Yep.... it's a great resource in many ways, love the joint effort between community and content creators, it resulted in a great list, interesting feedback on the go, some good tips on what to look out if you're interested in the ships in the list. It's not the kind of things you expect from the "top X" types of videos.
I think you’ve done a very fine job with these review vids. I like your approach better than Cruising Off Duty’s approach to cat reviews, not that they’re bad - they’re not -, just yours are better IMHO. Well done!
Just curious as to know "how" these review videos are better? is it better video editing? Is it better "common sense approach to livability?"...Is it because they cover more topics in their videos than those by *Cruising Off Duty*?
The public (And I believe you) agree with me. - Seawind is a HUGE company. I will not claim to be biased because I'm an Aussie. I have done my research. I am thinking that you are looking for a yacht that is too big for your needs. The Seawind 1260 - www.seawindcats.com/models/seawind-1260/ is 41ft. This is a Luxury yacht for a family. My choice would be the Seawind 1190. - www.seawindcats.com/models/seawind-1190-sport/ . You will weigh it down with Dive tanks/Compressor, Washing machine/Drier, Extra solar panels , Refrigerators, Family, ETC! A 52ft Catamaran says to the land living peeps : That person has FAR more money than I kneed!: A 39.5 ft performance yacht is barely worth them thinking about (They will look though, Binoculars, Telescopes, etc). When you watch the RU-vidrs who are making money from doing RU-vid - You will notice they avoid parking in marinas, ETC, If you require a dock that is longer than 40ft = You will be required to PAY seriously high docking fees. A yacht that is less than 40ft, However. ( Research this) is far less $. Another consideration is - After a female has had a bellyfull of arms and legs, Grandmothers and Grandfathers will come out of the woodwork, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Bestest Friends - ETC- Make everyone comfortable (Luxury Yacht) - But not SO luxurious that they don't LEAVE! - I hope you get what you want & I hope what you want is what makes you happy.
Something that would be good to add (not as its own category just a part of an existing one) would be to talk about accessibility! Some have easy access with removable panels and velcro ceilings and such so you can get to your wiring and AC (and things), while other boat models you have to cut your way in if there is a problem. I am still very new to looking at boats - we have awhile before we are really in the market but this is something I find important. It would be nice to not have to cut my way in if there was an electrical issue. =] Loving this series and really looking forward to seeing more boats!
You are comparing 1m+ Cats with others cats half or a 1/3 of that price. And your range goes from 42 to 50+. Ridiculous when anyone knows that just 1ft difference is huge for a sail boat. Transposed in the car market it would be like comparing a Maserati with a Wolkswagen and a Toyota. The market proves you wrong. Which cats sells more units than any others here? L and FP. Because they offer the best value and compromise for the cat lovers. And finally why not reviewing Bali?
Great overview. It would be good to see the same exercise done on second hand versions of these boats or their predecessors. That really does inform us on build quality and usability of the design features and actual performance. Many of us will be buying second hand and that also talks to availability of second hand and their retention of value.
Apples to apples would be far more useful. The price difference of these boats as well as the massive differences in size means they are not speaking to the same buyer. This felt like a filler video that was made not to be useful as much as to use old footage to maintain a publishing schedule. Not something I would take with a grain of salt given the variables that will constrain most buyers. Now on to the video comparing the Mercedes to the Kia.
It is really a shame that you didnt take bigger lagoons and leopards into consideration since the best cats are 50+ ft long and i really think you should talk to some more cat owners you focus way waaay too much on performance trust me those fast cats are nice for a weekend cruise or maybe a bit longer but for serious long time cruising they are very uncomfortable especially at those high speeds .and remember 90 percent of the time you are at anker space is king.
