I've never sailed a day in my life live in Missouri and I'm watching this... I don't think it's about affordability, but the desire to want this lifestyle. I watch 3 sailing channels and have always been drawn to the sea. I know it's probably not as easy as it looks, but this is something I've thought about doing a lot lately. I sadly just don't have a career that will allow me to have this lifestyle.
@@PynkPwny You should be able to do some simple sailing at Lake of the Ozarks. Or if you're in the STL area, then Lake Carlyle over in IL has a huge sailing community. I'm down in Southern IL, and have a little Hobie 18 cat, and sail most weekends. At least when not scuba diving in quarries. ;-) I would prefer some palm trees though, but I'll take what I can get here in the land locked midwest.
I watched the first video and had to watch the second. Only real comment I have about pricing and apples to apples……that is like saying what is the apple to apple comparison of having a truck vs a sports car. Those saying it isn’t a fair comparison, missed your statements about knowing what you want, what you need, and what you are going to do. Everyone is a RU-vid critic. I appreciate the insight of your videos.
Thank you both for your two valuable and honestly deliverd analysis on this debate. I'm considering buying a boat and this has helped me with my decision making
I think saying you two look like pros is a nice compliment. You both have among the best voices on RU-vid, even when compared to the commercial channels. You have great audio as well as video. Better looking than most as well ;). Quite rare!
This head session is another O'Kelly win. I love the balancing, acceptance of responsibility, and pursuit of what is the knowledge that brings sparkle to life. You tick all the boxes for purveyors of world-class knowledge in sailing. I have spent a lifetime in the pursuit of knowledge. My knowledge domains are more in philosophy, human relationships, and metaphysics. But the perspectives (seriously plural perspectives) that the two of you bring is wonderful. Another meta-comment. I love the power-partnership that the two you have. Your dialog is so amazingly balanced. You clearly value each other to the moon and back. You allow each other to be themselves in each individuals natural modes. That is another amazing part of the O'Kellys. I love the working together spirit you embody.
Great Vid. Having sailed both, I completely agree with your analysis. You just can’t beat a big heavy displacement Cat like the models you mentioned. I’ve only chartered the Lagoon’s, 380’s and 450’s and one 38 Cat in the Grenadines 20 years ago with my brother that I can’t remember brand. The Lagoon’s caught my eye because I really like the cabin tops with the vertical windows around the salon. Sloped windows on any boat are not my favorite, it just creates a greenhouse affect. I do like the Leopards too but I don’t have experience on them, I know they are well built good boats. There is only one major downside to me on Cats and that’s price. Other than that, it’s a slam dunk for Cats for me, but that’s for me, everybody has their preferences and that’s how it should be.
As one old salt whose name I've forgotten wrote " A fast passage is a safe passage." Which is why he still sails a minimalist twenty-some-foot racing mono hull in his 70s. Sorry I can't credit his name or the boat exactly, but I do love his words.
You would be talking about the incomparable Webb Chiles. He is also blind in one eye and sails solo. I was going to do his audiobook for him at one point many years ago, but bought another boat and sailed away instead.
We chose a 34' Gemini 105M in the Pacific Northwest over similarly sized monohull in the 40' range and are happy with our decision. We likely did pay more given the rarity of these boats in the northwest but it has some real advantages. With only a 14' beam we can fit into regular slips. We are only paying for 34' which saves us a fair amount in dock fees every year. I converted from the diesel with a leg to a 25hp outboard and we love how the mechanicals are now hung out the back which makes the interior very quite when under engine not to mention odor free. With being able to swing the engine I find maneuvering much better than the Catalina 30' we had for a decade prior. I can practically turn the boat on a dime with one board down and coordinated trusts of the engine. The outboard can also be pull started so we don't ever have to worry about flat batteries although with the amount of solar I have been able to mount that isn't a problem. We love the flat decks and stability and being only 18" in the water when the boards and rudders are up. Queen sized mattress in the master, big flat head, roomy cockpit and fore deck, and step down transoms are also features we love.
