Catamarans Suck 

I've been sailing for over 35 years and have circumnavigated the globe multiple times. The first thing I've learned is humility and being careful about what I say. I've owned monohulls of various sizes, exploring different construction materials, from regular boats to high-performance ones. Currently, I own an aluminum catamaran designed for exploration. Why? It all depends on your project, whether you live aboard, the size of your crew, and how much time you'll spend at jetty. It also depends on what you want to see and visit. From the 70s to today, catamarans have undergone a complete transformation, offering extraordinary navigation choices. Naturally, they cost more! Everything is doubled: multihull instead of monohull, 2 rudders, 2 helms, 2 engines, and so on. Builders have higher costs and require more personnel. The catamaran market is continuously growing to meet different needs, and it's satisfying them. I won't go into extremely technical details, but I'm at your complete disposal if you want to discuss further. Marinas are undoubtedly more expensive, occupying 2 berths. If I'm not using my catamaran, I can charter it to cover the berth costs... try doing that with a monohull!! The satisfaction my catamaran is giving me is unmatched. It's much safer and more comfortable during ocean crossings, and the new sail plans allow for better upwind performance. With 2 engines I can safely anchor in any situation, and on the water, it's a fast ride... certainly not with catamarans like Lagoon; they serve a different purpose, not for Bluewater sailing. Maintenance-wise, my partner and I handle 70% of it ourselves. Catamarans have marvelous spaces and storage compartments everywhere. They are much easier to navigate. Now, if you want to talk about Draggerboards or Centerboards, that's a different story. If you've had a negative experience with a catamaran, I would advise you not to influence people who have a desire to sail because what you're saying might be partly true, but it always depends on how they're used. You would never buy new boats... You have no idea what you're talking about. They certainly cost much more, but they offer incredible guarantees and assistance... it's just a matter of your budget. I would never buy old boats; they're a real nightmare for ordinary people, not to mention the international insurance issues.

An old salt once told me that every boat is a compromise somewhere, and that learning to sail is the easy part, the hard part is learning which compromises you are willing to live with.

This is like saying luxury cars suck because I can’t afford one

All I hear is a boat that is twice as big costs twice as much. 😆

A Catamaran = comfort and safety If you can't afford if you can't afford it. They dont suck, you just didn't have enough money.

I owned a SF 40 for a decade. I ran it mostly between Florida & the Bahamas. I never thought it "sucked", nor did any of my guests. I was hauled in Florida and in the Bahamas, no problem. It is much cheaper to keep a boat (any boat) in the Bahamas than in Florida (1 Month in Florida = 1 year in the Bahamas). The sailing action is much "snappier", the catamaran always tries to assume the attitude of the seas, not the rolling of the monohulls, should you get tired of walking on the walls. I especially liked the fact that my boat did not have a lead keel trying to drag it to the bottom. My boat would not sink ! Take on water if holed, sure, but sink ? never. Downside is, all catamarans pound when the waves get sufficiently large. They also encourage putting more "stuff" on the boat than you should have. Catamarans are VERY comfortable, fast, and rugged. I would also add that I frequently single handed my boat, no crew needed. Give them a look.

I’m not sure a 40ft monohull is a great comparison to a 40ft catamaran. The catamaran is a lot more boat space-wise and doesn’t have the same hull speed limitation. I would think a better comparison is with a larger mono hull.

I love catamaran. They are great to live on. Lots of space outside, where you want to be, not in the basement. But you are right, too expensive to purchase and to maintain. Sadly, I cannot afford one.

"I'm poor therefore catamarans suck" is the proper title of this video.

I was going to buy a 40' Catamaran but now I think I'm just going to buy a jet ski.