Don't forget to visit Garcia.... they are building their first Catamaran... looks freakin' amazing! www.garciayachts.com/en/yachts/catamaran/explocat-52/
ha! I knew it that the Seawind would be the one. After seeing you talk about it I went down to San Diego and was Kindly invited by Kurt of Denison yachts to go out on a Seawind 1260 and even though it was the smaller version I loved it and the key selling points where for me the Helm station protected with the Electric window and also the Door to the Lounge area that can be winched up to the ceiling amazing. Well I think you have done a bang up job on this review with all of your followers and wish more people would do this. So I raise my glass to you both cheers
Here's an experiment: take your scores, multiply each by a thousand (Seawind 38,000, Lagoon 31,000, Catana 31,000 etc.) then divide that by the number of thousands in the price (Seawind approx. 850, Lagoon approx. 380..-no, let's say 450 specced up, Catana approx. 1,250).. Catana 24.8 Seawind 44.7 Lagoon. 68.8 ...welcome to the real world.
Looks like an Outremer with a custom cockpit would be the trick. And they are clever enough to know the value of RU-vid and apparently make some accommodation for that.
I love your reviews guys, knowledgeable and fair. However ranking is a bit pointless when comparing boats up to x3 the price of others. Not like for like really. So many of us are planning to go cruising, want cats for the obvious reasons, but for me it will be on a fixed budget, so probably looking at a 8-10 year old boat (in 8-10 years time) so that's why I'm looking closely at boats available now as this is what I'll buy in the future. Passage making not the be all & end all for us as there will probably be 1 ARC & 1 Panama to French Polynesia in 5-6 years. 99% of use will be day sails and on the hook, so narrow cabins and performance not on my list. Comfort, short handed sail, homely feel, lots of room all more important, especially as lets face it, with modern tech & weather prediction, they are all safe boats, its usually the sailor that is unsafe!! Rating for me puts Lagoon higher as its basically a floating condo that can travel and will be available in the future at a reasonable price that will let me update and partially refit.
We looked at new boats because it was a boat show. However you are correct, many of these are out of our price range. However many of the features of the new boats are present on used boats. We will of course look at the used market, but it’s easier to quantify, and get up to date pricing, polar diagrams and extras lists from new boats.
Phil Gray Yes You are correct. Thank you. It drove me nuts but, my Dad used to say that is a short trip. That starting and stopping like the record is skipping makes me cringe. LOL 😂
I love your reviews. I see a playlist for the top 10. Do you have a list of all that you reviewed. I'm not seeing the Lagoon 45 so i'm curious if it hasn't been reviewed or was reviewed and just didn't do well. Thanks again for putting this together for us!!
Very well done, and I'm sure I speak for many that your obvious hard work at putting these vids together is very much appreciated. They're entertaining as hell, with the added bonus of the possibility of accidentally learning something. Carry on! (-:
We have dealt with this topic in several videos and explained why we don’t discuss bridge deck clearance. In short, there is not a clear link between the two. Nacelle shape, trim, loading and sea state all contribute to slapping. To the inexperienced it would be misleading to discuss clearance and indicate that the link between it and slapping is direct
Very surprised at your aversion to the front cockpit of the Leopard, especially with your experience of Mediterranean mooring. The cockpit does clear of water - the proof is out there and I imagine that cockpit adds an incalculable value when at anchor (to wind) and when sailing in the trade winds - not to mention privacy when moored, or at anchor. I am still recreationally chartering and May never get to do the long distance stuff in my own cat - but hopefully an opinion is still worthy?
This is an old video. We will announce as soon as we can. At the moment world events have put a hold on any announcement out of consideration for wider issues
Nice video guys well done really enjoyed it. As an experienced multihull sailor I’m not sure people that haven’t been onboard or sailed these boats on long offshore passages should be voting on them but your videos are informative and fun to watch! Many thanks 🙏
I see that Seawind are using your review on their website now. Time to ask for a discount or some sponsorship Nick/Terysa.. Great video. Difficult choice to make going forward. For me, my favourite was definitely the Privelege which is just stunning and so well put together. Seawind second and Outremer a little further back due to the exposed helm.