Big fan. I picked the Gemini for one of the best affordable cats out there. Many have crossed oceans. Outboard engines....now a lot to be said for that!
@mike I plan to buy a new cat and sell it in 2 years. I hear the nw gets a Premium price for boats. Does that hold true for cats? Is there much of a market for cats in pugeot sound?
@@kirk9671 I am in Victoria BC and from what I see the market is limited but because of that cats seem to sell for a higher price than where they are more popular.
@@mngbennett thanks for the info. Now to figure out how to get from the south pacific to Seattle. Going east seems hard. I read u can do it, but if feels against the grain. ( I picture it being rough and see it purely as financial sail.). Of course pulling up in front of the Emprress will be nice... Wonder if there is room for a cat there...)
Your videos are always light hearted and fun. As usual you are informative , unbiased are very engaging on topics that seem to hit a cord. Thanks Megan and Nick. I’ll eagerly await our next topic.
Great follow up video. I think both have been very unbiased and informative. I emailed you earlier in the summer about my wife and I buying our first sailboat. We went with your advice for a 3k boat to get our feet wet. I have to say I've never seen so many old boats that you could just feel dreams died there in the yards that we were in. Many were full of water and mold. You recommended getting an outboard but the one we finally decided on was a 27' Catalina with an Atomic 4. Wish I had listened to you then because even though I spent a couple hours running the boat on the motor before we bought it, it broke down bringing it down a river and through locks. Ended up replacing almost everything around the motor (though I did learn a lot about it so that is a positive). So when you mentioned having one motor on the mono that hit home for the future. We also had some pretty funny and stressful adventures in doing the almost 60 miles through river/canal/locks. It was a month long process and we just got back last week with it and won't be able to sail it till the spring as they're taking them out for the winter already.
@@TheOKellys indeed, it starts right up and runs like a champ now. My wife threatened to jump off when our house came in to view on the lake before we reached the marina. So I think we'll have some time next year geared towards relaxing day sails. Not that the story won't be repeated for many years. But on to winterization.
Nice! Much more to the point. Just one thing about redundancy and safety. That is.. two hulls. When you hit something and or get a crack in your hull you will sink on monohull if you cant stop the leak or pump out water, I thing on most cat's you will not sink and in fact, cat wouldn't even sink if both hulls get crack at same time.
Only just seen this episode. A wonderfully balanced viewpoint and discussion with good logic applied to the various issues. By far the best analysts on RU-vid. Thank you
Very nice two videos with thorough analysis of pros and cons. Well done and thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions. I am a motor yacht enthusiast, but watched both videos since, with the relatively recent emergence of power cats, this became a relevant question for us MY owners too. I currently own a 65 footer which I bought brand new just 3 years ago, in light of my upcoming retirement at the time. Before that, I owned 4 other motorboats, starting from 32ft 35 years ago, all the way up to a 50 ft flybridge which was my previous one. The choice of the last monohull was a deliberate one, driven primarily by the quality of the cabin space, which as you grow older becomes very important (you don’t want to have to crawl to your pillow for example). My full beam midships cabin can simply not be found in a power cat below 80 ft, which is too big for a cruising couple to handle, let alone the affordability issues. The downside is the size of the indoors living spaces (saloon and galley areas), which would be humongous even in a 50 ft power cat. Yet, the well protected cockpit and the flybridge with the permanent solid canopy, more than compensate versus the outdoors space of a power catamaran. To manage the roll, we ordered the boat with a seakeeper stabilizer, which comes at a cost (and requires maintenance and lots of generator hours), but really delivers good lateral stability when needed (not more often than 1 out of 10, probably 15 nights, and in the rare occasions where you can not avoid beam seas at trawler speeds). Here in the med, anchorages are generally well protected, and with a shoreline or two, you can point the bow towards where the wake of commercial traffic might come from, to secure a peaceful night. Now to the important point: before retirement, we would use the boat for a max of 40 days a year including the weekends. And speed was important, because the young kids are impatient, and the time very limited. Now the kids are gone, and my wife and I are spending 8 months per year on the water. This is great, and it is also great that the boat has all the amenities we have at home. Yet, speed is no longer important, and in fact, a full tank can last for almost 2 months at speeds around 8-9 knots, and even longer at 5-6 knots “fishing speeds”, which we do a lot these days... So, a planning hull that can do 30 knots, is really too much at this stage of our life. While I would still buy a stabilized monohull MY for retirement, if I were to go back in time, I would really buy a trawler yacht that would definitely be more suitable for the lifestyle we have as retirees... Only wish I could have figured it out three years ago.
