Sailboats.. monohull, Cat or Trimaran??

Question

I'm new to sailing and was looking into a first sailboat. Preferably one that is lightweight and can be stored in a garage... BUT I'm open to other possibilities.

I've been looking at Cat's and Trimarans.. What are the differences in sailing these? Benefits?

Answer 1

I've never owned a boat, but worked in Newport Beach for a couple of years, and chatted with folks.  I'll tell you a couple basic things I know.

A "mono-hull" has a keel which is a weighted pendulum (only it doesn't swing, it's fixed and stationary) anyway, it extends down into the water and stabilizes the boat.  If you tip over, it will tip back upright.  It's hydrodynamic (if it were in the air it would be aerodynamic) to reduce drag, but it still slows forward motion considerably.

Cats and Tri's don't have a keel, and derive their stability from the outrigger effect.  That being that two or three hulls side by side make it difficult to tip the thing over.  The disadvantage is that if it DOES ever get tipped over, it's just as stable upside down as it was right side up!

The advantage of a cat or tri over the mono is that they're wicked fast by comparison.

Ok, now you know all I know.

.

Answer 2

I have sail an cruised them all>Since your want to put 1 in your garage> That's not much size as the mast will be longer than 24'>They all sail different the tris more stable>Cat the fastest > Mono= take water and wind better>So decide where your going to sail and see what is in the area>

Answer 3

it's all about stability in the water. rent a few different kinds of boats and try them out. otherwise, you'll find yourself settling based on someone elses standards.

Answer 4

A trimaran is a multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (amas), attached to the main hull with lateral struts (akas). The design and names for the trimaran components are derived from the original proa constructed by native Pacific Islanders.

And Catamaran consists of two hulls - thats the difference.

Answer 5

I've owned a few monohulls and one trimaran.  The Trimaran and one of my monohulls were both 26-feet and towards the upper end of trailerability, so I have a good comparison.

Keelboat monohulls use the ballast of the keel to partially counteract the effects of the wind trying to tip the boat over.  Multi-hulls use a wider platform to resist this tendancy.   The advantage a multi-hull has, is that they are not adding boat weight.  Also for the same overall length, they have narrower hulls, both of which make them faster, IF they are not overloaded.   If you plan to go cruising on a small cat or tri, it can be difficult not to overload it.    For similar reasons, mult-hulls often perform better in light winds than do multi-hulls.  They often have less draft as well which can be benefit if you are sailing in shallow areas such as the Florida Keys or Bahamas.    A multihull will heel very little which may not be as exciting for some people, but it is much more practical to do things below when a boat is close to flat then when heeled 25 degrees.  

Some of the disadvantages of multi-hulls are that especially with small boats it's hard not to overload them which greatly decreases the performance.   A huge problem I had with mine was underdeck slamming.  In seas over about 3 feet, the waves would hit the underdeck and almost bring the boat to a stop.   Not being able to make  progress in any kind of seas was the major reason I sold my trimaran.  (Telstar).    Trimarans will have a narrower hull than a monohull of equal lenth, so will have less room below for living, storage, etc.   Larger catamarans are able to use the area between the hulls for living space which makes them very spacious and gives people more privacy, but again this can make it tempting to overload the boat, especially on smaller cats.  There are fewer mult-hulls on the market and they have not been mass produced as long (at least in North America), so it's more difficiult to find bargains on used production multi-hulls than it is with monohulls.   Mult-hulls also have the production expense of having to build more hulls and are thus more espensive.  I found the motion on a multi-hull to cause seasickness just as much as a monohull.  It's just a different kind of motion.  

I have a 17-foot monohull on a trailer that I've had for 12 years now.  I bought it cheaply and can rig and launch it in no time.   I can sail it with up to 5 on board and it has cost next to nothing to maintain.   It can be towed with a mid-sized vehicle easily.   As a general rule, I think you can find many boats up to about 22 feet which can reasonbly towed and rigged.  Much bigger than this and it gets to be more of a project.  This of course can vary temendously depending on boat and trailer design.  

Trailerable boats can have the advantage of being able to work on them and store them at home, but be sure it's reasonble to trailer and launch them where you want to sail.   Make sure the ramps you want to use will float your boat off the trailer without going off the end of the ramp.

Both monohulls and multi-hulls can vary quite a bit in design to reflect their intended purpose.   Buy a boat for what you will actually be doing with it, not what you dream of doing or not what others doing something else recommend to you.  If you are looking at a used trailerable boat, take a good look at the trailer.  A new trailer could cost more than the used boat.

Personally, for daysailing, I'm happy with a small mono-hull, but if you enjoy sailing fast, one of the fast folding trimarans may be worth considering.    I dream of having a large cruising catamaran someday when I can afford it.

Beware, buying and sailing sailboats can be addictive.

Enjoy!