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HI: Everyone.
I am new to boating for wich i have been doing as much research as possible in regards to boating,fishing and the entire hobby overall. I purchased a bayliner discovery 246 and althought very happy with it i am curious about multihull boats. I have become addicted to fishing for which i need a larger boat for more serious fishing,yet i need a boat in where "the boss" my wife can experience a more comfortable ride and will also be safe for small children. My research leads to catamarans with more room for entertaining, smother ride and an economical "gas " ride yet still provides with good space for the felas to fish; example glacier bay 3070 or 3080 as well as arrow cat 30. Any recommendations on boats i should be looking at,and pro's and con's between the monohull and multihull.
You cannot go wrong with the GB although you should also take a 32 World Cat for a ride. The Glacier bay was right for me and really is the softest but you should also take a ride in some quality mono hulls like the 30 Regulator and 29 Hydrasports as they will also surprise you with their ride. There are plenty more to look at I just can't think of them right now.
I've got a 26' monohull (Formula) and the ride can't compare with a cat. I have been fortunate enough to be aboard jbg108's Glacier Bay (above) and was duly impressed. The first time we went through some standing 3-4 footers at speed, I braced for impact. Never happened.
If you are addicted to fishing, I believe a cat will provide you with more opportunities. They are also extremely spacious for the wife and kids.
I have never had a chance to ride in the Hydasports and Regulators, and I like the Formula because we use it for more than just fishing. But from what you seem to want, I suggest a cat. Good luck!
Well, first off you really need to experience the difference between how these boats ride. I have owned both mono & multihull boats. It all depends on exactly what you plan to use the boat for. In general, you would expect to get better fuel economy running a Cat. One thing that you should know is that Cats tend to really rock & roll very badly while at rest or anchored up. You also should realize that while Cats may run through rougher seas more smoothly that when it's really rough you won't want to be out on the briny anyway. Personally, I now prefer a good quality heavy monohull to a Cat. Boats to consider would be Contender, Regulator, Hydrosports, Pursuit, Robalo, and many others I'm sure. So, keep doing your research & go take as many rides in as many different boats as you can. Good luck with your choice.
I'm on my 5th cat overall the cats have more deck space in the bow area, if you're looking for something with a cabin the v hulls usually have more space below to me the ride of the cats is better then the monos
try and talk to people that own them not just dealers
if you search on the main forum you'll find a lot of cat vs mono stuff
Hi Proman,
I too had the moment where I braced for impact in a Cat to discover there was none. One ride in chop and I knew I would never again own a planing monohull. My planing Cat has a very stable platform. I have not experienced the pitching referenced above and in fact found my Cat more stable when at rest compared to a monohull. Mine has 45 square feet of cockpit space that I use for diving.
HI: MATT-UNIQUE,
GREAT, SO YOU ARE THE 4TH PERSON I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SPOKEN (WROTE) TO THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH MONO AND MULTIHULL AND PREFERS MULTIHULLS. I WONDER WHY THERE ARE NOT AS MANY MULTIHULLS OUT THERE??? BUT YES,THE SAME COMMENT YOU STATED IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN HEARING,THAT THE BOAT IS NOT ONLY STEADY ON THE GO BUT WHILE AT REST. AND THE FACT THAT OFFERS FAR MORE ROOM IN THE COCKPIT IS A BIG PLUS FOR THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE ADVICE OF M SILVA4 AND HAD A WORD PERSONALLY WITH SO FAR 2 OWENERS AND THEY BOTH PREFER THE MULTI AS WELL AS THEIR FAMILIES. I ALSO HAD A WORD ITH A DEALER ALREADY WHOM OFFERED TO ALLOWE ME TO TAKE MULTIPLE BRANDS OUT FOR TEST DRIVE THIS SEASON COMING UP (LOOKING FOWARD TO THAT) SO I CAN NOT JUST COMPARE THE "SUPERIORITY OF THE CATAMARAN OVER MONOHULL" AS THE SALES MAN STATED, BUT TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE AMONG THE CATAMARAN BRANDS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GREAT SINCE WHEN I PURCHASED MY CURRENT BOAT I WAS TOLD I COULD NOT TEST DRIVE IT BECAUSE IF I DECIDED NOT TO BUY IT THEN THEY WERE OBLIGATED TO SALE THE BOAT AS USED, AHHH???? .IN ANY EVENT THANKS FOR THE INFO.
