Tag: Buying Advice

Secrets of the Great Loop with Curtis Stokes

The Great Loop isn’t something you dabble in. It’s roughly 6,000 miles of rivers, lakes, locks, coastlines, currents, weather windows—and decisions that matter. Today’s guest, Curtis Stokes, understands that kind of journey not just from theory, but from a lifetime on the water. Curtis grew up boating and fishing. He sailed the East Coast and the Bahamas long before most of us ever touched a helm—me included. That early pull toward the water became a lifelong calling. Curtis has captained vessels ranging from 75-foot classics to 180-foot superyachts, completed multiple circumnavigations, crossed the Atlantic more than half a dozen times, and logged countless offshore and inland miles.…

Phil Friedman on Surveying

In this wide-ranging interview, marine industry veteran Phil Friedman—Managing Director of Port Royal Group—shares insights from more than three decades in yacht design, construction, journalism, and consulting. From managing a small marina in Ontario to leading major U.S. yacht yards, Friedman offers a rare insider’s perspective on marine surveys, explaining the critical differences between condition and valuation surveys and true pre-purchase surveys, how to choose the right surveyor, and why yacht valuations are often misunderstood. This conversation is essential reading for anyone buying, selling, or building a yacht.…

Realistic Expectations When Buying a Catamaran

This guide is contributed by Details Details, an escrow and closing service that provides behind the scenes closing services for many of the top brokers in the catamaran industry. Contact Gaida via phone at (954) 318-2571 or via email at gaida.cabral@details-service.com. Navigating the Journey from Acceptance to Closing Purchasing a catamaran is meant to be an enjoyable and exciting experience, promising countless future adventures on the open seas. However, the journey from the Acceptance of Vessel (AOV) stage to the actual closing date involves a series of steps and potential hurdles that buyers should understand and prepare for.…

Interview about Maintenance ROS with David Alton

We talk to David Alton in this interview. It’s a little different. He has a startup called Maintenance ROS that we are very excited to tell others about. Forget the Excel. This is a cruiser built solution for your maintenance needs, not just another rework of software from another industry. It even predicts when you need to do maintenance. If you mention CatamaranSite, David will be for sure to give you special service. Your boat is your escape, your sanctuary, your joy.…

How to Become a Sailing Influencer with Erin of Roam Generation PR

Alicia interviews Erin of Roam Generation PR about becoming a sailing influencer. Listen to hear the key skills required and how long and hard the journey is to become the next SV Delos. Erin sailed with her family and that is how she started her PR business, so she has first hand knowledge of the path to start a business while sailing. Her client list is amazing including Delos, Ruby Rose, and many other super famous stars. We really enjoyed making and listening to this interview and hope you will too.…

Factors that Affect Catamaran Insurance Rates with William Coates

Diane interviews Bill Coates on the factors that affect catamaran insurance rates such as age, value, experience, cruising range. They also cover ways to prepare your resume for the best rates and how the process works. Please listen and learn about the knitty gritty on getting insurance for your catamaran. You can contact Bill of​​​​ Offshore Risk Management at via phone at 305-743-7711 x2202 or email to ( wjc@offshorerisk.com ). Apply for insurance online here. I’m with Bill Coates today from Offshore Risk Management.…

Misconceptions about Learning to Sail a Catamaran with Tim Geisler of Nautilus Sailing

We interviewed Tim Geisler of www.NautilusSailing.com about his week catamaran sailing school. We cover how much experience you need to take his course, common misconceptions, and the big takeaways you gain from the week. Please enjoy and contact Tim via the info@nautilussailing.com email. He also has an excellent educational YouTube channel and is launching an online catamaran-sailing master class in the coming weeks. Good morning Tim, it’s nice to be here to talk to you for catamaransite. I’m wondering if you could tell everybody a little bit about who you are, and what you do at Nautilus Sailing.…

