500K. Cat or monohull ? Ocean crossings. Med + Bahamas. Beneteau 51.1 ?

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by fxykty

The proof is in the pudding: watch a monohull come into port after a passage and you’ll see unwashed and tired people hanging out stuff to dry. Watch a catamaran come into port and they’re sitting on their cockpit cushions enjoying a drink.

Best summation I have heard in a long time.


The fact that you look able and willing to go to the next marina also gives you an edge when negotiating a rate, so much so that on more than one occasion we have ended up with a rate cheaper than smaller monos were getting.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by AboutTime1

Thanks for the replies.

So the cats have more room and a more stable but jerky motion.

What is faster going across the Atlantic... a "cruising cat" or a modern cruising monohull. ie Beneteau 51.1, Dufor 56, etc.

What costs more to own ?

Both are the same..
They cost what you can afford..

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Both are the same..

They cost what you can afford..

Rather they both cost all the money you have

[tamicatana]

wahoo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea7lJWyaIUc

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by fxykty

The proof is in the pudding: watch a monohull come into port after a passage and you’ll see unwashed and tired people hanging out stuff to dry. Watch a catamaran come into port and they’re sitting on their cockpit cushions enjoying a drink.

Well I have to disagree on this. I have sailed by a cat that was beating into the wind headed to the Caribbean (we were headed home) and looked at the crew huddled in the cockpit, all dressed in full weather gear">foul weather gear, boat throwing heavy spray and everyone clearly soaking. No cushions or drinks visible anywhere.

Again we were headed downwind so not comparing the two boats, just observing the cat was not dry nor comfortable looking and conditions weren't that rough.

And have to disagree with Tupaia that ocean crossings don't involve sailing upwind. Proper planning and choice of route minimize it but it's still gonna happen. Maybe not ocean crossing but if you're trying to get to the Bahamas or eastern Caribbean from Florida you will be beating into the trades.

[nortonscove]

My father inlaw says never ask an owner about anything because you won't get the truth until they tell you why they sold it.

These posts seemingly always descend into generalizations and as such don't offer true value. I guess you get what you pay for right?

You buy the boat you can actually afford and that has only a marginal bearing on the up front price. I got what I felt comfortable in buying with a crapload of caveats. The only reason I would hesitate to buy a cat given I were in the financial position to do so is the limitations on where it can be hauled. A friend of mine had to go to another province to do so and that is a pain I'm not willing to put up with. The only other thing I've seen is the bunks wedged in tightly between the hulls. I'm a stickler for a well sorted bunk and those just add frustration.

[sailingchiro]

If you are married, it is what she wants.

I love to hear the hum of the rigging on a 60' ketch monohull. Lovely!
I love to sit at anchor on catamaran and watch the sun set.

I love to sail to windward on a monohull.
I love to sail a catamaran with wind from 60-120 degrees, priceless.

When in doubt which to get, ask her.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

wahoo!

Bill used to own a racing cat now he is taking it easy on a "cruising" cat.

[AboutTime1]

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

If you are married, it is what she wants.

When in doubt which to get, ask her.

I'm divorced and dating my gf. I do whatever I want. My money, my boat. If she can't live with the sacrifices of the boat I chose, she can stay on land. There are lots of women that would love to cruise with me.

Posts like these make me bristle.

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Bill used to own a racing cat now he is taking it easy on a "cruising" cat.

IIRC, the boat was AFTERBURNER, was it not?

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by skipmac

And have to disagree with Tupaia that ocean crossings don't involve sailing upwind. Proper planning and choice of route minimize it but it's still gonna happen. Maybe not ocean crossing but if you're trying to get to the Bahamas or eastern Caribbean from Florida you will be beating into the trades.

I said "most" ocean crossings, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, do not involve sailing to windward.



It doesn't mean you should buy a cat that doesn't sail to windward.


The majority of production cats aimed at charter market do not sail to windward. Neither do a great majority of so called "blue water" monohulls. Doesn't mean they are not suitable for ocean crossings. Just not something I would buy.

[aqfishing]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Rather they both cost all the money you have

Only if you can’t afford it!

[Joli]

Originally Posted by AboutTime1

Lets say you have $500K to spend on a boat. You want to sail the Mediterranean for a bit then cross and sail the Bahamas. Or vice versa. Might go back and forth a couple times. Might hire crew to do it for you for some of them.

Do you buy a catamaran or a modern monohull like the Beneteau 51.1 ?

How uncomfortable is the monohull compared to the cat for the crossing ? How about at anchor ?

Slip fees are apparently very expensive in the Mediterranean, even for monohulls. More so for multi hulls. Apparently it is not easy to anchor there ?

Thanks

No one can answer this for you. The motion of the two boats is different. What is comfortable for one person is not comfortable for another. Best to go get ocean experience on both and decide. Go where there are waves and sail all points in light and heavy weather.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Since you clearly have a lot of experience on both, what's your take on my observation that the motion on a cat is quicker and jerky compared to the motion on a monohull, especially beating in to the wind? Also with seas at the right (or wrong?) angle on the beam I have found cats to have an odd, corkscrew motion.

Have you seen this? Agree or not? Does it happen but it's rare or can easily be mitigated by a slight change in course?

With multiple ocean crossings on both mono's and cat's I agree with the general idea that the motion is different as you describe, but I personally would much rather the motion on a Cat than that on a Mono. But it all depends on the boat, person and time. We had a very experienced mono-hull sailing friend of ours join us for an ocean passage on our cat and he found the different motion really challenging for the first week.

This motion is separate from the issue of slamming which is also a difference/concern lots of people worry about. On many cats slamming, if it occurs at all, can be mitigated by adjusting course a little. The "jerky" motion is not as adjustable as it is caused by the windward hull/bow rising to oncoming swells/waves before the leeward hull/bow, so the boat has somewhat of a corkscrewing motion. Slamming is usually caused by the wave striking the leeward underside of the bridge deck.

[AboutTime1]

It seems as though for equal LWL, cats are a lot faster than monos.


https://www.aeroyacht.com/catamaran-...ran-speed/?amp