multi-hulls vs. mono hulls

That's a puzzle to me, most people think multihulls have more room than monohulls. (I have spent 8 years living full time on board 30-32ft catamarans)
the photos show a typical 32ft monohull interior and part of the interior of a 32ft catamaran (which also had three double bunk cabins separate from the saloon

I am also puzzled by the maneuverability comment. I think you can agree that not all monohulls are good sailors. If I based my comments solely on the junk rigged monohull I sailed recently then I could say that no monohull sails to windward. But I know that isn't true as I've sailed others that sail well.

It is true that I have sailed catamarans that have been very difficult to tack, but that doesn't mean all are - as the AC45's show. And look how fast this near 30 year old design tacks, even with one crew member just watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ99i9ebzh8

But I do agree that if you are in a hurry you don't use a sailboat, especially in the PNW. Which is why we have two small trimarans for day sailing round the bay and a 28ft powercat for cruising the Strait of Georgia

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

That's basically the point I was making. Taking one geographic area in isolation (like SW England or the PNW, both places I know well) is not representative

These days most larger production multihulls are built for the charter market, so aren't really suitable for live aboard cruisers. Unless you have a one off built it's hard to find a professionally built boat geared to a liveaboard couple, whereas such boats are still very common in monohulls and powerboats

The Discovery 55 catamaran is one "cruisers" example, with a huge owners cabin. Very nicely built, way above French standards, but I think only one has been built

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Might as well ask why there are more apples in Washington than bananas.

Different boats for different areas and uses. As it has been pointed out, there are real economic factors that work against multis. And as Richard points out, there are niche markets were multis excell, like charter leases in the BVI's were they are the equlivant of pontoon party boats on any lake, right down to the topless girls and drunk operators.

Anyway, go read this post from long ago...actually read the whole thread as some pretty interesting points are made in it, just ignore the side "cat" fights that break out several times in it.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/canting-keel-monos-vs-multihulls-13511-4.html#post104220

 

I found those comment quite striking, and it left me puzzled.

I'll admit my mind focuses on the above deck living space more than the below the deck spaces. Maybe that accounts for my differing perception of space and spaces.

 

I'm not sure what you meant there either

The deck space on a multihull is huge compared to a monohull. That's why most day charter boats are catamarans, see the photo of the 63ft Profligate, while the other photo shows one of my 25ft Sangos sailing with 20 people on board in the Black Sea

Incidentally, these photos, plus the earlier ones, were taken from the talk I gave at Sail Havasu last year. You can see the transcript here

http://sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/articles/29-general/221-hpcc

Just one of the "Useful Articles" on my website

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

And you can live even better in a 30' aft cabin power cruiser,even with double engines. Generally have a 2 side entry queen aft,a double in the bow,and lots of room inside. Bayliner/SeaRay etc
Carver 300 and others with actual aft cabin have tons of space.
And cruising at 7 knots can get 4-5 mpg.

My 50' gets 3 mpg at 7 knots...

Only island berths on cats are the large ones,and even that is while lying on the bridgedeck floor and one needs to climb up steps on the side of the hull..not convenient at night nor especially after a few wobbly pops.

And I don't want or need to entertain and clean up after 20+ people aboard.

 

The rules were not changed after Herreshoff's Amaryllis. It's a myth; an understandable one since people like LF Herreshoff, writing decades later, contradicted what they wrote in their own letters and blamed the rulemakers for the failure of cats to take over.

Amaryllis was DSQd from ONE race, but she was given a special prize. Despite the occasional hype, she was NOT discriminated against by some rich conservatives - the race was awarded to a saloon keeper on a working-style boat. Basically, it was as if early car racing had been in souped-up delivery vans and someone had turned up on a F1 car - it'd go like stink but it would not be racing like against like.

Back in those days, sailors did not even mix monos of one rig against another very often - the rules were still being developed (which is almost certainly why Amaryllis was allowed in and then DSQd) but sloops normally raced ONLY sloops, catboats raced ONLY catboats, schooners raced ONLY schooners, etc.

In that context, it was completely normal for a cat to ONLY race cats, which is what happened for several years. Some leaders of the establishment got into cats (the founder of the NYYC, after all, was a cat sailor....) and they got favourable treatment in terms of prize money, etc.

They died out for various reasons; slow to tack, wet, etc. Note that I am NOT saying that these apply to modern boats. Herreshoff's own son did not like cats. Herreshoff himself did not like cats with cabins. I say these things NOT to attack cats, but to point out that those who knew them also knew that they had issues that meant that they were not necessarily better, overall, than monos.

The underlying point is that there was not, and has not, been a massive conspiracy against multis as some say. Sadly, IMHO, the myth of a conspiracy has lead some multihullers to believe that they are a misunderstood minority, and it's probably attracted some people to get into multihulls because they want to feel like rebels without actually having to face the real issues that real rebels face.

And of course, there are people who are outspoken against multis, but there are people who are outspokenly against monos too....

Multis are fantastic boats, just like monos are great, windsurfers are great, sailing canoes are great, etc. Like music, drinks, bicycles, houses whatever, surely it's fine for people to have differing tastes? For example, going faster per se is irrelevant to most people.... if pure speed mattered we would never sail and rarely be on the water at all. I sail a class that has an official top speed of (IIRC) 48 knots and in flat water at high speed it's BORING to me (although if others love it, then that's great) because speed per se is irrelevant - it's the sensations that count.

To be honest, I do think that killing the myth of Amaryllis' "banning" is important, because the belief that multis have always been discriminated against still seems to be hurting the cause of multis at times.

 

Par is that 65 footer a McGregor?

I reckon that you do not sail it in Lake Eustis.

 

Yep, a sail in Lake Eustis wouldn't be wise as it's average depth is about 12', with near shore depths being very shallow, so her 8' 6" of draft would prove bothersome. She's out on the coast, near Port Orange.