The Top 10 Performance Cruising Catamarans - 48ft to 53ft 

Hey, this is Seth, President of HH Catamarans. A couple comments!: 1) First off, thanks for creating this video! You are helping many people understand the true differences in yacht design in an entertaining way. Bravo! 2) The HH44 data is correct (125.3 m2 SA). The Hulls are roughly 50% carbon fiber, so this little boat has a light displacement compared to these Fiberglass boats. Plus she's strong (Epoxy) and can handle a tall rig. 3) As for the HH50 (also Epoxy), your data was incorrect (and please use our HH52 as we are phasing out the HH50)! Online you will find on our website the correct HH50 Sail Area to use is 137.9 m2 (not 118.9). And our HH52 is larger at 161.84 m2. 4) MOST IMPORTANTLY, true Performance is not dictated by Ratios. If the vessel is build strong enough (Epoxy, Aramid Stays/Forestay, Carbon Fiber Hulls/Rig/Crossbeam/Daggerboards, Rudders, etc), you can keep pushing the boat where others need to reef down their large Sail Areas with Aluminum masts (ie Outremer). A deeper HH Daggerboard will help you sail a tighter upwind angle by several degrees. A curved Daggerboard will REDUCE displacement on an HH and provide lift, improving performance! This is where true performance shines through in real world applications and in Velocity Prediction Programs (Polars). 5) Manufacturers are required to be within 10% of their claimed "Lightship Displacement" for ISO Certification, but no one is regulating this industry (other than RU-vidrs :). And most importantly, the more expensive yachts come standard with more items which is therefor included in the "Lightship" calc. On an HH52-SC, for example, we include items like an Anchor, Anchor Chain, 50,000 BTUs of Air Conditioning, 4,900 Watts of Solar Panels, Sails, Lines, etc, so it is not not a true "Apples to Apples" comparison and should be treated as indicative only. A better (more fair) comparison might be using everyone's Max Displacement (if they will even share that data). 6) Correction: Balance produces using "Vinylester barrier coat and polyester resin." HH Catamarans are one of the few in your list producing in Epoxy for exactly the reasons you are saying, but Vinylester does not mean Polyester and can be used for its adhesive properties or if a smooth painted finish (without warping) is required. A Carbon Fiber and Epoxy HH hull could last 50-100 years if cared for properly and should retain its value longer (far longer) than a Polyester or Vinylester boat. 7) You get what you pay for. If you want Carbon Hulls/Mast/Daggers/Rudders, Aramid Rigging, Epoxy Resin, cutting edge design, comfort and performance, then be prepared to pay for it! Again, great video, looking forward to seeing you out there on the new boat!

As a future owner of a 1370, I picked the boat not because I wanted the ultimate performance boat. I wanted to cruise with decent performance, in comfort, at a cost I can afford and on a reliable boat (no bulk-head issues, creaking, cracking, expensive systems). I think Seawind has the best balance in these 4 areas.

Thank you for this video!! This is exactly what we need to know. I could talk about this all day. Cutting through the hype and the name to the data. Love it!!

Plukky my lad, you have really excelled yourself. Well researched and equally well presented it was a joy to watch. One of your best even without the girls. Thank you.

Among your best factual videos. Thank you.

Love your approach to everything in all your vids. Although I can never afford any of these boats, I do appreciate the masterclass in high value shopping! Think, compare ,then buy!

Nice job Plukky. Best of luck and success in the coming build!

A lot of work went into this presentation so thank you for that. Methinks youre on the cusp of something great here. Cant wait to see the unveiling of the design and in particular the daggerboards and rudders.

Well done. Really good homework here. There is more depth to the data here then I have seen before.

Very educational and informative post, Peter. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Another great video Plukky! 👍

I'm not any longer in the market for a cat but I find this fascinating. We owned 2 "value" production cats way back in the early days (40-50 years ago) and I wish we had all this knowledge at the time. Some of the issues you highlight were problems we encountered then.

Very informative sir… this land lover continues to get schooled. So excited with your new adventure. Cheers

A really informative and educational video Plukky. Loved it. Looks like your Odisea 48 will be well placed to enjoy commercial success within the performance category. :o)

Thanks for doing this , oh Pluckmaster. Well done. As I’m just this week getting off and home from a partial ocean delivery of a Bali 5.4 straight out of the factory in Canet , France to the Canary Islands, this vid is great timing for me to see with my new curiosity of cats. The factory we picked the boat up at, I believe, is where some Catana cats are built.

