Dene wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Dene wrote:
I've been doing some research on various powerboat catamarins and have
noticed they have one thing in common....exorbant price. At least a
third
higher than a monohull.

Anybody know why?

-Greg

(Gremlins ate my first reply, sorry if it shows up later and this turns
out to be a duplicate).

IMO, cats are only "at least 1/3 higher than a monohull" if all you are
comparing is LOA.
If you compare total cockpit space, total interior, total deck space,
etc, you will usually find the cats are pretty competitive with larger
monohulls.

Good points. I hadn't thought about the roomy factor. Read your "ride" on
the Cat Concept nz29. I'm hoping this boat will be here in Portland during
our boat show. Curious though....didn't this experience make you want to
turn in your trawler for one of these? It seems you can go 10 knots just as
easy as going 30 knots, whereas on my 25 footer, if I go slow, it wobbles
like a wounded duck. It's either trolling speed, 28 mph (cruising) or top
speed. A cat is smooth at all speeds....correct?

-Greg

Ps. Go Seahawks (been a diehard fan since the Zorn to Largent days)


The Seattle dealer for the nz29 is in the process of "repositioning" in
the market. I don't know if there is a Portland dealer for the boat.

The Glacier Bay "Columbia" series that I recently sea trialed for the
magazine will be at the Portland Boat Show. Glacier Bay has a new
dealer down there, Aman Marine. Mr. Aman was aboard the Glacier Bay
during the sea trials, and he seems like a decent guy. He is very much
into the fishing aspect of the pastime.

No, I won't be trading my trawler for a catamaran. However, if I were
in the market for a much faster boat I would not rule out a cat.
Critics will remark about the outboard "list" of a cat in extremely
tight, high speed turns without recognizing that a monohull of equal
LOA would *never* be able to turn that quickly, so that comparison to
monohull handling is moot from the get-go.

On a breezy winter day with our typical Puget Sound short, steep, chop
we ran at WOT into head seas without any notable spray and we could
have had brimfull coffee cups on the dinette table without slopping a
drop. One could probably find some sea states where a monohull would be
more stable or comfortable than a catamaran, but an equal length
monohull would have been slowed to displacement speeds and still
pounding somewhat in those same head seas.

(The next issue of our magazine has the Glacier Bay Columbia on the
cover, and contains the final feature text and the photos. It will be
available at the Seattle Boat Show this week, and in our customary
Portland locations the week following. Pick up a free copy if you're
interested in cats.)