HI: MATT-UNIQUE,
GREAT, SO YOU ARE THE 4TH PERSON I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SPOKEN (WROTE) TO THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH MONO AND MULTIHULL AND PREFERS MULTIHULLS. I WONDER WHY THERE ARE NOT AS MANY MULTIHULLS OUT THERE??? BUT YES,THE SAME COMMENT YOU STATED IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN HEARING,THAT THE BOAT IS NOT ONLY STEADY ON THE GO BUT WHILE AT REST. AND THE FACT THAT OFFERS FAR MORE ROOM IN THE COCKPIT IS A BIG PLUS FOR THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE ADVICE OF M SILVA4 AND HAD A WORD PERSONALLY WITH SO FAR 2 OWENERS AND THEY BOTH PREFER THE MULTI AS WELL AS THEIR FAMILIES. I ALSO HAD A WORD ITH A DEALER ALREADY WHOM OFFERED TO ALLOWE ME TO TAKE MULTIPLE BRANDS OUT FOR TEST DRIVE THIS SEASON COMING UP (LOOKING FOWARD TO THAT) SO I CAN NOT JUST COMPARE THE "SUPERIORITY OF THE CATAMARAN OVER MONOHULL" AS THE SALES MAN STATED, BUT TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE AMONG THE CATAMARAN BRANDS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GREAT SINCE WHEN I PURCHASED MY CURRENT BOAT I WAS TOLD I COULD NOT TEST DRIVE IT BECAUSE IF I DECIDED NOT TO BUY IT THEN THEY WERE OBLIGATED TO SALE THE BOAT AS USED, AHHH???? .IN ANY EVENT THANKS FOR THE INFO.
Cat's are increasing in popularity as time goes on due to the ride, space, and efficiency but they are expensive compared to similarly sized monohulls.
I had never been in a recreational size Cat before the test ride in my current Cat. It was an enlightening moment. I was loaded for bear for the maiden voyage. I had full fuel, dive gear, 50 lbs of tools, 3 adults, and 3 kids. I was heading out and in the bay came across solid 2' chop. I grabbed the steering wheel expecting the usual monohull slam and we just floated over them. No one in the boat even realized we were cruising over chop.
There are times when every boat will slam of course. If you are loaded or have seas such that the wind cushion collapses in the tunnel it will slam. I cruised to Maine and back with 4 adults, 3/4 tank of fuel, dinghy on the roof, usual refreshments, and 800 lbs of dive gear. Coming back straight into afternoon chop we did slam a bit more in 3' chop. I found if I trimmed my bow up and slowed down a bit it smoothed out the ride considerably. If I were loaded light I would have floated over this chop with no problem. Mine will handle 3' chop with comfort. Above that requires adjustment.
Mine is a planing hull. There are other hulls including displacement and semi-displacement. Each Cat hull type offers advantages and disadvantages.
Can u tell me more about semi-displacement and exactly what this terms mean not just in theory but for the ride itself. How big is your boat? Ohh and by the way, you are very right, the prices.... what a difference. Have u heard about arrowcat 30? I just came accross an article about this very nice catamaran that is actually designed in New Zealand yet is build in China, increadibly enough it provides with more sleeping quarters despite being shorter and narrower than the gb 3080 otherwise very similar yet iam not certain about the build quality mainly because of my lack of knowledge about the different materials that are use to build this boats and what it means for their quality. How about this Matt..... Given my age (30) the fact that i want something of decent quality (does not have to be the best in market), comfortable for fishing and cruising with family (usually 4 to 6 passengers) and a budget of no more than 250,000.00 taking in consideration the boat could be a season or two old.Given your knowledge, which catamaran would u purchase? Given our economy it seems sales are not up to par and dealers are decreasing the prices greatly. I found a GB 3070 fully loaded with aluminum hard top for 189,000.00 in florida,big difference from the msrp displayed in dealers of 250-275 depending on options.
Pedro Roman
Bayliner Discovery 246 w/merc cruiser 260 .
Hi Pedro,
As you know, there are many individual interests when it comes to choosing the right boat. For me it was ride, space, weight, fuel efficiency, space engineering/storage, suitability for diving, fully enclosed hard-top with ZERO canvas anywhere, availability of fully enclosed/dedicated head with shower, and price. Based on these priorities, I narrowed my interest down to one Cat, the C-Dory Tomcat 255. I did not test ride other Cat's if they did not meet my criteria. I certainly researched WorldCat, Glacier Bay, etc. as part of this process.
I was looking for a 25-28' pilot house vessel and only the Tomcat in this size range met all my requirements. The Tomcat can be had for around $120K stock...add all the goodies you want and you're still under $150K. The hull measures 25'5" with an 8'6" beam but these come with an Armstrong bracket which provides some floatation at rest making it really a 28' boat. To get the same amenities with the other brands you had to move up to much larger and significantly more costly models. Most Cat's out there under 28' are t-top, center console, or cuddy cabin. I think canvas should be illegal on boats (he he) and I wanted something with zero exterior canvas or drop curtains or anything like that. With the 300 max HP the Tomcat sans bottom paint can break 50 mph. With bottom paint I top out at 47 mph. At cruise speed (25 mph) I'm getting 2.2 mpg loaded heavy with dive gear.
If were you I would explore the Tomcat as an option but with a 250K budget I might also take a closer look at the Glacier Bay 279 Cuddy/Bulkhead. I can't comment on these with first hand experience though. I logged 1000 miles on the GPS this past season and I can honestly say I'm totally impressed with the Tomcat. This included several offshore trips.