Catamaran Structure – Bridge Decks and Cross Beams

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Ted Clements of Antares Catamarans and Shane Grover of Seawind Catamarans for patiently answering our questions. There are a lot of reasons why catamarans are more expensive than monohulls. It’s not just the two hulls. There are many more complicated calculations and structures needed to build the complex shapes. Building a bridge deck and the structures around a pair of hulls is a lot more difficult to design and build than a single hull, and we’ll explore a little about why.…

Catamaran Daggerboards and Keels – Woods Interview # 9

I am with Richard Woods, and we are talking about catamarans. He’s a legendary catamaran designer and experienced catamaran sailor of many different designs. This is one of several interviews we’re having on different topics. Today, we’re talking about daggerboards versus keels. Richard will tell us a little bit about how daggerboards work, how keels work, and what some of the benefits of each are. For more from Richard Woods, please go to his website. Richard, can you start off with what dagger boards and keels do for a boat?…

Catamaran Helm Position – Woods Interview # 8

We talk again with Richard Woods, catamaran designer and very expert sailor. We’ve been having a series of discussions about aspects of catamarans that you might not be familiar with. Right now, we’re talking about helm position and some of the unique attributes of where the helm positions can be on a catamaran, and also some of his thoughts about where the helm position ends up. For more information from Richard Woods including purchasing build plans for one of his many affordable designs, please see his website.…

Catamaran Upwind Performance – Woods Interview # 7

We spoke with Richard Woods, a catamaran designer and sailor based in the UK and famous worldwide. Today, we are talking about pointing and whether or not catamarans can point because there’s a myth about catamarans and their inability to point. Having sailed around the world on one of Richard’s designs, I can let you know that we pointed, probably better than a lot of the monohulls we were with. We’ve been having a series of conversations about elements of catamarans that you might not think about.…

Catamarans vs Monohulls – Woods Interview # 6

Welcome back to a new episode with catamaran designer and sailor, Richard Woods. We’ve had a few conversations already, about a variety of topics. Today we’re going to be talking about monohulls versus catamarans, and some of the attributes that make catamarans especially nice for cruising and living on. Please watch the video below and see the transcript and photos. I assume that you design catamarans because you think they’ve got some definite benefits. Do you want to start off on what you’re thinking is as far as why they make good places to sail and live?…

Catana 42 vs Lagoon 440 Evaluation with Multihull Dynamics

We talked to Pat and Cal of Multihull Dynamics which is an excellent site to compare sailing characteristics of cruising catamarans. We walk through what their website can do by doing a comparison of the Catana 42 and Lagoon 440. They discuss why they started the site, various features of the site, touch on overall lessons they have learned from over a decade of analysis, and more. They are launching a new site within the next couple months, so please stay tuned and look for their enhanced site which will have more functionality, better look and feel, and an even larger database of cruising catamarans to compare to each other.…

How old of a catamaran should I buy? – Woods Interview # 5

We talked with Richard Woods, well known catamaran designer and seasoned catamaran sailor, about catamaran ages. Is there an age where the fiberglass wears out or the structure of a catamaran breaks down? Also we talk about what to keep in mind when you’re looking at buying an older boat. For more information or to purchase build plans from Richard Woods, please go to his website at www.SailingCatamarans.com. Please see Episode 1 for an introduction of Richard, Episode 2 to learn about galley locations, Episode 3 for a primer on why cruising catamaran bows are an important purchase design decision, and Episode 4 about bridgedeck clearance.…

What “good” bridgedeck clearance is and why is it important? – Richard Woods Interview # 4

Editor’s Note: These videos are meant to be introductions to basic catamaran design considerations. For more in depth discussions please contact Richard Woods via his website or comment below on this article. We welcome questions and suggestions. In this interview, we talk to Richard Woods about one of the most important characteristics of cruising catamaran design – bridgedeck clearance. It is a feature that is often too low especially on small catamarans. Richard explains that while bridgedeck clearance seems like a simple yet elusive measurements, it is in fact a very complicated design characteristic that catamaran architects have to thoroughly think out.…

