Best Cat Cruiser balancing comfort with function.

Becaris, also have a look at Bob Oram designs, there have been a number of posts on BD for his 44 & 39 but he also has some larger designs. One has come up for sale a 62'.
http://www.svdrumbeat.com/index.htm $1.45m AUD

 

That is a really nice looking boat (the 62). I will have to put that in my folder.

The forward and underbody body nacelle/minihull may draw some criticism though. I tend to discount that though, more likely comes down to a personal preference, but I have heard some people scream bloody murder.

 

So far you are describing a power cat , not a sail boat.

Most sailing cats that cruise have a hard time going better than SL 2 -2.5 in anything less than F-8.

So a lwl of 64 ft might get 16K -18K under the exact perfect conditions (or with a huge spinnaker and crew to handle it), but cruising it would be pure hell.

No one likes to be aboard when the boat is being pushed hard , leaping from wave to wave is hard on the cook , and the cat.

At low speeds cats suck , as the added surface area requires loads more sail.

Ghosting ? in 64lwl cat? maybe with 2000sq ft , but its usually the IRON topsail.

The problem of loading as a cruiser gets easier as the LWL gets near 100ft , but that's a lot of boat for an occasional speed burst.

FF

 

I don't think my desire for the boats top speed at 15 to 17 knots is out of line, I said, and I quote: "...and did about 15 to 17 knots on a very good day". A very good day is perfect winds in perfect conditions, not your average sailing day. There are several cats out there right now that can do this easily. As to the comfort of my cook and such, being able to sail at speed does not require that you do so. But when I want to out run some weather... it's nice to be able to pack on a few more knots.

As for your other numbers... I'd have to defer to cat owners to confirm or deny your claims of such poor performance in low winds.

Finally, on loading. Each boat has a loading weight, as they get bigger the amount of stuff you can bring increases. This does not magically kick in at only 100 ft, it gradually increases with length. I will load my boat with exactly the right amount of weight for the length, whatever that may be.

 

Here are a few examples of cats sailing in my speed range, and doing it quite comfortably looking. I especially like the last video as the conditions are pretty bad, but notice the dishes sitting on the table, not moving and the relaxed look of those on board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqxzLJZmOas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEk0w994qM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deOSgclzs1o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFqm48C2BPk&feature=related

 

What is the time frame of your anticipated purchase? I am developing a new cat design that will offer an exceptional combination of performance and space, but it will be a few years before it's available.

 

That's not something I have decided yet, right now I'm only gathering information. When I find what I'm looking for I'll start entertaining a time frame. But roughly, I'm interested in having the yacht functional in a couple years, but build times could change that of course. That's OK, I can be patient.

 

A Chris White 57 capsized due to wind near Tonga August 1, 2010. One may read my analysis at the bottom of my web page, http://bigcatcatamarans.com . There is a link there, too, which will lead the reader to more links, including the skipper's narrative.