Excellent reviews. Very well done. I’ll say it again. Price is soon forgotten, quality remains forever. I’ll stick with Privilege, even if it has to be a used model. Just my 2 cents. 😎
I have learned so much about catamaran's. Of course living in New Mexico I don't know what I'll do with the knowledge but if any one asks I can say the Seawind is the best according to Ruby Rose. Haha
Congratulations Seawind! Huge Win for the Aussie's! Let's see how it stacks up against the rest...Thanks so much Ruby Rose for putting this comparison together ..the first of its kind on the web...surely!? Huge job...well done. Clearly, everyone out there is critically minded like the two of you - and able to appreciate the more important things in life (not just a wide birth to sleep in). I personally have appreciated your thoughts from the ocean going sailing perspective. Good to have that input when choosing a 'Bluewater' craft. Accordingly, some of the very simple criticisms of some of the more 'exemplary' top brands/ craft should shame those manufacturers that place personal safety at risk in big seas! Of course I understand that all manufacturers have to be seen to be doing something different, but at the expense of safety and practicality? One would hope not!!! Love this series. Perhaps you could continue to do it every two years, even after buying your own Cat, you could use it as the bench mark, bringing others in to context...just saying! Love your work!!! cheers...GB..
Great series guys. I’m not in the market for a cat but for the first time I went Board one at Southampton IBS on Monday. Nautitech and having looked round I could see the points you raised so I think you have done an amazing job with these reviews. Andy UK
Very pleased to see the Seawind come out on top. The viewers clearly have good tastes! Thanks for a terrific series. Glad to hear there will be more reviews to come. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Balance 526 compares to the 1600 (notwithstanding the price difference).
Marsaudon Composites TS5, HH, Asia Catamarans, Schionning, Grainger, Banuls, GunBoat ? Being exposed to the weather (in some ways is something people don't understand in sailing. The sailor needs to know, see and feel whats happening with the weather thats why there french design them that way. in order to sail the boat safely. People would be better served by looking at Bespoke designs like Chris White's Multihulls Quality of his boats is second to none.
You weren't joking about access to the engine on the Outremer, that is appalling. Who is going to balance on the back there when rough weather has put water or dirt in the fuel line? Not me under any circumstances! I must say I think you've gone a bit heavy on all the "fit and finish" stuff as though you're looking for some kind of floating palace. Can you specify gold taps? If this is what the high-end catamaran market is all about it's not flattering - all the real sailors must be in monos.
SW 1600 => 52ft/ base price: 859,000 USD Lagoon => 42ft/ base price: 378 250 USD I don't like either of thoses boats, but please compare what is comparable ... there is so much differences beetween of 40 ft and a 50.. And if you don't try for real any of this boat at sea, this top 10 worth nothing ... witch one is better to sail the lagoon 42 or the astrea 42 ? the outremer 51 or SW1600 ? Also the Neel 47 is a Trimaran, the sea handling and the arrangement are very different than a catamaran.
I Love the tours and thorough evaluations but side by side comparisons of $500k cats to $2mil cats seems pretty unjust. It's like comparing a $25k SUV to a $100k SUV. If my budget is on the lower end would I still fall in LOVE with the highly rated Cadillac Escalade Platinum? Of course!! Can I get around the country with enough space and durability in a Kia Sportage? Sure, full of envy of my neighbor, but with cash left in my pocket... But Bravo on each of the reviews independently!
I'm with Rick on this one...Balance 451 and the new 482....should be in the running for up to 50'.....526 is Sweet...but a very well put together episode..Thanks for your time and consideration
What a ton of work- THANK YOU!!! for all of the efforts! Funny, but- there really isn't a dawg in the bunch. Sure the fit & finish on the Neel & and the FP Astrea were not appreciated, they still have their good points and neither were terrible. Starting at 7th- the group was genuinely tight! Very difficult to pick 'n choose let alone prioritize what matters. Great job & much appreciated by all of us!!! Love the Seawinds 1370- what a grand solution!
Odd to compare million pound plus boats with boats half the price. Also to compare performance cats with cruisers. Different categories and doesn’t make sense to compare them.