Nice video as always. 1. Agree capsizing is a silly concern for conservative cruising rigs. Monohulls tend to sink due to holing and flooding or keel separation. Can be mitigated by watertight compartments (don’t see this on many boats though) and traditional keel designs. Catamarans don’t sink but run it up on a remote reef and it’ll get bashed to pieces. What’s better? Not hitting stuff. Either will burn so fire is a huge risk. 2. Redundancy isn’t the end all be all and doesn’t necessarily translate into reliability. A quality single engine that’s properly maintained is better than 2 lousy, poorly maintained engines (can be a false sense of security here). Aviation has learned this. 3. Agree cats are generally faster, but either requires good weather routing. Even a cat can’t outrun all hurricanes. Both can suffer from poor design (monos should be measured based on tonnage and waterline, not just LOA and many are too fat). Also, comparing equal length boats isn’t apples to apples - a 45ft cat is more like a 55-60ft mono. Speed difference there isn’t as big. 4. As far as high lats... monohull hands down. At least, I’ve never heard of an ice rated cat! One thing that doesn’t get talked about is motion. Hard to be objective here, but the motion of a heavy mono can be more pleasant than a cat. Of course at a pleasant anchorage a cat will probably be better. For tropics cruising I think cats are better for most. Once you get a bit more expeditiony it’s a lot less clear. Lastly I’ll say.. a monohull on a reef can be a lot easier to unground than a cat.
Thank you for the good explanation and not getting butt hurt about criticism! Awesome couple and good job on the cushions. And yes Megan's channel is tempting me to start making my own vids. Not putting them online but making a few just in case I ever get enough courage to take the jump.
That's too friggin awesome. If I can lend one more voice of encouragement, it is just go ahead and post your vids, and really just don't care if anyone watches or not. Share them here and I will make sure not to pick them off as spam. Regardless, do shoot and edit as much as you can. We always look back and wish we had more footage, even if it is not edited.
Great video, thanks for all the comparison vids. Suzanne and I have watched them all several times and are using them and the comments as points of base. Thanks so much.
Hi Nick and Megan! My boyfriend and I are so glad we found your channel and have watched a lot of your videos. You guys are definitely an inspiration for our plan to become live aboards. We were wondering if you could comment or possibly make a video on the communication equipment i.e. internet/WiFi/satellite,etc. you use. We want to make this dream happen sooner rather than later, but will still need to probably “work” 😏remotely to make it a reality. We look forward to learning more from your channel. Thank you!
This is also a topic that my husband and I are wondering about. We both have the ability to work remotely full time and would love to transition to live aboard life, but we worry that the bandwidth won't be sufficient to allow us to do so effectively. Thoughts?
@@xtinecp I'm curious as well. My sense from reading online is that you can get sufficient bandwidth if you're willing to pay for it. www.reviews.org/internet-service/satellite-internet-for-boats/
I had a friend with a great boat card of his Gemini 105 “SeaCat”. On one side it was upright, the reverse side it was inverted. It flipped twice while he owned it, once in Isla Mujeres in a Hurricane and the second on passage in the Gulf of Mexico. They think they were hit by a waterspout, but they were below at the time. They spent about 36 hours on top. Stuff happens. We met an Amel Sharki (40 ft) that rolled and was dismasted in higher latitudes. In theory a mono might dump excess wind before a cat could, but given the right circumstances any boat can end up “outside it’s design parameters “. I would also say that a couple can easily handle a 50+ Amel. It is designed for this. I like the coziness of a mono, but we now have a Cat to decrease heeling, hopefully it helps with her mal de mer. Both designs are nice in their own ways. I don’t think I would take our Cat around all the Capes, or to Spitsbergen, but most people don’t want to do this anyway. I can say that when our heat exchanger packed it in on our Amel it was no fun to tack in 8nm to Niue. It did give me a chance to think, so that when it also packed in off Fiji, I side tied the dinghy and drove it in. Not the redundancy of a Cat, but doable if you wanted to go in a marina. For me, the best boat is the one that gets you out first.
