You can find a cheap fishing boat, you can find a centre console, or you can find everything in-between, but truth be told there is no such thing as the “perfect” boat. If you’ve owned boats , you probably already know by now that every boat has its ups and downs, and people like boats for different reasons.
There are a few facts that need to be laid out. Firstly, is that cats look funny, this may or may not be true when it comes to individual models, but the truth of the matter is that cats are different. Both Monohulls and cats have their own unique traits and making any sort of generalization is bound to be inaccurate when it comes to this specific model or that one.
COMMON POWER CATAMARAN ADVANTAGES
Keeping in mind that these advantages may be applicable to any specific boat, as a rule of thumb some catamarans do have significant advantages including:
- Slower decelerations and reduced wave impact.
- Enhanced static stability and a reduced righting moment.
- More interior volume, particularly in models that carry the beam all the way forward.
- Spaced outboards providing drastically improved close quarters manoeuvring.
- Safety at sea with two hulls, sealed decks, foam filled hulls and commonly fitted with two engines.
As a result of these common traits, many power cats act and feel like over-sized boats. Whether you look at the amount of fishing space, seakeeping abilities, or range, you’ll find that this 6m boat feels and acts more like an 8m vessel when compared to a monohull .
POWERCAT QUIRKS
There are also a few traits commonly attributed to powercats. When considering buying a cat and take one for a test run keep these possibilities in mind:
- An outward bank in sharp turns.
- A “sneeze,” which is a puff of mist that shoots out of the tunnel after hitting a wave and then blows back into the boat.
- Tunnel-slap- when a wave hits the top of the tunnel and causes an abrupt impact.
- An unusual appearance.
CAT MYTHS, DISPELLED
There’s an awful lot of misinformation out there when it comes to powercats.
POWERCATS ARE UNSAFE BECAUSE THEY CAN ROLL OVER
All boats can roll over! but thanks to weight distribution via the widely spaced twin hulls, it requires an average of four times more force to overturn a catamaran hull than a monohull with the same dimensions. So, in general cats are less likely to roll over.
CATAMARANS COST MORE
Yes, if you look at a boat with equal LOA, it takes more materials to build a powercat of identical length. But if you look at the boat’s complete size (including the space added by the increase in forward beam) and comparable capabilities, the cost is about even.
ALL CATS RIDE SMOOTHER THAN MONOHULLS
Nope. Some cats can have an uncomfortable ride and some monohulls feel like a magic carpet ride. The only way to be sure is to go for a sea trial in various conditions.
Every boat needs to be considered on an individual basis. There’s only one person who can make the final determination and that’s you.