Greetings from Australia, I’ve been a cat guy for 30 years and totally understand what you are say except for noise mine is quiet as …. You are correct and now at 68 I’m upgrading my 45’ cat and and am looking to sell her and go to the dark side and half a boat. Your stated pricing except for haul out here in Aus is correct. We have to replace standing rigging every 10 years and mine is now being done at $9700.00….. sails - correct…. I am hoping to sell and somehow getting out of this shithole and buying a mono offshore … love your productions and at my age money is very important so hopefully I can switch back to half a boat and sail the rest of my life over the horizon

if we're focusing on affordability. if you live-aboard, anchor off a lot then cats make a lot more sense - using them just for holidays for sure you need to have a lot of spare cash and Id go for a mono on that basis. our cat doubles as a house, most of the year while we rent out our home. could no longer live like that on a mono with our family and friends

So true, especially 'do it right the first time'!

I'm on the market for a multi-hull, a Neel trimaran more specifically. Valid points you make, but if you plan to live aboard long term, at least for me comfort and space is more important and worth the price. I plan to work from my boat, and I could rent out 2 guest cabins to close friends who also are digital nomads to offset the higher maintenance costs. Sailing, I get less seasick on a trimaran than on a mono-hull (Have too little experience on cats to compare) and am generally more comfortable in one - not a big fan of heeling all the time. A multi-hull feels safer - it takes a lot more to flip one compared to a cat.If you hit a container or whatever and a hull is compromised, you're less likely to sink on a cat and even less so on trimarans.

I totally agree the the statement about sanding the bottom, been there done that! That job truly does SUCK! 😣

Catamaran owners can almost invariably afford these additional costs, otherwise they'd be looking at more affordable solutions, i.e., monohulls. Everyone knows catamarans command a higher price at a port due to their width. It's one of the first things prospective owners learn about cats in their research about them. Higher maintenance expenses is also not a big surprise. Two hulls, two motors, etc., obviously require more upkeep. They're larger vessels for any given length, so figure twice the upkeep of the same length monohull being a good rule of thumb. The way this video is presented it's as if there's hidden costs to catamaran ownership that aren't knowable until a purchase is made. Not the case. It's common knowledge except to landlubbers or people who never owned a boat. That said, I appreciate the info on insurance and other aspects of cat ownership. The bottom line is that catamarans (and trimarans) are usually _intended_ for the well-to-do except for the very smallest and cheapest of models. Even monohulls aren't cheap to own and operate in the long run. Sailing of any kind isn't a cheap hobby.

As a professional, I totally agree with you. I am a 100 ton Master, US Sailing Instructor, and Scuba Instructor. Have run Charter yachts, ferries, and worked as a yacht broker. Have cruised tens of thousands of miles on my own cruising boats. You are right on! I love multi’s. They are wonderful. IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY. Buy a cheap one and you will regret it. Don’t have the money to properly maintain one? Look out. I can buy a hi-quality cruising mono for under a hundred K. One that will go pretty much anywhere. Put maybe 10-20 more into it. And I’m gone. Boat paid for, in good shape and well equipped mid 40’s size. And I have plenty left over to actual go out and enjoy cruising! Quality multi’s, they are great. Again……IF you have lots of money.

If you don't have any money don't buy a boat!

Thanks Chris. A vid about boat maintenance, what to do, how much... I don't know, do something...

I Love how you tell it like it is

So sailing at 45 degrees is a much better ride than a relatively flat catamaran. What a dope!

All this is true but if your wife hates living at 45 % and most of them do .

If it kills your bank account, you have a too expensive a boat for your balance sheet. Cats are great, more expensive does not make them bad.

So honest, dude. Love it.

Sailed from SF to Hawaii on my friends 50' Cat. I never went back. My coffee never spilled and we hit 18kts. Avg 6-8kts was another huge factor after crossing in 14 days. Down seas we were very safe and at anchor we had a floating house. Cats is the only way!

Dude tell it as it is! 🤣 I love your videos!

Extremely helpful information! I had no idea. Thanks.

If people can aford a cat then I am sure they can aford the extra cost of things, so this probably is not a good reason to avoid a cat. I think you might just be projecting.