Really cool videos/channel. As a Fire/Medic/Wilderness EMT I'd highly suggest taking some emergency medical training (if you haven't already obviously). It's a really good point and call you make in the video about safety and most folks don't often consider that until they're in an emergency. When possible: try to participate in your own rescue. Cheers and happy holidays.
I just saw your screen name. LOL. My late father thought that he'd met DB on a couple of occasions at HIO outside of Portland when he was taking flying lessons out there. That evolved over the years into a family joke that dad actually was DB. He didn't like that at all. Re medical training, yes, good idea. We have a dock neighbor who is a retired doctor and we may try to do a video with him. Thanks for the note.
@@TheOKellys That's awesome, I thought I met him too when we had a guy from Joseph Oregon shuttle us out to run the Snake river almost 2 decades ago... Cheers mate and best to you and yours. Hope you're all safe and healthy/
We've got a couple Bayliner 18.5's located at our residences. We've been boating since the early 90's and once I get the expensive car pictured left paid for (Acura NSX) the plan is to get a larger boat and explore Desolation Sound etc. which is just up the Sunshine Coast from our vacation home in Lions Bay. Thus far we've been planning on a Chaparral 330/310 that I can trailer with my RAM 3500. Essentially just pull it out of the water and keep at our places moorage free. However, lately, I've become fascinated with the power-cat scene. I absolutely love the Aquila 44 etc. Unlike your love of the traditional mono hull, I find the cats to resemble more of a "sports car" look....low, wide, fast..... Your videos on this subject are very applicable to the power world in a lot of ways. Realistically we'd have to wait another 5 years to get into the power cat market, and I know you indicated in the previous video that it might be advisable to just go for it earlier with a mono hull, but I really don't like trying to sell things, and I would like our "big boat" purchase to be our only "big boat" purchase..........hmmmmm...........decisions/first world problems........Cheers. :)
No, thank you. Another great video, thanks for the openness and willingness to chat about this and hear criticism! You both rock! Can't wait to run into you out and about.
Hello, I just found your channel, and have watched a couple of your videos. Really enjoyed them. I own a Scuba shop in the states, and have been dreaming about getting into sailing for a while. About to take my first lessons now, so of course I have immersed myself in sailing videos. And while I enjoy going over the pros and cons of different styles of boats, I think I find myself getting overwhelmed. Obviously not your intent, but I recognized in myself what I see in my clients when they decide to start getting into their own SCUBA gear, they are afraid they are going to make the "wrong" decision and sometimes really stress out about that. They see the higher price tag on a BCD or regulator and assume it will make their experience better and then have that fear of missing out because they can't afford it. Even though I know it is more about the overall experience and not the gear. Anyway, all that rambling to say I enjoy your videos and it is fun to think about the boat I might have some day. Considering going to Grenada next year to guide a scuba trip and probably stay and take the upper level sailing classes. So thank you for being another inspiration on the journey.
