Heavy Monohulls vs Light Catamarans

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Chotu

(...)



The very best catamarans are ultra light weight.

The very best monohulls are ultra heavy.


(...)

The very best laugh I have had in a long time!





barnakiel

[Capdave360]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I like the Atlantic 57's myself; that must be an absolute blast to sail.

So much fun! 7,700 miles in the last 14 months, lots of sleigh rides! Not a racer, but something viscerally satisfying about crashing past anything in sight. Surprised a few fishing boats too at 14 knots!

Do be careful in choosing anchorages though - a surprisingly small bobble on the beam can get irritating in a light cat.

[smj]

Originally Posted by lituya1617

Comfort, to me, means reasonable assurance that my boat will deliver me safely to my destination. This means the ability to take a major storm at sea without damage. No boat can resist the power of the sea so one needs a boat that will roll, pitch and bob as slowly as can be achieved an still have good sailing abilities - that requires inertia and inertia requires weight. I have yet to see a cat under 200 feet that would make me comfortable in a major storm. A cat is stable upright and inverted. A major storm can roll or pitchpole a monohull sailboat but it will always recover, float upright and be able to continue. A cat will just float upside down and the people aboard will require rescue. This is why cats are built with an escape hatch on the underside of the cabin. Now, a cat is fast but hardly comfortable when tacking into a five-foot chop. Cats have a flat underbelly below the cabin and the tall chop will slam into that with enough force to jar out the captain's false teeth! In the same conditions on a sailing monohull, sheets of water will be blown across the deck and require a good dodger for comfort but there will be no thundering blows to the hull. When running across a large swell at an angle, cats do an acrobatic twisting dance that requires even the most seasoned sailor to tie himself to a seat. Nobody can walk or stand in those conditions. Yep, cats are fast but if you are in a hurry, take an airplane. As for me, I will take a heavily built, full keel, high freeboard, monohull over any other design.

Oh my! Please list the catamarans and monohulls you actually have experience sailing

[daletournier]

Theres so many variables that make any real blanket statement impossible.

As a general rule without doubt monos roll, hard to get away from that BUT the design variables make some roll like pigs and others not.

I can honestly say my boat doesn't roll to bad. With a D/L of approx 167 it's not considered heavy, google suggested an Amel Super Maramu has a D/L 222 yet I can assure you an Amel rolls alot more than my Catalina 470, I've been on them and I watch them at anchor. My 2.4m (8ft) draft and fat bum may have something to do with it, who knows.

My point is ,just saying heavy displacement monos roll less is just not true, a variety of design variables all play a roll.

But absolutely without a doubt the thing I hate most about cruising a mono is rolling ddw in a large following sea for days on end BUT on a close reach from the Seychelles to Madagascar with narly seas forward of the beam and big winds my largish mono was the boat of choice compared to the two cats behind me that were getting absolutely smashed (with damage) due to serious slamming.

[Capdave360]

Originally Posted by slug

If you enjoy sailing you choose a monohull

If you’re interested in a floating condo ,,,with maximum surface area for solar arrays, windmills, bbqs.... you choose a multihull

If you enjoy sailing, you choose a capable sailboat - which can be either a monohull or a multihull.

Just because most multis you see are floating condos doesn't mean they all are.

So either you aren't knowledgeable enough to opine, or you're hopelessly biased to the point of ignoring reality.

Attached - picture of the chartplotter tacking our multi into Bras D'Or Lakes!

[Capdave360]

Quote:
Originally Posted by slug View Post
All I ever see is catamarans motoring

Not even motor sailing

From a distance they look like oil platforms

Originally Posted by chris mac

All I ever see is slug complaining about catamarans
Not even trying them personally
From a distance he looks uninformed

This is fun! I want to try!

All I ever see is slug stating absolutes

Not even understanding his experience is limited

From a distance he looks like somebody with a strange axe to grind

[barnakiel]

The best monohulls are heavy.


Of course IMOCAS, Class-40, Minis are all heavy boats.


The best cats are ultra light.


Off course Catanas and Outremers are ultra light.


The best beer is Bud.


Sail more, drink less.


b.

[Paul Howard]

Though I already commented on this thread, I thought I would share a real life long distance sailing experience comparing a heavy monohull to a catamaran:
We twice sailed direct from Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda. From about 4degrees south of the equator, through the doldrums and horse latitudes to about 32degrees north Latitude, about 3,300nm on the course we chose, referencing ocean crossing guide books for recommended routes across the equator.
The heavy mono made good the passage in just under 30 days, or about 110 miles per day. When calculating our average miles per day during our 42,000nm circumnavigation of the world on the mono, we averaged 111nm per day, so pretty well spot on with total average. We did some motoring through the doldrums, but mostly sailing.