Why Catamaran Bow Shape is Important: Woods Interview # 3

Richard Woods, catamaran designer and sailor, talks to us about bow shapes on cruising catamarans, and why bow shape should be an important consideration to buyers of catamarans. You might not have thought about bow shape yet while looking for a catamaran. Richard clues us into how designers think about bow shape while they are designing a catamaran. Specifically he addresses the drawbacks of reverse bows in regards to seamanship while docking or hitting flotsam offshore. Please visit his website SailingCatamarans.com…

When is Galley Up or Galley Down Better? Woods Interview # 2

We talked with Richard Woods, catamaran designer and sailor, about galley up versus galley down. The main advice is to consider how you will actually live in the catamaran and what size salon you need. If you are considering staying small in terms of catamaran length, then galley up configurations can lead to numerous compromises you should be aware of. Can you sit up, put your feet up, and read a book or watch TV?Richard Woods on galley up leading to space restrictions in salon.…

Catamaran Financing Explained by Jennifer Meyers

In this episode we talk to Jennifer Meyers of Yacht Closer Financial. We talk about the basics of financing catamarans with particular emphasis on current market conditions and the nuances of financing a catamaran located in the Caribbean. Her contact information phone at 954.816.1818 or email to finance@yachtcloser.com. The website is www.ycfinancial.com where you can fill out an application for marine financing. What is a marine finance agent? What do you do? We are primarily a service company that assists buyers with financing for boat purchases.…

Is a catamaran better for seasickness?

Unfortunately not based on my personal experience and watching others. That catamarans especially help with seasickness is a myth. In fact some catamarans seem to make seasickness worse because of their awkward, more unpredictable motion. I have sailed regularly the last decade thousands on miles in a variety of sea conditions on a variety of types of boats with a variety of crew. I also am prone to seasickness. While there is a difference in the motion of catamarans versus single hulled boats, the result for those who get seasick is usually the same.…

Catamarans are Better Than Monohulls

Frozen snotDescription of fiberglass boats by Lewis Francis Herreshoff It is not a debate anymore. People used to consider the advantages and disadvantages of cruising catamarans versus monohulls. Now it is simply a price consideration. “I don’t have enough money for a catamaran, so I am buying a monohull,” they lament. Catamarans have gone from 20% of the market in my home location of Fort Lauderdale to 50%. In the next decade they will go to 80% share of sailboats. They own the charter market.…

Should I Buy an Ex-Charter Catamaran?

I questioned 20 catamaran owners; if you were buying a used catamaran, would you consider a yacht from a charter company or only search privately owned vessels? 8 of the people said they wouldn’t consider ANY boat coming from the land of charters. Ten of the people said they would entertain the idea of buying a pre-owned charter boat and two already have purchased pre-owned charter cats and BOTH had good things to say about their experiences. Read on later in this article about specific experiences from one of the buyers.…

OceanVolt ServoProps – Perfect for catamarans but are they ready?

Not yet. But advancements are coming in the next decade, and the long awaited emissions free cruising dream is nearly reachable. It has been a long time coming. Countless sailors have pursued the impossible over the last decade as lithium batteries have been advanced and costs lowered. How many sailors have attempted to power the air conditioning from lithium and ended up with failure or anemic units which act more like dehumidifiers? With power hogs like air conditioners and electric motors, how many wind and solar keep up?…

Catamaran Construction – Hulls, Laminates, and Composites

It’s a given that catamarans are more sensitive to weight and loading than monohulls. Catamaran builders strive to build the lightest boats they can without sacrificing strength and stiffness, and have adapted new building techniques and materials to meet this target. Cutting weight allows more passengers and gear without sacrificing performance. And the marketing materials reflect it–they load every review and website with polysyllabic technical jargon describing the design and production choices each builder made to deliver the best boat they can.…

How much does it cost to dock a catamaran?

