Catamaran de luxe

Advantages of catamarans

  • Level sailing gives greater comfort and is less tiring
    Cruising catamarans heel only 5 to 10 degrees under sail as compared to 30 to 45 for the average keel ballasted boat. The comfort that results from this level sailing is felt many ways.
  • Cruise in shallow water
    Because catamarans have a shallow draft (how much water they need to float in) you can go and cruise and anchor in areas that monohulls can't get into. The draft on catamaran varies from 1 to 4 feet depending on whether it has mini-keels or dagger boards and the size of the cat.
  • View from bridge deck cabin or fly bridge
    Another great advantage is the great 360 degree view you have from most catamaran bridge decks. In the average sailboat you are down below, the port holes are at standing eye level or higher.
  • Lots of Space
    Because of the large wide deck areas there is a real feeling of space when outside on a cat, from the wide cockpit where you can set up a deck chair or hammock to the bow nets.
  • On our boat with its separate hulls from the bridge deck cabin you almost have three boats in one. Even on cats with the hulls joined to the bridgedeck there is lot of privacy as the accommodation is spread out over a very wide space. The corners of the boat are usually where the separate cabins and the head are, all very separated from the activity of the seating and lounging areas and the galley.
  • Safety: catamarans don't sink, you aren't thrown overboard
    There are many safety advantages to a catamaran. As mentioned above under level sailing, there is less fatigue which allows you to make better decisions.
    Secondly cats of have genuine positive buoyancy because of the wood and/or foam construction, as well as usually numerous watertight compartments. This means that even if holed and flooded by collision or a broken sea cock, a cat will continue float. Unfortunately this is not the case in a lead keel monohull where you have only minutes to react to holing and flooding, or risk losing the boat.
    Thirdly, again because of the level sailing there is less motion and it is easier to stay on board. The majority of fatal injuries on boats is from "Man overboard" accidents. On a catamaran there is less motion so there is less risk of these man-overboard accidents.
  • Speed
    Because a catamaran does not have to carry a heavy lead keel underneath to stay upright, they are generally faster than a similarly sized monohull – especially off the wind. However, catamarans that carry keels cannot point as high into the wind as a monohull. They will, however, typically arrive at an upwind destination at about the same time because they are moving much faster. They sail a greater distance, but at a much higher speed.