Before you go spend heaps of time debating this purchase; I urge you to read this text summary . Some catamaran company complained and say "copyright". Sad. While it highlights catamarans it is not all about them.
To assist in locating the most suitable boat for your needs, consider these additional questions. First; Where do you intend to sail? Second; What is your eventual purpose? And Third; Who will accompany you?
If your primary objective is to enjoy weekend excursions and holidays, any sailboat suitable for overnights and social gatherings will suffice. Use a broker, ads and friends in your hunt. If you are spending a nice chunk of money; get a survey. No need to read any further.
If however, if you aspire to visit distant destinations, immerse yourself in different cultures, and savor cuisines not available in your home country, the following information could save you considerable time, aggravation, and money!
Where do you Intend to sail?
Before delving into the specifics of boat selection, it is essential to determine the region where you intend to sail. This decision will influence the type of boat that best suits your needs. Many people reverse this process; choosing a boat they like than trying ot make it work for where they wish to go.
West Coast: If your sailing destination is the West Coast skip to Catamarans vs Mono's below.
East Coast: If you plan to sail and cruise the East Coast, the following two considerations are relevant. Air Draft and Water Draft
Navigating inland waterways of the US requires an understanding the air and water drafts of the vessel you choose.
Inland Waterways: The air draft of vessels sailing on inland waterways is about 65 feet. The water draft is ideally 8 feet. If you plan to transit through the middle of Florida, the air draft is reduced to 49 feet due to the presence one key bridge. To make matters more interesting both characteristics are weather dependent: The air draft and water depth can fluctuate significantly during spring tides and storms.
While the Corp of Engineers does a great job of maintaining a channel depth of 8’ that is not always the case. Hurricanes’ and tides move huge amounts of sediment often depositing it in the channel. The Corp of Engineers is always working hard to keep up with Mother Nature. Georgia is one place where the depth of the water varies considerably forcing many boats to travel on rising tides.
What is your Purpose?
What kind of yacht will met your purpose; a Catamaran or a Monohull? While considering a potential purchase, what is below the waterline is as important as what’s above. Movement and motion in the water is significantly influenced by the hull design. Often overlooked is the issue of snagging flotsom. If you have aspirations of exploring distant destinations or embarking on an ocean voyage, it is essential to understand what the underwater hull may collect.
A long keel vessel exhibits superior tracking capabilities. Two hulls (catamarans) result in reduced heel. The sailing world loves to debate the pros and cons for each group. That debate is not part of this page. In regions such as the Caribbean and West Coast USA, the differences in the configuration is more personal than practical. However, the Pacific Garbage Patch, a genuine phenomenon, can pose a significant challenge for some hulls. Later, upon reaching Southeast Asia, a similar set of concerns arise, fishing nets and debris. Not all nets are marked nor even lit, and debris can be found miles from any shore. Both are abundant!
Floating Nets: During one voyage from Australia to Indonesia, net ends were marked by AIS resembling a drone attack. Hundreds of these net ends appeared on the AIS screen. Avoiding them while sailing presented a challenge. We were able to avoid the majority. but we missed one. Fortunately, our boat is a full keel with no cutaway, allowing the surface net floats to slide beneath us and out the stern.
The yacht True Blue was not so fortunate. In the middle of the night, they accidentally sailed over one catching it on their bottom. One crew memeber (there were only two on board) had to dive (at night) to free the boat. Another yacht sailed up on to a tree in the middle of the Indonesian Sea. The owners felt for a few seconds they had somehow run up on an unmarked reef. In this area of the world those do exist! Fortunately, their boat, a full keel offshore vessel was able to back off and sustained no damger.
Check the underbody and keep in mind the potential hooks
. A few good and bad examples of yacht bottoms are shown in the left column.
Who with?
What abilities will your partner or crew have?The skills and physical attributes required to operate and maintain a yacht are crucial to a successful cruising lifestyle. One must prioritize the safety and well-being of the vessel for that will mean the survivability of the crew. Unfortunately, many individuals view a yacht as an extension of their ego, often demonstrating a lack of understanding regarding the challenges posed by nature.
As real estate values rise, families transitioning to a cruising yacht often have the financial means to acquire larger and larger vessels. This abundance of money may lead one to purchase a yacht that exceeds the capabilities of their owners and or crew, resulting in a safety risks. Of course if your bucket of money is big enough you can hire people to take care of what you don't wish to! 😜
Thus, a major concer is: Can the less capable person safely return the yacht to harbor in the event of an incapacitation of the more capable individual? This assessment involves evaluating two areas of responsibility: navigation and boat handling. While modern navigation tools have significantly simplified the process, the challenges associated with cruising yachts are distinct.
