Cap't John: What would you say are the pluses to solo sailing a cat?

Question

Thanks for the responces and the time you have taken to pass on some of your experiences.

I have been poking around on different sites and found (potentially) good deals on boats in Oregon, Texas and Florida.

I have a budget of 12k with $500 set for an inspection.

That 12 is the baseline though I may find myself on a roll during the next year and a half and able to do better but it's best to breathe reality.

All the best

My initial choice had been a cat particularly the sleeping arrangement appealed to me but for reasons I no longer recall I changed direction to single hull.

Answer 1

Ah ha...

     I was one of those "die hard" monohull sailors that believed all the nasty stories (very popular in the 60s, 70s, 80s) about catamarans... until I was in one for an easy & fast 1,000 mile trek that lasted only 7 days, that would have been a hard 10, 11, or 12 days in a monohull.

    For one, I love the room...  they are also a very "stable" sailing platform... no heeling.  The other thing I just loved was the speed of course.  Another advantage is their shallow draft... I mean - they even "beach" these things bow first in and around the Caribbean.  So, you can go where no monohull can go...  And last but least... if they "turn turtle" they stay afloat - and do so high on the water... in essence, they become a very expensive life raft...

     Ya know... if you have $12,000 and a little time on your hands - have you given thought to building it yourself?

Go to:

http://wharram.com/index.php

I really like the "Tanenui" (I have been inside one) and she looks good, easy to handle and sail for one person, and takes only 1,000 hours to build.

If you build it out of plywood and fiberglass it, You could probably do it for $12,000 and then use your $500 for electronics... and if you do a really good job, you will have a new seaworthy vessel for about a third the price of what a used one will cost you.  

    I just know, that when I built my first live aboard size vessel, I was both anxious and scared... I certainly didn't need to spend the time or money to end up with a ship that sunk when I launched it... LOL

Answer 2

you get twice the storage space....but you get twice the difficulty of manuevering......unless you're a good wind sailor.