Are There any Truly "Bad" Models of Multihulls Out There?

[Rohan]

I know that some people on this forum have very strong opinions on which boats are better than others, but are there any truly bad catamarans or trimarans out there?

I have even heard people claim that the larger manufacturers (Lagoon, FP, Leopard, etc) are fatally flawed in some way (either balsa core construction, weight, saildrives, etc). But it seems to me that would be impossible, because any manufacturer that produced a truly substandard boat would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. That's especially true today, where the Internet spreads information instantly.

Of course, all boats are a compromise of sorts and are better for some needs than for others. But are there any models of multihulls that the readers here think should be avoided under any circumstances? I am curious.

[neilpride]

Compromise, budget, etc...
Fp suffer from osmosis and blisters , even the new ones, here someone is grinding blisters in 3 years Orana. But is a matter of luck i guess, others dont see any blister at all.

Lagoons, nothing wrong, maybe a long list of small flaws or things that are easy to fix, balsa construction is the norm this days , so dont expect a cat without balsa or foam here or there...
Katanas are full cored of foam , others just cored above the waterline.

And many new owners dont know nothing about the company history or models with problems, so i guess is good for the builder, bad for new owners....

Nothing wrong with saildrives in cats , is a matter of maintenace.....
Any truly bad catamaran or tri dont exist... all of the brands you mention have something good and something bad. like all.

[Cotemar]

A cat is just like anyother boat. If your going to buy one you have to do your homework.

Their are no bad cats from any of the production builders.

[senormechanico]

Let's just say I wouldn't pay a buck for this one:

65- by 32-foot catamaran 3200sqft of living space - Sailing Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums

Steve

[Cotemar]

Glad I said no bad production boats

[barnakiel]

There are bad cats around and bad monos and bad skippers. Avoid.

And no names PLS.

b.

[Sand crab]

There are a few that had some really bad boats: Admiral, Dean, Wildcat and even 0utremer for the 64. But overall these firms produced good quality cats so just check them out. I would say that the cream of the crop is MaineCat, Seawind, and Manta except the last few made, and PDQ Antares. You will pay more for these. Who did I leave out?

[gbanker]

maybe Catana and Privilege should be in with the cream of the crop?

[Sand crab]

Catana did have some issues so about par with FP and Lagoon. Haven't heard much negative about Privilege.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Rohan

I know that some people on this forum have very strong opinions on which boats are better than others, but are there any truly bad catamarans or trimarans out there?

I have even heard people claim that the larger manufacturers (Lagoon, FP, Leopard, etc) are fatally flawed in some way (either balsa core construction, weight, saildrives, etc). But it seems to me that would be impossible, because any manufacturer that produced a truly substandard boat would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. That's especially true today, where the Internet spreads information instantly.

Of course, all boats are a compromise of sorts and are better for some needs than for others. But are there any models of multihulls that the readers here think should be avoided under any circumstances? I am curious.

Buccaneers. RUN and HIDE!

[Dulcesuenos]

There are some great home builds or low production runs too. No matter what they all perform great at anchor. Where most people spend 75% of their time.

A great boat can become a pile of crap if it is not maintained.

[Howaya]

Rakuflames, please elaborate about the Buccs. They were great performers in their day and have a good design pedigree, so I am curious about your comment. Don't worry, I do not own one.

A questionable multi design that comes to mind are Packet Cats of Island Packet fame. Great dockside but not so much when sailing.