I love the cat I was told that if you ask how much money to gas it… you should not buy one… I’m working to figure out what it would cost so I have a better idea. Boat is an expensive hobby. Love it

Like with everything else in life... it depends. For nice weather pleasure cruising off the coast with lots of friends and family, cats are absolutely superior. No question about it. It's not even a discussion. 40ft cat gives a you a comparatively huge day space, both closed and open area. It's a floating house. You go to the basement only for sleeping. But then again if that's your use case, it may be smarter to just rent it a few times a year for a few days or weeks. For full time or long term sailing, crossing oceans, rough seas, etc... where absolute safety, cost, and maintenance are priority... yeah, if it's a 40ft I'd definitely choose a U-boat/basement type vessel. Especially if more often than not you're alone on the boat. For that use case monohull is absolutely superior.

Thanks for putting me of all forms of sailing or boat ownership.......NOT - you get what you can afford to keep and are prepared to work on. As for the size debate being irelevent, you ignore BEAM altogether: 32' beam vs 16' beam in a hull that is significantly shorter gives far more space to live in than a same length mono hulle- and space is what you ultimately pay for. I learned to sail and qualify as Offshore Hand on a 40' Ketch in the Baltic...space is EVERYTHING.

What a fresh perspective!

The hype about catamarans sucks in a lot of new sailors. You make excellent points about various costs of ownership that crucial for new boat owners to understand. I want to add some other thoughts. The used mono-hull market is chock full of sick value. I'm looking at buying a Gulfstar 50 for 100kish (depending on condition) and running a total refit. For about 250k (max, some of the boats are in amazing condition) I will have a totally modern, seaworthy, gorgeous, huge ketch that offers me amazing room and amenities. The advantage in room a cat enjoys go away when you get into a larger multihulls. And consider that when you are 'on passage' the rhythm of watch keeping and sailing the boat under way absorbs most of your time. The idea that you'll do big projects or things other than sail the boat and eat and sleep just isn't so when under way. So the amount of room or even heeling isn't as problematic as you might think. And in any kind of real sea or blow, both move around enough to negate any advantage the cat has. The real advantage of a cat is the space when at anchor. But with a 50ft monohull of good design, the space becomes competitive with say a 45" cat. Add in the floating, inflatable platforms that are available now and it's easy to create a lot of play space when on the hook in tropical spots. These are game changers for monohulls in terms of the usable play space when at anchor. But the difference that is most important is sailing. Sure, if you want to buy a super light, carbon fiber, high performance cruising cat for 1 million or more, yes you may be able to point almost as well as me in a 40yo Gulfstar 50. The hull speed on a mono-hull goes up with waterline length, and the boat easily cruises at 9 kts, negating the advantage of a cat by a significant margin as well. And with the Gulfstar 50 ketch, I can sail the entire intracoastal waterway of the eastern U.S. Try doing that with a large cruising cat - your mast is too tall. Also, with a ketch i can balance the boat so well, have redundancy and the ability to field sails in many combinations to optimize for conditions in a way you can't do on a sloop rigged boat. There is also the sea-handling ability of a large monohull. I had a designer explain this to me once but I didn't really grasp the physics. But his point was that a monohull of 48 feet or larger handles big seas fundamentally better. I can feel it in the sailing motion of a larger, properly designed monohull. Less slamming, better motion through the waves in general and you also feel much safer. I don't like the motion of a cat through big seas, the weird corkscrew like feeling of slamming the bows into waves and the slamming of waves into the center section under body is jarring. Monohulls are easier to tack and jibe as well. And a properly designed multihull with enough sail can be quite good in light air. Bottom line? Consider buying a 48ft or larger monohull used and refitting. Make sure it's a good design and build to begin with - which is easy cuz these boats have been around forever and owners give great insight about any recurring issues any particular boat might have.

This video just gets better and better. Lol.

I had looked at the larger cats (65'-75') and for the same money I could get a far larger mono with more volume.

Ive noticed some awesome big mono hulls for under 100k.... but in that same price bracket, all the cats are floating projects.

Build your own Drydock might be an option for a very few people

I don't get it. Just watched another of your videos saying that Catamaran is the only way to go. Anyway. Loving your feud with Lady K

Don’t really know but I have to believe a brand new catamaran is not that expensive in the beginning. Surely the high cost maintenance and such doesn’t happen for a few years.

