Best cat under 45'

[cwjohm]

Hi all

I have a long term plan (2 years) to purchase a boat for short term cruising but I want to get from point A to B in the shortest possible time i.e. the passage time will be minimised.

Comfort is secondary but still important as my partner will not make passage with me but will travel to location.

I do not want greater than 45' as too many issues at close quarters.

I do not want a custom built boat.

Price is no object.

It seems to me my choices are :-

Catana 42
Gunboat G4
Outremer 45

Does anybody have a feel yet for pricing on the Outremer or the Gunboat, and are there other options?

[Stumble]

Cw,

What type of living accommodations are you looking for? A fast cat is very weight sensitive, and has to trade accommodations for light weight and therefore speed. While it seems your SO won't be sailing with you, will they have certain creature comforts required? Things like air conditioning, hot water, and microwaves can both add significant weight, and require generators which results in more weight.

Assuming spartan accommodations are acceptable you may also want to look at the Corsair 36 trimaran. You will have an even larger deck, more spartan accommodations, but a fast boat and it can be put on a trailer which is the fastest way to get anywhere.

[deckofficer]

Chris White's Atlantic series.

[ozskipper]

you dont mention seawind. Any reason? For an aussie there are lots of reasons to consider them.
They have an excellent reputation locally
There is a community of people who catch up at social events and exchange ideas.
The builder is active in supporting the Seawind community with guest speakers etc at some events.

IMHO the seawind 1250 has the best "back door" on any cat I have seen recently.

New Seawind 1250 Catamaran.. - YouTube

Seawind Catamarans - YouTube

I am not sure on speed comparisons with the other boats you mention. But they are still cats and assuming you dont over load they will make fast passages. Especially compared to most monos.

I am not associated with Seawind. But I have drooled over a few. Any seawind questions here should be sent to "factor" who is active in this forum and is an agent in qld I believe. I only know him from here. So its not a reference. just a contact. :-D I "assume" he could even give you compatible speed data if you need it.

[cwjohm]

Stumble

I am looking at a trimaran for racing but it is not suitable for this purpose. Basically I want a boat located in the other hemisphere that is fast yet comfortable for a short stay - 2-4 weeks.

Deck

Not sure this fits my definition of a production boat. I will look again.

Oz

I would not want this thread to develop into a protracted discussion on Seawind as this has been done to death. Suffice to say that the 1250 does not meet my needs.

[Factor]

I didn't pay ozskipper to put that post up - honestly I didn't.

CWjohm - (Chris?) why move from the Orana?

Pricing on the Outremer 45 is available, feel free to give me an email or call.

[cwjohm]

Andrew

We will not move from the Orana. We love the boat and will probably keep it indefinitely.

It is good for pottering up and down the eastern coast.

But I want a boat in the Med/Carribean and I will not have the time to spend a lot of time, so I want a boat that either I or a professional skipper can move quickly and is easy to store in the Northern Hemisphere winter.

In my view a larger boat requires a full time crew and I am not prepared to stump up for that (maybe later), so for now I am looking at sub 45.

It will probably never see oz though.

Chris

[Talbot]

Sub 45ft offers additional options if you are intent on performance

Wood's Eclipse or Transit are both fast passage makers


Or for higher performance look really closely at the Dazcat range

the 1350 looks really nice

[tamicatana]

For what you're describing, it seems to me that a larger Farrier trimaran would fit your bill

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by cwjohm

Andrew

We will not move from the Orana. We love the boat and will probably keep it indefinitely.

It is good for pottering up and down the eastern coast.

But I want a boat in the Med/Carribean and I will not have the time to spend a lot of time, so I want a boat that either I or a professional skipper can move quickly and is easy to store in the Northern Hemisphere winter.

In my view a larger boat requires a full time crew and I am not prepared to stump up for that (maybe later), so for now I am looking at sub 45.

To me, it sounds like the Dragonfly 1200 would fit the bill perfectly.
Dragonfly Trimarans by Quorning Boats of Denmark | DRAGONFLY 1200 Presentation

It's very fast, but it can fold the outer hulls inward so that greatly reduces marina, haulout, and storage costs. Quality is exceptional. Are you buying new or used? A new one is rather expensive, but if you are buying a second yacht I'm guessing upfront cost is not much of a factor for you.

BTW, just to put in my extra unasked for 2 cents, you already have a wonderful cat that's hard to beat (the Orana 44). If I was looking for a second boat in your situation, I would go with a monohull. Gives you a bit more flexibility and variety.

[cruisingkrol]

Alpha 42? May have the best combo of comfort and performance.

[catabroker]

Originally Posted by cruisingkrol

Alpha 42? May have the best combo of comfort and performance.

Hmmmm....that's quite a stretch as the first Alpha 42 has not been sea trialed yet?


She surely looks fast, but let's not get overly hyped up with a new model. This forum had many Lagoon 420 fans when the model was introduced. Before the launch there many members hyping up their boat choice and justifying the purchase / order. Check the lagoon 420 thread, start reading from the beginning, it reads like a novel. Again, don't get me wrong, this is not criticism, the Lagoon 420 is a great coastal cruiser and I have met many happy owners. But let's first see and sail a new model before claims regarding speed are made.

Peter Wiersema

[cwjohm]

Talbot

Dazcat looks interesting. There sure are a number of fast cats on the drawing boards right now.

Tami

The farriers are really good boats but they dont give sufficient comfort for a 1 month stay in my opinion.

Rohan

I must admit I was not aware of the Dragonfly. Just goes to show the advantages of forums such as this. I will take a look at the specs and videos.

Actually, the Orana is my second boat, as I have an interest in a Jeaneau 39 mono. I have certainly considered buying a mono but it requires a different strategy as it will be a much slower boat.

It certainly makes sense to buy a nice late model mono in the Med, make 6-9 one month trips over 3 years in different areas and then on sell it, and then do the same in the carribean. Unfortunately, my opinions are probably somewhat influenced by sailing in the coral sea in 3m swells and 40kn winds. Not fun in a mono in my opinion. I fully accept that the med may be a different proposition. This is definitely something I am mulling over.

Cruisingkkrol

Alpha 42 is a great boat. A bit heavier than the Gunboat or Outremer so probably not as fast. Some logistic problems for the Med considering it is built in the US (Gunboat has the same problem) but certainly an option for sailing the Carribean.

[cruisingkrol]

"Hmmmm....that's quite a stretch as the first Alpha 42 has not been sea trialed yet? "

I did say "may". I really really really wish we knew that "Alpha 42 is a great boat."

[cwjohm]

Yes, I should have said "a great specification", as also applies to most of the other boats discussed. We will all know a lot more in a year or so.