Are monohulls safer in a gale?

[Teleman]

Most multis will give you a more comfortable ride. You'll be able to keep up the warm food and drinks, less fatigue, less fear and less seasickness/bruises. If you have searoom, stay inside and leave the boat to it.

Most multis won't sink if swamped or capsized.

[Sos]

Surely it depends on what type of anchor you have on board.
Now I reckon a Spade would make a better drogue than a Rocna...................

[Factor]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

A storm or two and a handful of boats is hardly some depth of factual information. One of the definitions of anecdotal is "based on personal accounts".

Until someone like Coles re-studies some massive storm with a sufficient number of multihulls and monohulls subjected to similar conditions the "mono vs multi" argument will persist on.

A good start re books is Victor shames Drag Device database, monos and multis using drogues and chutes etc to manage extreme heavy weather. Also John Shuttleworth has a good article on his website John Shuttleworth

[WindLove]

I didn't see the Lagoon anywhere in that video... Was I missing something? But the monohull with the tiny cockpit (and no dodger?) looked to have up way too much sail. If they had reefed down, both sails, they would have gone faster, been drier, and sailed much more comfortably,

[RichandHelen]

Originally Posted by Factor

A good start re books is Victor shames Drag Device database, monos and multis using drogues and chutes etc to manage extreme heavy weather. Also John Shuttleworth has a good article on his website John Shuttleworth

I read a lot about drogues and their effectiveness. But I always wonder about the guts it takes to deploy a device which effectively takes control of your boat in raging seas. That must take a lot of nerve - or fear - or wisdom.

[Factor]

I agree - once deployed - thats it. So I suppose the key like most things in sailing is using them on a regular basis in less than catastrophic conditions, just to get the practice up. And getting a feel for how they work.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by WindLove

I didn't see the Lagoon anywhere in that video... Was I missing something? But the monohull with the tiny cockpit (and no dodger?) looked to have up way too much sail. If they had reefed down, both sails, they would have gone faster, been drier, and sailed much more comfortably,

The video was being shot from the Lagoon. By the camera movement, it probably was not exactly a smooth ride. Not such a tiny cockpit on a Pacific Seacraft 37. No dodger because it was a race. Going over 8 knots is not slow, and we won our class. We did drop the 150 genoa, and went with a staysail when the conditions neared gale force.

Ralph
Refinished handrails | sailing away with R & B

[Vasco]

No they're safer tied to your dock in a protected harbour. Actually even safer on the hard, if you don't fall off.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Vasco

No they're safer tied to your dock in a protected harbour. Actually even safer on the hard, if you don't fall off.

Good point!

[Charter Cat]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

In a gale, ie winds 33-45 knots, I'd expect either type to be safe.

We sailed for 4 days in gale force conditions, in loose company with 2 other cat's and 6 mono's.

Nobody got into any real trouble, a blown headsail (on a mono) being about the worst damage.

However, the crews on the mono's spent the whole trip soaked through, the cat crews were dry. The mono's crews all had bruises, the cat's none. 2 of the cat's arrived at the anchorage 24 hours before the first of the mono's, 48 hours before the last of them.

I know where I'd prefer to be.

I'm soon to buy a cat, and above is one of the reasons. Boats can take much more abuse than humans, and in rough conditions its far less risks for the smaller accidents (broken legs, arms, teeth, etc, etc) on a cat than a mono. Working on deck also have less risks as it stays level on a cat.

One thing do concerns me though. In very hard conditions, the best survival method in a cat seems to be running bare poles with some kind of a slowing down device. But how about if you have no sea room. If having to lay still or even worse having to make headway into the wind in survival conditions. That I fear will be much harder to do in a cat than a mono.

I guess a parachute anchor is a possibility, but deploying it in survival conditions must be very difficult and risky at best.

[salticrak]

James wharram rode out the tail end of a hurricane in the Atlantic under bare poles. What makes this feat more remarkable is that he was probably the first person to do it with a self built catamaran.

[Oliver L.]

Chartercat,

check out the Jordan Series Drogue. I just got one for our boat, and I hope I will never deploy it...

Supposedly it slows you down to about 2 knots, so you don't need a lot of sea room. If you run out of sea room anyway, the only option left is to cut the drogue, fire up the engines and try to motor against the waves. It has been done, but - again - I hope I won't be the one trying it...

Oliver

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by colemj

"Bombs going off" refers to waves being caught under the bridgedeck with no outlet causing loud noises and vibrations. The extent to which this happens varies greatly with different designs and sizes. All catamarans will do this at some point.

It is more annoying than horrible. Rolling downwind is horrible

It is mitigated greatly by simply changing the angle of attack to the waves.

Mark

Of course in the example, they were racing so it was about speed over comfort and safety.

We have one of the most notorious cats for bridge deck slaming and simply bearing off a little typically makes it go away, so if you are on the open ocean and don't know better than to pick a better point of sail, you have other problems.

[Wraith_Mac]

Drogue use on a cat from "Maxing Out"
SURVIVING THE SAVAGE SEAS

Sea Anchor use and storm manageament on a cat from "Maxing Out"
STORM MANAGEMENT FOR CRUISERS

Not theories, his experience.
Cheers,
Mac

[RichandHelen]

Originally Posted by Wraith_Mac

Drogue use on a cat from "Maxing Out" SURVIVING THE SAVAGE SEAS Sea Anchor use and storm manageament on a cat from "Maxing Out" STORM MANAGEMENT FOR CRUISERS Not theories, his experience. Cheers, Mac

Useful stuff. Thanks