Hopefully this advice will actually save some lives. I known so many people over the years as a bareboat certifier captain who have lost all of their life savings..and thats just the start.

The drone footage over Aberdeen, Hong Kong at 1:55 is really nice. I kept a boat there for a couple of decades.

Your so right about wasting time in boat yards.

BINGO. 42cc Monohull here, and VERY happy indeed. Rock on.

👁️ 110% approve & Certify your opinion not to be unique or strange or singular or unusual your not the only one with such an opinion

yeah, but your drinks don't fall over my haul out is free because I just park on the beach and let the tide go out. actually not sure why you say it's noisy?

Better title: "Catamarans are expensive and noisy."

Hahaha! This made my night,tell it like it is facts are always best.

But other than those things, you fully endorse them right?

So what you’re saying is, I should buy atleast two hulls? Possibly even three? Great info as always.

My 48' cat is expensive - but ohhhh that comfort. Haha

The points you made are all legits, but you have to also consider 1) cats are usually more roomy than monos, so maybe a 30ft cat is more comparable a 40ft mono, in this case not that much extra overhead 2) cats can be easily beached, no reaon for them to stay long term in marinas anyway. While I'm planning to buy a small mono, cat would be my choice if I win the lottery and want a bigger boat.

One of the better sea boats I have sailed is a 40-foot Norman Cross trimaran. I sure would like to a buy a Cross, or Horstman. All vessels are a tangle of choices. What does the Skipper want for the challenges ahead? I have also owned a 44-foot Cecil Norris ferro boat. She was one hell of a wave basher. I spent most of the Winter sailing her in the Straits of Georgia and Straits of Juan de Fuca. Now and then get a few crabs or a small salmon. A good boat is a good boat, simple as that.

To be a true comparison you need to compare square foot of vessel if your buying a cat you are buying for the extra room . So compare a 40ft cat with a 65ft -70ft mono is comparable in volume of vessel . Then see how your figures stack up . Do the math sq ft of each design .

I wouldn't go on an crossing on a monohull. That would suck.

Just finding a boat launch around here big enough for a large cat is hard. Docks are usually in the way that need to be slid out of the way. Cats are double the price because it's twice the boat. I love my hobby cat. I agree large cats suck money. Little cats are great. Racing budget hobby cats is how I got into sailing. Buying a double boat slip is the way to go with a large cat or boat. Boat slips start around 5000$ here. Beachable cats can help cut down on some fees. Being in Michigan the haul out fees and splash fees come ever year. My boat yard is packed on weekends every spring. I want to build a Wharram. Our C&C 43 was nice but feel we need twice the boat to cruise around the world. I want the floating condo. Coosa board not ply. I gotta build cottage first just in case boat sinks. At least I will have some where to call home. See too many people sell everything to go sailing. The idea of having 2 of everything is another reason why a cat. Lot of prep work to take a boat from fresh water to salt too. See more people doing antifouling because of zebra muscles here.

growing up at the beach and my dad pushing his hobie cat out into the surf i have a natural inclination towards cats. itll be a few before i get a real boat. a large factor for me is not wanting to be sideways all the time. i also really like the idea of being able to beach it.

You can’t compare a 40’ monohull to a 40’ cat. It’s more like a 55’ monohull imo.

Cats are awesome. I don't like to be constrained on a cubicle surrounded by water.

Money ? Two hulls cost twice as much. Remarkable 😮 stunning 😮

Cats don't suck, the cost does

For day sailing in protected waters and back bays along the American East and Gulf coasts, yes. But not offshore or open waters. And their inability to recover from a knock-down frightens me.

Another great video!

I would add that for most people the monohull yacht makes much more sense due to size and cost. Cats in the 40' to 46' length range make a lot of sense, especially for chartering in the Carribean and a few similar places. Those catamarans are quite wonderful. This size is equivalent to a monohull with a size of say 46' to 60's in length. Those sizes are dramatically larger than the very large majority of sailors can afford, or can even dock in their marinas or clubs. My rule of thumb is if a monohull is smaller than 45' serves your needs well, there is absolutely no reason to consider a catamaran.