Great job Peter, at making a dry subject interesting. I watched the whole thing and I can't even afford a boat! I agree with your attitude tword saftey. Our weather is only getting crazier and you want to know you're in the strongest boat possible. Same reason fast is crucial, to avoid storms.

HI mate, your Odisea 48 being a Mumby 48 in supercharge mode is going to be a Great Cat that will be easier for peoples to obtain and will serve as a base mark for all others. The one to beat, the one that everyone will talk about. Great work captain!

Great video and nothing to critique, thank you for putting this together to dispel the bullshit that is out there! We are building a Balance 526 now and it firmly fits about middle of the road which is why we picked it, respectable performance but with an element of luxury & comfort that makes the wife happy too, which it tough to put on a graph! Keep up the great work & looking forward to seeing the progress on your build 👍🏻

Top stuff Plukky, starting to learn a lot here. And more people are reading the comments 🤙🏼😀

Thanks Peter! No sales hype, just the comparative data.

Great video. Really informative and educational video Love it. 👍

Am in the market for a cat, so this video came in handy, i appreciate the work you put into this. thank you brother. Capt.Amory

Great video. Can't wait to see the boat build! So happy to learn from you, Capt'n Plukkynos! 🙏❤️🇺🇸🇦🇺⛵️😍👍

Amazing video tons of information ! Really shaking the tree on this one lots of pee pole checking out this amazing information ! Thank You !

Than you for all the great information in thiks video!

That's a ton of useful information. Thank you.

Always knew you knew what you were doing… great info

Wow really valuable video !!! any info from someone experienced like you is gold value !!! Thank you Peter you open my eyes for few subjects .... only problem because I want buy a monohull ...:) any way Plucky its worth watch you even if you waiting for rain .....:P greetings from PL Al

Great presentation Plucky👍👍

Great review thank you 😊

Love your work dude🏋🏻‍♀️🤟🏋🏻‍♀️

I learnt heaps from this plukky cheers 🍺

The price level would also be more interesting as parameter if the level of commitment to service after sale, the amount of years the selling company have existed and how they help previous owners to sell their second hand boats, the second hand value etc. Also it would be great to get an idea of the level of available modifications, and how these are charged. Great video, thanks for posting!

Fun video, well done. As many commenters point out, it's hard to make like-for-like comparisons with new-build numbers without getting deep into the weeds of fit-out and customization. And there's another angle too - I sail a Chris White Atlantic 57 built with S-glass, carbon, kevlar, and epoxy, with a carbon rig. A very stiff and durable high-end composite build. And - the usual insurers puke all over it because it's not a standard bendy toy.....

Superb video! Thanks for crunching the numbers, good Sir.

Thanks for sharing your research!

Bare foot Doctors mention you on their last video... about the boat your building,, YAHOOO BABY

Great info and appreciate the research, my necks of the world, Long Beach, CA , very few slips available to fit a cat. Wish you the best and safe journeys.

Yeah man! Cool rundown of the field ;-)

Wow, that was a lot of math and information. My head hurts 😉 Thx Plukky 🤗

Thanks Plucky, My apologies. Your normally carefree demeanor belies the technical expertise with which you are able to present the real life significance for the various comparisons I did appreciate the fact that HH jumped into the fray after ignoring your initial request for clarification of their specs. It will be nice if a few more manufacturers are willing to offer some insight relative to their products. No doubt that performance and weight and strength are closely related. But, I did find a bit of redemption in the HH argument that there is more to strength and performance than just using expensive materials….time (and money) will tell. One bit of wisdom I find to have endured over the years is the manufacturing philosophy that : Good, Fast, Cheap….you can only pick two. Thanks again.

Bloody good vid and info from an Aussie, spoken like it is. Did your homework and presented the results. No bullshit and if followed "No Worries mate" Thx Plucky. Matt from Canberra ACT (sorry Plucky)🤣🤣🤣

I'm not in the boat market but found the video really interesting and also great presentation. 👍

Hope this video goes viral and gets more than a million views. It deservs it!

Outstanding!

Great data!

I know I'm biased (and they're still new, so not a ton of on the water information), but I still want to give a nomination to Max Cruise Marine!! A great value for their 44 ft boats, and based on our test sails in Vietnam, they are damn fast! The owner, Terry, just sailed his newly completed hull from Vietnam to Thiland and hit speeds of 22 knots. Anyway, just heard about your project last week from Ryan and Sophie - we wish you the best of luck!!