A big consideration when purchasing a catamaran is how much it will cost to moor or dock it. The cost to dock a catamaran will usually be higher than a monohull since their greater beam means they take up a lot more room than a monohull. The cost of moorage can vary greatly between different areas of the world however. Rates can also vary depending on the season (winter vs summer) if peak season is much more popular than the off-season. …

Should I Buy a Catamaran with Saildrives?

Catamaran buyers out there in the world have explicit demands and preferences when it comes to the layout of their catamaran. Things like dagger boards versus keels, Yanmar versus Volvo, flybridge versus bulkhead helms and the list goes on. A hot topic these days is that of the buyer of a straight shaft engine, or the other guy who would like a saildrive unit instead, on his catamaran. Traditionally, there are more straight shaft drive monohulls and more catamaran’s built with saildrives today.…

What are the best practices for escrowing funds when selling for sale by owner?

Please note that since publishing this article CatamaranSite has started offering a high quality contract to closing service at the lowest price in the industy. Please see more at this link and read more below about all options. One of the most uncomfortable aspects for a buyer and seller in a for sale by owner catamaran transaction is the escrowing of funds. We see that purchase and sale paperwork is formalized and examples are available online. Closing paperwork is easily handled by a marine documentation agent for a reasonable fee.…

How much is a 45 foot catamaran? 5 Great Options.

Quick answer is $300,000 to $600,000. But you could also pay as much as $1 million for a fully loaded catamaran like La Vagabonde’s brand new Outremer 45 or as little as $150,000 for a late 1990’s Prout 45 or Leopard 45. These prices are all considering you are asking about a catamaran in reasonable condition and with appropriate cruising equipment. Project catamarans could end up costing much less initially although very likely much more eventually as typically you pay a premium in sailing for the “refit experience.”…

What are the parts of a catamaran called?

This article is a dictionary of sorts of common terms used whether slang or professional among catamaran sailors. balsa cored (adj.) – description of a type of building technique common on catamaran used for weight saving purposes. End grain balsa is sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass to stiffen, lighten, and insulate the hull and deck of many catamarans. Usually balsa coring is discussed in terms of concerns about water logged or “wet” coring material which is a significant expensive as well as a common issue especially as catamarans get older.…

Catamaran Drives Types – Outboards, Inboards and Drive Shaft Configurations

Catamarans these days have many options for their engine based propulsion, even more than monohulls due to the more diverse configurations of a catamaran. The traditional twin diesel engines is a popular arrangement, and dual or single outboard configurations are also becoming popular. When choosing an inboard engine, you then often have a decision to make in drive shaft configuration: traditional straight shaft, or a saildrive.  The drive type has long lasting consequences for how you use and maintain a boat, so it’s an important factor.…

What Size Catamaran Should I Buy?

The decision of what size catamaran to buy is an important one, and also a surprisingly difficult one. The best size catamaran will depend a lot on your needs for the boat – how you plan to use it, how many people you’ll typically have onboard, and what your expectations are for boating liveaboard life.  A larger boat will be more spacious and comfortable for living onboard, capable of comfortably housing more people, but has higher costs for purchase and maintenance – and a larger catamaran can also require more skill (or crew) to safely sail.…

10 Best Pocket Catamarans (Under 38 ft)

Smaller cruising catamarans are an excellent entry level gateway into cruising catamarans and of late have become very popular. This is an effort to select some of the most well respected of these smaller catamarans. This was a difficult task, as many of these boats, designed and built some time ago, are still found in all the popular cruising grounds, and a list like this is subjective after all. All I can do is apologize in advance for leaving a boat off this list.…

