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posted to rec.boats.cruising
Jeff
 
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Default Why do people buy cruising catamarans ?

Bryan wrote:
Did a little reading last night about what the designers and builders of
multis say. From Morrelli: Crossing the pond 45 foot minimum, excluding the
Bay of Biscay, all notorious capes, and staying within 40 North and South.
After that add 10-15 foot and you are still marginal for the Capes. The
other designers tended to agree with this basic premise.


Morrelli designs tend to be aggressive, not conservative, so I'm not
surprised that they suggest a larger size. Certainly a huge number of
smaller Prouts have crossed oceans and circumnavigated without
incident. They built about 4000 cats, most in the 34-37 foot range
and they've sailed all over the world without a single capsize. But
my friends tell me it takes about 25 knots to get their 37 up to
speed. Their boat has made several Atlantic crossings.


I would tend to agree with Morrelli although smaller multi's have made
passages outside of these parameters. Lucky?


This is more of a philosophical question. What probability of success
would you consider "nominal"? I don't think I would make a crossing
if I thought the disaster rate was 10%, and I'd like to see it well
below 1%. But to be considered "really safe" you'd probably want 0.1%
or even better.

Smaller Benehuntalinas have crossed the pond many times; were they
lucky? I'd certainly take a Prout 37 over any of them. Would you
cross in a Hunter 36?