Great video good to know information

Thanks for your research and logical presentation. Even at 700k that's out of the reach of my budget!🤠

Great info ty so much

Enjoyed your cameo appearance on Jamie’s channel. Nice insights on the Mumby. :o)

Well done, mate.

Plukky you're a legend!

Top stuff, Peter

Thanks Pete. Nuthin but quality mate!👍🇦🇺

It's really coming together.

A lifetime of cruising and owning and cruising 5 different cruising boats, professional ferry captains and ocean sailing instructor…………I agree with you completely. One on the boats that I captained was a 70’ all aluminum Power cat ferry --Morelli Melvin designed. Aluminum absolute first choice.

Thanks for breaking the numbers down Peter

Wow peoples, who'd have thunk after watching you for years that secretly you were a very intelligent and insightful designer and not just a loveable buff head larrikin youtuber.... This is by far the best comparison yet... I note your stats on aluminum.... I not sure ali is the answer but it makes me research a bit more... Great info on materials as well BTW.. I'm a performance guy so I love the dagger boards and i.m a fan of barrel style rudder cassettes with rudder blades that can easily lift out of the center.... When do you envision your new boat be launched ...?

@5:26 Plucky, I'd love to see a re-analysis of these numbers with any reasonable amount of circumnavigation/family enjoyment gear added to the equations. Very few of us are going to sail around on empty boats so let's, for argument sake, add 2.5 tons of equipment. Dive compressors, a 365 pound generator, SCUBA gear, kite gear, perhaps additional fuel in Jerry cans, a water maker, fishing gear, a family sized dingy with a 25hp outboard, water skiis/wake board, food/provisions, and most importantly cases upon cases of rum. Then lets see how fast everyone is! My gut is telling me that the performance boats are going to have a tough time and the larger displacement boats aren't going to notice much. This is where the rubber meets the asphalt for buyers and I think we'll see a lot more boats around the 23-25 mark. Thanks for this hard work, very enjoyable to listen to!

Great info Plukky ….. I’m in the hunt for a live aboard cruising cat to do the QLD East coast which you know well. What I was looking at is now not what I’m looking at based on your apples to apples comparisons. I’m a numbers man so if the data’s correct from the builders (As we all know can be fudged to sell a product) the results don’t lie. Oh and very interesting point about the HH pricing, way up there for a Chinese/Asian production …. Struth must be some fat cats to feed !! Pretty sure old mate who owned the cat Archer is a marketing manager for them. Anywho time to find a floating home and yes I like the comforts too like a fridge or 3 😂.

You got my subs, mate.

Nice vid plucky

Plukky I'm seriously impressed with this. I hope you start a debate as well would be fascinating to get other competing views i the mix. All very interesting. Thanks...

One other intersting metric for catamarans is a measure of rigidity - simply put you jack the front of one hull up until the other hull starts to lift - pretty obviously measures how much flex there is between the hulls in a seaway and the damage/wear done on a cat's by sailing it. Look into it it's mind blowing.

Ref GRP, that was very informative, thank you, Plucky. Is there any chance of you doing a similar video covering aluminum and the corrosion caused by dissimilar metals eg my buddy drops a metal fish hook in the bilge while not being aware of the consequences.

Plukkonos, Your new boat is going to be the best lightweight performance catamaran on the market and I believe that you will be able to complete the challenge! I want one!!!

Great video! Looks like a ton of work went into this. I feel your pain in getting hold of the prices in the industry. I understand that the price depends on what options you go for, but the manufacturers could at least pull together some examples (Coastal Cruising, Med package, Bluewater Cruising, Stuck-in-Marina ;) ). There are some exceptions.........

