Welcome Stranger Times. My first time contributing here too although I have been reading for several years.
I’m a
catamaran live aboard for nearly 5 years however I don’t want to enter into the
catamaran vs
monohull debate. Suffice it to say there’s plusses and minuses to both. You’ll certainly need
headroom otherwise you’ll go stir crazy. That’s available on both styles however note if you choose a sub-33 ft cat you’ll be unlikely to get the height you want throughout. My cat is 45 ft and has full headroom throughout.
Three things however, 1. The bigger the boat the more cr*p you’ll collect although if you intend cruising this isn’t a real problem as speed isn’t a priority; 2. Make ABSOLUTELY sure you can access the engine/s with ease for
maintenance and
repairs (at some stage you Will need to do this) My boat has engines which are 3ft X 3ft X 3ft in a space 2ft X 2ft X2ft, or so it seems; 3. From experience the work (not cost) if you do it yourself will be close to the same for comparable size mono and cats leaving aside the obvious
hull differences.
For me, my cat certainly gives me a more relaxed lifestyle in the
saloon and the
cockpit (and gives me a working space) than monos I looked at because I’m your height but sadly not as thin as I used to be.
One of the reasons I bought a cat was if I ever get a partner (sadly that hasn’t happened yet) if we have a barney then she (hopefully) can stay on her side with the
food and I’ll stay on mine with the booze until things have cooled down. LOL.
I’m in the big Oz. Manutenance cost for my cat is roughly 1. landlubbers costs for 12 month’s house rates,
insurance and
maintenance (say $3500) plus 2. Rego,
insurance and servicing of 2 cars - not
fuel (say $3500) and this includes
hardstand costs for annual antifouling etc. These figures assume no significant capital outlay and most of the work you do yourself (you'll always find someone to help you for a case of beer! And you can normally drink it with them too!!!) Marina rent of a
mooring or slip (as you call the
mooring space in the US) costs here are about 50% more for a cat than a comparable length mono (and that includes the overhang of your
dinghy aft and your
bowsprit forwards so perhaps this info helps.
If it was me looking for a mono I’d be looking for a beamy one, maybe a
bilge keeler or one without too much draught (perhaps a swing
keel?) so I can get up a creek or into mangroves if there’s a storm, cyclone,
hurricane or whatever coming my way and also because I like plenty of living space, or a cat for the same reasons. From my experience you won’t know whether your boat suits you until you buy and live aboard for maybe 6 months regardless of how many day
sails you go on so I hope the above helps you through your adventure. Me? I’m having a hell of a good time in Oz and on track to adventure sail the
Great Barrier Reef next year and I l-o-o-o-v-e the lifestyle, especially wine o'clock. I hope you end up doing so too.
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