Let's talk Monohull vs Catamaran

It's Tuesday, a seemingly perfect day to talk about the great debate, Monohaul vs Catamaran.  For many, there is no debate, one is far better than the other in their minds.  Not us, nope.  When we started to look, we were just looking for something that had sails on it.  However, we did a ton of research and thought we would share some of the key comparisons of the two that led us in our decision to limit our search to Monohulls in the first place.  So, here we go:

There are a ton of articles out there on the pros and cons of each.  Below are the one's we, one, actually understood, and two, actually cared about.

Size:  Obviously with a family of 4, having room for everyone is important.  Many people prefer Cats for their privacy.  With two hulls, you typically can find a master suite of sorts on a cat, larger cockpits, and a trampoline area on the front with lots of laying out and relaxing space.  This is nice, especially if you are only planning on island hopping or you would like to charter the boat and make some extra money.  Cats are great for that and win the size debate in our eyes.

Comfortability:  This one was a big driver for us, more so than size.  We knew we wanted to sail around the world, and that there would be many days at sea.  From everything we found, Monohulls are more comfortable on passages and Cats are more comfortable when at anchor.  You could easily set a drink on the counter in your Catamaran and feel pretty safe that it will stay right where you put, whereas with a monohull, turn around and that drink may be on the floor.  Catamarans also have a shallower draft, allowing you to go into more areas than Monohulls.  You need to ask yourself how you will be spending most of your time living.

Aesthetics:  Monohulls are beautiful, there is no denying that.  There is something majestic about a mono out at sea with full sails, beating into the waves.  You will however, not see that on a Cat.  We also found that Catamarans are a bit frowned upon in the sailing community, mainly by hardcore sailors.  In the end, you are living on it, so beauty really is in the eye of the beholder on this one :)

Price:
Purchase Price:  Catamarans require a much larger budget as they have 2 hulls and are just more expensive.  If you were to compare a Monohull and a Cat that were similar years and lengths, you will see at least a $200,000 difference for a descent one anyway.  Every other variable aside, for us, this meant choosing between buying a catamaran and cruising longer.  We would buy a Cat if we were planning on starting a day charter business in the islands or something, then it would be worth investing in...but not for our current plans and lifestyle.

Marina Fees:  Prepare to pay around double anytime you head into a Marina.

Maintenance:  Catamarans will have higher maintenance fees.  Think about it, you have 2 hulls, 2 engines, more surface area, higher hull out fees, and just more stuff that can break in general.  When building out your budget, just keep this in mind.  I would estimate 10% of cost of boat/year for monohull annual maintenance when doing your budget and 20% for a catamaran.

Safety:  Obviously important to us.  Hmmm, Let's start with flipping.  Say you are overcome by a large gust of wind.  A monohull will more than likely be okay.  It is VERY difficult to flip one.  However, a Catamaran is at risk for flipping, especially if you are a newbie sailor.
Next, sinking.  Obviously, something we never want to happen, but if Moby Dick comes and puts a hole in your monohull, well, you better hop on that life raft and hope you have insurance.  If Moby puts a hole in your Catamaran, it will more than likely be on one hull, so you have at least have a chance to check it out or get to a safer location and save your boat.  Just an over dramatic thought :)

The list could go on and on with differences between Monohulls and Catamarans, with the pros and cons going back and forth between the two.  In the end, these were the important ones to us in our decision so we thought we would share.

Please comment with any questions you may have!

Love,
Renn, Rob, Elle, Berkeley