Iam in the process of building aluminum catamaran myself. I own a metal fabrication business, I am not a boat builder by profession. I definitely like the Mumby cyber 48 but I think the design could use improvements and updates as it has became a dated design and I must have a larger boat. I am planning on doing many unconventional things with my build. I have been working with naval architects and engineers for the past year on finalizing the design. I have finalized some of the design aspects and I am going with a length of 62 feet and that is to accommodate a unique design feature. I am incorporating a large lifting platform on the rear of the boat to accommodate a icon a5 amphibious airplane which is 23" long and 8'-6" wide and a weight of 1500 lbs. The original design was for a vertical lifting platform basically the size of the entire cockpit but I have changed the design to a platform that is hinged on one side with winches or hydraulics to raise and lower the ramp. While on anchor or docked the airplane can be placed in the water to regain cockpit space. I am also doing a unconventional hybrid power and propulsion system that I have designed utilizing a gas turbine auxiliary power unit to generate electricity and hydraulic power. I am planning to use rotating electric pod thrusters that will retract into the hulls which can also function as generators. Main power generation will be with solar panels and I am going to install as many solar panels as possible and I am going to tie flexible solar panels to the wings of the airplane to increase power generation. The wings fold up for storage or transport so in calmer weather I will unfold the wings for more surface. I would like to have 10kw of solar or more if possible. I am going to use winches to deploy the dagger boards and I want to automate as my controls as possible to reduce my workload due to the fact that I am a below the knee amputee. I am going for the maximum performance possible while accepting the tradeoffs that come with the features I want but performance is the number 2 design priority. All systems will have mechanical backups so any failures will not be critical.

probably not making a lot of friends in the boat manufacturing world but this is really great information for anyone interested in a cruising cat. Now if you eventually drown freediving we'll have to wonder forever if you had an HH anchor tied to your waist... ;)

oO a new shirt! You look nearly respectable Pluckamedies. Like a lawyer or a car salesman respectable. Fair winds.

Good one. But the alu vs composite; very hard to fix alu out from a yard - composite can be repaired anywhere if you have some resin and fiber.... Those ratios are basic - add stability, type of mast (alu-carbon-rotating-fixed) - type of keel - then you get the real potential. Could also be very interesting to see the Neels, Rapidos and Dragonfly 40 in this context.

you da man! tanks! smooch

This video should end up going viral in the boating community. Lot's of great information other than the price of the new Odisea 48. Sailing Life on Jupiter in 2015 paid around 300k for their brand new, custom to your liking, mast, sails, engine's, electronics, batteries, everything. I've heard that Tim Mumby is charging a little bit more now due to inflation but THE ODISEA 48 IS MORE THAN TWICE THE COST for basically the same boat. That's $427,600.00 USD more than what Jamie paid for his Cyber 48. I could get two Cyber 48's and have $127,600.00 left over for the same price of the Odisea 48. Why??? Is this due to the labor rates in Greece verses the Philippines or is this pure greed like what HH is charging for a Chineese made boat where the labor rates are a dollar a day?

Very interesting.

You didnt do the Cat to reef ratio!!! Can it survive plucky driving into a reef at night!!!! That's the boat I want reef proof lol Love your work mate!!!

Okay Plukky, you convinced me that my X5 Xquisite is the party barage. You can use my blender and washing machine anytime.

Great work. Number correction is getting necessary, like you just can't trust a sales pitch. Can I just add all the sails I can fly at once to calculate sail area on my ketch? Will have to come up with my own silly numbers.

Peter, very informational. Have you selected all needed crew for Greece?

My man, thank you for this breakdown. I feel having this information will tell the sellers that they won't be able to try and feed me bullshit regarding substandard builds. Have you done a video about aluminum catamarans that are built for blue sea sailing?

A very interesting video here as I also keep a spreadsheet with all the metrics. Few comments: 1) There is no single Odisea48 on the water to have real-world data about performance. I guess yours will be the first Guiney pig, (and I'm sure it will be a great performer just because it's aluminium). That's why these claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. 2) Odisea's sail area is a bit too large for its size. Reefing it and re-reefing it and re-reefing it again back-and-forth will be a nightmare, unless they have in-mast roller or in-boom roller, which would reduce the performance anyway. ORC50 has a relatively large sail area, but they also have a beam of 8.60m at 15.24m LWL. If Oddisea48 with LWL 14.60m was to have such a ratio, it would need to have a beam of at least 8.12m, while it has 7.60m. 3) Performance of a catamaran is not only due to Displacement/SA, the design matters a lot. Hull Width At Waterline is very important measurement and something tells me Odisea is no much to Gunboat48, ORC50's 1.06m, and it's probably more in the Mumby48 range of 1.17m. Another important measurement for performance is Bridge Deck Clearance. Mumby48 has 88cm, ORC50 has 95cm, Gunboat has a whopping 1.3m, while Oddisea is 82cm. Positioning of the daggerboards is also important. Odisea's positioning of the daggerboards seems to have been chosen quite arbitrarily. Importantly, ORC50 hulls have a very unique shape (the way they enter the water) that make them unparalleled in terms of performance. If ORC50 was to be made out of aluminium (thicker at the bottom of the hull and thinner at the top, with carbon fiber roof and surface), I'm sure it would be the best performing cat out there, and probably hands down the BEST cat out there! 4) Now that I know that Odisea48 is $727,000, my interest in it has suddenly decreased. Mumby48 at ~$300,000 is still the best bang for one's hard-earned buck.

