zealand thats a rough ride..it more about the sailor and boat condition

Well. I sail a small 32ft cat in New Zealand waters. As far as seaworthiness goes would be happy to cross oceans in it. And. I have had plenty of rough weather in all sorts of vessels.
Carrying enough weight in water and stores is another issue. A power cat that small simply doesn't have the displacement to carry the fuel, or solar panels, needed.

[wtmf]

What is the point??? do you like being cramped and uncomfortable? once there you going to live aboard? if not Why not take a plane, trying to prove a point take a smaller boat? why use 10 pound fishing line to catch 20 pound fish? trying to PROVE a point.

[picklesandjesse]

This boat might have a fighting chance and it's been for sale for awhile. Can outrun most weather at up to 15kts.
https://www.marinehub.co.nz/.../bake...747d0-2162-4c2

Seems it does not come up !!! It's the Bakewell White Power Trimaran

[billknny]

This thread has all the hallmarks of a pizza-faced kid living in Mom's basement just trolling for jollies.

Never posted before.
Makes a few posts, each with more and more outrageous and ridiculous claims and comments.
Avoids answering questions.
Disappears forever.

[thunderhoof]

Has a naval architect validated the design you are considering for the crossing? There are what I call skewed forces across a catamaran in nasty seas. (One hull could be pitching up while the other is going the other way.) This could lead to compromised (cracked or broken) hull / cabin interfaces. Please make sure the design is considered safe before heading out.

[Scout 30]

Build a Wharram & sail across.
https://www.wharram.com/site/shop/bu...designs/tiki26

[Jim Cate]

Apparently the Dustman has either realized the folly of his proposition or it was indeed a troll. If he was serious, I hope the universal condemnation of his idea has caused some rethinking.

So Dustman, if you are still reading these lines, do realize that we ain't just being mean. Your idea is not in fact feasible... but there are plenty of low cost (relatively) means of doing the passages you had envisioned. Many of us are happy to help... when we don't think encouragement would lead to disaster.

Jim