Seventeen years later my wife and I made good the same passage, Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda, on our medium weight catamaran, nearly the same route, about 3,300nm, very little motoring, made good the passage in 20days. So an extra ten days in Bermuda. Average miles per day: 165nm on the catamaran. This was a bit slow, as we usually average about 180nm per day, in comfort, on the catamaran on long passages, as I do not press the boat or the crew on long passages. The previous owner said he often made good 200nm per day in the Trade Winds.

And we were much more rested (and older) again just the two of us doing watches on the catamaran.
It was so much more restful on the catamaran not having to hang on all the time with the rolling or tie ourselves in our bunks with lee cloths as we did on the mono.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Paul Howard

Though I already commented on this thread, I thought I would share a real life long distance sailing experience comparing a heavy monohull to a catamaran:
We twice sailed direct from Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda. From about 4degrees south of the equator, through the doldrums and horse latitudes to about 32degrees north Latitude, about 3,300nm on the course we chose, referencing ocean crossing guide books for recommended routes across the equator.
The heavy mono made good the passage in just under 30 days, or about 110 miles per day. When calculating our average miles per day during our 42,000nm circumnavigation of the world on the mono, we averaged 111nm per day, so pretty well spot on with total average. We did some motoring through the doldrums, but mostly sailing.

Seventeen years later my wife and I made good the same passage, Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda, on our medium weight catamaran, nearly the same route, about 3,300nm, very little motoring, made good the passage in 20days. So an extra ten days in Bermuda. Average miles per day: 165nm on the catamaran. This was a bit slow, as we usually average about 180nm per day, in comfort, on the catamaran on long passages, as I do not press the boat or the crew on long passages. The previous owner said he often made good 200nm per day in the Trade Winds.

And we were much more rested (and older) again just the two of us doing watches on the catamaran.
It was so much more restful on the catamaran not having to hang on all the time with the rolling or tie ourselves in our bunks with lee cloths as we did on the mono.

This is a very good point and also applies to old vs new monos to some degree without trying to generalize to much.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

The best monohulls are heavy.


Of course IMOCAS, Class-40, Minis are all heavy boats.


The best cats are ultra light.


Off course Catanas and Outremers are ultra light.


The best beer is Bud.


Sail more, drink less.


b.

Well, you had me there for a moment. Until you said Budweiser was beer. Then I knew you had no idea what you’re talking about. . Ha ha ha

[smj]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Well, you had me there for a moment. Until you said Budweiser was beer. Then I knew you had no idea what you’re talking about. . Ha ha ha

Budweiser is not beer, it is THE beer.[emoji3][emoji3]

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Paul Howard

Though I already commented on this thread, I thought I would share a real life long distance sailing experience comparing a heavy monohull to a catamaran:
We twice sailed direct from Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda. From about 4degrees south of the equator, through the doldrums and horse latitudes to about 32degrees north Latitude, about 3,300nm on the course we chose, referencing ocean crossing guide books for recommended routes across the equator.
The heavy mono made good the passage in just under 30 days, or about 110 miles per day. When calculating our average miles per day during our 42,000nm circumnavigation of the world on the mono, we averaged 111nm per day, so pretty well spot on with total average. We did some motoring through the doldrums, but mostly sailing.

Seventeen years later my wife and I made good the same passage, Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda, on our medium weight catamaran, nearly the same route, about 3,300nm, very little motoring, made good the passage in 20days. So an extra ten days in Bermuda. Average miles per day: 165nm on the catamaran. This was a bit slow, as we usually average about 180nm per day, in comfort, on the catamaran on long passages, as I do not press the boat or the crew on long passages. The previous owner said he often made good 200nm per day in the Trade Winds.

And we were much more rested (and older) again just the two of us doing watches on the catamaran.
It was so much more restful on the catamaran not having to hang on all the time with the rolling or tie ourselves in our bunks with lee cloths as we did on the mono.

Good to know. What length was your mono and your cat? Can’t compare 1:1 as you know.

[Icarus]

Yes monos roll and heel, cats are jerky and dont go well windward.
I guess if you want the total 'comfort ' thing stay on land.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Icarus

Yes monos roll and heel, cats are jerky and dont go well windward.

I guess if you want the total 'comfort ' thing stay on land.

Some cats go very well to windward.

[Training Wheels]

Originally Posted by smj

Some cats go very well to windward.

And some monos don’t go well to windward.......