From multihull to monohull?

[KrautHolg]

Hi!

There is a lot of advice out there for people who want to change from a monohull to a multihull. There are all kinds of heated debates and myriads of opinions. What seems to be harder to find is actual experience the other way round.

I have been sailing exclusively on multihulls since 1987 when I first sailed on an old trimaran in Tonga – and got pretty much instantly converted into a multihuller. I bought a Prout Snowgoose 35 the year after, sailed her across the Atlantic and lived on her for 4 ½ years. In 1995 I bought a Horstman TriStar 38 trimaran and sailed her across the Pacific with my wife. Finally, in 2005 I bought a 12 meter Privilege 390 catamaran and sailed her around the world with my wife and daughter. That took us almost eight years, down to New Zealand and around the Cape of Good Hope.

Now we are considering a monohull. All our multihull friends warn me that this would make us very unhappy indeed. The problem is the price tag of a modern cruising catamaran. Also we are thinking to venture to the south tip of South America as well as to the northern tip of North America. What we hope to find is people with actual personal experience of switching from long-term multihull sailing to blue water monohull cruising. We would very much like to hear what people like that have to say.

Best,

KrautHolg

[gsuescum]

I’ve gone from mono to cat. If cost is an issue maybe back to a Privilege 390? They are reasonably priced.

One guy I know with a Privilege spent some time in Patagonia and went around Cape Horn to get from the Atlantic to the pacific.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by KrautHolg

Hi!

There is a lot of advice out there for people who want to change from a monohull to a multihull. There are all kinds of heated debates and myriads of opinions. What seems to be harder to find is actual experience the other way round.

I have been sailing exclusively on multihulls since 1987 when I first sailed on an old trimaran in Tonga – and got pretty much instantly converted into a multihuller. I bought a Prout Snowgoose 35 the year after, sailed her across the Atlantic and lived on her for 4 ½ years. In 1995 I bought a Horstman TriStar 38 trimaran and sailed her across the Pacific with my wife. Finally, in 2005 I bought a 12 meter Privilege 390 catamaran and sailed her around the world with my wife and daughter. That took us almost eight years, down to New Zealand and around the Cape of Good Hope.

Now we are considering a monohull. All our multihull friends warn me that this would make us very unhappy indeed. The problem is the price tag of a modern cruising catamaran. Also we are thinking to venture to the south tip of South America as well as to the northern tip of North America. What we hope to find is people with actual personal experience of switching from long-term multihull sailing to blue water monohull cruising. We would very much like to hear what people like that have to say.

Best,

KrautHolg

The Bumfuzzle couple did it. If you google their blog they talk about it at length.

[KrautHolg]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

The Bumfuzzle couple did it. If you google their blog they talk about it at length.

https://www.bumfuzzle.com/cat-vs-mono-the-great-debate/

https://www.bumfuzzle.com/cat-vs-mono-the-verdict/

[toolbar]

While I agree with their takeaway line

"But we do love being out here in Mexico cruising with our two kids. And that’s really all that matters in the great number of hulls debate."

I think that the two boats that they compare side-to-side are so different, that any results are pretty much meaningless. It's not surprising that there are differences between a one-year-old 38ft catamaran and a thirty-year-old high-displacement 43ft monohull.

And take this quote: "I mean it has to be a little embarrassing for these Open 40s heeled over twenty degrees to get passed by Ma and Pa Kettle aboard their Lagoon 44 having a barbeque in the cockpit."

An Open 40 will probably not be passed by a Lagoon 44 on any point of sail. Sorry. And I say that as someone who owns two multis and who has raced against a Class 40.

Paul

[KrautHolg]

As I am more interested in general ideas in going from a cat to a mono, I found it pretty useful, regardless of the two kinds of boats they were on. Most of us don't have the opportunity to live on too many different kinds of boats in a lifetime, but have to make do with a handful only.

[MartinR]

I have a monohull, and I am definitely not unhappy I think the type of boat you sail really does not matter very much. It comes down to personal preference. As for sailing in cold climates, I would think it is much easier to keep a monohull warm than a catamaran. There is less area to insulate. Also, big windows are not exactly a plus...... .

My preferences for high latitude sailing are long-keeled, preferably metal, well-insulated and under-canvassed. My boat really only fulfils the well-insulated part

[KrautHolg]

Sure, but....

The question is: Have you lived on a multihull before?

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by KrautHolg

Sure, but....

The question is: Have you lived on a multihull before?

No, but when I am too old not to enjoy cooking food while beating up at a 30 degree list I will buy one

Until then, I do not care so much for the living aspect as much as for the sailing aspect.

