Why Do Catamarans Motor Nearly 100%

[med]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Usually in the Med, the weather forecasters seem to get the wind direction right, but the intensity is usually a few to ten knots more than predicted offshore.

Not in my bit.

It is wildly wrong in strength (both ways around), and often totally wrong in direction as well.

There is often no wind at all, or if there is a decent bit it will always be a headwind - regardless of the direction I am going.

[JPA Cate]

There is often no wind at all, or if there is a decent bit it will always be a headwind - regardless of the direction I am going.

And that, my friends, is the origin of the Portuguese proverb that says, "the wind always blows from the bow of your boat."

Ann

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by SunnySky

As a catamaran owner that rarely motors but sees way too many sailboats motoring (both monohull and multihull) I would have to say motoring is almost always one of three things or a combination of the below:
1) Impatience/desire to keep a certain schedule which is especially true with guests regardless of if they are friends or charter guests
2) Lack of skill as a sailor
3) Sheer laziness

Dave
sv Sunny Sky Hailing from Cold Bay AK

4) Lack of local knowledge. I also see boats motoring in navigationally complicated areas in good sailing conditions out of fear of going aground. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but causes them to miss out on some great sailing. For example, in Belize once on an absolutely perfect sailing day, I counted 6 other boats motoring...I was under sail and noticed one other boat under sail...turned out to be a Belizean friend of mine. All the others were charter boats.

https://db.tt/nRe7lJZP

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

4) Lack of local knowledge. I also see boats motoring in navigationally complicated areas in good sailing conditions out of fear of going aground. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but causes them to miss out on some great sailing. For example, in Belize once on an absolutely perfect sailing day, I counted 6 other boats motoring...I was under sail and noticed one other boat under sail...turned out to be a Belizean friend of mine. All the others were charter boats.

I've concluded that the charter boat angle has a lot to do with it in Sardinia, where my wife and I noticed the phenomenon, which lead to the first post on this thread. Something we hadn't considered.

[Juho]

Some more reasons why catamarans might motor more than monohulls.

- Sailors with limited budget typically buy a monohull because catamaran cruisers are too expensive for them. The same problem of limited budget also typically leads to interest in saving fuel. For catamaran owners (and those who charter catamarans) buying fuel is maybe not a major problem.

- I believe those who are interested in sailing competitions are more often monohull owners than catamaran owners. There are more competitions for monohulls, right? Competition oriented people have of course some natural tendency to practice a little bit against any other boat that comes nearby. Using a motor would be sort of cheating from this point of view. Competitive sailors may be in general ashamed of using a motor if the weather allows sailing too. They could also feel some group pressure to use sails whenever they can (in addition to enjoying the use of sails). Catamaran owners on the other hand may be more interested in something else, like drinking cocktails at the cockpit of their steady boat. It also doesn't make sense to sail with a catamaran cruiser competitively as fast as you can, at the edge of flipping the boat around. Catamaran owners may thus seek more often nice sailing (or nice motoring) than competitive (or compulsory) sailing.

[Dockhead]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Palarran View Post
this thread from the first post was only meant to cause negativity on the forum.

Originally Posted by D&D

+2

...and in that objective it surely succeeded!

You guys should have read the OP more carefully. The OP likes cats, is considering buying one, and is trying to decide whether it even needs sails or not -- whether a power cat might be better.

The title was provocative, unintentionally, I think.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Juho

Some more reasons why catamarans might motor more than monohulls.

- Sailors with limited budget typically buy a monohull because catamaran cruisers are too expensive for them. The same problem of limited budget also typically leads to interest in saving fuel. For catamaran owners (and those who charter catamarans) buying fuel is maybe not a major problem.

- I believe those who are interested in sailing competitions are more often monohull owners than catamaran owners. There are more competitions for monohulls, right? Competition oriented people have of course some natural tendency to practice a little bit against any other boat that comes nearby. Using a motor would be sort of cheating from this point of view. Competitive sailors may be in general ashamed of using a motor if the weather allows sailing too. They could also feel some group pressure to use sails whenever they can (in addition to enjoying the use of sails). Catamaran owners on the other hand may be more interested in something else, like drinking cocktails at the cockpit of their steady boat. It also doesn't make sense to sail with a catamaran cruiser competitively as fast as you can, at the edge of flipping the boat around. Catamaran owners may thus seek more often nice sailing (or nice motoring) than competitive (or compulsory) sailing.

I think this is very perceptive, and I think you may be on to something


Sailing cats are, inherently, superlative motorboats, compared to sailing monos, because of the lack of ballast (not to mention redundant machinery). They are more easily driven, and more stable without the stabilizing factor of sail up.

Most cruising boats of all types motor at least half the time (no wind, wind on the nose, not enough wind to get there when needed, etc., etc., etc.). So how well a cruising boat motors is actually extremely important. So, following the OP's logic, a cat, or even a motor cat, might be quite a good choice for his application.

We've had a few threads on this question (why do people motor all the time instead of sailing?). Different people care more or less about sailing versus just being on the boat in different interesting places. If you don't care all that much about sailing and/or you are in an area with crap wind, then why not get rid of the rig altogether? You can pay for a lot of fuel with what that costs, and in a cat, stability will go way up without the rig, and windage will go way down.