Hey right on. Thanks. I can relate completely. On our first big cruiser, we (I) agonized about whether or not to put a compressor on board. Finally, I installed this cute little electric 2.4 cfm unit which required more genset power than I had....so I needed more generator power...more complexity, yada yada. But we went for it. It was really expensive in the end, but I didn't want to miss out on killer spots where we couldn't get fills. We take the boat down to Mexico and dove a handful of times before we realized that diving when it was just the two of us was more stress than fun. We had previously dove known spots with local divemasters, and once we got caught in low vis and current and realized how serious that is when there is no safety net around.... well, as it turns out, installing that compressor was a complete waste of money and time. But, there is no way to know that ahead of time...I mean you can go get more experience, become a divemaster, etc., but you don't know what it feels like to dive out on your own until you do it. Some people are fine with it. Others aren't. The same goes for this sailing thing...you have an idea that it would be cool, but you don't know until you go. So a lot of the discussion you see about what is good or bad about this boat is completely academic. Mostly, you just have to go try it out for yourself. Good luck with all of that. Keep me up with your story!
I just realized that it has been a year, but I thought your first video and this video were fantastic! You didn't need to compare price points, you were comparing lifestyles. Which is what the difference between mono and cat really boils down to, your lifestyle.
this is what is so important to know: your extensive experience on both monohulls and a catamaran over the years of sailing lends a great deal of credibility to the opinions you have. Your response to commenters regarding your first video in this part II has, for me, opened up a greater understanding of what the reality of sailing is for both hull configurations. I would have thought that the monohull was easier to single hand sail than the Cat until you explained why you thought otherwise. Your opinion is welcome. BTW: from what I have seen is the fit and finish of the Neel Trimarans aren't to par with most Cats and monohulls. (that is based on what I have seen on RU-vid videos only.) albeit, I am building a small lake trimaran. (I have always felt the need for speed). Great content!
...and guys - I just checked out Megan's channel .. it's perfect for us gals who are with our wonderful life partners but may have a slightly different view of boat life from the gentlemen ... really great - have already subscribed and looking forward to more ... thanks!
You two are really good at this type of educational video. As I said before, you wide boating experience shows. You are perceived as fair, I feel. Your high tech, no expense spared graphics are always a big hit for me. Well done once again👍😁💥
Great video guys. I am a little biased being a Leopard owner myself. I still think the Leopard 46 like yours was the best cat built for cruising. Yes the new Leopards are more modern but in terms of strength, build quality and punching big seas I think the 46 is still the BEST.
Thanks Mike. It's a pretty slick ride. Been in contact with Gino Morelli. Going to try to do a video with him. Would be fascinating to get his insights.
Interesting point about knock downs. Xquisite X5 weighs 21 tons fully laden and it's likely the mast will break before she rolls. However she still has escape hatches in the bottom.
Great to revisit this topic. Your observations and illustrations of scenarios are interesting to me. As you noted, the difference between a mono-hull and a catamaran while sailing as to crew comfort can be an important factor in what a potential buyer might want to consider. I suggest that as one ages and may have less excess capacity than at younger ages, this consideration becomes an even greater factor in choosing which type of hull to buy. This goes to the comment you made about what the owner plans to do with the boat. For example, a person at age 25 might have no problem with how much energy they can expend to sail, also how many bumps knocks are they are willing to endure while sailing; yet that same person at age 65 those hours heeling over and moving about in unstable conditions becomes more challenging. Thanks for a well presented and informative, as well as enjoyable video. [Looking forward to the day you guys hit 50k subscribers. Should be within the next 12 months with these quality videos]
Excellent videos. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and honest opinions. It's so difficult to find unbiased and UNCOMPENSATED testimonials. This was extremely helpful to me and obviously thousands of other folks contemplating this cat / mono topic!
Great insights provided thru these 2 videos. It all makes sense. I learned to sail on small boats and have crewed some larger mono's. If I were to buy today at 65, no question, I'd choose a cat. One thing you did not mention is the incredible sense of performance of a fast cat such as the lighter ones mentioned. When the wind comes up it is like a Ferrari coming to life. There is a thrill to be had on a light cat with big sails.
It's true. Pretty amazing acceleration with these light boats. The Outremer we sailed blew my socks off. Pretty crazy to look back at the rooster tail coming off the transoms. Buuuuutttt.....it's hard on the bones to drive a Ferrari cross-country..... Same goes for these light cats: they are pretty uncomfortable. At least for my aging self...and I'm 46.
