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Catamarans: Give me the pluses and minuses

Discussion in 'General Catamaran Discussion' started by BenSeattle, Jul 21, 2006.

  1. BenSeattle

    BenSeattle New Member

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    Seattle/Kirkland
    So I'm happily examining the many features of the dozens of boats featured here at YachtForums and I come across THIS:

    http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/w...ny-86-one-cool-cat.html?highlight=tiger+woods

    Here's a beautiful, fast, efficient, 86-foot cat from "Pacific Harmony." No doubt, SOMEBODY is going to love this unique, multi-million dollar boat but WHO? Certainly, a good amount of living space is sacrificed for performance, but there must be other factors involved in such a creation.

    Is a catamaran worth considering at all?

    Thanks and happy cruising
  2. catmando

    catmando Senior Member

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    The pluses you read in that article. Speed is important, yes, but greater stability and higher fuel efficiency have to factor large in a person's decision to buy or not to buy a cat.

    On the minus side, I have read one knowledgeable mariner's statement on this forum that cats are subject to rollovers when hit broadside by a big wave. Also there may be space issues in the smaller cats vis-a-vis staterooms because they are usually located in the sponsons. That is the case for the Advanced Yacht 64 cat.

    Several Yachtforums members have designed cats from 70' to 160'. I'm sure they would love to tell you all about their designs. :) The Try cats are one of my favorite designs, me being a catlover an all.;) :D

    But I do like the wave-piercing structures on the sponsons of the Pacific Harmony. They certainly add speed and smoothness to the boat.
  3. catmando

    catmando Senior Member

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    BTW welcome to Yachtforums Ben. :) :)
  4. KCook

    KCook Senior Member

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    Oddball boats can be very slow to sell. Yer 2nd boat maybe, but I would say a poor choice for a 1st boat.

    wet blanket Kelly
  5. BenSeattle

    BenSeattle New Member

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    Well, the word "rollover" certainly doesn't factor into my future yachting plans, I can guarantee ya. :) Yes, the article made mention of a number of factors, but I'm hoping to hear from the true "cat" devotees. Oh yeah... I don't care if I'm riding a dingy or "Octopus," this boy is only out in the serene, glassy conditions of the Pacific Northwest. (I take the words pleasure craft very seriously!)

    Happy cruising.
  6. Kevin

    Kevin YF Moderator

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    On the smaller end of the scale, but still an interesting read as to how a cat is layed out would be the recent Africat review here at YF.com.
  7. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Hi Ben and welcome to YF,

    On the wood NavBar (top of page), you have a “search” function available to you. This will often reveal a number of threads on most topics. I’ve added a few links below…

    There’s some serious wisdom around here, as we’re lucky to have some notable people onboard. Unfortunately, it’s that time of year when a lot of them are out of town… and I’m one of them (although much less notable). Follow these links for more info on some of the questions you’ve posted…

    Multi-hulls…

    http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/technical-discussion/4522-multihulls-cruising-overloading.html

    Cat or Mono…

    http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/technical-discussion/3090-catamaran-monohull.html

    Perfect Yacht…

    http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/general-yachting-discussion/2386-perfect-yacht.html

    Purchasing New…

    http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/general-yachting-discussion/2674-purchasing-new-yacht.html

    There’s a bunch of other threads, but I’m using a Verizon Wireless Connection and it’s extremely slow on searches! I’m living out of a suitcase this week and working from my pint-size computer. Back in a few days…

    Carl
  8. BenSeattle

    BenSeattle New Member

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    Very helpful and much appreciated.

    Happy cruising.
  9. keljen

    keljen New Member

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    USA, Med,and Caribbean
    Luv Cats

    Hi Ive responded to quite a few questions about "cats "

    I have sailed more than 150000 miles in different boats as delivery skipper , about 100000 of those have been in CATS.
    The worst conditions Ive experienced were off Cape Verde Islands when we had winds peaking up to 70 knots and HUGE seas at no stage was the cat pressed , pooped or in danger of rolling over . Late last year I deliveverd a mono hull from France to the Caribbean and sailed just ahead of TRS Zeta for 5 days . The boat wasnt in danger but wasnt as comfortable as the "cat"

    With regard to speed ???? in my experience cats are faster when the wind is below 30 knots and mono hulls faster above those wind speeds

    Having said all that I prefer delivering CATS , once you have crossed oceans on cats you will be spoiled by the comfort , space and easy life style

    Good luck with you search
    Clive MC
  10. catmando

    catmando Senior Member

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    I expect it would take a tsunami to knock an 85' cat over. Being a high-performance boater, I much prefer cats for stability, speed, smoothness, fuel-efficiency and less wear and tear on machinery.