I happen to love sailing for its own sake, so that would not be for me, but not all of us have the same priorities.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I think this is very perceptive, and I think you may be on to something
I happen to love sailing for its own sake, so that would not be for me, but not all of us have the same priorities.

I love sailing (the act of) for its own sake too. However there are times in a 3 knot wind that it loses its appeal be it a Cat or a mono.

Now even not being in a hurry, can also be a pain in the patouche if no wind shows up for days...

Why have an engine if your not going to use it on these days?

[troyfrazier]

this topic has gotten plenty of responses; but "penny for your thoughts; here's my TWO cents!"

I have to disagree with the catamarans motoring 100% of the time! I've chartered several cats (sail monohull on local lake) and only motor as last resort. So, unsure of your observation.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

And that, my friends, is the origin of the Portuguese proverb that says, "the wind always blows from the bow of your boat."
Ann

I was being sarcastic and it seems you have missed it but there are regions where if you want to go to a certain direction on a given time, on summer for instance, the wind is contrary pretty much of the time. Not very practical to wait for the season to change to sail to where you want, so the option is pretty much to wait for a no wind or very weak wind period,and motor, or to sail against the wind.

I am not talking about small zones, for instance all the Portuguese and Galician coats on summer have a very prominent wind from the north sector (the British call it the Portuguese trade winds, we call it Nortada) that makes difficult to sail up the Portuguese coast.

Or on Greece almost all the Aegean sea. Coming from Athens, Crete or the Cyclades and wanting to sail to N/NO (you have on the summer) an permanent contrary wind. That's were I sail mostly and yes, I do get a lot of permanent head winds and even if I try to avoid destinations directly against the wind (needing taking) I would say that the most usual sailing I do is close upwind.

[Juho]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

We've had a few threads on this question (why do people motor all the time instead of sailing?).

I'd like to add one more argument that is valid for both mono and multihulls. One emits less greenhouse gases if one sails. This is a modern addition to the traditional "closer to the nature" argument.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Juho

I'd like to add one more argument that is valid for both mono and multihulls. One emits less greenhouse gases if one sails. This is a modern addition to the traditional "closer to the nature" argument.

That's not good for trees and plant life.

Trees and plants need carbon dioxide in order to survive. Plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Humans and all animals need oxygen to survive.

Carbon dioxide is good... not bad. Without it, we would all die. Very basic Biology 101.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Juho

I'd like to add one more argument that is valid for both mono and multihulls. One emits less greenhouse gases if one sails. This is a modern addition to the traditional "closer to the nature" argument.

Yes, but you'd emit still far less greenhouse gasses if you stay at home next to your wood stove. Cruising is a pretty resource-intensive activity, if you follow the whole cycle including making the boat, diesel fuel used during the minimum 50% virtually all cruisers motor, etc., etc., etc. If you want to feel better morally because you have your sails up once in a while, don't let it go to your head. Out cruising, you're wasting the earth's resources with the best of us.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Polux

I was being sarcastic and it seems you have missed it but there are regions where if you want to go to a certain direction on a given time, on summer for instance, the wind is contrary pretty much of the time. Not very practical to wait for the season to change to sail to where you want, so the option is pretty much to wait for a no wind or very weak wind period,and motor, or to sail against the wind.

I am not talking about small zones, for instance all the Portuguese and Galician coats on summer have a very prominent wind from the north sector (the British call it the Portuguese trade winds, we call it Nortada) that makes difficult to sail up the Portuguese coast.

Or on Greece almost all the Aegean sea. Coming from Athens, Crete or the Cyclades and wanting to sail to N/NO (you have on the summer) an permanent contrary wind. That's were I sail mostly and yes, I do get a lot of permanent head winds and even if I try to avoid destinations directly against the wind (needing taking) I would say that the most usual sailing I do is close upwind.

I can sure relate to this . We don't have trade winds up here, but we have predominant SW winds, which usually make it quite hard to get a long distance back to the UK from Finland -- 1500 miles upwind, usually (not this year, thank God).

But if you think about it, it's simple geometry that hard on the wind is the most common point of sail. A really close winded sailboat can tack in 100 degrees over ground; 110 or 120 would be more common. If we consider "sailing close-hauled" to include up to 40 or 45 degrees AWA, then we're probably talking about 150 or 160 degrees over ground. So 160 degrees out of the compass, or nearly 50%, is going to be either tacking, or hard on the wind, or close hauled.

It's highly relevant to this discussion, because if you believe, like most cruisers, that "gentlemen don't go to windward", then you will be motoring nearly 50% just as the result of wind direction, not counting "no wind", "getting in and out of harbor", etc.


And the corollary is that if you like to sail, and want to spend more time sailing, you need to improve your ability, and your boat's ability, to go up wind efficiently.

[Juho]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

That's not good for trees and plant life.

Trees and plants need carbon dioxide in order to survive. Plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Humans and all animals need oxygen to survive.

Carbon dioxide is good... not bad. Without it, we would all die. Very basic Biology 101.

I think this new trend of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions is a real trend that also influences the way people sail or motor. I mean that some part of the sailors do believe that massive burning of fossil carbon is harmful to the nature and act accordingly.