High performance boats are the best way to go for boaters who enjoy a bit of speed on the water and wind in their hair. Performance-oriented powerboats range in size from 20 to more than 50 feet and ride on V-bottom and catamaran hulls .
They range small outboard-engine-powered sport catamarans to giant performance center consoles to closed-deck V-bottoms with full canopies over the cockpit and inboard power. Likewise, amenities vary widely from vessel to vessel. A luxurious 50-foot V-bottom high performance boat might have a complete cabin ideal for a weekend getaway, whereas a 34-foot sport catamaran hot rode might have just six seats in the cockpit and nothing below its deck.
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While high performance boats are designed to deliver thrills at speed, there’s a lot more you can do with one than simply run fast. In fact, there is a whole host of organized activities for performance-boat owners around the country every season. The most popular of these activities are poker runs, which involve a fleet of performance-boats running from point to point to collect five cards. Participants play those cards at the end of the day to earn prizes and share good times with new and familiar friends. There also are brand-specific events year known as owner rendezvous organized by specific boat builders, as well as simple lunch runs and fun runs organized by various clubs around the country.
As enjoyable as organized events can be as social experiences, they’re not your only option with a high performance boat—at least if you chose a performance-oriented center console. Predominantly powered by outboard engines, the new generation of go-fast center consoles have abandoned their traditional angling setups for bountiful seating and open spaces in the cockpit. Models in this category range from 34 to 60 feet, which means they offer the most passenger seating and space of anything in the go-fast boat world. On the water or at the docks, a high-performance center can be the ultimate social platform for spending time with family and friends.
From paint to power, no powerboat category offers greater opportunities for customization than the high-performance realm. Elaborate, high-dollar paintjobs are more the rule than the exception in the upper end of the go-fast boating world, and most builders will even color-match a boat’s interior colors to those of its exterior. On the power side, buyers have an array stern-drive and outboard options depending on the model in question. Your options are, for the most part, only limited by your budget.
For the most part, high performance boat ownership tends to be significantly higher than those for other types of powerboats. New model prices start in the low six-figure range and can reach well past the $1 million mark. Because of their potentially high speeds—the fastest go-fast catamarans can top 180 mph—and powerful engines, high performance boats also tend to be substantially more expensive to insure than their conventional powerboat counterparts such as a bowrider or pontoon boat .
Our Boat Loan Calculator can help you determine if a high performance boat works for your unique budget and needs.
In the high performance boat world, the general rule of thumb is that the more-powerful the engines involved the more expensive the boat is to maintain. Service and rebuilds for big-power stern-drive engines of 1,000 horsepower and beyond are costly. Go-fast boats equipped with today’s reliable outboard engines are far less expensive to maintain and can be purchased with substantial factory protection, as long as eight years in some cases.
As a high performance-boat owner, your No. 1 operational cost will be fuel. The more powerful the engines involved, the more fuel they will burn and the higher-octane gasoline they will require for performance and reliability. Higher-octane fuel is more expensive than lower-octane fuel. Also, worth noting is that high-octane fuel tends to be less readily available on the water.
When it comes to construction materials used to build them, high performance boats run the gamut from vinylester resin and fiberglass to carbon fiber and epoxy. While the latter tends to be lighter, stiffer and equally strong, it also is more expensive than “conventional” fiberglass and resin materials still used by most builders.
Expect to find the latest electronics in today’s high-performance boats and you won’t be disappointed. Where once a speedometer and tachometer was everything an operator needed, current go-fast boats are loaded with the latest GPS monitors, accessory switching systems, live front-and-rear video cameras that display on screens in real time, massive stereo systems and in-cockpit and underwater LED lighting systems.
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How Fast Do Catamarans Go?
Catamarans are known for their speed, and some vessels are fast enough to break world sailing speed records.
Catamarans can go between 15 and 30 knots, with the fastest achieving speeds well in excess of 60 knots. Sailing catamarans are sometimes twice as fast as monohulls and cut through the water with greater efficiency.
In this article, we’ll cover how fast catamarans can go based on factors such as size, sail area, and design category. Additionally, we’ll compare catamaran speeds to monohulls and trimarans and cover the reasons why multi-hull sailboats blow monohulls out of the water.
We sourced the information used in this article from sailing guides and hull speed calculations. Additionally, we sourced information directly from the manufacturers of common catamarans.
Table of contents
Catamaran design can be split into different categories. After all, different vessels are designed for different tasks, as speed isn’t always the most important design consideration.
The fastest type of catamaran is the ultralight racing catamaran. These vessels have extremely narrow hulls and a remarkable planing ability. They’re designed to pierce waves and often achieve speeds in excess of 45 knots or greater, depending on conditions.
The second fastest catamaran variety is the sport catamaran. Sport catamarans often include a fairly good level of creature comforts in the cabin. They’re technically hybrid designs, because they are envisioned as a combination between a racer and a cruiser. Sport catamarans can achieve 30 knots or greater.
Cruising catamarans are designed primarily for safety and comfort. They’re often used for long offshore passages, where speed is important, but comfort is king. Despite their accommodations, cruising catamarans can still achieve a respectable 15 to 20 knots of speed—sometimes 50% faster than similarly-equipped monohulls.
Catamarans are remarkable vessels that can achieve amazing speeds. As a result of their unconventional design, typical calculations for hull speed (such as those used for monohulls) don’t always apply.
But what makes catamarans so much faster than equivalent monohulls? The first and most obvious speedy design element are the hulls themselves.
Catamarans don’t have a deep keel or a centerboard. This is because the second hull acts as a stabilizing device, and it helps the vessel track straight. The lack of a keel reduces weight (and equally important). It also reduces drag.
Additionally, catamarans behave in strange ways while underway. The hulls have a tendency to rise out of the water further the faster they go. This further reduces drag and makes it easier for the vessel’s speed to climb once it starts to move.
One additional characteristic is how the vessel’s sails point relative to the wind. Catamarans keep their sails perpendicular to the wind, which allows them to harness energy more efficiently. This is because, at a perpendicular angle, less wind energy is lost by spillage over the edge of the sails.
Yes, catamarans are typically faster than monohulls. They’re also a lot more stable, as their spaced-out hulls provide better motion comfort in rough seas. Catamaran hulls are narrower than monohulls, which also reduces drag and increases speed.
We know that catamarans are faster than monohulls in most situations. But how much faster are they? Here’s a table of hull speeds for monohulls, which is a useful reference when comparing speed. Hull speed isn’t the absolute fastest that a boat can go, but it’s a good practical estimate for understanding the hydrodynamic limitations of single-hull designs.
Hull speed calculations for catamarans are more complicated. This is because catamarans have a greater length-to-beam ratio. And due to their narrow hulls and open center, they aren’t affected by the same hydrodynamic drag forces that monohulls are limited by.
For example, a 55-foot monohull sailboat with a waterline length has a hull speed of 9.4 knots or 10.9 mph. Its actual speed could exceed that in the right conditions, but rarely by more than a few knots.
Compare that to an efficient 51-foot catamaran, which can easily achieve speeds in excess of 20 knots in reasonable winds. That’s more than double the hull speed of a monohull with a similar waterline length and proves that catamarans operate under a completely different set of rules.
