Cats vs monohulls

W

Wimpy

New Member
Hi Guys
I am new to the forum but would like some advice and guidance if possible.
I have been chartering boats (monohulls) abroad for some years now and this year I had a look around a Lagoon 43 Cat.

Wow, what a boat, so much room. So my question is what do I need to be aware of when sailing one and what would be the main differences of a monohull and a cat.

Many thanks

Wimpy
 
I guess it pretty much depends on how and where you choose to sail. Lakes and near shore ocean sailing is just fine on a cat but I would not consider distant off shore sailing in one. I am sure there are many that will dispute this comment. My concern is large wind and high seas can knock down any sail boat. With a mono-hull there is a reasonable chance of the boat righting itself but once a cat goes over you are toast. Actually, turning over a cat in any water is not necessarily a high probability but the threat still exist and once turtled it is no simple task to get it upright again. I have concerns about the pointing ability of cats; it may be just me but I can always point better in a mono-hull. When it comes to day sailing a cat can't be beat if you are looking for a large party platform. There is obviously far more room for people and wind on a cat due to their basic design. However, in bad weather and high seas the large open space stops being an asset and becomes a difficult area to navigate plus there is typically a lot of "stuff" that must be lashed down and away from the open cabin/deck areas. More often than not a cat will have two engines to contend with. However, two engines makes the boat easy to handle in close quarters. If you are interested in racing then a mono-hull is the way to go unless you can sail in a straight line from island to island with good sailing weather.

It all boils down to what you plan to do with the boat and your personal preferences. Both mono-hulls as well as two or three hull boats fill certain needs ans both designs have their prows and cons.

As stated, first decide what you plan to do and then choose the right boat for your needs.
 
Thank you for your thoughts. I am thinking of chartering in Turkey from Bodrum. We had force 4 to 5 gusting to 30 knots a couple of weeks ago, most days, and I have read that you need to reef in anything over 20 knots which was not uncommon. The sailing is mostly coastal, never out of sight of land and I will have a crew of mixed limited ability with me. The sea at force 5 had a swell of about a meter to meter and a half with white caps and although no problem for 50ft boat this year I wonder what this would like on a 43ft cat???

Thanks again

David
 
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