Dockside – AC Line Voltage by Country

International Power Standards(Courtesy of ASEA Power Systems,Inc.) CountryFrequencyNominal VoltageAmerican Samoa60Hz120/240 or 277/480Antigua60Hz230/400Argentina50Hz220/380Aruba60Hz127/220 or 115/230Australia50Hz240/415 or 250/435Azores50Hz110/190 or 220/380Bahamas60Hz120/240 or 120/208Bahrain50Hz230/400 60Hz110/220Balearic Islands50Hz127/220 or 220/380Barbados50Hz115/230 or 115/200Belgium50Hz220/380Belize60Hz110/220 or 250/440Benin50Hz220/380Bermuda60Hz120/240 or 120/208Brazil60Hz115/230 or 127/220 or 220/380Brunei50Hz240/415Bulgaria50Hz220/380Burma50Hz230/400Canada60Hz120/240 or 120/208 or 277/480Canary Islands50Hz127/220 or 220/380Cape Verde50Hz220/380Cayman Islands60Hz120/240 or 120/208Chile50Hz220/380China (PRC)50Hz220/380Columbia60Hz110/220 or 120/208 or 150/260Costa Rica60Hz120/240 or 120/208Cyprus50Hz240/415Denmark50Hz220/380Dominica50Hz230/400Dominican Republic60Hz120/240 or 120/208Ecuador60Hz120/240 or 120/208Fiji50Hz240/415Finland50Hz220/380France50Hz115/230 or 115/200 or 220/380Gibralter50Hz240/415Greece50Hz220/380Greenland50Hz220/380Grenada50Hz230/400Guadeloupe50Hz220/380Guam60Hz110/220 or 120/208Guatemala60Hz120/240 or 120/208Haiti60Hz110/220 or 120/208Honduras60Hz110/220 or 120/208Hong Kong50Hz220/380Ireland50Hz220/380Israel50Hz230/400Italy50Hz127/220 or 220/380Jamaica50Hz110/220Japan50Hz100/200 60Hz100/200Korea60Hz110/220 or 220/380Kuwait50Hz240/415Madagascar50Hz127/220 or 220/380Malaysia50Hz240/415Maldives50Hz230/400Malta50Hz240/415Martinique50Hz220/380Mauritius50Hz230/400Mexico60Hz127/220Monaco50Hz127/220 or 220/380Montserrat60Hz230/400Morocco50Hz127/220 or 220/380Netherlands50Hz220/380Netherlands Antilles50Hz127/220 or 220/380 60 Hz120/240New Caledonia50Hz220/380New Zealand50Hz230/400Norway50Hz230/400Panama60Hz110/220 or 120/208Philippines60Hz115/230Portugal50Hz220/380Puerto Rico60Hz120/240 or 120/208St.…

Bahamas Navigation Lights

(Light Houses) Light HouseTownArea / IslandDurationVisibleRangeBird Rock LighthouseCrooked IslandNorthern entrance to Crooked Island PassageTwo white flashes every 15 seconds.18.5milesCastle Island LighthouseAcklin IslandSoutheastern entrance to Crooked Island PassageTwo white flashes every 20 seconds.20.0milesCay Lobos LightCay LobosOld Bahama Channel, south fringe of the Great Bahama Bank, 30 miles from Cuba.Two white flashes every 20 seconds.21.0milesDixon Hill LighthouseSan SalvadorSouth West Point, San Salvador IslandTwo white flashes every 10 seconds.21.6milesEgg Island LightSpanish WellsOff northern tip of Eleuthera, west of Royal IslandWhite flash every 3 seconds, range 12 nautical miles18.5milesElbow Cay LighthouseHope TownElbow Cay, west side of Hope Town HarbourFive white flashes every 15 seconds.19.1milesEleuthera Point LightBannerman TownSoutheastern tip of EleutheraWhite flash every 4.6 seconds.13.7milesGovernment House LightNassauDowntown NassauRed flash every 3 seconds19.3milesGreat Stirrup Cay LightGreat Stirrup CayGreat Stirrup Cay, northern limits of Berry Islands.Two…

Simple Accessory Voltage Regulator

(for battery operated devices) There are times when batteries in electronics are a pain in the butt, as they go dead at the most inconvenient times. Since a boat has a 12V battery bank and since our electronic gizmos run on a somewhat lower voltage, I thought a voltage regulator circuit was in order to have my boat battery bank run my electronics. There are a 100 voltage regulator circuits but I found that the least expensive solution was using a common 7805 fixed voltage regulator found at Radio Shack, it is possible to design a custom voltage output regulator for $2.00 which is current limited to slightly more than 1 amp.…