One aspect of catamaran design that makes them superior speeders is their ability to pierce waves. Specially designed catamarans have minimal buoyancy at the bow, which allows them to slice through waves instead of going over them.
This increases the speed at which catamarans can cover the distance. Think about it—a boat going over a wave has to use more energy to reach the same destination, as the height of the wave almost makes the distance further.
It’s like walking over a hill or on flat ground—you’ll take more steps walking up and down the hill than in a straight flat line. Wave piercing catamarans enjoy better stability, and they ‘take the flat road’ to a greater extent than monohulls.
Planing is when a boat’s hull rises out of the water due to hydrodynamic lift. This increases speed and efficiency, as there’s less drag but sufficient contact for stability. It also reduces rolling, as the bow only contacts the taller portions of the waves.
Catamarans have planing characteristics, but they generally don’t plane as dramatically as powerboats. This is still worth noting, as catamarans are specifically designed to use the phenomenon of hydrodynamic lift to gain speed and efficiency.
You’ll visibly notice a catamaran’s hull rising out of the water as it increases in speed. Compare that to a displacement monohull design (such as a classical cruising sailboat with a deep keel), which won’t rise out of the water in any significant way.
A trimaran is a catamaran with an additional hull in the center. Trimarans are usually less common than catamarans, but they have some of the same design benefits as other multi-hull sailboats.
At first glance, it would seem logical that trimarans are slower than catamarans. After all, they have an extra hull in the center, which likely increases weight and drag. However, there are more important factors at play here.
Trimarans are almost universally faster than catamarans. This has to do with weight distribution. Trimarans center their weight over the middle hull, using the outer hulls primarily for stability. This allows them to reap the benefits of a catamaran while increasing the efficiency of the wind power it captures.
Catamarans are popular for racing. There are several world records held by catamarans and numerous production boats with especially impressive speed-to-size ratios. Here are a few of the fastest racing and production catamarans ever built.
The Vestas Sailrocket is a specialized racing boat designed only for speed. This incredible vessel is actually the fastest sailboat ever built—and no wonder it’s a catamaran. A monohull simply can’t achieve record-breaking speeds when put head-to-head with a lightweight multi-hull.
The vessel, which earned the world sailboat speed record in 2012, has a modest 150 to 235 square feet of sail. Nonetheless, it managed to achieve a remarkable top speed of 65.45 knots in only 25 knots of wind. That’s about 72 miles per hour—in a sailboat.
Soon, a team of Swiss engineers will release their own version designed to beat the 65-knot speed record. Their vessel, which is a hydrofoil, will attempt to hit an incredible target speed of about 80 knots.
But what about production catamarans? How do they stack up, and how fast can they go? French boat builder Outremer Catamarans builds some of the fastest production catamarans ever built. These are not specialty racing boats—in fact, they’re average-sized cruising catamarans.
Let’s use the larger Outremer 51 as an example. This high-end cruising cat is known for its almost outrageous speed capabilities. In ideal conditions, owners of the Outremer 51 have reported speeds exceeding 20 knots for extended periods.
That’s a production catamaran with speeds that rival 20th-century warships. With such a fast boat, the world’s oceans start to appear a lot smaller. Plus, the genius design of the Outremer 51 allows it to be crewed by just two people.
But how do Outremer catamarans achieve such high speeds? The secret is in precise engineering and hull design, along with a sail plan that’s perfectly catered to the vessel. The hulls are sleek and narrow and designed to cut through the water with minimal drag.
From the bow, the Outremer 51 hulls look paper-thin. They increase in width gradually, which eliminates areas of sudden drag. These narrow hulls evenly distribute the vessel’s 21,825-lb displacement. Its low-buoyancy bows reduce drag and blast through waves instead of riding over them.
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Performance cruising catamarans are impressive-looking vessels that focus on speed above comfort. These fast boats are ideal for racing and long cruising vacations. But with the numerous brands and models on the market, how do you know which is the best one?
The best high-speed performance cruising catamarans are the Outremer 4x, McConaghy MC50, Nautitech 44, Gunboat 62, Balance 526, and Marsaudon Composites ORC50. All these boats deliver outstanding speeds and are light in weight, relatively comfortable, and incredibly safe.
This article will explore the brands and models that I believe have the best combination of performance and comfort . We’ll look at their speeds and what makes them cruise so fast. We’ll also examine the factors to consider when shopping for a performance cruising cat.
Table of Contents
Cruising catamarans are generally faster than monohulls of similar lengths. This means most well-built and well-balanced cats will arrive at their destination much sooner, and the cruise is much more comfortable. Performance cruising cats like the Nautitech include deep daggerboards and rudders, narrow waterline beams, hull chines, and big sail plans that allow for faster sailing than a standard cruising cat.
CATAMARAN | SPEED (Knots) |
---|---|
Outremer 4X | 20 |
McConaghy 52 | 22 |
Nautitech 44 | 17 |
ORC 50 | 23 |
Balance 526 | 20 |
Gunboat 62 | 20 |
Privilege Signature 510 (For reference) | 13 |
Fountaine Pajot Astréa 42 (For reference) | 10 |
Outremer Catamarans are well-known for their high speeds. These exciting cats sport brilliant designs, narrow bows, and large rigs. Built in Southern France, the vessels are strong and long-lasting since their structures feature materials such as carbon, glass, and vinyl ester.
The Outremer 4x is a stable and comfortable high-speeding cruising catamaran that performs ocean crossings and confronts any weather with remarkable ease. Named the European Boat of the Year in 2017, this 48-foot (14.6 m) bluewater cruiser sails faster than wind speed and attains maximum cruising speeds of 20 knots.
The 4x is an upgrade of the extremely popular Outremer 45, thus retaining Outremer’s core values of speed, safety, and comfort. It’s built for maximum performance and enjoyment, with the lightweight, carbon fiber structure allowing for additional speed under sail .
Featuring comfort typical of much larger vessels, the Outremer 4X features 4 double cabins, hot water showers, a full kitchen, spacious storage, and excellent ventilation. There’s also an expansive deck, an unobstructed cockpit, and large trampoline areas. Most importantly, your safety is assured through the cat’s unique features including a robust structure, offshore design, stability, and unrivaled speed potential.
The 4x’s cutting-edge design makes it ideal for competitive racing or blue water cruising, and it does both without compromising your comfort, safety, or onboard livability. However, to sail at maximum speed, the boat must remain lightweight, requiring your interior to be fitted out quite minimally. The other downside is the high price tag; the Outremer 4X commands a price between $912,322 and $1,202,945 .
The McConaghy MC52 is a performance luxury cruising cat reflective of McConaghy’s 50 years of experience in building high-tech composite projects. The luxurious boat features a flybridge, retracting centerboards, optimized hulls, and an open space bridgedeck combining the salon with the cockpit. You can also customize the boat to your specifications.
This hi-tech cat comes with sizeable sliding salon windows and frameless doors that provide fantastic views. Its wave-piercing bows can cut through waves, thus helping to increase performance by minimizing pitch resistance, while still retaining a smooth ride. Also, the saloon offers spacious dining space for up to 8 people, and the galley area is more like a penthouse.
