Blue Water Cruising a Small Catamaran

[Tear Away]

This is a great shape no pounding the low front makes so much easier in a marina you don't have to back in because the side is to high to jump off you can manage by yourself if need be.

Don't do what I and many others do try carry the world with you u need at most 5 sets clothing but you will only use swimmers most the time ans a shirt to keep the sun off as for spare part I carry the lot a waste of time now day u can have parts in a few days from any place in the world it's all weight. Books carry 3 only one one one goes off your boat will thank you weight adds up fast with paper. iPads are great for reading storing info and like doing this even charts I use here now. Don't try make it a home like on land I did and regret just to much weight strain on boat she takes it but one day in bad weather you don't want the junk we are out here because we want to get away from all the crap the world has we want freedom.

[barnakiel]

I sometimes look at Prouts and I think they could be a good cruising platform in some areas. I think I could consider getting one in a place I like, sailing some then selling it to another dreamer.

Are Prouts fine in open water? I know one that had issues but they did not seem to be related to the design per se.

b.

[boatman61]

Makes one wonder how a Tiki 21 circumnavigated with jerry cans don't it...

[sandy daugherty]

Size matters. In the open ocean waves are created by swells (traveling long distances from weather highs to lows) and wind which stir up a local pattern that can parallel the swell, or cross it at just about any angle. Swells are long and smooth, with periods sometimes exceeding 140 feet. Wind blown waves have shorter periods, and the combination is responsible for some beaches having a really high 9th wave (or 5th wave) followed by a set of lower waves.

In shore the depth of the water has a major impact on the size of the wave: shallower water produces shorter periods. Off shore and off soundings (that means the water is really deep) the size and period of the wave is determined by the force that generated it.

The amount of pitching a catamaran will do is primarily dependent on the wave period. Hull form, particularly hull rocker, is the second strongest influence.

Catamarans under some length of the waterline will pitch much more that longer waterline boats that "bridge" the local wave period. sailors will notice that different cats seem to hobby-horse worse in a narrow range of water depths. A 32 foot waterline may be uncomfortable passing through 15 to 19 foot depths, where as 36 foot cat will pitch more in 25 to 35 feet of water.

When the small boat reaches deep water, the ride is smoother. It is smoothest when the wind is less of a factor, and riding over the long swells is pleasant. Barring strong weather patterns, life on the deep blue is nice. But getting to the deep blue, crossing the transition areas, exposes a small boat to wind driven short period waves at a time when nerves are tuned up because of traffic, obstructions, lack of familiarity with the area and more. A longer waterline moderates the motion of the vessel. There is no upper limit to this moderating, so a 150' yacht is hardly affected by waves that make life on a small craft miserable.

The question of what boat is best for a cruising couple with aspirations to circumnavigate is answered simply: bigger is better. But bigger boats present a crew with heavier challenges. Complexity, muscle power required, and knowledge needed all increase geometrically as the boat gets bigger, arriving at a point that exceeds a typical mature couple's capability in the mid forty-foot range. Even then the boat can survive far worse conditions than the crew can handle. This is an arbitrary number arrived at by consensus of those who have tried it. Interestingly, this number has risen through the years. When Steve Black led the first Caribbean 1500, the average size of participating boats was in the mid thirties. Lately the average size has been more than 48 feet LOA.

So:

My advice to new boaters is to buy the biggest boat you can handle. Experience prepares you to handle bigger boats. Age encourages you to get a smaller vessel. Daugherty's Maxim states that nobody buys their last boat first. There are exceptions that prove the rule, but for most of us, we don't need to buy something that requires hired crew, and two people will have problems raising and reefing sails as big as those found on boats over that semi-magic LwL. Electric winches mandate a heavy and complicated electrical supply, placing considerable strain on a new sailor's technical competence. Many a day has been ruined by not know where to replace a fuse.

[wescraft]

Sandy, nice post. I started reading this post and after the second page started wondering who it was really written for with all the bantering....

the truth to all this is, bigger boats are smoother most the time. but a poorly designed cat (and there seem to be a few out there) no matter how big it is, will be a nightmare for a new owner. bridgedeck clearance, hull form, displacement, etc....

might I suggest Ted Clements blog..http://http://catamaranconcepts.com/ as a starting point.

boat size is only part of the issue, owners ability to handle the boat is another. Richard Woods states on his website "I always say you should buy the smallest boat you need, not the biggest you want" his link here - http://http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/articles/29-general/197-why-sail-a-catamaran

there are many reasons for smaller boats in my opinion, not least of which is cost. both berthing and overall maintenance. sure I would love to own an Antares 44, but my modest means of income will never see that. and plenty of people sail in much smaller cats. this 28' cat sailed from British Columbia, to Mexico, to Hawaii and back. http://http://www.time-for-a-catamaran-adventure.com/

and this little 16' cat sailed Mexico, crossed Nicaragua and off to the Cayman Brac, Panama and to Florida. http://http://turtleislands.net/tmc/ not bad for a single handler, could have circumnavigated the trade and been the smallest to do so with the owner who is an accomplished sailor.

the thing is, in my humble opinion, that bigger boats take more effort to sail, more money and expense to maintain, more fuel to burn when motoring, harder to find mooring space, etc.... I could go on an on. besides, if you want a big boat, charter the QEII... I want to sail to enjoy it, not impress people, or worry about all the maintenance...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by wescraft

Sandy, nice post. I started reading this post and after the second page started wondering who it was really written for with all the bantering....

the truth to all this is, bigger boats are smoother most the time. but a poorly designed cat (and there seem to be a few out there) no matter how big it is, will be a nightmare for a new owner. bridgedeck clearance, hull form, displacement, etc....

might I suggest Ted Clements blog..http://http://catamaranconcepts.com/ as a starting point.

boat size is only part of the issue, owners ability to handle the boat is another. Richard Woods states on his website "I always say you should buy the smallest boat you need, not the biggest you want" his link here - http://http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/articles/29-general/197-why-sail-a-catamaran

there are many reasons for smaller boats in my opinion, not least of which is cost. both berthing and overall maintenance. sure I would love to own an Antares 44, but my modest means of income will never see that. and plenty of people sail in much smaller cats. this 28' cat sailed from British Columbia, to Mexico, to Hawaii and back. http://http://www.time-for-a-catamaran-adventure.com/

and this little 16' cat sailed Mexico, crossed Nicaragua and off to the Cayman Brac, Panama and to Florida. http://http://turtleislands.net/tmc/ not bad for a single handler, could have circumnavigated the trade and been the smallest to do so with the owner who is an accomplished sailor.

the thing is, in my humble opinion, that bigger boats take more effort to sail, more money and expense to maintain, more fuel to burn when motoring, harder to find mooring space, etc.... I could go on an on. besides, if you want a big boat, charter the QEII... I want to sail to enjoy it, not impress people, or worry about all the maintenance...

+A1.. excellent post.. TY.