All the yacht’s gear must be usable by the smaller crew member. Gear needs to be sized for the smaller member and every piece reachable. I've seen line stoppers on masts that are out of reach for the shortest functioning crew member. Children are not counted here unless they stand watches and expected to handle the boat in an emergency. How could the shortest member reduce sail in a storm if they are the only one available? Cutting the line and lowering the sail may be impossible when one can not reach above the stopper. Alone, can they retrive the anchor gear and get moving?
Consider the worst-case scenario in assessing the chances of survival. If either crew lacks the necessary skills and abilities, the chances of a successful cruise diminish.
Gotchas:
Furling System: In mast furling is suitable for Marina Queens and day sailing. I know there are sailors that will disagree with me. I know it is popular. However, I would not want to cruise long distance, offshore, on multi day passges with either setup. I know many boats with In Mast Furling have successfully circumnavigated and completed extended cruises. There are people that have crossed oceans in 10 foot boats too. For me, that would is not be an enjoyable way to cruise! To be clear, much of my information is anecdotal. Even anecdotal evidence can be instructive. If there is any issue with In Mast Furling, two thing will happen: 1) worst case you will need to replace your mast, or 2) you will need to pull the mast to correct the issue. Replacing the mast means that it buckled, most likely at the entry point for adding sail. The second more common issue is a failure of a item inside the mast. Often to access parts in the furling system the entire mast must be removed. Then one can repair the furling gear and replace the part. This is all followed by re-steping the mast. Either situation is expensive, time-consuming, and NOT easily completed anywhere! On the contrary, I am not aware of any boat with slab reefing and mast slides that have had to stop cruising and pull the mast for a furling issue.
Mainsheet Rigging Placement: The second significant concern is in the yachts placement of the mainsheet / traveler. Is it positioned between the companionway and the helm? I have encountered two yachts in one year that narrowly avoided personal disasters because of this setup. Not fatal, but certainly close. One yacht had a female crew member on the night watch. The boat in her mind was acting funny and she moved to check if the autopilot had malfunctioned. As she moved the boom swept across the cockpit dragging the mainsheet with it. The mainsheet struck her, tossing her about the cockpit. She sustained a broken arm and several ribs. The bone in her arm punctured the skin. Fortunately (if one can say that), they were less than a day out of port. They contacted the harbor master and received assistance. As this was a developing nation she was not medivaced by chopper. She was picked up by a launch 12 hours later and taken to the local hospital. She was lucky. A specialist was visiting that hospital and had repairs completed there. She then flew back to her home country for follow-up care. BTW, her home medical personal indicated that the care she received was excellent.
Another yacht experienced an accidental gybe, the mainsheet whipped across the cockpit. (I don't know if there was a preventer set or if it failed). The female crew member was in it the path of the mainsheet, resulting in broken ribs. This incident occurred in coastal waters, and she too received treatment at a local hospital.
Had the traveler or sheet been rigged outside the cockpit, I doubt either of thsse incidents would have occurred. No vessel is perfect, and it is easy to rationalize such situations. People can justify most things! Preventor or not, the mainsheet setup in the cockpit is problamtic. People worry about lightening strikes. After cruising for the last 2 decades mainsheet injuries are approximatley equal to boats hit by lightening. That is; those I have personally known.
Lastly, move through the interior of the boat, hand-hold to hand-hold. Try to always have a hand on something. Whether it’s a catamaran or a monohull, if you travel the world, you will encounter sea conditions with or without weather conditions that demand you hold on as you move below. Ensure that you can do so. Try to move all the way forward and aft while holding on. Enter and exit the head compartment. Can you reach the engine easily to check for issues? If you cannot hold on, expect to be bounced off the cabinetry in the boat. There are times your boat will be transformed into a full-sized pinball machine. You will be the ball.
Safety Addendum:
Ease of Boarding and Disembarking: The ease of boarding and disembarking a vessel is a crucial safety consideration. While most individuals would prefer a simple process, it is essential to recognize this ease can extend to animals as well. During our voyage, we've encountered instances where sea lions would ascend the sugar scoops of catamarans and mono-hulled vessels. Notably, one lion entered the cabin of a catamaran while its occupants were ashore, resulting in an unpleasant encounter as well as unwanted excrement. We were in NZ where a Lepard Seal decided to take up residence! Some cruisers report snakes making their way aboard. In Fiji a Sea Snake followed our dinghy back to the boat. When we boarded I watched as it swam around Elysium looking for a way up / in the boat. There are methods to combat these intrusions. It is crucial to understand that some yachts may necessitate additional precautions to ensure the safety of both crew members and passengers.