The manufacturer’s background in building high-end racing yachts has resulted in an incredibly strong and lightweight vessel capable of reaching 22 knots (40.7 km/h or 25.29 mph). The main downside to this boat is the boom placement on the mast, which is much higher than other high-performance cats. This makes accessing the mainsail somewhat challenging. It also increases the MC50’s center of gravity and center of effort.
You can get the MC52 for about $1.6 million.
The Nautitech 44 easily blends comfort and fun to deliver an impressive sailing performance, whether you take short trips or long ocean crossings. The boat offers a good balance under sail, and it features helming stations on each hull. Plus, there’s an integrated hardtop bimini complete with sunroof opening. Slim hulls translate to higher speeds, with the vessel reaching up to 17 knots (31.4 km/h or 19.51 mph).
The well-laid-out interior boasts a functional design, ample storage space, plus all the equipment you require for ocean cruising, such as a fridge, watermaker, and solar.
Nautitech 44’s twin helms give you the real sailing experience with a fantastic view of the sails and great visibility when maneuvering into port. However, you might not appreciate being stuck in the aft helm position without protection in lousy weather or during hot days.
Nevertheless, the boat’s responsiveness makes sailing more pleasurable. Plus, it’s affordable; the price is between $236,000 and $334,000.
Marsaudon Composites vessels are ideal for both racing and cruising. The sporty-looking ORC 50 comes with large inverted bows, an angular coachroof, a high freeboard, and a sturdy rotating carbon mast. In addition, the vessel is light which allows it to accelerate quickly, while the angular coachroof offers lots of space and excellent visibility.
The ORC50 can attain 23+ knots (42.5+ km/h or 26.41+ mph) and is among the fastest high-performance livable multihulls. It’s capable of doing more than 350 miles (563.27 km) per day.
The downside to the ORC50 is it’s a bit technical to sail, thus requiring a skilled sailor. Furthermore, its immense power and speed can be intimidating to less experienced sailors. Solely designed for speed, the ORC50’s interior is simple, less roomy, and somewhat spartan; hence the boat might not be all that comfy. Still, it’ll get you where you want to go pretty fast, and it’s an excellent value for money at approximately $787,751.25.
The Gunboat 62 is a true high-speed catamaran capable of sailing at 20 knots (37 km/h or 23 mph) over true wind speeds and known to notch up speeds of 36+ knots (66.7+ km/h or 41.45 mph) on a surf. The initial 3 Gunboat 62 boats featured epoxy, E-glass, and carbon fiber construction, but the fourth vessel was all carbon, sported a taller rig and a more expansive sail area.
These structural features made the Gunboat 62s extremely light, and they formed the original luxury high-performance cruising cats.
This multihull sailboat boasts a carbon mast, round hull sections for a minimized wetted surface area, high-aspect rudders, and retractable daggerboards. The steering station offers 360-degree visibility and sports overhead hatches that you can use to monitor the mainsail trim. The boat also contains 3 private cabins with queen berths, 2 spacious heads with showers, an aft cockpit, galley, and lounge.
On the downside, Gunboats are pricey cats; hence they’re also expensive to maintain. The Gunboat 62 isn’t that spacious either as it’s more focused on speed, but it’s extremely comfortable, plus there’s plenty of space for hanging out. You can buy this catamaran starting from $2 million .
Built with a combination of carbon fiber, E-glass, epoxy, closed-cell foam, and composite bulkheads, this boat is strong, light, and can withstand terrible weather. The retractable daggerboards allow for good upwind performance. All high load areas contain carbon fiber, while furniture and cabinets feature cored sandwich construction, producing the lightest yet most robust catamaran.
A Balance 526 will reach speeds of up to 20knots without stressing the rig too much.
The boat is available in various layouts and comfortably accommodates 6 people. The spacious aft cockpit and saloon provide panoramic visibility. And since Balance 526 can handle the extra weight, you get performance plus all the creature comforts you desire.
Still, Balance 526’s pricing is on the higher end, beginning at $1,440,000 . Also, the slender hulls result in less space down below. Nevertheless, the boat lives up to its name, achieving the perfect balance between superb performance and comfort.
Performance catamarans contain two small narrow hulls, which cause them to have less water resistance. Smaller hulls mean the vessels have much smaller bow waves to fight, allowing them to move extremely fast. In addition, the less hull area is underwater, the faster the boat is capable of moving since there’s less drag.
Having said that, it’s important to note that a narrow hull is more prone to burying its bows in rough seas. The wider the hull, the more buoyancy it offers, but only up to a given point. After which, the excessive width becomes unmanageable and performance suffers. The key lies in finding the right balance.
The longer a cruising cat is, the faster it’ll move. While each vessel bears a maximum hull speed, in most cases, the lengthier the boat, the higher the speed it can reach. The length of the hull (length on the waterline) also has a significant impact on the speed performance. Thus, the cat attains maximum speeds when the wavelength is equal to the length on the waterline (hull speed).
Therefore, the longer the length of the hull, the better the performance of a high-speed cruising cat. You can also compare two cruising cats’ speeds based on this measure.
Modern cat manufacturers continue designing more innovative high-performance cruising cats that deliver a new blend of performance and cruising features. They achieve this by using advanced construction materials, better daggerboard designs, and creative weight allocation. They also keep a keener focus on onboard amenities. For instance, asymmetrical daggerboards placed midships in each hull can help achieve proper balance and hull trim.
The overall goal is to design cruising cats that offer high speeds, outstanding performance, and enough offshore comfort.
Here’s an article if you are wondering what daggerboards and centerboards are and why they impact performance so much.
The lighter a cruising catamaran, the greater its performance. And some of the most popular high-performance catamarans find an optimal balance between performance and comfort. As a result, modern performance-based cruising cats have embraced the use of carbon composite construction for hulls, daggerboards, and rigging, instead of the somewhat heavier glass fiber materials.
A weighed-down cat produces less speed, which means excess immersion of the hulls renders the boat sluggish . The hull submersion also reduces the bridge deck clearance, promoting uncomfortable hull slamming.
You won’t find much difference in top speed between performance catamarans bearing similar lengths because they all have displacement hulls and mostly sail to hull speed with occasional surfing. This means that under skilled hands, these cats should exhibit roughly the same performance. A cruising cat’s performance is also highly dependent on the state of the sea, wind direction, and speed, amongst many other factors.
Speed is the number one consideration when choosing a high-speed cruising cat. Yet there are other factors just as important since they contribute to the overall cruising performance, including:
Performance cruising catamarans are built using exotic, high-tech, lightweight materials to deliver an electrifying sailing experience. And as we’ve seen from the above list, these boats deliver performance plus much more. They’re not only speed cruisers, but they also provide a smooth, comfortable, and enjoyable cruising experience.
So, whichever option you go for – from the luxurious Gunboat 62 to the much more affordable Nautitech 44 – you’re sure to get a boat that suits your needs.
Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!
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This is where the worlds of racing and cruising multis meet, where we see high-tech lightweight craft that use exotic materials and daggerboards to help produce electrifying sailing. Gunboat was arguably the first to identify this market on a luxury level, and has since been joined by HH, McConaghy, Ice Cat, and ITA.
And then there are the performance multis that are more minimalist and lean more towards the offshore racer than cruiser – like Marsaudon, Dragonfly, Banuls, Dazcat, and Rapido… fun factor guaranteed!
