IDENTIFY THE BEST BUILDERS
Most of the catamarans built today are generally considered 3rd or 4th generation catamaran designs and it is important to understand the production capabilities of the various builders when determining what type of yacht to buy.
WHO HAS THE LARGEST R&D
The builders with the largest R&D (Research and Development) budgets are generally the builders building the most boats. The best value is from the larger yacht builders that purchase parts and materials with economies of scale. Example: A small builder like Manta may purchase 5 engines a year while Lagoon, which is part of the Beneteau group, will purchase 5,000 engines. These catamarans sail well and are very good values given the purchasing power the builders have with the parts producers.
SAILING SPEEDS
A cruising catamaran's boat speed is generally 1/2 the wind speed going up wind and 2/3 the wind speed off the wind. Speed can be further increased by the use of a spinnaker or gennaker/screacher when sailing off the wind. Folding propellers will also increase performance. Ask me about what would be the best fit for your sailing plans.
DAGGER BOARDS
You can expect a modern catamaran to sail 45-50 degrees off the wind with keels and a little higher with dagger boards. The boards tend to rattle in their trunks and are a real liability if you hit or damage one. Maneuvering under power with the boards up is very difficult if there is any kind of cross wind. Dagger boards are neat and fun for offshore racing. However, for cruising you are far better off with keels. We have polar diagrams (sailing performance graphs) for all the new yachts we offer. Contact us if you're interested and would like to see one.
HULL DESIGN
Catamarans are designed with a number of different schools of thoughts with regards to design. The current and best designs incorporate full bow and stern sections. Full end sections of the hulls produce good performance and minimize pounding. Aside form being uncomfortable, the pounding effect inhibits boat speed. As a catamaran comes off a wave a narrow bow section will plunge deeper into the water. A fuller bow section will submerge less. The same goes for the transoms. As a wave starts to lift the bow it pushes the sterns down into the water. A fuller stern section prevents the transom from being pushed down and the bow from lifting. This alleviates the "hobbyhorse" motion experienced on some older and smaller designs. So if the bow and sterns are not being pushed deep into the water going over waves, the catamaran sails flat and fast with less pounding. For coastal and inshore cruising this is much less of a concern because of the relatively flat sea state encountered.
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We are standing by for your buyer's guide questions |
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CONSTRUCTION
One down side of catamarans is the cost to build these yachts. Most monohulls are built from two molds, (a hull and deck). A catamaran is generally comprised of 4 to 10 molds. As you would guess this is more costly to produce. We can give you more technical data on specific models in regards to methods of construction and materials.
DEMO SAILS
It is understood that it is difficult to make a buying decision about a yacht you are seriously considering to own without a demonstration sail.
If you make an offer to purchase a pre-owned yacht, generally a sea trial is a condition of the purchase and this will be at the seller's expense and risk.
If you are interested in a new yacht, the dealer will require some form of earnest money to be put on deposit that is fully refundable. Each year after the Annapolis Boat Show in mid October you can spend two days demo sailing every new model of catamaran on display at this show. This is a great event and you must register early to reserve a seat on board.
Catamaran day sails can be organized from Ft. Lauderdale at Tropical Sailing. They can be reached at: 954-579-8181. This is a 48ft. day sail catamaran.
You may also book a short charter with a company like Fun In The Sun Yacht Charters in Ft. Lauderdale 800-327-0228 or Go Native Yacht Charters in Miami 954-791-4692.
Vist Fun in the Sun Yachts |
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If you are new to sailing, check out where and when you can sail a mono-hull or catamaran at Discover Sailing. The Catamaran Company always makes available a new Lagoon catamaran for this group.
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