[Chotu]

I CURRENTLY have both. I seriously considered keeping the monohull. It's more convenient in a lot of ways and I prefer the dark cave. Ha ha ha. I find it very comforting and cozy.

What I don't find comforting and cozy is all the rolling at anchor. It has a nice, slow motion compared to the cat but the AMPLITUDE of the motion is uncomfortable. It doesn't heel all that much if sailed not to do so, but that rolling gets to my brain. Makes me crave an RV. Ha ha.

The cat motion is sharper and quicker but the amplitude is very low.

Ultimately, I want a boat that can't sink (this is a custom cat, can't sink), one I can feel comfortable at anchor on, one that can point (you need daggerboards), and one I can get places quickly in.

For those reasons I stayed with the cat even though it means years of lost time working on it. In the end, it'll be very very nice however.

[onavegador]

I depends what type of mulithull you have sailed. If it was a modern design with not much slamming or was it one e.g. Prout snowgoose or Catalac? In case of the latter which sailed sometimes like a raft you will enjoy the monohull as sailing very smooth, no slamming. If you sailed a modern design multihull it's probably that you miss the acceleration with gusts and the less space and comfort. So as me as I changed from the modern multihull for some reasons to a Catalac what is now used as a motorcruiser.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by KrautHolg

Hi!

There is a lot of advice out there for people who want to change from a monohull to a multihull. There are all kinds of heated debates and myriads of opinions. What seems to be harder to find is actual experience the other way round.

I have been sailing exclusively on multihulls since 1987 when I first sailed on an old trimaran in Tonga – and got pretty much instantly converted into a multihuller. I bought a Prout Snowgoose 35 the year after, sailed her across the Atlantic and lived on her for 4 ½ years. In 1995 I bought a Horstman TriStar 38 trimaran and sailed her across the Pacific with my wife. Finally, in 2005 I bought a 12 meter Privilege 390 catamaran and sailed her around the world with my wife and daughter. That took us almost eight years, down to New Zealand and around the Cape of Good Hope.

Now we are considering a monohull. All our multihull friends warn me that this would make us very unhappy indeed. The problem is the price tag of a modern cruising catamaran. Also we are thinking to venture to the south tip of South America as well as to the northern tip of North America. What we hope to find is people with actual personal experience of switching from long-term multihull sailing to blue water monohull cruising. We would very much like to hear what people like that have to say.

Best,

KrautHolg

With your 33+ years of multihull experience I would normally recommend staying with what you know. However, I think your approach is a bit misguided. You are only considering 2/3rds of the question?

Boats are "use/market" designed and manufactured, i.e. don't use a cruiser for racing and vice versa or buying a deep keel boat for use in shallow waters. Oh, it is often done by the uninformed/misguided and the results are typically less than ideal. Tradeoffs are always present.

Think of the when, where, and way you are going to use it and determine the best boat for the project...how many monohulls/multihulls have done or how would they fulfill what you would like to do? Consider the totality of the Crew, Boat, and the projected Mission before it: what fits best?

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Quebramar]

A CF member made the switch this year. Look up Boot23, I’m sure he can share some thoughts

[SVPP]

We had a Catania 42 for about 3 years. The value of that newish boat was about $750k Aud. Although I did most things on it myself, it cost us a bomb in insurance, maint etc etc.

We sold it it to buy an investment property which we renovated for 400k and that has increased in value a further $650k AUD in the two years we have had it!

Not be boatless, I bought a 37 foot AUSTRALIAN built 37’ yacht for 15k. It has no insurance, lives on my mooring but am using it more. I am slowly fixing stuff as relevant parts come up on gumtree.

I sail it offshore but am not living on it. But I could for sure.

I know this isn’t your situation but it is the guilt of having a high value depreciating asset that kills the multihull experience for me. No matter how much money we accumulate, the is more fun to be had for less on a monohull - for me anyway.

[Paul Howard]

Why not take your present catamaran to high latitudes?
I sailed my Manta cat north around Iceland and across the arctic circle, then down and around Cape Horn with no problems. You do have to watch for ice, but unless you go right into the ice pack, there is no problem. When we were down around Cape Horn there were other catamarans down there, too. A catana 43 was ice damaged when he went to the Antarctic Peninsula and was caught in pack ice, but managed to sail back to Ushuaia for repairs. A couple monohulls were also damaged by ice that year, an aluminium hull and steel hull, though made it back for repairs. A Prout manta 38 was down there at the time we were, too.
We met an older Privilege 39 with an escape hatch just inside the companionway in Brazil. Comparing notes, we were near each other hove to for a couple days in a nasty gale off Morocco in December on the way to the Canary islands at the same time, about 100miles from each other.

The pounding on that escape hatch, required by EU rules, cause leaking and some concern, though otherwise all ok.