Fresh from the Australian composite wizards McConaghy, the MC50 is the smallest series catamaran in a new range that runs up to 90ft. Drawn by Jason Ker, renowned for his IRC winners, the MC50 has performance in her DNA, designed as a fast cruising cat, capable of crossing oceans. The MC line has incorporated input of experienced owners and sailors, and includes some impressive features. For example, the doors between the saloon and the cockpit concertina, while the saloon windows slide open electrically for al-fresco living. A skylight down the middle of the coachroof lets light flood in, and can be specced as a large ‘solar glass’ generator to keep batteries topped up. Then there is the standard cross brace between the bows, which has been eliminated by using a carbon fibre longeron down the boat’s centreline, tensioned with Nitronic rod stays. The first hull launched in time for La Grande Motte boatshow in April and the performance predictions are bold. Polars from McConaghy suggest speeds of over 10 knots in a stiff Force 6, at 30° off the true wind. Bear away onto a broad reach and she is expected to manage 21 knots-plus. Upwind performance is boosted by 3.5m-deep hydraulic daggerboards in each hull, which include a fail-safe in the event of underwater collision. “We expect her to track upwind extremely well,” says James Kinloch of McConaghy. And yet this is no pared-down raceboat. The saloon has deep seating to starboard and an extending table gives dining space for at least eight, and can convert into lounging room if you drop the table and install the fill-in cushion. The galley and island unit to port are more penthouse than deckhouse, with induction hob and moulded-in sinks. Sensibly, there is a navigation station at the forward end of the saloon, with good visibility ahead and access to all the systems. The styling was undertaken by Design Unlimited. “The concept was to create a penthouse apartment on the living deck,” says Ole John, director of McConaghy Multihulls Europe. “The 35-40m2 of space must be the biggest for a 50ft yacht.”
The MC50 is a clever boat. A Ker/McConaghy project, it might be expected to be all about the performance. That has yet to be proved, but the first MC50 to launch stole the show at its La Grande Motte debut in April thanks to the sheer amount of open-plan living space it offers. The natural light and ventilation offered by using sliding doors and windows needs to be seen to be believed, and the general feeling is that of a condo/apartment on the main deck. The view from the helms on the aft flybridge is excellent, but I wonder how these relatively high positions will feel in a rolling sea. The most impressive aspect for me, however, is the engineering detail, something Ker is known for. It can be seen in the length to which he and the yard has gone with the mast base and bowsprit longeron supports, and the hydraulic centreboards that swing into the hulls. The latter offer a clever solution to the problem of providing the performance benefits of 3.5m-deep boards without swallowing excessive accommodation space. The boards have fail-safe pins that break in a collision without risk of leaking hydraulic fluid; and they take just 12 seconds to raise. This is a boat that we are itching to sail.
LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 26ft 3in (8.00m) Draught: 3ft 3in – 8ft 10in (1.00m – 2.70m) Displacement: 14.5 tonnes Price: from €1.33m Contact: McConaghy
Italy’s ICE Yachts has been on the scene since the turn of the millennium, but it is only now making a foray into multihulls. And it is starting big, with a 61, and a 67 further down the line. Its calling card has always been style at the service of performance, and the cats will be no different. Enrico Contreas has designed a dashing hull with just a hint of reverse bow and a long, curved quarter. It’s stylish, but also practical. “Avoiding highly reversed bows allows for easy recovery of the mooring lines,” says Marco Malgara, ICE Yachts’ CEO. Likewise, the shallow curve of the coachroof is more than just a flick of the designer’s pen: it is intended to reduce windage and help the catamaran go to windward. This is one reason that she can reportedly manage near 30° true wind angles. Another is the manually-operated carbon foils that reduce her displacement by about 15 per cent, and the way the rig is designed. “The angle going to windward is almost like a monohull,” Malgara says.
The yachts are built using ultra-modern techniques. On the standard version, the hull and superstructure employ a mix of glass and carbon fibre vacuum-infused with epoxy to ensure that just 35-40 per cent of the final weight is resin. Everything on the boat is foam-cored. Customers have so far unanimously opted for the RS version of the 61, which uses all carbon fibre. ICE has tried to mitigate the handling of a large, technical boat with electric winches and a self-tacking jib. The sheets of both sails are on travellers, giving maximum sail trimming options and a tighter sheeting angle for better windward performance. The helms are towards the aft end of the cockpit, behind a pod-like console, giving the skipper more the sense of a monohull. Dispensing with a raised helm station keeps the boom and the centre of gravity low, making for a more comfortable ride and better performance, predicted at 25 knots. The interior is more architectural than your average luxury yacht. Expect more of a kitchen than a galley in the large open space of the saloon. The configuration allows for three, four or five cabins, including a compact crew berth in the starboard bow.
LOA: 61ft (18.60m) Beam: 28ft 3in (8.60m) Draught: 3ft 3in (1.00m) Displacement: 15 tonnes Price: From €1.35m Contact: Ice Yachts
HH Catamarans has been turning heads since 2012 with a line of sporty, high-tech boats that feature a luxury fit-out. What started off on the drawing board as a fast 48ft cruising cat has grown to 50ft in the building. “One of the biggest reasons was the addition of a second helm station aft,” explained marketing manager Will Hobbs. “That and, during the design review, we found we were able to increase sail efficiency by 6 per cent if we lengthened the hull.” The lay-up is all carbon, with twin bulkhead helm stations and long-skirted hulls. With a self-tacking jib and push-button controls at the helm station, she should be a breeze to sail short-handed. Her accommodation all looks very elegant – dark teak contrasting with lighter fabrics. The saloon windows are huge, letting light gush in, with a semi-horseshoe galley to starboard, a navstation forward and dining table to port. There are configurations allowing for three or four cabins. Morelli & Melvin’s design generally looks modern and aggressive (even if we question the aesthetics of the hard biminis above the helms).
LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 24ft 4in (7.44m) Draught: 4ft 11in-10ft 6in (1.50m-3.20m) Displacement: 15 tonnes Price: Tbc Contact: HH Catamarans
Even if you haven’t heard of Marsaudon, you’re likely to be familiar with its work. The Brittany-based boatbuilder is responsible for some of the world’s biggest and fastest multihulls, including the trimaran IDEC 2, in which Francis Joyon demolished the round-the-world record in 2008. Operating out of an old U-boat pen in Lorient, France, this composite expert has only been crafting its own brand of cruising catamarans for a few years, but it has already become its mainstay. It began with the TS42, which has reached 10 units, then the well-regarded TS50. The new TS5 is a remodelled version of this, with all-new tooling and a length overall of 55ft. Even before the first one hit the water, half a dozen boats had been pre-sold, such is the reputation of this builder.