I will say through your research take wave handling capabilities with a grain of salt. I can honestly tell you the Tomcat handles 3' chop very well. Above that you need to quarter off for a reasonably comfortable ride. I think other cat's with a higher tunnel clearance would do a little better but each comes with advantages and disadvantages. I run boats commercially (not Cat's) but I was talking to the Captain of a 100' aluminum passenger Cat and he was saying with his vessel he could handle up to 6' chop. I say this to beware of those that talk about handling 6-10' seas in 20 or 30 something foot boats. Many people also confuse swells with actual chop. I can comfortably cruise through 10' swells in a canoe but would be swamped in 2' chop for example.
One of my trusted resources posted the following about his experience with cats and it may be a useful reference:
>>There are two distinct types of cats--the planning--which the Tom Cat and ProKat are --and the displacement/semi displacement which the Glacier Bay and World Cat are. The Planing cat has to be up on a plane to get the smooth ride. (You have to keep air flowing thru the tunnel below the bridge deck. I have gotten my boat to plane down to 16 knots--some have gotten slightly lower--even to 12 knots with the Permatrim fins (I haven't put Permatrims on yet, but have them). At dispalacement speeds the Tom Cat does not perform as well as the semidispacment boats--there is the issue of the flat bottom hulls, plus the tunnel is submerged aft at lower speeds, so there is no air cushion.
The Tom Cat is faster with the same HP and more fuel effecient in the planning range. I can run directly into 3 foot seas--4 foot seas, I have to quarter off some (I have a back problem so that limits me). Of course in any sea condition it depends on the steepness of seas--and I am speaking of steep seas, not swells. On Beam and following seas, there have been some "squirley" handling of some of the semidisplacement cats--and one capsized last year--in all fairness, the boat was heavly loaded with 6 heavy guys and fishboxes which were not secured, and I believe that these shifted to one side. I have not experienced any handling problems in waves up to 6 feet plus in beam or following seas. Definately the Tom Cat handles better in these conditions. Also the Tom Cat seems to have a slower motion when trolling or slow running in beam seas. The semi displacement cats have a very quick motion.
Most of the semi displacement cats lean outward in a hard turn. The Tom Cat remains flat on a hard over turn. --I am aware of some instances at sea trial where the helm was put hard over, dislodging crew--but the boat remained level--I don't think that could be done in the semi displacement cat.
The other issue is the amount of room in the cabin--again the Tom Cat wins in the cats of that size. You have to go to the 33 to 34 footers to get more room in the cabin--and a price tag which is way high.
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All the info is greatly appreciated. Canvas illegal on boats super funny... i think i must continue to research all the boats out there in order to really find THE ONE. I am told this boats when care for can last a life time,taking this at heart i want to make sure the next boat is the right boat for me. I think my best call is to wait a season or two try as many boats as possible and hopefully find the right one. You see i tend to be a bit impulsive and buy things right away, but this is a waste of time and money and we know with this economy... can't waste that. I will keep you updated. thanks again.
check out the freeman cats or WC 33. one of the purdiest out there. I have a WC 246Sf which handles the chop and most seas as good if not better than most 29 footers.
Where are you going to fish? You'll find the cat vs mono discussion is very polarizing with people hard over one way or the other. My personal opinion is this. Cat's may perform well in sounds and bays where the seas are primarily chop. Offshore, they begin to run into problems with waves slapping noisily between the hulls, and the motion at drift tends to snap uncomfortably. Cats tend to burn a lot of fuel, and are relatively slow. I have only been on Worldcat and I would not have one of those. In monohull, I suggest you look at Sailfish boats. The ride is excellent and the boats are family friendly.
I plan to fish in the long island sound, yet i need something sea worthy to take trips to RI,Ny and near states as the wife enjoys doing so yet at the same time i want to be able to do some fishing comfortably.(itwonder)Thanks for the suggestions i will look into it. If anyone else has any suggestions please let me know. I am willing to trade mine for a catamaran even if a few years old (in good shape). I have a 2007 bayliner discovery 246 with fish finder, gps and spotlight which i purchased brand new as a left over this past september.
Does anyone have experience with the ArrowCat 30? The brand has only been around a couple of years, however, it appears to be smartly fitted as a family cruiser with all the right amenities. Seems to fit more in a smaller size than the Glacier Bay 30 and has a great ride (notwithstanding the drawbacks posted in this forum on cats vs. monohulls). I don't believe it is yet NMMA certified, which is a concern, but otherwise have not seen much downside to the boat. Would appreciate any observations on this brand.
I have no experence with the Arrow cat (I've owned several other cats Seagull-2 GB's-WC27TE currently a Renaissance Prowler 246)
I do know that its a Roger Hill designs one of the worlds premier twin hull designers so its worth looking into , not enough fishing space for me from what I can see in the pics but if you're looking more for a family/crusing catamaran it may fit your needs
monohull vs multihull. 
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