I happened upon your Cat vs. Mono (first edition) and so glad that I did. I’m a sailor but never have I hoisted a sail (U.S. Navy) but often dream (fantasize) of charting the open ocean on my own vessel. Your interchange, demeanor and lightheartedness is appealing and a joy to watch. Thank you and you have my attention. Aloha.
Thanks for the great content, we’ll be following along...Just returned recently from living in the Philippines and looking for a better alternative than getting stuck buying a house again here in Palm Harbor FL..
I would 99% agree with all that you've said in both of the catamaran v monohull videos just because it makes sense. I don't have experience on catamaran cruising but do have experience cruising a large monohull. I grew up around boats and racing both small and large boats of all different sizes including Tornado catamarans, Nacra 6.0 catamaran and Nacra 5.8 catamarans. I'd like to get a cruising catamaran and like "Onboard Lifestyle" best. I'd love to do what they have done. They purchased a fixer upper lightweight boat and beautifully restored it. I love that hull shape and the way the cabin is forward of the mast giving you a small forward deck and a very large back deck. That boat seems like it would be the perfect size for my wife, dog, cat and me. It's a two bed, three bath cat.
You can buy aluminum cruising cats that would be high latitude suitable. The fact that you guys are experienced cruising monos and cats makes this comparison worthwhile. Few other people have this perspective.
Since..you guys are so gifted with interior design.. I had a thought.. people could send you pics and dimensions of their areas they wanted to have transform ed and pay you guys to help. Just throwin it out there.. Really like your videos and am learning a lot !! Keep it up..!!
Outstanding two-part series. Question: Are there any 40-50ish foot catamarans that are setup to sail single handed as well as a monohull Amel? Those darn Amels are almost a one-person “push button” sailboat with electric furling sails, electric winches, sheltered helm, remote anchor pickup... but they are monohull and lack so many benefits of a catamaran. Bluewater features needed such as ample fuel and water storage and “stability” as I have wrestled through fast moving 60mph squalls (in the Great Lakes) many times are also important. I enjoy company but I always want to be perfectly comfortable handling every situation independent of others. Thank you for your input if possible. But the biggest Thank You is for the trove of experience and knowledge you two have shared so well and with such quality. I find that I have viewed your videos more than once! You two have Done Good! Be well.
Thank you for all the insights. I am new here and have seen a lot of your videos and love the honest, assertive, and intelligent opinions . I am retiring and enrolled in Feb/21 in most of RYA courses. Thinking on spending 200k on a live aboard just for me, as I will be sailing alone most of time. It will be for now mostly coastal sailing. Thank you for recommending a 38 or so catamaran . Thank you
Congratulations! Well done! You’ll be set up well after the RYA. Small cats are great. I’d love to have a micro cat cruiser at some point. See you out here!
again a great video - thanks a lot. When it comes to "budget comparison" and what to choose, in my opinioen purchasing costs are maybe only "50%" of the choice - maintenance/running costs are about as important: insurance, repairs, marina-costs - unfortunatly those costs are always a lot higher for catamarans... if budget "doesn't matter" (feels lucky if that's "your" situation) and you want to live on the boat full-time, there are probably not a lot of people who would prefer a monohull at all...
I own a Norseman Mono hull. Intuitively I had weighed most of the items you explicitly covered. I think sailors can "feel" the $ costs vs time afloat vs storage vs time of use vs livability, etc. You confirmed my decision since we are part time cruisers, yet also confirmed my wife's opinion that she wants a catamaran for livability. Well done.
thanks Frank. Norseman is a cool design. Yes, all of these boats, regardless of numbers of hulls are a compromise, and it seems the experienced sailor decides which compromises are the most important. There never has been and never will be the ultimate boat.
It also just comes down to what you want. We are currently fixing up our 40 ft aluminum cat and it is not for everyone but we love it. Thanks for the advice
@@TheOKellys we are planning to document the fix up process but I won't have time to edit the videos till we have more of the boat fixed and have some more consistency.