LOA: 49ft 10in (15.20m) Beam: 28ft 3in (8.60m) Draught: 3ft 11in-9ft 10in (1.20m-3.00m) Displacement: 8.6 tonnes Price: from €620,000 Contact: Marsdon Composites
ITA Catamarans is a new brand, but the team behind this 14.99 are no strangers to the trade and have experience from many of the major Italian shipyards. The naval architecture is by Francois Perus, whose Yacht Design Collective has worked with brands such as Catana and North Wind on their multihulls. The result is a sleek-looking craft with stylish dreadnought bows and refreshingly low-profile coachroof. This sets the tone for the boat, due to launch this summer, which is all about stellar performance within the envelope of a fast cruiser. Take the twin helm stations, for instance – they are perched on the aft coaming. This frees up the cockpit for socialising, without compromising the boat’s stability by putting the weight of the helm on the coachroof. The result looks as if it could feel exposed in bad weather, although there is a wraparound seat, and the Jefa pedestal can swing inboard if necessary. The outer position gives you optimal views ahead and to windward. The dreadnought bows are designed to give extra waterline length for speed, while the long, fine underwater profile of the hulls is optimised for comfort through the waves. The flatter sections aft mean that she should plane at speed, and the winch-trimmed daggerboards improve performance to windward. High-tech foam sandwich lay-up and the use of carbon fibre in key areas keeps the hulls light and stiff.
There should be plenty of power from her fathead main and self-tacking jib. “Since most cruisers consists of one couple for sailing, the deck and running rigging had to be of a design so that one person can easily manage all sailing manoeuvres from the safety of the cockpit,” says Sonia Segato, head of marketing at ITA Catamarans. The mainsheet runs back to blocks on the aft crossbeam, where Harken 50 winches are within easy reach of the helm. It is a set-up that has worked well for monohull sailors, and this boat’s low profile coachroof makes it possible here too. The designer’s ambition is clearly bluewater, because the boat’s equipment and latest technology includes a Schenker watermaker and Oceanvolt electric propulsion, backed up with twin regenerating props that allow you to recharge the lithium-ion batteries as you sail. There’s scope for owners to choose their own interior design. “Nothing is set in stone”, says ITA. The heart of the boat is its comfy saloon, which has wraparound toughened glass windows, and the starboard hull is turned over to the owner’s suite. There are several configurations to choose from, including one with an office and another with bunks. Weight management is taken very seriously. The complete hulls weigh 2,250kg, and the whole boat is infused in one shot to come in under five tonnes. The first 14.99 will be shown at Cannes, before the owner takes it on a circumnavigation.
LOA: 49ft 2in (14.99m) Beam: 25ft 7in (7.80m) Draught: 1ft 10in-7ft 8in (0.57m-2.35m) Displacement: 14.5 tonnes Price: €890,000 Contact: Itacatamarans
Gunboat is back to what it does best with a show-stopping design for a 68ft oceanic catamaran. An all-carbon build again, the new 68 has heavily reversed wave-piercing bows and super low-profile coachroof, giving it an elegant but muscular look. There’s something of Gotham City about this yacht. Gunboat, which is now under French ownership, has brought in VPLP design for the naval architecture. They are veterans of some of the world’s biggest, fastest racing multihulls. The design team has broadened the beam of the boat and moved the mast further aft to make her more stable and easier to handle. That said, she’ll be no slouch, particularly if you select some of the turbo options, including longer rig for bigger sails, lighter weight and longer daggerboards. Speeds in excess of 25 knots in a blow, and up to 16 knots in a Force 4 are predicted. Benoit Lebizay, Gunboat’s managing partner, says: “500 miles per day is an achievable target”.
LOA: 68ft (20.75m) Beam: 29ft 11in (9.1m) Draught: 3ft 11in-13ft 6in (1.20m-4.10m) Displacement: 23.8 tonnes Price: from €4.75m Contact: Gunboat
Unlimited yacht c53.
Vittorio Malingri, Italy’s first Vendée Globe sailor, is the nautical brain behind a new fast cruising catamaran, christened the Unlimited C53. With no website, his is a stealthy operation, but the first hull is sold and already in-build on the Adriatic coast between Ancona and San Marino. The boat has been designed with an experienced navigator’s eye, so the beams connecting the two hulls are an unprecedented 1.3m above the waterline, to minimise slamming in heavy seas. Tankage and heavy equipment are all positioned low and in the centre of the hulls for balance. And there is a heavy longeron, which makes for a stiffer forestay and therefore better windward performance. The twin helms are on swinging pedestals, and the boat uses foils and T-shaped rudders to provide lift to windward. There are three broad specification levels, depending on budget, with the top spec including full carbon lay-up.
Launched at the end of last season, the D1295 is a potent new addition to the cruiser-racer cat market. It is the smaller sister to the very impressive D1495 we tested two years ago and leans on more than three decades of successful offshore racing builds from this Cornish yard. These cats can outrun weather or look after crew if caught out. Weight is kept low and central, including the engines, to create a fast smooth ride. It is also minimised wherever possible, with carbon used for the rudders, spinnaker pole V-striker, davits and bimini sections. “She points really high and is the fastest tacking Dazcat so far,” says Dazcat designer Darren Newton. “We did a two-second tack where she lost no momentum at all, which for a cruising cat is phenomenal!”
If you have the need for speed, then you can’t beat the power of the “go-fast” boat. These high-performance vessels are the “race cars” of the oceans, allowing for incredibly high speeds on the water that are often triple the speed of the average speedboat with an outboard motor.
High-performance boats are available in many styles, from recreational models to professional racing boats. Getting out onto the open water and dropping the throttle to open the engines is a thrilling experience as they roar to life and surge the vessel forward.
Once you experience the adrenaline rush of speed, you’ll never go back – it’s a truly life-changing experience, and you’ll find it somewhat addicting to get out on the water with your new go-fast boat.
These models are ideal for taking distance trips between islands, cruising the coastline, or even entering professional or amateur racing competitions. With so many models, styles, engines, and accessories to choose from for your boat, you get a customizable setup that suits your needs.
This post unpacks everything you need to know about high-performance boats.
The high-performance boat model comes with several designs to suit your boating experience. When assessing high-performance models, you have two options for hulls.
The first option is the deep V-hull. You’ll find these hulls on the fastest models, like “cigarette boats.” The deep single-hull allows for exceptional stability on the water at high speeds, ensuring you get a clean cut through the roughest waters without compromising the handling or maneuverability of the watercraft.
These boats have two hulls, similar to a pontoon boat but designed for performance. The double catamaran hull allows for exceptional stability at high speeds on the water, giving you more control and stability than the V-hull. It’s for this reason that professional racing watercraft use this hull configuration.
The most popular version of the go-fast boat is the “center console” design. This driver configuration places the driver position in the center of the boat, with the seating being closer towards the aft of the watercraft.
You have options for open or closed cockpits, lounge chairs, and booster seats, and some models may feature a v-berth in the bow allowing for sleeping accommodations or a small seating arrangement. These boats feature single or twin motor setups capable of reaching speeds of 60 to 85-mph.
The catamaran go-fast models range in length from 28 to 52-feet, and the longer the boat, the better the performance and speed. Most models feature twin motor setups offering you up to 1,750-HP, with top speeds of up to 180-mph, thanks to the exceptional stability provided by the catamaran hull system.
Go-fast catamarans often include the use of carbon fiber materials around the boat, decreasing weight while increasing performance and handling. The material also adds exceptional strength and stability to the hulls, preventing hull distortion under high-speed conditions.
The sports catamaran is gaining in popularity in the recreational go-fast market. These models vary between 28 to 38-feet in length, with outboard motors capable of reaching up to 130-mph on open, calm waters.
Most v-hull models feature inboard stern-drive engines, and there are a few models with outboards. All boats come with exceptionally high power outputs, with some models relying on twin, triple, or quad engine setups, depending on the length and weight of the boat.
