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westcare · 02-11-2020, 07:26

I like the feedback you get regarding your rig under sail on a monohull but I agree if I were going to go multi I’d go trimaran and the dragonfly would be my top pic

rick bertram · 02-11-2020, 07:31

Well, I’m just a coastal cruiser so I keep my boat in a marina. It’s very difficult to find a slip for a cat and expensive.

BeerMonkey · 02-11-2020, 07:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by river251

Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum. I am really curious about this. Cats have what everyone wants, supposedly....no rolling (youtubers Kevin Boothby and Patrick Lane constantly talk about how tiring and unpleasant this is), things stay put, relatively more room. A non-tilted, non-rolling, roomy lifestyle. So what is the attraction of monohulls?

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

Two years of reading threads and watching videos and I still don't get it.

Thanks.

Go sailing - you'll immediately see the difference. Personal choice, cruising grounds, experience etc. Most, if not all, cruisers are 'fair weather' cruisers, and as a sweeping generalisation, most cats are not built for heavy off-shore weather and require considerable experience/skill to make it through compared to a monohull.

That's not to say they are any more or less safe, just very different.

(think car v motorbike)

Mancora · 02-11-2020, 07:42

Cost is a very big factor.
In Denmark, where I come from, there are very limited marina space for cats, due to the design of our marinas.
And finally I like the sailing performance of monohulls. E.g. when crossing against the wind.
I will never own a cat. Even if I could afford one, I would rather spent the money on a better monohull.

Johann7 · 02-11-2020, 07:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by river251

Every time I notice it, there are twice as many people reading the monohulls forum as reading the multihulls forum. I am really curious about this. Cats have what everyone wants, supposedly....no rolling (youtubers Kevin Boothby and Patrick Lane constantly talk about how tiring and unpleasant this is), things stay put, relatively more room. A non-tilted, non-rolling, roomy lifestyle. So what is the attraction of monohulls?

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

Two years of reading threads and watching videos and I still don't get it.

Thanks.

Cats are inherently dangerous at sea. They may flip, and then it's over.
A good monohull will right itself, even from an inverted position.
There is no comparison in terms of seaworthiness. Cats are smooth water boats.

Sofa King Fishy · 02-11-2020, 08:04

It’s a pure numbers dilemma, Cats are maybe 4% of all sailing vessels on the market, demand outstrips supply. Example: I had a $150k budget for my vessel. I saw 2 cats in my range within 200 miles (Chesapeake Bay), and they were old and needed big work. I had my pick of 30-50 monohulls outfitted for cruising and turn key. Also, outside of a ‘pocket Cat’ with a 14’ beam, slips are rare, as are Marinas with travel lifts that can accommodate a haul out. Obviously the market dynamics are changing as consumers demand more multihull vessels, but with any paradigm shift, it takes decades....that’s the b*tch with history...it unfolds ‘real-time’!

HeinSdL · 02-11-2020, 08:05

It's intriguing to see, yet again, how tastes differ so markedly. The concept of owning a cat is, to be frank, quite alien to me. I have never sailed on a cat, not in my dinghy days nor racing days, am extremely happy with my current one and only mono, and will never in the future sail on a cat.

So:

Quote:

Originally Posted by river251

It can't just be cost or that everyone is waiting til they have enough money saved to sell their mono and get a cat. There are good older cats available for not that much more than decent older monos. Or am I wrong, it's the cost?

you are not wrong: it's not the cost. It's a different world which I am quite sure does not appeal to me.

Johann7 · 02-11-2020, 08:07

Monohulls are far more seaworthy. When things get tough cats can easily flip, and then it's over. A good monohull will right itself even from an inverted position.
Two or three hulls some distance apart, each have very different stresses and loads on them, so a cat is basically trying to tear itself apart in rough water. The structure is more like an aircraft than a boat, and is fragile and dangerous in difficult conditions.

double u · 02-11-2020, 08:15

...wow, so much expertise in that thread....

lestersails · 02-11-2020, 08:32

Count me among those who, given the choice, would always choose to sail a monohull. I feel safer in a monohull and find it more enjoyable.
However, I nearly always sail cats - because the people who I am fortunate enough to have sail with me prefer cats hands down. They love the common space of a cat and the ability to move around the boat. They feel more comfortable that the boat does not heel. And my wife, who is the chef, gets nauseous cooking below decks and greatly enjoys being up on the same level as the crew who are lounging on the aft deck while meals are being prepared.
And, per many comments, this is leisure sailing - fair weather sailing, so the downsides of the cats are less germane.
So, monohull for me, deciding alone. Cat for my family and friends.

Bunnellr · 02-11-2020, 08:32

As always, this is a specious comparison. Have sailed both in the 40 foot range and they are just fundamentally different games.

Cat v. Mono is NOT the question.
The question is: what are your requirements?
Then budget comes in.
Define your requirements! Not your wishes or biases or some ridiculous situation you will never be in.
And ignore all the comparison B.S.
And ignore generalizations. Each boat is different.

Bob

double u · 02-11-2020, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnellr

As always, this is a specious comparison. Have sailed both in the 40 foot range and they are just fundamentally different games.

Cat v. Mono is NOT the question.
The question is: what are your requirements?
Then budget comes in.
Define your requirements! Not your wishes or biases or some ridiculous situation you will never be in.
And ignore all the comparison B.S.
And ignore generalizations. Each boat is different.

Bob

finally a reasonable voice! (although: 1. question is BUDGET!)

edexter · 02-11-2020, 08:37

Yeah, our little Rhodes 22 is trailerable so we pull it out around Halloween and keep her in a boatyard for the winter; I do a lot of the maintenance myself, and 6 months in the yard is 1/3rd the cost of the slip for 6 months. We can lower the mast ourselves, etc. Our marina has maybe two slips that could handle a good size cat versus 40 or 50 that can handle a large (or small) monohull.