Thank you and congratulations you are really balanced in your judgments and I consider them extremely useful. I would very much like to hear your opinion on Garcia's Explocat 52 Cat. I think the use of aluminum is extremely valuable on hulls over 50 feet. Living on the ocean it is very difficult to have major repairs done without resorting to an emergency team. Aluminum offers important qualities of resistance and repairability as well as offering significant performance qualities for those who live by exploring the world of water
Lol, what happened to the Leopard 50? I would have thought that you would have had that in the running and I would have thought it would have been in the to 50%. Like the reviews from you guys, I too am not a fan of exposed helms, sharp corners etc. 👍🍻🍷
Such a great video. Really a lot of work and energy went into this series I know. It is much appreciated. I hope in time you will get your dream catamaran. Stay well and happy.
A helm on the sugar scoop for me drops the over all score of a cat to ZERO! There is no perfect cat and there will be many things that you will have to compromise on when purchasing but the absolute deal killer for us is a crappy positioned helm! Thanks for the video excellent job
Having engine access inside the boat is the worst design I can imagine. Never in my life do I want smelly diesel and oil and heat in the living space !
Considering that your budget is half a million, the best you can buy here is the Nautitech, which by the way are NOT new to the catamaran market like you said, they have been around for over 25 years. And operate very independently from their new owner Bavaria. The 46 has also just received a big restyle, so might be worth revisiting. And not sure why you'd dismiss it for the helm positions. They are actually well protected, and how often will you find yourself crossing an ocean in a big deal and having to get to the helm? Maybe twice a year? Think how good and practical they are for the remaining 363 days... and a blast while coastal sailing and docking. (I don't work for Nautitech, but have sailed them at sea and just love them).
Life raft on a .5 mill plus Cats--- really---- just mount it on the stern outside rail 300 dollar mount which is the best place and easiest deployment if it's needed enough about a life raft. Maybe get two life rafts just in case or a third never know he'll one on each corner. Just get a cat that fits your needs and price be done with your review 500000 difference in price on your reviews buying a KIA or a Benz comparison in biuld quality. Of course there's a difference in biuld quality you get what you pay for remember that oldy but a goody saying. Can't wait to see what you guys buy.
Looking forward to your further reviews. Don't agree with the stastics between a 40 to 50+ Catamarans. I would of based research with all the same sized catamaran and price range. Rather a large difference of price between this selection , difficult to contend a 40ft with a 50+!
Discovery Bluewater 50.. and I'm confused, what y'all judging it on, a live aboard or a speedster as narrow hauls and space taken up by dagger boards are not conducive to a full time live aboard, yes they nice but reality check.. Also why not do reviews on Cats y'all might actually buy, and see what's the available best deals out there?
Hi, congrats you guys, very helpful. Can you make a Review of the Aventura 44?? Looks good to me but I don't really had opportunity to on board on one.
