The Cons of Owning a Catamaran

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by eyschulman

The abilities of none foil multis are now fairly well understood and I do not think your boat has any magical components. It will sail well in a blow down wind and on a reach faster than many fast monos but much slower than a true preformance multi. It is an appropriate down wind cruising home but would suffer trying to stay with performance multi or monos going up wind. That is my opinion and experience. Many others state out right that the type needs motor power to go to wind. In my present sailing pond my observation would lean that way. My present sail boat(the slowest I have owned in several years) a 32 ft J/100 has easily outsailed the local house-morans to weather by large margins and when they are not daysailing and heading north dead upwind I have yet to see one sail and I can be out there 4-5X aweek all year. In light wind I find my 32 with working sails even faster or matching larger cats off the wind.

Your opinion and experience counts for nought when making opinionated judgement on vessels you have neither been on or even seen.

Comparing an Oram44 to what you call "house-morans" proves that you obviously have no idea.

Comparing sailing ability of a "House-moran" to your daysailer seems equally ridiculous.

All I can say in my experience is that in mixed racing (handicap start) on a Wednesday here in Brisbane, most multi's regularly give a 30 to 40 minute head start to vessels such as yours.
Some multi's would be giving you an hour plus.

Thats for a 15nm (approx) race.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by eyschulman

CC44 I have to tell you its a long time since I have been a die hard racer. But I must say that I still respect raceing dispite all its faults. It forces skippers and boats to sail the same course in much the same weather. The room and living accomodations will not be tested,but the relative truth of performance over many races and many conditions will out. The abilities of none foil multis are now fairly well understood and I do not think your boat has any magical components. It will sail well in a blow down wind and on a reach faster than many fast monos but much slower than a true preformance multi. It is an appropriate down wind cruising home but would suffer trying to stay with performance multi or monos going up wind. That is my opinion and experience. Many others state out right that the type needs motor power to go to wind. In my present sailing pond my observation would lean that way. My present sail boat(the slowest I have owned in several years) a 32 ft J/100 has easily outsailed the local house-morans to weather by large margins and when they are not daysailing and heading north dead upwind I have yet to see one sail and I can be out there 4-5X aweek all year. In light wind I find my 32 with working sails even faster or matching larger cats off the wind.

LOL! I rest my case.

[Ontos45]

[QUOTE=Factor;906234]Yes



There are cheaper Elites around and some in very good nick, saw one in Melbourne a while back that was pretty good for under $200K

[impi]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Your opinion and experience counts for nought when making opinionated judgement on vessels you have neither been on or even seen.

Comparing an Oram44 to what you call "house-morans" proves that you obviously have no idea.

Comparing sailing ability of a "House-moran" to your daysailer seems equally ridiculous.

All I can say in my experience is that in mixed racing (handicap start) on a Wednesday here in Brisbane, most multi's regularly give a 30 to 40 minute head start to vessels such as yours.
Some multi's would be giving you an hour plus.

Thats for a 15nm (approx) race.

Im with you on this one !!!

Guy has no clue!

[D&D]

Originally Posted by td1

another con is cargo weight capacity. While a cat may have more volume to store stuff in, they typically can not carry nearly as much weight as a similar size mono without a serious reduction in speed and maybe safety.

We'll disagree on this one, although we also note the "typically" as perhaps grounds for agreement.

In our experience, weight capacity varies according to cat design...with hull width probably being the critical variable. Thin hulled cats, while generally quicker unloaded, will see bridgedeck clearance reducing sharply with added load, thus reducing comfort, speed and perhaps even safety. Fat-hulled cats, on the other hand, are designed to take substantial loads with negligible impact on clearance or safety or (in our experience) speed. Of course any load should be within the vessel's design specifications, but a fat-hulled cat can certainly (and is designed to) be loaded up with fuel, water, passengers etc.

Along the same lines, however, we'll suggest another cat 'con'...wave penetration ability and thus upwind performance in heavy seas. Cats don't have the same concentrated wave-punching power of the much heavier monohulls. With less weight distributed across two hulls, the stopping power of wave impact is much greater on a cat...with (in our experience anyway) a greater negative impact on upwind performance relative to a flat sea state, as compared to a monohull.

[whatsupdoc]

I guess the only con i can think of at the moment, is trying to maneuver in a very tight space, with a stiff cross wind and not much way on, slipping sideways can be an issue I guess, but like everything you chose to put yourself in that position in the first place, but twin screws can get you out of trouble pretty quick. The important part is, to not be moving around unless the weather allows you too, that's always a safer choice, whether in a tight space or on the ocean.

I always thought of twin engines and drive lines as a complete set of spare parts for each other, rather than anything else. That was always good to know.

[Mr B]

I just sailed my Gemini 105 MC across 3 oceans single handed and not once did I feel unsafe in her, And I had some very scary moments with the bad weather,

Mooring in a Marina is easy, Both Centre boards down, it does not slip sideways,

I fit in a normal slip, so I only get charged for one hull, 14 feet wide,

The low clearance under the bridgedeck does slam a bit in winds that are on the nose, But with a following sea, no problems, no slam,

Most of the hull cleaning and painting can be done at low water on a sand bank.

