Bart Senior wrote:
If you were shopping for a cruising boat to circumnavigate,
and decided that you wanted a catamarran for this purpose,
what characteristics would you want it to have?


A lower price than most seem to. However, with all the cats
coming out of the charter fleets up for sale, prices are
coming down fast.


Long range implies duration without outside sources
of supplies such as food and fuel. !

Fuel is a bigger issue than food IMHO, and cats are more
sensitive to weight load. Especially fast ones.

I'd have to do some research on solar panel charging,
although I think a diesel genset is still a very attractive
option for a multi big enough to circumnavigate.

Bob Crantz wrote:
Simplicity = easy to operate for one person, easy to fix

Durability = does not break or malfunction


Good characteristics for any boat & it's gear. But one
point- anything is easy if you know how. Preparing for
serious cruising *should* include learning as much as
possible about how all the stuff on the boat works.

The most attractive characteristics of a big catamaran are
that they are fast & have shoal draft, so getting a boat
that maximizes these two benefits would make sense. That
means daggerboards, although some people seem to hate them.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

In article ,
DSK wrote:
Good characteristics for any boat & it's gear. But one
point- anything is easy if you know how. Preparing for
serious cruising *should* include learning as much as
possible about how all the stuff on the boat works.

I had a friend who decided to go cruising from the east coast to the
south pacific. She got connected with a boat owner who had the same
thing in mind. His boat was well-stocked with all sorts of electronic
gizmos. On the third day out of marina, he handed her the folder of
manuals, and told her to start reading. Seems he never bothered to do
that himself. She jumped ship at the next opportunity.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

She quit because she had no skill. A capable woman
would accept the challenge, study the material, and
become all the more valuable as crew for doing it.

One of the first things I do on longer trips is study the
electronics. I often no more about them than the
owners.

A good sailor, should be like a line backer, filling in
gaps in the line, so the crew as a whole is better
prepared for anything.

"Jonathan Ganz" wrote

I had a friend who decided to go cruising from the east coast to the
south pacific. She got connected with a boat owner who had the same
thing in mind. His boat was well-stocked with all sorts of electronic
gizmos. On the third day out of marina, he handed her the folder of
manuals, and told her to start reading. Seems he never bothered to do
that himself. She jumped ship at the next opportunity.

In article , Bart Senior .@. wrote:
She quit because she had no skill. A capable woman
would accept the challenge, study the material, and
become all the more valuable as crew for doing it.

She quit because the owner of the boat didn't take the time to know
his own systems. That spells poor planning and a potentially dangerous
situation. She has great sailing skills, excellent judgement, and
she's cute. :-)

One of the first things I do on longer trips is study the
electronics. I often no more about them than the
owners.

A good sailor, should be like a line backer, filling in
gaps in the line, so the crew as a whole is better
prepared for anything.

"Jonathan Ganz" wrote

I had a friend who decided to go cruising from the east coast to the
south pacific. She got connected with a boat owner who had the same
thing in mind. His boat was well-stocked with all sorts of electronic
gizmos. On the third day out of marina, he handed her the folder of
manuals, and told her to start reading. Seems he never bothered to do
that himself. She jumped ship at the next opportunity.



--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

I think shoal draft is the most fabulous characteristic
of Catamarrans. Yet few seem to take advantage of
this by using daggerboards.

You can't argue with speed. A Catamarran that could
sail around the world in 100 days +/- 20 is something
that blows the doors off most monohulls.

The size of these vessels means either more comfort
or a bigger crew or both. Each are factors that imply
more safety.

"DSK" wrote
The most attractive characteristics of a big catamaran are that they are
fast & have shoal draft, so getting a boat that maximizes these two
benefits would make sense. That means daggerboards, although some people
seem to hate them.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I like the center cockpits of the Gunboats yachts and
the Chris White designs--with inside steering. Long
passages are wearing when you are in the sun, or
have to suit up in foul weather. Having everything where
you can reach it is nice. And it is easy enough to bear
off a bit before making a trim change if your decks are
awash.

I also like the Soloman Technologies electric propulsion.
Often big cats have to throttle back in heavier seas. It
makes sense to trade some of that speed for Amp-Hours.

Large banks of solar panels ease the burden on your
crew by allowing continuous use of autopilots--which
require less effort on a Catamaran than monohulls (which
tend to round up often). Power is also needed for
water makers--no need to carry the weight of all that
water when you can make it!

A combination of water driven generators, photo-voltaics,
and even multiple noisy wind generators, could make an
electrically driven wheels on a Catamarran not only feasible,
but a desirable option. Electric Wheels are only feasible on
light weight boats like Catamarrans. I have no doubt these
will be common in the future.

I believe it is possible to get entirely away from diesel gensets
with large banks of solar panels coupled with water and wind
generators.

That leads to my final choice in characteristics on Big Cats:
Carbon Fiber for light weight. This allows you to carry
extra equipment or provides for more speed. I'd opt for a bit
more weight and bring a clothes washer and dryer if I were
circumnavigating, and still have less weight than a fibgerglass
yacht.


"DSK" wrote

Fuel is a bigger issue than food IMHO, and cats are more sensitive to
weight load. Especially fast ones.

I'd have to do some research on solar panel charging, although I think a
diesel genset is still a very attractive option for a multi big enough to
circumnavigate.

Bart Senior wrote:
I like the center cockpits of the Gunboats yachts and
the Chris White designs--with inside steering. Long
passages are wearing when you are in the sun, or
have to suit up in foul weather. Having everything where
you can reach it is nice. And it is easy enough to bear
off a bit before making a trim change if your decks are
awash.


I like the center or forward cockpit ones too, that Chris
White 48-footer was awesome.