High-performance boats come in a range of sizes and power outputs to suit your activities on the water. Most models range between 20 to 50-feet in length. The longer the boat, the more stability it has on the water, giving you more control at high speed.
Since some of these models can reach speeds of up to 150-mph on flat calm waters, they need the length to ensure the boat doesn’t flip when it catches an updraft on the surface of the water.
High-performance boats offer you several advantages for sports recreational and professional racing. If you love going fast on the water or want to give it a try, these boats come with the following benefits for your boating experience.
Typically, any boat capable of speeds over 70-mph on the waterfall into the category of high-performance models. With the advances in engine technology over the last few decades, you have boats capable of hitting speeds of anywhere from 120 to 180-mph.
The handling of a high-performance boat isn’t as good as a cabin cruiser or bowrider. The long length gives you a wider turning circle that’s not ideal for watersports. The design of the high-performance boat means that it’s a “point-and-shoot” model designed for use in a straight line.
When you consider the high speeds involved in operating these watercraft, the go-fast will suit captains with boating experience under their belt.
If you’re planning on making a go-fast your first boat, make sure you take an instructional course to show you how to handle the power and performance of the vessel before taking to the water yourself.
The go-fast offers a powerful performance that’s ideal for cruising at high speeds. Hit the throttle and race between islands in the Caribbean, or take a day trip up the coastline.
The go-fast comes with performance engines designed for speed and power. They are like the Ferrari’s of the waterworld, offering exceptional performance that you can’t find with any other model. Sports catamaran models in 28 to 36-foot lengths are popular, featuring twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard motors that rip through the water at high speed.
The Mercury Marine Verado 350 outboard offers you a better warranty and a better choice for your sports cat model. The 400R features a standard SportMaster gearcase in the engine, making it unsuitable for use in sports cars.
Two-stroke motors are on the way out, with most sports models shifting to 4-stroke engines for improved fuel efficiency and smoother power curves when accelerating. They also reduce noise and emissions, making them the suitable choice for your high-performance boat.
The go-fast boats come in a range of lengths to suit your needs and experience. Typically, the recreational “beginner” high-performance boats come in sizes from 28 to 36-feet, with professional models extending anywhere up to 50-feet, with a few catamaran models being longer.
These boats offer excellent performance, and they are suitable for offshore use. Professional racing models allow for an extended range for the longest races.
Expensive price tags.
The high-performance boat can set you back a considerable chunk of change. Most models start at $100,000, even for entry-level sports cats. Depending on the boat design, manufacturing brand, Customization options, and length, you could end up paying more than a million dollars for a pro racing boat.
The high-performance boat is like owning a Porsche. Sure, it’s great driving it, but you’ll choke when you see the servicing bill. The high-capacity motors and stern configurations on most models mean they have higher servicing costs. You’ll also need to consider that these models are unsuitable for trailering, so you’ll need a dedicated slot at the marina, adding to your ownership and running costs.
Since these boats have the largest motors and several engines in their configuration, you’ll be spending more money on fuel. Think about it like a fancy sports car; you get way less economy with a Lamborghini than you do with a Toyota Camry.
Your smaller high-performance boats offer you more passenger capacity than the larger racing models. These boats are not known for their passenger capability – they focus on performance. More people on the boat adds to the overall weight, reducing the speed and maneuverability of the boat.
While larger models may offer v-berths and under-seat storage, they are not the best choice if you’re looking for ample storage space. You might get a built-in cooler and a small cuddy, but don’t expect to pack your fishing and dive gear into this boat.
These boats don’t offer crossover capability for watersports and fishing. While you can fish from them, that is not the design intention for these models. They are for speed and racing, not sports and fishing.
The length and weight of these boats mean most of the models over 40-feet are not trailerable. You’ll need to store them in a slip at the marina.
There are dozens of manufacturing brands and hundreds of high-performance boat models. Here are our top choices for some of the best go-fast boats available.
The Fountain 34 Thundercat is an incredibly fast boat for its size, offering plenty of performance out on the open water.
This 34-foot model offers max speeds of up to 130-mph, featuring a 10′ 2″ beam and enough passenger capacity for four to six people. It’s a great choice for an entry-level boat into the world of go-fast vessels.
You get twin outboard motors, with plenty of performance, and under-seat storage, with a center console driver configuration for stability and control over the boat at speed. It’s a great choice for your first high-performance boat, and it comes with an affordable price tag compared to other go-fast models offering the same level of accessories, design quality, and engine performance.
The Stealth Yachts 540 Fly looks like it belongs in a Navy stealth boat program, with flat sides and boxy looks. It’s an incredibly fast boat for its size, offering plenty of performance out on the open water. This 34-foot model offers max speeds of up to 130-mph, featuring an 18-foot beam and multi-hull setup.
This model has plenty of passenger capacity offering you bow and aft seating, two captain’s chairs, and a center console configuration. It’s a visually impressive boat offering you excellent perf5romance from its in-stern engine setup, reaching speeds of 50-knots thanks to the 800hp MAN Common Rail diesel engines and the Integrated Surface Drives (ISD).
The 70-foot monohull design gives you plenty of stability at high speed, and there are three staterooms, a 12-person flybridge, spacious side decks, and a central walk-through linking the aft and bow of the boat.
This boat is long and narrow, designed for straight-line speed, reducing drag from the hull on the water. The 38-foot length of the boat makes it a mid-range model, capable of speeds up to 120-mph on open water.
You get a lightweight design with carbon fiber options and powerful 450-HP motors, giving you plenty of acceleration and top-end speed for racing. It’s not a professional model, but it offers the recreational driver the time of their life on the water.
If you drive a Mercedes on land, why not own one for the water? This AMG series “cigarette boat” from Mercedes gives you everything you would expect from the AMG brand, including six powerful high-performance AMG Mercedes motors giving it a top-end of 180-mph.
The 59-foot length of the boat provides exceptional stability at speed, cutting through the water with its monohull design and generous use of carbon fiber. It’s a real racing boat and suitable for a professional competition.
The world of high-performance boating isn’t for the faint of heart. However, if you have the need for speed, then you can’t go wrong with the go-fast model. Choose between double or single hull configurations, a wide variety of build materials, including carbon fiber, and your choice of engine configuration and seating arrangements.
However, due to the high price tags of these models, make sure you have a budget in mind when selecting your boat. It’s easy to add 20% to 40% to the purchase price when customizing your boat.
John is an experienced journalist and veteran boater. He heads up the content team at BoatingBeast and aims to share his many years experience of the marine world with our readers.
A complete guide to narrow boats: all you need to know, a guide to aluminum fishing boats.
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There you are, out on the water when a strange craft approaches. Is it a sailboat? It sure looks like one until it turns to face you. That’s when you notice this boat doesn’t have just one hull. It has two hulls and it’s called a catamaran.
Catamarans are unique, and highly stable watercraft. We’ll explore all the ins and outs of sailing the waters in one of these weird, and awesome multi-hulled craft. Join me as we explore the wild world of sailing catamarans.
It is believed that the first people to use a catamaran design were those living in Australasia.
The succession of boat design in this region was actually very interesting. The beginning of boats in the area was simple, albeit conventional rafts. These were fashioned from logs strewn together with plant fiber lashings such as those formed using bamboo fiber.
