What is the most affordable new cruising cat??

[wants_a_cat]

Day dreaming land animal in late 20s with little money and big dreams.


I would like to give up the rat race one day and sail with my wife, but I am not a high earner. I also don't want a monohull/



I am wondering what the cheapest ocean-going NEW cat one can buy/have built and kitted out for sailing around the world. I am looking for the bare bones needed to make, for instance, a transatlantic passage from Portugal to the Caribbean, and to live on board for some time without dying. It has to have a head with shower, a galley, a fridge for food, and berths suitable for at least 4 tall people, and headroom of at least 1.90 meters or thereabouts.



From the production cats, from what I can see, the Seawind 1160 Lite has a base price of $310000 USD, which is the cheapest from the production cats for which I can find the price.


I would be willing to consider having a boat made from a kit, like a Schionning Arrow 1200 for instance, but I don't have space or time to build one myself, so this would need an estimate of labour costs as well.


As for performance: it has to sail, preferably fast (speed is safety). Engines: I don't care, has to be cheap. Could be outboards, as long as it cuts down on the costs.


Do any of you have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[ohdrinkboy]

buy used

[Snowgoose35]

Size is a big factor but the smallest and cheapest new that would fit the requirements you state is probably the Broadblue 346 - starting price is around £135K (GB Pounds so about $160K US) but add a bit for all the long term cruising stuff.

[Adelie]

Welcome.
New cat or new monohull for offshore are not going to be low budget.

[BlueSkyOne]

Hi, in a similar situation albeit a bit older, trying to save but manufacturers put prices up quicker than you can save. Crazy that they keep pushing through 2-5% annual increases when inflation is basically 0, just pure greed.

Used makes little sense when the discount to new is so small in my opinion.

Perhaps check out Aventura Catamarans who have a new model 37 (they have a cheaper 34 but not rated for ocean crossing) which looks interesting and is certainly below the cost of the main manufacturers. Difficult to find owner reviews however as think there are relatively few aventura cats out there

https://www.aventura-catamarans.com/en-au/aventura-37

They are made in Tunisia which I think explains the lower cost like the seawind story where they moved build to Vietnam to lower production costs to boost margins.

[harlem24]

The 346 is CE A rated.
And they are building cats for over 40 years, Prouts included.
So, I would prefer that over the Aventura.
What what I have seen so far, the built quality was not so great.

[BlueSkyOne]

I'm keen to see aventura when they have a 37 built to look at quality and actual performance. I looked at a broadblue about a year back and whilst it was well made it was very dated with open cockpit, limited natural light and dated layout so not for me but can see that it would tick a lot of the boxes. If broadblue had the money to have a new modern designed cat I think they could really fill an emerging gap in the market but guess the cost of new frames and mould are too prohibitive

[wants_a_cat]

Thanks for all the replies. The Broadblue 346 looks great, but, it doesn't have a trampoline. Is this a capsize issue in big seas?


The Aventura 37 looks interesting but can't get much info about it actually. Seems to be built in Tunisia, would be interesting to know what the build quality is compared to the Broadblue. From early searches online it looks like the Broadblue is at least partially built in Poland, and, I don't want to spread any prejudices or anything, but as a European I would take a product my life depends on being built in Europe in a country known for building great cats (Sunreef) over anything built in North Africa. However, I could be wrong.


Anyone know anything about the build quality of Broadblue vs Aventura?


Thanks for all your suggestions and tips!

[harlem24]

None of the Prouts have trampolines, none of the new Balis do.
Many Prouts circumnavigated without problems.
Don't think it will be problematic, especially with such a short boat.

[Ifitsworthdoing]

Check out the Broadblue 346 - this is the cat I am gearing up to buy in early 2021. Barebones price from UK is around £155k (excl. of engines, navtech and VAT). It is very nicely built and kitted out for 4-6 tall adults, and has a CE class A (Ocean) rating. If you are in Portugal there is one in use by the Learn2Sail training school in Portimao on the Algarve which you should have no problem viewing as a prospective future customer. Best wishes!

[Ifitsworthdoing]

Sorry missed the bit above about the BB346 having already been mentioned ... they are hull built in Szcecin in Poland before final kit-out in the UK. Northern European customers can have the final kit-out done elsewhere on request. The boat we tested in Hampshire (hull 17) had been built for a Swiss owner who plans to sail it to the Med. They have also brought a few over the pond to sell in the US (I believe under own sail but am not 100% sure).

[barnakiel]

There are those Open smthng cats built by Bavaria. They look cheap built. Have you seen?


https://www.nautitechcatamarans.com/en



barnakiel

[zstine]

Smart Cat S280 is $150k new... not really a long distance cruiser, but could be okay for coastal

[Little John]

Stay with a new or used seawind. They are real sailing cats, well constructed, from sailor for sailors and not from the salesdepartment.

[harlem24]

Seawind are nice boats, but no really cheap and sparse in Europe.
And Nautitec are everything, but cheap.