Under $100,000 Multihulls

[Sand crab]

I have sharpened my Craigslist talents and have noticed quite a few goodsize cats and tris in the affordable category like this one.
1965 41' Catamaran Sail Boat
Just from the description it sounds like a really nice refit on a very old cat and the first one to be built in the US gives you bragging rights. At $71,000 it's about as cheap as you can get. Maybe the old designs aren't as good as the modern stuff but it's still a sailboat and the sunsets will still look as good from this one as from one costing 10 times as much. There's more if you search so warm up your mouse and quit bitchin that multis cost too much. BOB

[wolfenzee]

My spell check gave multimillion as an option to the word multihull
To figure the difference in price between a mono hull and a multihull: as the number of hulls and length increase arithmetically the price increases geometrically.
This post just makes me happier with my 30' William Atkin design mono-hull which with all the bells and whistles, upgrades, renewals etc that came to almost $25,000

[Cheechako]

Doesnt look bad from the pics. Beam looks quite narrow though.... more like a power cat. I think modern thinking is roughly: beam = 50% of length. Maybe the sail area was reduced accordingly?

[Sand crab]

Correct Cheechako. I beleive most of the early multis were a little narrow. Ya gotta admit that it's an interesting prospect. Wolfenzee, you are aware that a cat has about 50% more interior space than an equivalent mono so to compare the space on this old narrow cat you would need a 50' to 60' mono and how much would that cost? BOB

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Correct Cheechako. I beleive most of the early multis were a little narrow. Ya gotta admit that it's an interesting prospect. Wolfenzee, you are aware that a cat has about 50% more interior space than an equivalent mono so to compare the space on this old narrow cat you would need a 50' to 60' mono and how much would that cost? BOB

An I have an old (1936 design) narrow (8'9" beam) mono hull. In a thread comparing the old narrow beam boats with the new wider beam boats...I said "I chose grace over space"...yes she's tight inside, but also extremely sea kindly.

[Southern Star]

Sand Crab, it is difficult to tell much about her based upon those photos. Who was the naval architect, what type of construction was used, what are the dimensions, displacement, sail area, what about the running and standing rigging, how is the interior finished etc., etc. If properly designed the narrower beam should not be an issue so long as her BWL to LWL ratio is better than 40% and they have shortened the rig; my boat, for example, has a ratio of only 43 %, but due to the relatively low center of gravity and a cutter rig (which lowers the CE of the sailplan) she is extremely stable.

Brad

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

My spell check gave multimillion as an option to the word multihull
To figure the difference in price between a mono hull and a multihull: as the number of hulls and length increase arithmetically the price increases geometrically.
This post just makes me happier with my 30' William Atkin design mono-hull which with all the bells and whistles, upgrades, renewals etc that came to almost $25,000

A 30 foot mono that's cheaper than a 41 foot catamaran. Gee, who would have thought?

But did yours come with an "anchor wench"?

[bangkaboat]

Well, it's not the oldest, Rudy Choy built his first in 1959, acording to a recent article in The LOG. I believe that CSK was in full-swing before 1965. That aside, if it's been designed by a known, proficient designer & well-maintained, it may be worth a look. If the designer is still around it'd probably be worth contacting him & getting his opinion on the design.

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by bangkaboat

Well, it's not the oldest, Rudy Choy built his first in 1959, acording to a recent article in The LOG. I believe that CSK was in full-swing before 1965. That aside, if it's been designed by a known, proficient designer & well-maintained, it may be worth a look. If the designer is still around it'd probably be worth contacting him & getting his opinion on the design.

The ad says first built in the US. Maybe they meant the 48 and was Hawaii a state when Choy built his? BTW before Choy was Wharram in 54 and before him was what's his name. The guy that built a cat in Hawaii in the late 30s and sailed it to Europe and wrote a book about it. He would be first if you count US territories. I posted about this pioneer in another post and now I'm suffering a Rick Perry/Herman Cain (AKA brainfreeze or a senior) moment. As for all you people worried about this cats designer and such I just want to point out that this is a 46 year old boat that still floats right side up. They must have done something right. Anyway, I emailed the seller for more info. BOB

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

A 30 foot mono that's cheaper than a 41 foot catamaran. Gee, who would have thought?

If you compare total hull lengths, the prices between mono and multi are not that far apart - indeed possibly swing the other way.........

[Cormorant]

You can often find big Wharram catamarans selling for well below $100,000. The ply/epoxy construction scares people off -- sometimes rightly so, other times mistakenly.

Wharram Catamaran Brokerage List

[Cheechako]

Are the Island Packets any good? I saw a 35 foot IP cat in a sailing mag ....1995 I believe... for only $115k....

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

A 30 foot mono that's cheaper than a 41 foot catamaran. Gee, who would have thought?

But did yours come with an "anchor wench"?

My anchor wench is bronze, doesn't talk back and sleeps on deck.

[Sand crab]

Here's another for $55,000. The hull shape looks alot like the other one.
Catamaran 1973 Custom Catamaran For Sale

[Sand crab]

And another for $69,500. Kelsall designed and daggerboards. I like it the most.
1988 38' Kelsall Catamaran Sailboat

Also a whole boatload of tris from early Pivers to Searunners, all the way up to 53' all under $100,000 sometimes way under.