The conventional raft gave way to a minimal raft. This design was basically a conventional raft with two cross beams added in the form of logs. These would be eventually hollowed out to improve buoyancy.
The next step in the evolution of boats in the Australasian region was the double canoe. This proved to be the first real catamarans.
After some time, the form evolved further into the asymmetrical double canoe design. In this design, one canoe was large and the other attached canoe was smaller.
The asymmetrical design quickly evolved into the single-outrigger boat like the one shown in the photo below.
The final stage of the evolution of the catamaran in the region was to gain a second outrigger. This in effect created the trimaran with the single central hull and dual outriggers.
In 1697, William Dampier wrote of witnessing a type of seafaring vessel off the coast of Coromandel. He noted how the locals called the type of boat a catamaran. He also noted that it had multiple hulls (logs) and that they were small vessels that the person operating would have to hang partway into the water, straddling the hull (log).
The name catamaran came from the Tamil. And yet, it was easily applied by the European visitors to the two hulled sailing vessels that sped across the water in the region.
Although Dampier may have described the catamaran in the 1690s, the type of boat was actually used as early as the 5th century by the Tamil Chola dynasty. They used boats to move their troops from one island to another. Using this design of boat allowed them to travel heavy, travel quickly and was partially responsible for the conquering of neighboring Burma, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
A boat is usually thought of as being a single-hulled vessel that travels along the surface of the water. It can have multiple types, shapes, and designs of the hull. However, it is often only thought of as having a single hull. But, what if it had two hulls? Would that be like taking two separate boats, and making a raft over both of them? In essence, that is exactly what a catamaran is: two boats made into one.
Conclusion? Well, it looks to me like everything about catamarans points towards superiority over monohulls in nearly every way. But, you get what you pay for. I think the same thing likely applies to cars too. For instance, I have a performance car that cost me about 10k more than the equivalent non-sports car within the same class.
Yet to drive the vehicle, it performs so much better than the normal version of the car, it really speaks volumes to the difference between a common vehicle, and a performance one.
Speaking of performance vehicles, let’s take a look now at the different kinds and uses of a catamaran.
Commercial catamarans – ferries.
One of the most common uses for a catamaran is the commercial use of the vehicle design when it comes to ferries. This is likely due to the wide, flat deck possibilities of a catamaran versus a monohulled boat. Not only that, but the catamaran is also a much more stable bodied vessel. This again makes it a superior design for transporting larger land vessels like trucks and so forth. They can easily drive on the ferry without fear of the ferry tipping over.
Some ferries are designed for taking vehicles, like the one you might find in the city of Toronto. Where it transports cars from the mainland to Toronto Island. Others are designed specifically with the sole purpose of transporting people. I took a look at one such ferry that operates in Germany. Take a look at the following case study.
The FRS Helgoline is a ferry catamaran operating out of Flensburg, Germany, close to the Danish border.
According to the ferry company’s website, the ferry runs using four main engines which are run to a capacity of 12,182 hp combined. This blasts this ferry at a speed of 35 knots or 65 km/hour. This is equivalent to 40 miles per hour. That’s pretty good considering the size and weight of the ship body this catamaran can carry.
Speaking of capacity, the ship can carry 680 passengers. At 56.4 meters long (185 feet) by 14 meters wide (45.9 feet), that’s a decent passenger capacity.
The general rule for calculating passenger capacity for a boat is as follows.
Length x Width / 15 = Passenger Capacity
Therefore, the FRS Helgoline should have a calculated capacity calculated as follows.
185 x 45.9 / 15 = 566
But it actually has a capacity of 680 which is a 20% increase in capacity over a standard monohull.
For comparison, let’s look at a superyacht. A 48.5m (159 feet) long by 10.7m (35 feet) beam (width of the boat) Palmer Johnson Supersport 48 (valued at about $28.5 million dollars) should have a capacity calculated as follows.
159 x 35 / 15 = 371
In short, 26 feet of difference in length equates to 309 fewer passengers. It is almost half of the capacity of the catamaran at 26 feet longer length.
Photo courtesy of https://sysyachtsales.com/
Although Catamarans are typically used as ferries due to their stability and ability to carry wide loads on their flat decks, there are many different service catamarans out there as well. From a support vessel to a crew transfer or search and rescue, catamarans are a solid and stable platform to build a ship on.
This is the Ardea which is a 20 meter (65.6 feet) catamaran to be used for crew transport and as a support ship. This ship was built by the Echo Marine Group and delivered to Western Australia in early 2019. This particular vessel is in the service of the Cape Preston Sino Iron Project.
Catamarans are used all around the world, for a variety of tasks, not just ferries or support craft.
Now these are the catamarans we all want to be aboard, aren’t they? Due to the wide stance, these ships can feature massive halls and wide-open interior areas. These ships are stable, and some would say even more stable and safer than monohull design ships.
There are many cruise ship catamarans in use today around the world. Some of the more ‘famous’ catamaran cruises are those which investigate the Galapagos Islands. There are several high-end, small fleet, cruise lines operating to the Galapagos which utilize catamaran design vessels as their primary ship type.
These ships can be extremely comfortable and stable and often offer some reprieve to those who may otherwise feel seasick. It won’t stop the feeling, but the more stable the hull, the less the boat rocks around.
Catamarans make excellent military transport vessels. They are stable and the potential to have a large, flat and wide deck for transporting land craft, troops or acting as a landing pad for vertical take-off aerial craft. The stability of the two hulls makes the vessel an excellent candidate for military use, and thus it is used for said purpose.
As you can clearly see in the image of the USNS Spearhead, the rear of the vessel has a moveable ramp that can be used for loading and unloading land vehicles. The interior bay of the craft is visible in the image as well, a large area for storage of vehicles, supplies and more. The crane arm on the back of the ship also shows how it is a versatile craft, set up to act as an excellent support craft with a helicopter landing pad and ample storage and freight capacity.
Catamaran Personal WatercraftThe wind is in your hair, the warm spray from the hull cutting over the edge of each wave as you skip over the water. That is life, let me tell you. Personal watercraft have come a long way over the years and the small one, two, three and four-person catamarans have come a long way as well.
Depending on the options, you can get a small one or two-person catamaran for as little as $1500 new. That might be an inflatable though. There are some very nice, rigid hull designed catamarans for 1-4 people that range from $3500 to $15000. And these are basically open, personal watercraft like that shown in the image below.
Using a small catamaran can be quite challenging to learn at first. Sailing is not for the faint of heart. It requires skill, technique, knowledge of the wind and sea, and a bit of hard work. But it can be fun, rewarding and a great way to catch some sun and fresh air out on the water. It’s a relatively GREEN sport as well. Given the use of sails over gas-powered motors that is.
Here’s where we get into the dreamy boats of the rich and famous. I priced out a small 43’ luxury Leopard 40 sailing catamaran. Even before I added any extras at all, the base price was $399,000 USD. I imagine if I added a few of the multiple extras available, and some tax, freight and that sort of thing, I’m easily in half a million dollars. And that’s the smallest base model.
There are all kinds of luxury catamaran shipbuilders across the world. From Asia to Europe and The Americas, it seems any major boating country has at least one company building luxury catamarans. It’s weird that you don’t see more of them on the water though, don’t you think?