Capt'n Plukkynos, Would the Odisea 48 preform better if it was wider? I used to race Tornado and Nacra catamarans and have flipped and pitch poled many times. How do you determine the best width? Also, what gear is included in the Odisea 48 when you did the numbers for it? Is the anchor going to be located on the front crossbar or amidships? Could you also talk about the mast height and how you determine the perfect length of stick? Last thing on the price. Why is the Odisea 2 1/3 times the price of the Cyber 48? Thanks mate. Excellent work!!! Best video of the year!!!

I have to ask your opinion on the Neel 51 ?? even though it doesn't fall the category and it's not on any of your SA/Disp and LWL graphs it's a performer with the Ridge mainstay I think. Great Job! Thanks for your video's ⛵️

Very good research and presentation. Where is the Kinetic Yachts fron Knysna, South Africa.

I was watching vids about harryproa! Very interesting alternative to performance cats! If I sailed I would just want a boat that can get going in light winds and never go faster than ten to twelve knots in good sea,s ! Plan on average of eight knots for a 24 hr average!.

Hey Plucky when u showed the SA/Displ & LWL ratio u showed the 1st cabin roof design proposed for the Odisea. If u re-do the sail area numbers with the lowered boom how does it compare then? Still 3rd?

Plukky, comparison on the HH solent is an interesting one. My understanding was that a solent is by design an overlapping cut? But is still a decent bit smaller than a genoa, because of its shorter luff and longer foot? Seems very difficult to compare these things! Another component I'm often aware of and speak with crew a lot about, is that you can have an average "performing" boat skippered by a wise, measured head kept safe ....a "high performance" boat managed by a ill-prepared skipper with bad decision making processes putting life and limb at great risk Looking forward to more of this type of vid from you mate! Best of luck with the build!

Plukky, Which alloy have you chosen for your design? Are have you chosen more than one for it's properties, as to it's use(s)? With your design what are you valuing more, the materials corrosion resistance, strength, or moduli? Cheers! Fair Winds. Faithfully, James

A really interesting video Plukky. You raise an interesting question on how some cats can justify their prices and it's a question that should be answered. I don't fully understand your point about sail area, if a cat can carry a certain sail shouldn't that be sufficient or are manufacturers adding too many sails together ??? The one area of performance you didn't mention is design and while the basic idea of keeping the hulls as narrow as possible works, it only works to a certain point, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on hull design and bridge shape as a way of improving performance and reducing/eliminating slap. Thanks for all your work.

Great vid very informative makes me want a cat now lol

Great Info! Be interested to see comparison stats between Mumby (dna) vs ODS48

Speaking the TRUTH makes understanding much easier with anything.

I would like to see the South African built Current Marine cats in this list. I reckon they’ll be along side those top 3.

Almost convinced me to switch to 2 hulls Plukky. But not quite :)

Another number that would be interesting is Slenderness Ratio (SLR) or Displacement Length Ratio (DLR), or alternately hull waterline length/hull WL Beam ratio (LWL/BWL)

Hey! You missed out on Pescott Catamarans!! I'm on my second one and they are one of the best sailing catamarans around and.... designed and built in Australia-- alas not in full production-- is this one of your criteria? The other Australian designer are Robin Chamberlin, Tony Grainger and Lock Crowther...? Your boats in the top 10 are HUGE money... The Pescotts and the others are much more reasonable on price--and the sailing is incredible!

Hi, i am looking for the ORC 57, the others catamaran are the outremer 55, the Wendelo 54 and the HH 60. Can you give me your opinion about the choice of the orc 57 am I logical

With the recent tweaks to Odisea 48's design it may be worth revisiting these numbers, particularly since construction has started and no doubt those interested may be considering a purchase?

Plukky, how does the Odisea 48 compare to the Cyber 48?

Nice job Peter how are we coming along with your build ?