Does anybody have an opinion on catamarans vs. monohulls? My wife likes sailing but not the healing, also catamarans seem to have a lot more space. Do they bounce more? Thanks in advance Ozana
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Size??
Not knowing what size boats you are talking about makes it difficult to answer. I have a Venture Newport 23 Monohull and a 15 foot Venture Catamaran. This small cat does not bounce. They can pitch pole under strong winds, if the weight is not sufficiently rearward. Our small cat is great fun, but I suspect you are talking about a much bigger cat then mine.
Not knowing what size boats you are talking about makes it difficult to answer. I have a Venture Newport 23 Monohull and a 15 foot Venture Catamaran. This small cat does not bounce. They can pitch pole under strong winds, if the weight is not sufficiently rearward. Our small cat is great fun, but I suspect you are talking about a much bigger cat then mine.
Fear of healing
I know man folks who start out afraid of healing. At least a monhull is self righting once you tip over a cat you are pretty stable in an upside down position. I think if you can get her to go sailing 50 times in a monohull she'll get used to the healing. Before you've sailed 50 trips or so the feeling of being on a boat is unusually. A catamaran doesn't heel but it surges and moves in other ways that can be quite upsetting unti you get used to the motion.
I know man folks who start out afraid of healing. At least a monhull is self righting once you tip over a cat you are pretty stable in an upside down position. I think if you can get her to go sailing 50 times in a monohull she'll get used to the healing. Before you've sailed 50 trips or so the feeling of being on a boat is unusually. A catamaran doesn't heel but it surges and moves in other ways that can be quite upsetting unti you get used to the motion.
Does anyone have an opinion?
Not in this crowd. Seriously, I think will find cost a factor. Big Cats cost Big Bucks. You partner doesn't like healing? Or she doesn't like the way you sail? See my other posts on this subject. Are you trying to bury the rail? Keep the boat sailing on its feet. You will go faster, stress the gear less and keep everyone comfortable.
Not in this crowd. Seriously, I think will find cost a factor. Big Cats cost Big Bucks. You partner doesn't like healing? Or she doesn't like the way you sail? See my other posts on this subject. Are you trying to bury the rail? Keep the boat sailing on its feet. You will go faster, stress the gear less and keep everyone comfortable.
10 knots (or better) and 2ft draft
does have an appeal. It would open up much more cruising ground. Of course I would never find a slip that it would fit in. (Most cats here are on the transient dock, paying transient rates. A few have pier ends, but very few.)
does have an appeal. It would open up much more cruising ground. Of course I would never find a slip that it would fit in. (Most cats here are on the transient dock, paying transient rates. A few have pier ends, but very few.)
Keep her on her feet
My kids are terrified of heeling too far over and I have spent a lot of time trying to convince them that our boat could heel a lot further without tipping over. Fortunately it is not necessary to heel your boat over to get her to perform. most boats perform best at 20 degrees or less of heel. Try sailing your boat on her feet and you will find you actually get more speed. If you keep getting blown over put in a reef.
My kids are terrified of heeling too far over and I have spent a lot of time trying to convince them that our boat could heel a lot further without tipping over. Fortunately it is not necessary to heel your boat over to get her to perform. most boats perform best at 20 degrees or less of heel. Try sailing your boat on her feet and you will find you actually get more speed. If you keep getting blown over put in a reef.
Multihulls can be great boats
We chartered a Moorings 4500 with 4 couples in the BVI's. Stable, lots of room, fun to sail. No funny motion. I didn't feel like a monohull, but the new sailors didn't care, and, frankly, neither did I. So the question is what kind of multihull? I'd look into the trimarans - the F-28 and larger ones in the series come to mind. We met a very happy couple cruising the North Channel in an F-28 last summer. There must be others. David Lady Lillie
We chartered a Moorings 4500 with 4 couples in the BVI's. Stable, lots of room, fun to sail. No funny motion. I didn't feel like a monohull, but the new sailors didn't care, and, frankly, neither did I. So the question is what kind of multihull? I'd look into the trimarans - the F-28 and larger ones in the series come to mind. We met a very happy couple cruising the North Channel in an F-28 last summer. There must be others. David Lady Lillie
Very Stable - in Two Directions!
When I was a kid I told my dad to get a multihull and trimarans were the multihull of the day. Arthur Piver, the single person responsible for increasing the popularity of multihulls was lost at sea on one of his designs. A few years ago a large 70 or 80-something foot racing trimaran entered the popular Foul Weather Bluff race in Puget Sound and was expected to smoke the fleet - well it didn't. Winds were perfect around 12 knots, the water nearly flat, and they were reaching toward the weather mark and hit a little wave estimated around two feet and pitch polled! "Northwest Yachting", a local boating magazine, had a two page spread of pictures of her going head over as someone covering the race was taking pictures with either a motor drive still camera (some people still were using film cameras then) or a video camera. What was the most amazing shot for me was when the boat was vertical on her nose(s) a guy was standing on one of the armas holding on!!! Guess my concern is the multihull is very stable - in two directions. The little Hobbies are light enough to be uprighted with a persons weight but the big ones aren't. There are systems being developed to deal with this issue but, for me, I'd rather have some water in the cockpit than the worry. In '91 we were on the west coast of Vancouver Island when a major storm hit with winds over 100 knots. We made it to a good harbor just in time but the trimaran anchored beside us that morning never arrived and was found three weeks later drifting upside-down. The couple on board were living off of canned cat food. To be fair, mono-hulls have capsized too. The editor of Latitude 38, a Bay Area sailing magazine, really likes multis and personally owns a large one. This is a top-notch magazine with frequent articles on multis. Web site is www.latitude38.com (I believe). His previous boat I think was a Santa Cruz 70 and he admits he likes to go fast. For some reason multihulls are not popular here probably because of our often light winds (they don't like it). As Debra mentioned cost and moorage are surely other issues. Have you tried giving your wife the helm? That seems to make a difference.