Jealosy is extreme when you talk to Mono hull drivers, Most have never even been on a Cat, But they have all the supposed knowledge of Cats, Duhhhh,

Modern Cats have had their sail rigs reduced to stop pitch poling, plus the wider hulls go a lot to stop this happening these days,

Racing Multi's have very thin hulls for speed, cruising Cats dont,

I averaged between 5 and 8 knots most of the way, I cant sail for ****, so am not a racer, so approx 150 NM per day,

I prefer to cruise at a lower speed so as to not over load my sails and equiptment,

You cant get spares out there, so take it easy and dont break any thing,

Love my Gemini 105 MC, 2003 model. Hull 825,

And it is a true blue water vessel. with out doubt, I have no hesitation of sailing it any where across the oceans,

Plus Cats dont sink like Mono's do,

Mono's have a saying, Gone in 30 seconds,

That means they have sunk in 30 seconds,

And in the worst storm, I can still put my coffee down and it will stay there where I put it,

My Gem drives it self, so I just sit back and enjoy the trip. or sleep.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Some folks can work out that 2+2 doesn't equal 127 without using fingers. Others need to learn hands on .

A fool and his boat are soon parted - no matter the hull configuration. or the size of the cheque. or what the brochure / salesman says. But at the end of the day, "your" money, your life - and besides, I hear lalaland is a great place to visit .

Originally Posted by Mr B

My Gem drives it self, so I just sit back and enjoy the trip. or sleep.

How did that work out?


But to get back to OP's question ......one of the cons that you don't have to experiance from Multihull ownership is being insecure and humourless. A lobotomy is also optional, despite what the brochure / salesman may suggest. But seeing as most of my experiance of Multihull owners is on CF I can't testify to this from first hand knowledge.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Some folks can work out that 2+2 doesn't equal 127 without using fingers. Others need to learn hands on .

A fool and his boat are soon parted - no matter the hull configuration. or the size of the cheque. or what the brochure / salesman says. But at the end of the day, "your" money, your life - and besides, I hear lalaland is a great place to visit .





How did that work out?


But to get back to OP's question ......one of the cons that you don't have to experiance from Multihull ownership is being insecure and humourless. A lobotomy is also optional, despite what the brochure / salesman may suggest. But seeing as most of my experiance of Multihull owners is on CF I can't testify to this from first hand knowledge.

GPS connected to Auto pilot, Very simple, It drives your boat to where ever you want to go, with out human intervention,

So sit back and enjoy your trip,
Your boat knows where its going with out you annoying it by fiddling with it,
You only have to raise or lower your sails, if all else fails, turn your diesel on,

The auto pilot doesnt give a crap about sails or diesel. It still goes where you set it to go, Accurately.

Lala land is great, you should sail there some time, I enjoyed being there, Hahahaha

[Factor]

I think what bilge keel boy was alluding to Brian is that you had an issue at Broughton Island. The fact that your issue was irrelevant to the discussion and his comment was rude seems to be par for the course

[GypsyGal]

I was converted to being a cat owner 12 years ago, at 36' x 17'10 (the ratio DOES matter some) she has taken me across oceans very happily and, being of 3' draft, up rivers too. We have also been in real bad weather (on a longer crossing, no way out of it) and had 40' waves break across the coachroof...being hove-to (YES THEY DO!) she just sailed merrily on.
Years ago, on that most fateful Sydney/Hobart race, a couple were airlifted from their cat, having tied everything down. The film footage then showed the cat settling into a gentle rise and fall over the heavy waves and was found in one piece, beached, a couple of weeks later, though it had been stripped by finders. Seeing the film gave me much more confidence in buying a cat.
Work out the percentage - I spend 100% of my time living on her and around 15% of my time sailing her. Yes there is more storage and comfort and yes, weight does affect her speed. It is also true that cats do not happily sail (or motor) close into wind and waves, but half the fun is in the journey, right? Yes, they are more expensive to buy, maintain, lift and store, but with a good dinghy who needs to go into a marina?
Another 'con', though......you do become party central in the anchorage!!

[Ontos45]

Originally Posted by Doodles

Why??

Florida is hot, crowded, expensive, full of old people and has hurricanes. If she/he is from Texas they should already know this.

Thanks for your input doodles.
Sue has sisters near Florida and easier to for them to get too, besides I want to see the Caribbean.
I could also say the same if you wished to sail to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and Cairns.
Hot (36C) humid (80%) full of Asians and has Cyclones, but I wouldnot as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Ontos45

Thanks for your input doodles.
Sue has sisters near florida and easier to get to for them, besides I want to see the Caribbean.
I could also say the same if you wished to sail to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and Cairns.
Hot (36C) humid (80%) full of Asians and Cyclones, but I wouldnot as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And we love it!!! +1

[Ontos45]

Originally Posted by Factor

Yes



There are cheaper Elites around and some in very good nick, saw one in Melbourne a while back that was pretty good for under $200K.

Just looking at the Tasman as its moored near me (Keppel Bay) Sue (partner) likes the layout of the Leopard 37 and 40 footer but damn excy in Oz.

[tamicatana]

Having a sad because you've seen your dream boat and can't afford it. Biggest downside, if you ask me.

edit: that's really pre-owning, I suppose.