Fuel Additives for Marine Diesel Engines

Before EPA began regulating sulfur in diesel, diesel fuel contained as much as 5,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. This sulfur was utilized by all diesel engine designs as a fuel system and injector lubricant. When the American EPA regulated sulfur out of Diesel fuel in 2006, this created a problem. All diesel engines were designed to use the sulfur in diesel fuel as a lubricant. Now it’s gone. I don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t get the memo.…

Protecting your boat in a Hurricane

When a hurricane is forecast to head your way there are steps that should be taken to protect your boat. Look at the hurricane after photos here to see what happens when you don’t pay attention to anchoring in a storm. Hurricanes are the reason I only sail 11 months of the year here in sunny Florida. I sailed through one once (necessity) and didn’t like it very much. First step is always to reduce the boat’s windage by removing all sails, panels, Bimini.…

We have Pirate Treasure on our beaches!!

(NEWSER July 15, 2013) – “You may want to pack your snorkeling gear the next time you’re headed to Florida’s eastern coast. The owner of a shipwreck-seeking salvage company has announced that he discovered 48 gold coins worth as much as $250,000 off Wabasso Beach on Saturday. And as CNN reports, he made the find just 100 feet from shore, at a depth of just 6 feet. The coins seem to be in good condition, so much so that their dates can be read—they were made between 1697 and 1714…..”…

Women Love Catamarans

Women want to feel safe and secure When the decision is made to begin the search for the perfect boat, every one of us sits down and makes a list of the boat features and benefits that are important to us. When I did it, my check list of desired features lead me directly to cruising catamarans like the catamarans for sale by owner on this website. With their shallow draft, they were matching up to my sailing area better than a monohull and the research showed that Cruising Catamarans have a much brighter interior, (not a cave).…

Propeller Drag Under Sail Test

Propellers are a sailboat subject which sometimes turns into extremely heated exchanges when sailors gather and discuss propeller drag under sail. There are two schools of thought, of course. One school says that for best performance, propellers should be locked in reverse when sails are raised, and the engine(s) stopped. The other school of thought says that our transmissions should be put in neutral, and the propeller(s) allowed to free wheel while sailing with the engine off.  This is of particular concern for us cruising catamaran owners as we have two propellers in the water and double the drag.…

Catamaran Design Formulas

Part 2: With permission from Terho Halme – Naval Architect While Part 1 showcased design comments from Richard Woods, this second webpage on catamaran design is from a paper on “How to dimension a sailing catamaran”, written by the Finnish boat designer, Terho Halme. I found his paper easy to follow and all the Catamaran hull design equations were in one place.  Terho was kind enough to grant permission to reproduce his work here. Below are basic equations and parameters of catamaran design, courtesy of Terho Halme.…

Catamaran Hull Design

Part 1: Notes from Richard Woods Since the America’s Cup experimented with going multihull, there’s been a lot of interest in catamaran performance and the catamaran hull designs that define performance. Many guys are investigating whether to buy a catamaran or design and build their dream boat. Let it be said here that building a large catamaran is not for the faint of heart. People begin building 100s of boats a year, yet few are ever completed, as life always seems to have a way of interfering with a good boat build. …

Catalac Catamaran inspection / haul out recommendations

When considering a Catalac catamaran purchase, one should always hire a boat surveyor. The list below are some things to watch for which are unique to Catalac catamarans. Surveyors should add these to their normal list of items to check. Basic Catalac Construction Catalac catamarans have: Solid fiberglass hullsEnd grain balsa cored decksSafety glass. No plastic windowsSolid fiberglass cabin tops with 8cm end grain balsa sandwich “battens” for extra strength at hardware mounting points. These battens run fore / aft.Cable / Quadrant steering systemSteel chainplates mounted inside the cabin on forward bulkhead.All…