Making a lifestyle change, but also looking for a roomy head.

[Morndenkainen]

I've been looking into getting a catamaran recently and I've been trying to find one with space in the head. I'm 6'2" and about 250. Not a small guy.. Does anyone have any suggestions on a cat with a fairly comfortable place for the 3 S's? (---- , shower, and shave)

I've looked at some Fountains, and Lagoons. The Lagoons were a bit better than the Fountains, but still felt a tad small for me. I can deal with the headroom, but I'd like more elbow room. The Vision 444 I looked at in Annapolis felt like it had a good sized head with plenty of room, but just being real, I don't want a $700K boat, this is a huge lifestyle change for us and I don't want to have to sell it and lose a good chunk on depreciation. Realistically, I'd like to pick something up in the 300-350K range to make sure we can deal with the change in lifestyle, plus, it leaves me about $50K to comfortably repair/add/upgrade stuff without compromising my income and the time to figure out what we "really" need out there.

It's just me and the wife, and we don't need to go with the biggest /fastest /fanciest cat out there. We're looking for something comfortable, reliable, and manageable. Our plan is to hit up the Caribbean for a couple years to get some experience and ensure we like the life before heading off to wherever.

If anyone has any other suggestions as far as cats with fairly roomy heads / showers, I'd appreciate hearing about them. Perhaps one with an owners berth up on the bridge deck/hull and a bathroom in the aft of the hull?

[44'cruisingcat]

Most of the major manufacturers have "owner's version" boats, (as opposed to the standard, built- for- charter version) where one hull is dedicated to one cabin and heads. ( And sometimes a completely useless "lounge")

You might try looking for owner's versions in ads.

[Olorin]

My friend "Two Meter Tim" is 6'7" tall. He was surprised at the room in our Island Spirit 400.

Well under the $700K you quoted. Try for the owner's version, as suggested above.

[Tomodore]

Consider being in the head beating to weather, a tight space at the dock can be a secure space with a moving boat. Clearly you need to fit and of course many boats are marina queens and never need to worry about hand holds.

[Morndenkainen]

44'Cruisingcat, I've checked out some of the owners cats in person, the lagoon, fountain, and vision. I will say, out of the three brands, the vision had the most comfortable (not necessarily nicest) bathroom. And while the fountain's was the nicest, it also felt the most cramped.

Olorin, thanks for that. I've never heard of the Island Spirit cats before, and the personal cruising/3 cabin layout looks pretty good. Kinda wish it was a single helm with a bit more "cover" in the event of bad weather, but it's definitely something I'll consider taking a trip to see in person. This is certainly an attractive option.

Tomodore, Hadn't thought about it from that perspective, but what you say makes sense. I guess I just see myself spending as much time as possible in protected anchorages off nice islands, and not sitting on the throne in a storm. :P Then again a lot of the cats seem to always have 2 cabins in one hull, with a much smaller bathroom. Perhaps that's going to be a pro-tip for later in life... Use the "guest" bathroom in foul weather.

[Manateeman]

You will certainly love this story. So we are off soundings and roaring along in a beautiful custom yacht. Everyone seated and dinner just about to be served. One of the crew is seated in the head, on a head which faces aft but just feet forward from all of us. We fall off a huge wave. The boat lifts perfectly and slams down solid. Then the sound of wood breaking and a human cry. On the salon sole with her undies at her feet, sits one of our crew. All she said was “I’m not hurt”.
We laughed till we cried.
Tight heads are the right heads.
Bolt the door. Every time.
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his manatee crew.

[Cpt Mark]

My Island Packet Yachts, Packet Cat 35 ticks the boxes plus the engine rooms, yes rooms, are huge. Well built boats. Around 110K

[johnn33]

Perhaps only bolt the door if it can be worked from outside while you help with your boot...
John

[Morndenkainen]

Manateeman, That's a good one, I can definitely see why you'd want less space in rough weather. Something to brace against.

Cpt Mark, I checked out the packet cats and they seem to be well thought out boats with a lot of interior room. Sadly, there aren't many for sale at the moment and it appears they were a pretty limited run. The one out there will probably sell before I'm ready to buy in a couple months.