A very nice video - enjoyed watching this one. When it comes to choosing a cruising catamaran there are so many different aspects one needs to consider that this video has not yet covered but are important factors when considering ones purchase. We speak as folks who grew up with family owned monohulls and are now living permanently on our second catamaran, the first being a Catana 471 - our current catamaran being a Lagoon 440 which we purchased new and now sailing 10 years down the line. I’ve seen some of your comments / suggestions to others about then 440 Lagoon (no longer in production) but our experience has been very different mostly because we knew what we were buying and what was required to make / modify it to be the perfect cruising cat ‘for us’ . And this is key - but a cat you can eventually make into a cruising catamaran that satisfies your personal needs and preference. First off - I think one needs to place Catamarans into categories which would be according to length and price. To compare a 42 ft cat with a 51ft cat - well - it’s like comparing a sports car with a bus. 8ft on a sailing vessel is massive - they are worlds apart in every sense when it comes to sailing . The video although very helpful is a little misleading when it comes to voting mostly because there are so many variables in size, performance, comfort , price etc. It’s kinda like putting up a video on motor vehicles and saying ‘vote on this ‘ - we have a mini, a Toyota, a Volkswagen, a bus and a Ferrari. What is not covered in the video is what one wants to achieve for ones self, although specific mention is made - for cruising, but then the vital statistics for cruising is not mentioned - I.e. what load can a cat carry for the performance curves advertised. This is HUGE when considering a purchase of a cruising cat. In the video there is mention of a cat having a wide hull and therefore reduced performance, however, from personal experience a hull with more beam can carry more load (home comforts ) than a cat with narrow hulls and the cat with narrow hulls will reduce in performance far sooner than a cat with broader hulls, so this is extremely important for world cruising Catamarans and the choices one makes. We found that our previous catamaran although longer and supposedly faster according to the manufacturer performance curves, cannot match the performance with the loads (luxuries) we carry on our current cat. In fact, with dagger boards and all which is lacking in our current catamaran we find on our current model we are able to sail on a closer point of sail mostly due to something as simple as the Genoa track position on the coach roof and shorter spreader bars on the mast which enable one to bring the leech of the Genoa in closer. Another important fact is how the boat is set up for ease of sailing - lines coming back to one central station, being able to reef or hoist sails without turning the cat into the wind (dangerous in stormy conditions) etc. is HUGE as part of our ‘choice of catamaran’ when we consider buying. A cruising catamaran also needs to have a cruising set up. What one needs to compare with these boats is how the boat is set up for cruising the oceans of the world - for example - on Impi, we spent over time as much as we paid for our boat in the first place to have the perfect (for us) cruising catamaran. Folks are voting on what? They vote on things like ‘helm position’, woodwork finish etc. but there is so much more to consider when buying a catamaran - woodwork finish is probably the last thing that would bother me. When we purchased our second catamaran new, the first thing we did was to identify its weak points in design and build . We took the boat from France to South Africa and after some ‘fighting with the dealers’ we decided to make the boat a cruising boat by removing the paneling (carpenters) and strengthening the bulkheads. We’ve redesigned the sail profiles and set up ( over the years we’ve chopped and changed things) and we replaced the wiring by upgrading everything to cope with the demands we would require for comfortable world cruising . This is key to buying a catamaran today - is to understand that NO catamaran is built as a ‘buy and go’ cat for world cruising, unless you are the person who does not mind sailing with a basic lifestyle. When I say basic, let’s look at air conditioning for example. I’ve seen a number of videos where folks say air conditioning is not necessary for world cruising - but hey - here in Indonesia and Malaysia we are seeing so many desperate sailors suddenly installing air conditioning into their boats. Some are telling us in four letter words how they wished they had never listened to the ‘popular folks on YT saying one does not need an air conditioner’, and trust me - there are the die hard sailors here saying they don’t need it while the wives tell us a different story - lol. We like our home comforts and we love how the air conditioner not only keeps us cool through nights on ‘lithium batteries’ but also keeps the boat free of mould and humidity. We’ve been is some serious storms - the stern of a catamaran is probably the most important part of all because in heavy weather (which perhaps some will never encounter but on the off chance may), the stern is the part one wants to place to weather when deploying warps (a discussion in itself). So guys, we’ve also been visiting boat shows and we’ve turned away so many opportunities to ‘upgrade’ because ultimately one will be buying that new cat and doing so much much additional work to make it a proper cruising catamaran for world sailing that we felt we should mention it for those not quite aware - few to NO Catamarans are built for