I also like the Soloman Technologies electric propulsion.
Often big cats have to throttle back in heavier seas. It
makes sense to trade some of that speed for Amp-Hours.


It makes more sense to try and spin a prop for electricity
on a fast multi than on a mono- but remember it's not coming
for free. It costs in speed & wear/tear on the gear. If you
think "the speed isn't that much" think about how fast the
boat would be driven by that same prop spinning at those
same RPMs... that's how much you're losing. 1.5 knots? 2
maybe? Not a big problem but it adds up.


.... Power is also needed for
water makers--no need to carry the weight of all that
water when you can make it!


Yes but I'd still want tankage for at least 4 or 5 days at
minimum. The water maker might break down or some other link
in the electrical/charging system. Repairs should not be a
matter of "fix it or die."


A combination of water driven generators, photo-voltaics,
and even multiple noisy wind generators, could make an
electrically driven wheels on a Catamarran not only feasible,
but a desirable option. Electric Wheels are only feasible on
light weight boats like Catamarrans. I have no doubt these
will be common in the future.


Agreed. It's still an emerging technology with a lot of promise.

I believe it is possible to get entirely away from diesel gensets
with large banks of solar panels coupled with water and wind
generators.


It would depend on the cost of the overall plant. Diesel
gensets are relatively cheap, so is fuel (for now). The
issue here is where to get more when you're cruising. How
much of a premium do you pay for thesame power from solar
panels, to gain independence from a fuel supply? The cost of
solar is coming down, so are most 'alternative' energy systems.


That leads to my final choice in characteristics on Big Cats:
Carbon Fiber for light weight. This allows you to carry
extra equipment or provides for more speed. I'd opt for a bit
more weight and bring a clothes washer and dryer if I were
circumnavigating, and still have less weight than a fibgerglass
yacht.

You can wash your clothes in a bucket, it's the dryer that
is critical. When you're out of dry clothes & dry towels,
the fun part of the cruise is OVER!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

After spending last week on a cruising cat in the BVIs I was wishing
for a windshield.

I heard the winds were blowing 30 this last week. What
did you have?

"rgnmstr" wrote
After spending last week on a cruising cat in the BVIs I was wishing
for a windshield.

"DSK" wrote
Bart Senior wrote:
I like the center cockpits of the Gunboats yachts and
the Chris White designs--with inside steering. Long

I like the center or forward cockpit ones too, that Chris White 48-footer
was awesome.

Some of his boat don't have access to the stern of the
boat except through the front. I think that is a mistake.
I'd want good air flow through the center pod and quick
access to the fishing rods.


I also like the Soloman Technologies electric propulsion.
Often big cats have to throttle back in heavier seas. It
makes sense to trade some of that speed for Amp-Hours.


It makes more sense to try and spin a prop for electricity on a fast multi
than on a mono- but remember it's not coming for free. It costs in speed &
wear/tear on the gear. If you think "the speed isn't that much" think
about how fast the boat would be driven by that same prop spinning at
those same RPMs... that's how much you're losing. 1.5 knots? 2 maybe? Not
a big problem but it adds up.

There are sure to be times when you want to reduce your
speed. Perhaps some sort of pod that can be used for
power or generating power, or removed for performance.
I read someone was using that concept.


.... Power is also needed for
water makers--no need to carry the weight of all that
water when you can make it!


Yes but I'd still want tankage for at least 4 or 5 days at minimum. The
water maker might break down or some other link in the electrical/charging
system. Repairs should not be a matter of "fix it or die."

That sounds reasonable. One gallon per day per person would
only be 36 gallons for 6 people. That's only about 220 pounds.
Not very much water. Also, one could always manually make
fresh water with a hand operated watermaker for more extended
periods.

A combination of water driven generators, photo-voltaics,
and even multiple noisy wind generators, could make an
electrically driven wheels on a Catamarran not only feasible,
but a desirable option. Electric Wheels are only feasible on
light weight boats like Catamarrans. I have no doubt these
will be common in the future.

Agreed. It's still an emerging technology with a lot of promise.

It would be nice to see some performance comparisons for
various configurations.

I believe it is possible to get entirely away from diesel gensets
with large banks of solar panels coupled with water and wind
generators.

It would depend on the cost of the overall plant. Diesel gensets are
relatively cheap, so is fuel (for now). The issue here is where to get
more when you're cruising. How much of a premium do you pay for thesame
power from solar panels, to gain independence from a fuel supply? The cost
of solar is coming down, so are most 'alternative' energy systems.

I agree with you on the cost issue. And it is cheap to swap in
a new genset that fails. However, fuel is a link to shore that still
must be met for extended cruising. With these other means of
generating power, you could stay out far longer with greater
independence.

That leads to my final choice in characteristics on Big Cats:
Carbon Fiber for light weight. This allows you to carry
extra equipment or provides for more speed. I'd opt for a bit
more weight and bring a clothes washer and dryer if I were
circumnavigating, and still have less weight than a fibgerglass
yacht.

You can wash your clothes in a bucket, it's the dryer that is critical.
When you're out of dry clothes & dry towels, the fun part of the cruise is
OVER!

A dryer is less important than a washer. I've washed cloths
in a sink. Not much fun and then there is the drying aspect.
at least on a large catamaran you could provide space for
hanging wet cloths to dry without making the whole boat wet.

Fresh water for washing is important too. In warm climate
drying would work well on a cloths line. In colder climates
a dryer could also provide heat. How often would you use
it in the Caribbean anyway? Perhaps once or maybe twice a
week for cloths and bedding? I've spent plenty of time trying
to find coins and Laundromats in the islands. I'd really rather
not waste my time with that.

Carbon-fiber does allow you to reduce the weight of the boat
and allow a few luxuries like this.