Great vid as always. Although I would agree with you about having a 4+ ppl crew on 65’ mono, I hitched a ride on a old 65’ sloop back in the 90’s from New-Caledonia to NZ. It was owned and sailed by a short retired guy having another retired guy and a young guy my age (23 at the time) from NZ to Fidji then to NC and back to NZ. They had their lady friends on board from Fidji to NC, but mostly as guests. They picked up a crew in NC, hence me being on board, but the 3 of them could sail that big boat. I guess experience is the key... Looking back at it, that crossing was a bear and I’m glad I wasn’t aware of all the risks this being my first time sailing offshore. Good times !
Liked these two videos. Handsome personable couple. Didn't seem arrogant about having a big boat. Is that a skylight above you in the 2nd video? Happy New Year. Cheers.
Thanks, great videos and very comprehensive comparisons. A couple of points from a coastal sailor. I saw this mentioned in one other comment below but as an owner of a Gemini I feel one of the biggest differences for a Cat is no down below. Makes a huge difference in how much natural light you have inside, as well as safety and communication when you need you partner on deck in a hurry. A quick comment on towing a dinghy which we do. I have always seen it as a safety issue (man or women overboard) . Quickly casting off the dinghy line means there is a lifesaving inflatable floating close by. Important here in the Northwest where the water is very cold and one has limited time in the water before hypothermia sets in.
@@TheOKellys Thanks for the reply. No no davits, not sure we would sail with the dinghy on them but do see the advantages. Fortunately when at dock can hoist it up between between the hulls at the front.
Agree with your ideas. I'm leaning toward a Maverick 440. I'll be single-handing most of the time, but I've got a "few" nautical miles under my belt and feel comfortable with my ability. Keep on keeping on.
Really so interesting to follow your journey, me and my wife are just at the very beginning looking at boats on line, our plan is to retire to the Mediterranean and sail into the sunset... only worry is it seems quite expensive to maintain boats 😳
That worry will never cease, unfortunately....unless you hit the lotto. The payoff is worth it I think. At least so far. Best of luck on your journey and stay in touch. Maybe we will see you out there.
Many Cats are designed to float irrespective of what side of the water theyre on. Mono's have lead and even if you loose the keel you can still sink. I'm actually a big fan of the Wharram Pahi 52 and Tiki 38. Got those morning talk show jump cut camera moves going :)
This video answered most of my questions I put after the part I - I didn't know there was a part II. Loved the looking at options for 100K, 200K and 350K. I would love the stability of a cat in high latitudes but would worry if encountering ice in the water in case it gets wedged between the hulls. The discussion about light and heavy cats was very informative.
Another safety feature of the cat is that it shouldn't sink if holed. There's lots of flotation in the cored hull, and no lead keel. Our daughter delivered a St. Francis 44 around the cape of Good Hope, then across to Trinidad. She said the boat was rated as "habitable", even if inverted. A flipped cat seemed a better option mid ocean than a life raft.
I've seen both episodes of the cat vs. mono. And I loved to see it and appreciate the honesty of the both of you and beiing clear that it is your oppinion. I've made lots of millage and crosssings solo and shorthanded on a 42" foot mono and I am orientating for a cat now. That the cat will win is 90% now. The reasons for that decision is living comfort and speed. For savety I totaly agree that the crew is the most important isue and not the boat. We have a saying and that is that a boat is as seaworthy as his crew. I will choose for an performance cruiser (favorite at this moment is the Balance 526 or a seawind 1600) and I realize that speed also has an disadvantage if you hit something in the water. Watertight bulkheads are important. Handling is not a problem also not as an solo sailer. Goiing bigger is also not important because the only advantage I can think of is the higher speed but what to do with al that space and as you said, harbourcost and maintenance cost will be higher as well. I agree that (although I thing that a boat sailing with under a leaning angle is also what sailing is about) capsizing is not an issue because with a cat your mast will go overboard way before that like you said. What I don't know if that is the case for a performance cruiser. I think capsizing can only happen with the daggerboards down but if they are up the boat will simply slide sideways. (maybe somebody can confirm or deny that) at they end choices are always personal (luckely) otherwise all the boats will look the same. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, light boats do flip. The cruisers....not a big worry in normal circumstances. Speed? Everyone thinks they want to go fast and while that’s fun for a few hours, you better have a crew if you want to push the teens for days on end. But there is a right boat for everyone....and they are all compromises on some level. See you out there.