Chris, I was going to rule out catamarans simply for budgetary reasons alone; your video confirmed it. Though it may not be 100% accurate, as a rule of thumb, just double your costs on a cat; there's two of everything.

Some look at a marina and see pretty boats. I look at a marina and see rotting decks and abandoned dreams.

I agree with you! We have rough seas here and catamarans simple aren't as strong as monohulls under these conditions

I can’t agree more.

Okay ! ... what about a U-boat?

Wow!!! Thanks for sharing

I Love catamarans... but this video was great... Im not rich either. A monohull would definitely be more in my reach.

Indeed!!

So your point is, a boat that is twice as large (in volume) costs more. Wow, who would have thought it. Thanks, Capt. Obvious.

Basically the arguement summed up: Catamaran cost too much

Cats are awesome except they are twice the price to maintain. Everything is almost double. It's like a mono over 40 ft all of a sudden things get more expensive.

Chris - I’m not gay and I don’t “identify” as any part of the LBGTQ -XYZ or ABC group. But I LOVE YOU MAN!!

Liked, loved and subbed. Peace from the UK

Very funny and very very true!

well a cat is three times wider thn mono, so not a cost surprise - one gets a lovely living room betwixt the two hulls . . .

If it stays afloat it is good in my book.

You don't need a mantis anchor. A delta works fine. And it's much cheaper.

I had to suscribe after I heard you say “my happy ass” - That was always MY saying 😂

Good job dude, keep it up. Perhaps if we bat mouth them enough, nobody will want them, the prices will come down and then KA-CHING! :O

Thank you for telling it how it is! There’s one RU-vid channel that bought a used cat and I would consider it a nightmare of problems and issues to be fixed.

29 foot monohull here.. and i love cats but wouldn't want to own one....EVER!!

I was going to buy a catamaran until I heard how expensive the anchors are.

Wow people really got their $hit in a knot over this one lolol. I like both for different reasons so it was fun to listen to this take on it instead of the typical sugar costed perspective.

Many modern cruising catamaran looks like floating RV's with a sail put on as an afterthought. There is a myth that cats dont roll, i did sail on a 40' charter cat in the Caribbean, boy did it roll.

You brought lots of light to my thinking tank. Never did I imagine the cost of owning a catamaran - The cost sucks but I'm pretty sure they sail pretty sweet. Thanks for sharing. Learn lots from your videos.

But ... but ... but .... they look so cool. Gotta get a Gemini 105M and look cool. ;) Put it somewhere? Details, details .... I'll worry about that later.

In other words, what you're saying is you can't afford a catamaran but you would rather declare they suck vs. saying your income sucks.

As an observer, I found this very interesting, I had no idea. Thanks dude.

Title of video should be "Bigger boat cost more money!" .. well duh!

The best kind of boat, is a friends boat :)

Catamaran's have better quality of life. Monohull's have better value for money.

@2:00 min. What city is that?

Comparing a 40' cat to a 40' mono isn't really fair. Should compare to a 50-60' mono for the equivalent space

Catamaran do NOT sucks, they are just more expensive. Same as service on a Rolls Royce is more expensive than a service on a Kia, but that does not make Rolls Royce sucks. You can not compare apples with bananas.

Anchoring, and marina space, r not th principal considerations that come to mind when I think about sailing on heavy chop, with 40+knot winds, 100s of miles from anyplace.... If u wanna try to do ur little dance and diss multihull designs that traditional pacific voyagers hav used for millenia, go ahead.... But at least a few of us see it as little more than sheer entertainment value after taking the time to actually read up on maritime designs, owners experiences, and applications of various craft in various cultures..... plus of course, testing em in person.

I totally agree.

I love sailing as close to the wind as possible---- been accused of being a pincher before. Plus I love " gettin on that lean ". You have to do that harness thing with the lines to anchor/ mooring a cat . That slapping the water does on those hulls yuk. They do suck, with you 100. A lot of Brown, Piver, Corinthian trimarans in the Keys in the 70s, some were homemade, people that owned em were hippie- type