What is the oyster marine of the catamarans? It's personal

[BillKny]

You are looking for catamarans built like the Polina Star III????

[sailormed]

This is the question of OP:
“What is the catamaran builder whose quality, seaworthiness, philosophy is nearest to the boats of OYster Marine (especially the turn of the century ones).”

Polina Star III disaster happened after the sale of the Oyster yard and under management of the new financially oriented management (read cost-cutters).

[redhead]

My neighbors have a Balance 526 and I'm impressed. Everything I've seen shows quality and speed.

[jmastal70]

I see a lack of the other, and smaller , So. African builders being mentioned. Leopard pumps out at least a dozen boats per week during high production times. I would consider the custom and semi custom builders first. For semi custom, look at Maverick Yachts of So. Africa, which are made near Cape Town in the order of 2 or 3 per year to your specifications for most things. The basic hull and cabin lay outs are standard but tweakable to a minor degree and you choose everything else and get weekly build updates with pictures and descriptions. and emails and chats with the builder. They are roomy, solid, safe, high quality and as high end as you can afford, but admirably nice at the basic level. Disclaimer is due here, as I own a 3 yr old 40' Maverick custom 400 after looking for 5 yrs at boat shows in the U.S. Knysna and St. Francis are also to be considered and may be fully custom.
If used boat sales are any indication of value and durability/high quality, most used and well maintained Mavericks are selling for the near the same original price paid.
Enjoy the buying process and interview the builders and ask to be in touch with current owners for their direct feedback.

[wkstar]

I wanted to visit some Beneteau, Jeannot, and other French yards, but I was not exactly looking very rich, and I got snobbed in the most insolent way.
Strangely enough, the sales people of Oyster did not snob me and took time on their lunch pause to show me their boats, although I did not know a thing about blue sailing (or sailing for that matter).

They did not snob you because some of the very rich are not snazzy dressers. You could have been one of those people

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Francois1er

Hello everybody
What is the catamaran builder whose quality, seaworthiness, philosophy is nearest to the boats of OYster Marine (especially the turn of the century ones)
The question may sound ludicrous, but I love the Oysters, and I would seriously consider buying one if it had two hulls.
My wife will only accompany me on the sea on a catamaran, and I must say, I like them much more too.
But roughly 25 years ago, I was in long term unemployment, running out of money, ideas and hope. I was living in Düsseldorf, and we got free tickets to the Boots fair.
I wanted to visit some Beneteau, Jeannot, and other French yards, but I was not exactly looking very rich, and I got snobbed in the most insolent way. (I am from Périgord, France, and I never forget a slight)

Strangely enough, the sales people of Oyster did not snob me and took time on their lunch pause to show me their boats, although I did not know a thing about blue sailing (or sailing for that matter).
I immediately fell in love with this type sailboat, (and I am immensely grateful to Oyster and their salespeople)



Now, I had a lot of chance professionally, and I am starting to look for a bigger catamaran (I own a sirocco 26 from Prout)

Which catamaran builder who be nearest to Oyster in terms of philosophy, interior etc.?


Bon vent à tout le monde!


François

For Euro boats. I'd say Outremer, Privelage, Discovery and Garcia (aluminum). These are all 2 million Usd plus. There are many interesting catamaran companies in South Africa that offer semi custom boats for a bit less. The big key is; how long do you have to wait? New cats require about two years for completion (often longer) due to high demand which is why a lot of people opt for the Lagoons, FP's and Leopards (something they can get quickly). Comparing Oysters to Benies and Jenies is like comparing an A/C Cobra to a Mustang - they're just not in the same class. The Seawinds look like nice boats but they are built in Viet Nam by Australian designers to save cost and make them more affordable (something that doesn't seem to interest the big four, built in Europe with much higher labor costs)

[LittleWingRon]

I’ve owned Leopards and FPs and agree that they are great production boats. Now I own an older ‘94 custom Perry Antrim. I’d suggest looking at the Balance line. They are well build and designed by a team that has sailed and sold many different cats

Also check out the Excel line which a friend has. Lots of customization opportunity in that line I think. It’s on the heavy end but seems to be designed to carry heavy loads. Chris White’s Atlantics, which I love and sail like a dream, apply his philosophy of sailing light and fast. The various wing masts he’s experimented with are intriguing. The Balance is somewhere between the two and carry weight well but are very well thought out for sailing and blue water cruising. Ultimately, it will come down to how you and your wife expect to use the cat, and budget. Make the decision to go to cats is the single most important decision

[dougweibel]

+1 for Antares, Discovery & Privilege.

The one area where it is tough to make a comparison is styling. I love my Antares but I don't think there is a cat around that can compare to the (exterior) styling of most Oysters. To my eye the traditional bluewater monohull styling ethos has never been translated to a cat.

[Huskybeer]

Get your facts straight. Not the cost-cutters were the problem. The owner decided at the last moment to want to have a 5 feet longer boat. And that does not work without a redesign and calculation of the loads. They were also pressed for time because the owner wanted to have that boat in its newest fashion and the contract date of the shorter version. So better blame the obnoxious Russian oligarch

[john2445]

St Francis?

[zboss]

Privilege for sure maybe followed by Ita, HH, and McConaghy.

[poiu]

Discovery make the best cats with regard to the quality of fit out. Then Privilege. Then it gets light, flimsy and sometimes tacky.

[tamicatana]

Some friends have a ‘Dolphin’ catamaran which is purdy floofy, probably what op is wanting

https://www.multihulls-world.com/review/catamaran/dolphin-460-an-owner-s-catamaran

[billgewater]

Could some one describe for the ignorant (that's me, but I suspect others) just what were the outstanding features of the Oysters when compared to similarly priced/performance etc. other boats. e.g. were they full of really innovative design features, were they built to last, were they really ergonomic, were they "palatial" or sparse etc.? Did the Oyster features apply across a range of boats?

[ClarkeB]

I would also look at a Perry and or a Lightwave, 45 ft? How big do you want to go?? Both cats are very well made to your requirements, I would like to upgrade with the new 45 Lightwave. I have the 38ft sailing Asia at the moment.