Being sailing vessels, these luxury cats require some training in sailing before you get behind the wheel. And considering the price point, I would definitely want to be at least a semi-decent sailor with some good few years experience under my belt before I would comfortable at the helm of a half-million-dollar sailing cat. It’s all relative I suppose. I imagine a billionaire might bat an eye at the prospect of wrecking a half-million-dollar boat. But to me, and most of you reading this, that’s likely a lot of money.
The powered catamaran is one of my favorite boats. They have sort of a muscle car appearance with the wide and often tall front end of the boats. I find it to be reminiscent of a large air intake on the front hood of a rally race car like the Subaru WRX, for instance. These boats are fast, they are stable and handle very well. Catamarans are often considered the boat of choice for long sea voyages due to their stability.
A powered catamaran will definitely cost more than a powered monohull boat of the same length. Why? Well, the powered catamaran has one crucial downside. That is, it needs two engines. One for each of the two hulls. Otherwise, it’s off balance for propulsion. These two engines or motors have to be in sync with each other or again, the propulsion will be off-balance. Because they have two motors, they have double the maintenance when it comes to maintaining the propulsion system.
More components also means a greater chance of things breaking down. In essence, it doubles the chances of the ship having a motor break down. The saving grace is that should one motor break, they have a backup, even if it does mean very unbalanced propulsion. In contrast, a monohull vessel of the same length may only have half the chance of motor failure due to only having one motor, but if that one motor breaks, then what? Call for help, that’s what. A cat would have a struggling chance to get itself back to port. A monohull would be dead in the water unless it was carrying spare parts or another motor onboard somewhere.
What is a catamaran cruise.
A catamaran cruise is simply a cruise on a dual hull design boat. Often used for river cruises, the catamaran which is used as cruise ships are often considerably smaller than their giant monohulled counterparts.
A catamaran is a design for a boat that utilizes two hulls. Due to the flat, platform-like-potential for the deck of the boat, the catamaran is often purposed with transporting materials, vehicles, and people. For instance, catamarans are quite often used as ferries.
Catamaran are very safe water craft. The design of riding on two hulls separated by a gap in between, in essence is like giving a car a double-wide wheel base. The wider the stance, the more stable the craft, from side to side anyway. And if the length of the boat is proportional to the width, then it becomes an extremely stable craft. That is why catamarans are often considered the best to be used for long voyages. Yes, catamaran are safe.
A traditional sailboat is a deep, monohull vessel that has at least one mast extending high into the air above the deck to hold sails. A catamaran refers to the design of a dual-hull boat and really has nothing to do with sails. Although, catamaran do make excellent sailing boats as well, they are quite capable of acting as power boats and do not require sails if they have the correct amount of powered motors to propel them. Sailboats, although also able to be powered if a motor is provided, are traditionally monohull and wind-powered exclusively.
The size of an interior cabin on a boat is typically proportional to the size of the boat itself. If a catamaran has above-deck cabins, they will likely be able to be of a larger design than those you would find on deck of a monohull boat. This is because a catamaran has a much wider footprint than a monohull boat of the same length. This extra width would allow for larger on deck cabins.
A personal watercraft (1-2 person) inflatable catamaran will run you anywhere from $1500-$12000 USD, depending on the quality and features. The rigid hull catamarans of the same size start at about $4500 USD.
A small cabin cruiser type of catamaran will typically start at about $60000 for a small base model and the price just goes up and up depending on size and features.
For Instance, a 40’, 3 cabin with 1 washroom cat will cost you about $500,000 USD for the base model. They are considerably more expensive that a monohull of the same length. However, the trade-off is greater stability and a smoother, more comfortable ride.
Technically yes. Due to having two hulls and if powered, two motors and likely also water jets, this means you have double the oil changes of a boat that would have a single motor. Once you get past the basic engine and hull maintenance, a catamaran is not that much more work than a monohull ship of the same length.
The trouble with catamarans in terms of maintenance, is that once they reach a certain length, the width becomes more than a standard lane on the road. That being said, if you ever need to transport the boat via land, it can be quite the challenge. Especially if you need to pay to have a police escort for an extra-wide trailer. And special licensing might be involved as well.
A catamaran is a dual hull boat. In other words, it has two hulls. A trimaran has three hulls.
According to Oxford dictionary, a yacht is a medium-sized sailboat equipped for cruising or racing. A catamaran, on the other hand, is a boat with two hulls. Therefore, a catamaran can most certainly also be a yacht. And likewise, if a yacht has two hulls, then it is a catamaran as well.
Seasickness occurs when a person feels nauseous from the swaying motion of a rocking ship. These feelings may be lessened on a catamaran, due to their extra stability. However, a catamaran may be slightly more stable than a monohull of the same length, but it is still a boat. And it will still make someone who experiences seasickness continue to feel the ill effects.
Catamarans are known to be more stable than monohull ships of the same length. This is why catamarans are often the ship type of choice for long sea voyages due to their stability.
Catamarans are not known for capsizing. The larger vessels that is anyway. But, it does happen from time to time. Catamarans are known for their stability, so typically if a capsize event should occur, it is typical for them to be extreme circumstances.
Personal watercraft catamarans are a different story though. These are in fact known for tipping over. Not because they are less stable than their monohull counterparts of the same length. But instead, because they are able to go considerably faster than monohull personal watercraft of the same length (not including powered craft though). This is due to the sailing cats being able to have a larger sail than a small monohull sailboat of the same length.
Due to the extra sail, they are able to travel faster than monohull sailboats of the same length. This allows them to whip around on the water and at higher speeds, whipping your cat about quick can easily send it over sideways. Extra speed means fast turns carry momentum in the direction of travel and that extra speed equates to tipping over if turned too fast. To sum up, they capsize due to user error or extreme events.
Due to the extra stability of having a wider footprint than a monohull, a catamaran of the same length is the safer vessel.
The same rule applies to stability versus the length of the hull. A cat will always be the more stable length for length. However, due to their ability to go much faster than a monohull sailboat, this kind of cancels out some of the added safety due to stability. With that in mind, they may just be about the same but there is one generalization we can make when comparing the safety of catamarans vs sailboats: At the same speed, and of equal length, sailing or power catamaran will be safer than a monohull sailboat.
The speed a catamaran can go is entirely dependent upon the hull design, weight of the vessel, the strength of propulsion (be it wind or powered) and so on. The general rule is that in terms of sailing cats vs monohull sailboats, a cat of equal length can typically go faster than a sailboat.
In terms of powered cats vs powerboats, a powered catamaran will typically require less energy to move forward than a monohull of the same sort of hull design (but monohull of course) and thus a cat should, in theory, be able to go faster than a monohull when both are using propulsion that is equal in power.
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For many, high performance boats are the most fun way to experience the water. Often referred to as go-fast boats or speed boats, these vessels embody the pinnacle of marine engineering, offering unparalleled speed, agility, and power on the water. Designed with sleek, aerodynamic lines and equipped with high-powered engines, these boats are ...
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Skater Powerboats Home: Discover the ultimate performance catamarans, with flexible design, custom features, and world-class speed. Visit skaterpowerboats.com today.
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Catamaran Performance Boats for Sale Preowned high performance powerboats, cruisers, and yachts for sale by owner.
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