Nick, Megan: Can you comment on cat vs mono by location / type of cruising a bit more? There is a lot between "tropics" and "arctic". We noticed a lot more monohulls in the med, as marinas there are smaller and usually very crowded. We also notice more mono's on the great loop. Coastal sailing in the US seems to be a mix and coastal sailing in the EU seems to be more mono-dominated. ARC and ocean crossing is still large mono dominant but the number of cats seem to be climbing. I'm sure there are more variations. Can you comment on the choice of cat/mono in the spaces between the Bahamas and the Arctic? What would you choose for any of these scenarios (or others) and why? Can you also comment what drew you to your previous mono's and why NOT a cat sooner? You must have weighed a few of those criteria more heavily than others, you had 3 mono's previously! What made you choose mono 3 times in a row? Great job overall by the way, really enjoy your videos, they are well done. Looking forward to the "how to make a great video" . I have heard from some other 'professional vloggers" (notably the Wynn's commented on this) that 1 minute of finished video roughly = 1 hour of work.
Hmmmm....seems cats a lot less popular where marina space is tough to find. So not many in Nordic countries, and fewer in the med. but for Caribbean and SoPac where anchoring out is the norm, numbers of cats seem to be increasing exponentially!
I have been working towards a cruising lifestyle for a while now and I think you guys have hit the nail on the head. Budget has a huge influence on the Cat v Mono choice. We can get a blue water capable mono in Australia for under $100k but a cat with similar capability will be over $250k. At this stage I am choosing to wait for the cat but this may change if the wait becomes to long :-) Thanks for all the great information, you have no idea how much it helps.
Just discovered your channel and doing some binge watching. You two are doing great work!! Awesome videos on pros and cons of mono vs cat. Would love to see an episode 3 that expands further on the actual sailing techniques. “We did X on our mono in ABC sailing conditions, now we do Y on the cat instead...” You mentioned a few things like reefing early. Surely there are more differences. Looking forward to more!
Guys - yet again a great video and so well thought through based on your opinions.... these discussions will always be subjective but for us it underpins why we will be spending more $$$ on a multi-hull than less on a monohull - so thank you both, please say hi to Sugar :')
The interior makeover looks great! Glad Clarity made it through the hurricane! Hope Sugar is going strong! Our new to us monohull is ready to get off the hard after having her bottom redone, new transducer, prop shaft, propeller installed. I have a question for you that is somewhat related to this video’s topic. Given that you have had several monohulls, and especially with some of the problems You have experienced around expensive boats, if the tech had been available to you at the time, would you have repowered any of those monohulls with an electric setup?
thank you for this video , I would like to get a cat , but here in the Seattle area cat's are few and spendy, so I went with a Nautacat pilot house ketch 38' and love it , My back is a electric motor added to the diesel . diesel being the long run and back up , electric for in and out of places and maneuvering of places. see you next time.
Going to a bank to borrow to buy your boat: The boat has to be less than 10 years old and you have to put down a minimum of 20%. I have sailed a 50 foot fast trimaran. It's nothing but a monohull with large outriggers. Last boat I had was a 1973 Columbia 43. LOVED that boat. I had to sell it when I was transferred to Arizona. Last I heard, it was destroyed during Katrina.
Best evaluation of cat VS mono out there. The "Ben Franklin" approach comparing pros and cons helps clarify. I thought of two other areas that might be compared - galleys and engine access! Some cat's galleys are amazing as is engine access. Guess there needs to be a "Part III!"