world cruising in mind. One needs to determine how the manufacturers arrive at their performance curves and how that performance drops when weight is added to the boat. It’s no rocket science that weight added to a boat with narrow hulls will cause it to loose performance sooner than weight added to a boat with broader hulls. Our previous catamaran with narrower hulls meant they had to lift the bed height to get enough bed width but we found we were sleeping close to the ceiling and with our bed closed on 3 sides. On our wider catamaran we have plenty of space above our bed and a lot of gap between the bed and ceiling and it’s a lot more comfortable. One needs to look at how the boat is set up - ie what gear is onboard and included in the price - this is HUGE for a world cruising cat. Well, I could go on and on but I thought it would be good to share this with those who otherwise may be in for a surprise looking at buying ‘the dream boat’ and suddenly realizing there is way much more to this than just buying something for its ‘helm position’ (in world cruising and today’s technology one is seldom at the helm anyway), wood work finish and other nice looking superficial eye pleasers . At the end of the day one is crossing oceans with a variety of sails - the manner in which the lines come aft, the number of jam cleats, rollers etc. and the ability to add to these as one upgrades are all important factors. We’ve seen a number of folks selling their ‘fast performance cats’ for beamier cats that carry more luxury on board over the years - we see it happening over and over again. I would say to folks looking at performance curves - DON’T BE FOOLED - as a cruising catamaran you will want to add weight - perhaps some will even add dive compressors (as we have done) etc. etc. Make sure to look at the weight of your boat out of the factory, look at what is onboard at that point, look at your future needs and make sure your boat can take the added weight to match those needs, and then, if performance is your thing, look at what the performance will be like with the added weight . In some discussions with manufacturers we were told their fast performing cruising cats would not be suitable for us given the added weight we would carry. We’ve sailed the oceans with many ‘performance’ cats and never been more than a day behind any of them but one thing is true - we arrive with all the home comforts onboard and most of our time is spent living comfortably off the islands. Passage making is only a small part of ones time when cruising the world and space, packing space, living space, ability to carry load trumps all else if one is doing this years on end. Keep up the good work guys Brent and Ana Cat Impi
Sailing Yacht Ruby Rose - love your videos and looking forward to seeing you guys out on the water. One thing I know for sure is that come time to choose your boat you will have done your homework. Im looking forward to seeing you guys splash ... Cheers fellow sailors
I know nothjng about boats but soon realised the Seawind 1600 is MINDBLOWING! What a boat, the design, the layout, the price. U true engineering masterpiece
Am I the only person who doesn't understand the vertical scale on your chart at 14:32? - seems like it was a sketch made over a beer:) For example the jump in height of the bar is bigger between 31 and 32 points (Catana to Nautitech) than from 35 to 37 (Privilege to Outremer). Anyway it was a very interesting exercise - thanks for doing this. BTW There is another way of doing these sort of ranking that is based on first defining what is the ideal solution (in this case an ideal catamaran that suits your needs) this part of the process is achieved by a process called pair-wise comparison (much less geeky than it sounds). Then once you have a (mathematical) model of the ideal you then follow a a simple rating process of how each boat measures against the ideal. It is done without reference to cost as the results are then ranked in order of closeness to your defined ideal. Finally you refer to cost and see which candidate is best based to your needs and your budget. This process automatically takes care of for example picking a Ferrari as the "best" car when what you are actually looking for is a people carrier.
Another great episode and I appreciate the detailed information on these cats. I'm going to get a Signature 510 . . . just as soon as that Nigerian prince sends me the millions he promised me.
I love how the dividing line between ‘horribly exposed helm’ and ‘well protected inboard helm that you can spend hours on long watches’....is six freaking inches and a slightly more padded chair. Not everyone has ‘ocean crossing in rough seas’ at the very pinnacle of their list of requirements. All of these boats come with interior NAV stations and very few people are going to be manning the helm in the middle of the North Atlantic at all times anyway.
I know you are doing these reviews because you want to find a catamaran for yourself........ and part of me hope that you never find it (sorry!) and you need to keep searching :-) ..... because your review videos are simply the best I can find as they are systematic and in depth. - Good luck with your search though and thank you for taking the time to do this.
I think any one of these cats, with the right owner modifications, would be great. Your diligence and enthusiasm for these reviews is pro..all the way. If I was Seawind I would think they would look into making a 1600 affordable(kind of a you know who deal) to you guys..simply for the exposure you have given to the audience out side of Australia. Regardless..I'm sure your decision will fit the parameters you have...and will be alot of fun!
