Catamaran charter = Your comfort on water

Editor

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Created on Feb 27, 2020

Feb 27, 2020

Categories: Bareboats Sailor's Stuff Life Aboard

Catamarans are actually like a curious new world for motor yacht users and sailboat fans. Catamarans are not like a midpoint between these two, they instead have a very particular place on the sea. Although most sailing fans are rather more used to monohulls, did you know that many catamaran fans had also been monohull users before? Let’s talk about the pros and cons of catamarans, then it’s up to you to shape your sailing holiday.

Virtues – Pros of Catamarans

• The most important reason behind the comfortable sailing of a catamaran is, of course, its high stability owing to its two hulls. A catamaran doesn’t heel over during cruise. Although some sailors enjoy feeling the force of wind while heel in a monohull, this might not be very pleasant for guests. The stability of catamaran means a happy crew with no worries. You don’t need to tidy up everything before the cruise, the plates you forgot to pack won’t fall down and break into pieces and cruising won’t end up in a mess. You can even cook and eat comfortably while cruising. That’s what we would call the sailing holiday of our dreams!
• And, that’s what we would call a view! You can see everything around you in a catamaran. You can always enjoy the view and the conversation while cooking or at the dining table.
• It’s bright. The interior of a catamaran receives the sunlight very well. While you need to descend a few steps to reach the living spaces of a monohull, saloon of a catamaran float above the water.
• It’s airy. You have a sliding glass door to the saloon and large windows around, just open them and let the air circulate everywhere, including the galley and the saloon. The large windows on the hulls provide very good airing. Especially at the mooring, even the hull of a catamaran is quite cool.
• The cockpit and the steering area with its winches, ropes etc. separate. This makes life onboard easier both for the captain and the guests, especially if you’re sailing with kids. Everything is under the captain’s control.
• It’s pretty easy to move on the cockpit, the saloon and the galley. No stairs, no ropes, no mess around.
• A catamaran is faster than a monohull. If you’re on a sailing holiday, who’d say no to some fun?
• It consumes less fuel. Yes, you got it right. Although a catamaran is big, its fuel cost is less. 
• The freedom to cruise in shallow water. As the yacht’s draft is low (just over a meter for most catamarans) you can sail on into shallow bays, so you don’t need to skip any coves in your sailing holiday.
• Having two separate hulls gives you privacy, which some people yearn for during a sailing holiday. Your two kids keep quarrelling? Just send them to separate hulls!
• And… the trampoline! That net between the two hulls lets you cool during cruise or sun-bathe in a bay. The kids will fall in love with it, and some of your best holiday memories will be set in here. 

Vices – Cons of Catamarans

• The biggest disadvantage of a catamaran is its marina costs, which are higher than the same size monohull. But, how much does that affect you when you’re only chartering the yacht? You enjoy your holiday and let its owner sort out the marina costs!
• When it comes to sail upwind, catamarans are weaker than monohulls. If you are interested in the techniques of sailing and you are to sail the boat yourself, you should know that you can’t go against the wind with angles less than about 35 or 40 degrees. But don’t worry, with the information provided by your operator, combined with the other advantages of sailing on a catamaran, you can learn how to cope with this difficulty in no time. And if you hire a captain, she/he will sort this out anyway. No need to insist on sail upwind, right?