When I was a kid I told my dad to get a multihull and trimarans were the multihull of the day. Arthur Piver, the single person responsible for increasing the popularity of multihulls was lost at sea on one of his designs. A few years ago a large 70 or 80-something foot racing trimaran entered the popular Foul Weather Bluff race in Puget Sound and was expected to smoke the fleet - well it didn't. Winds were perfect around 12 knots, the water nearly flat, and they were reaching toward the weather mark and hit a little wave estimated around two feet and pitch polled! "Northwest Yachting", a local boating magazine, had a two page spread of pictures of her going head over as someone covering the race was taking pictures with either a motor drive still camera (some people still were using film cameras then) or a video camera. What was the most amazing shot for me was when the boat was vertical on her nose(s) a guy was standing on one of the armas holding on!!! Guess my concern is the multihull is very stable - in two directions. The little Hobbies are light enough to be uprighted with a persons weight but the big ones aren't. There are systems being developed to deal with this issue but, for me, I'd rather have some water in the cockpit than the worry. In '91 we were on the west coast of Vancouver Island when a major storm hit with winds over 100 knots. We made it to a good harbor just in time but the trimaran anchored beside us that morning never arrived and was found three weeks later drifting upside-down. The couple on board were living off of canned cat food. To be fair, mono-hulls have capsized too. The editor of Latitude 38, a Bay Area sailing magazine, really likes multis and personally owns a large one. This is a top-notch magazine with frequent articles on multis. Web site is www.latitude38.com (I believe). His previous boat I think was a Santa Cruz 70 and he admits he likes to go fast. For some reason multihulls are not popular here probably because of our often light winds (they don't like it). As Debra mentioned cost and moorage are surely other issues. Have you tried giving your wife the helm? That seems to make a difference.
2 for the price of one
Con - Multihulls are expensive. It would almost be cheaper to buy 2 monohulls of the same size. Pro - Multis are faster because they're light (assuming you don't over-pack). Because they don't have ballast, they may flip but they're unsinkable, unlike a heavily ballasted mono. The link below is someone building their own F-39 (trimaran, or mono with training wheels) and the reasons why (along with many more interesting links). Note that folding outriggers help keep slip cost down. Personally, I'd prefer a proa.
Con - Multihulls are expensive. It would almost be cheaper to buy 2 monohulls of the same size. Pro - Multis are faster because they're light (assuming you don't over-pack). Because they don't have ballast, they may flip but they're unsinkable, unlike a heavily ballasted mono. The link below is someone building their own F-39 (trimaran, or mono with training wheels) and the reasons why (along with many more interesting links). Note that folding outriggers help keep slip cost down. Personally, I'd prefer a proa.
It's a monohull world out there...
A dockmate has a Prout 37, I think. He has to rent the same size slip as the 70-foot motor yachts. Yeesh. I've always liked the idea of a catamaran, especially for coastal cruising. If I hit the Powerball I might be able to afford one. Paul
A dockmate has a Prout 37, I think. He has to rent the same size slip as the 70-foot motor yachts. Yeesh. I've always liked the idea of a catamaran, especially for coastal cruising. If I hit the Powerball I might be able to afford one. Paul
charter a cat
I currently sail a B331 but have chartered a PDQ36 in the carribean. With two couples on board we really appreciated the privacy and space. A mid 30 foot cat gives you the space of mid 40 foot mono. The shallow draft and lack of rolling at anchor was also a big plus. Disadvantages were reduced windward ability and getting through a tack not as easy. It seems cats are gaining in popularity and are worth a look. The best way to check them out is to charter one.
I currently sail a B331 but have chartered a PDQ36 in the carribean. With two couples on board we really appreciated the privacy and space. A mid 30 foot cat gives you the space of mid 40 foot mono. The shallow draft and lack of rolling at anchor was also a big plus. Disadvantages were reduced windward ability and getting through a tack not as easy. It seems cats are gaining in popularity and are worth a look. The best way to check them out is to charter one.
Iroquois
You can get '70s 32' Iroquois catamarans for the low-to-mid $20ks. They're a little narrow as catamarans go, being only 13'6" wide. A '66 MK 1 model has successfully circumnavigated the globe. This coming weekend I'll be going to Jaxsonville and Green Coves (near St. Augustine) to look at a '76 Iroquois MK IIa and a 38' Bahamian cutter done in steel. A stretched version of the Tom Colvin designed Saugeen Witch (sp?). Two more opposite sailboats could not be considered, but I will be spending a good amount of time sailing solo and want to be able to let the boat tend to itself. I've been a catamaran sailor for 7 years (performance beach cats) and have a need for speed, but when cruising it is definately 'safety first'.
You can get '70s 32' Iroquois catamarans for the low-to-mid $20ks. They're a little narrow as catamarans go, being only 13'6" wide. A '66 MK 1 model has successfully circumnavigated the globe. This coming weekend I'll be going to Jaxsonville and Green Coves (near St. Augustine) to look at a '76 Iroquois MK IIa and a 38' Bahamian cutter done in steel. A stretched version of the Tom Colvin designed Saugeen Witch (sp?). Two more opposite sailboats could not be considered, but I will be spending a good amount of time sailing solo and want to be able to let the boat tend to itself. I've been a catamaran sailor for 7 years (performance beach cats) and have a need for speed, but when cruising it is definately 'safety first'.
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