Why do people buy Catamarans...

Quite simple really. They are perfect charter / entertainment vessels.

I have always been a monohull kinda guy. Sneered at people who needed twice as many hulls as me. However I have changed my mind.

Now don't get me wrong. Nothing can part me from my little 30 year old Tartan as she ticks all my boxes, but what I am saying is that I can now see why people buy cats.

They are perfect for this sort of inter-island sailing in the Caribbean. We have met a number of people with cats and been on board a few and been very impressed.

They are so roomy! There is a huge cockpit, galley, saloon and deck space. These are generally the areas where your average person spends most of their waking time.

The easy access to the sea from the twin transoms with stairs to the water are very useful (especially if you are a retiree with a gamy hip etc).

One couple mentioned they like their cat as it gives them family and privacy at the same time. They bundle the family into one hull and they stay in the other and only meet in the middle when they want to see each other. 

They don’t roll as much as monohulls either and some anchorages can be kinda rolly. They are also very shallow draft (most are even shallower than our Orion's 4'3” (Centreboard up...) and can nip into the shore at close quarters.

Loads of charter vessels are cats. The whole group of pasty little geckos crowd around the cockpit of these fat party boats and have a great time.

We know that they are having a great time as while I write this post some european skipper has parked his cat on top of my anchor chain (again), sphincter tighteningly close to our pullpit and the group are have a load of laughs. We can hear ever word, but don't speak nor understand Napoleon.

So then me thinks to me self...why did I go for a Monohull. There are only 2 of us on board. If we did loads of entertaining and had visitors all the time then a cat might be a better choice, however we don't. Light displacement vessels like cats don't have the same load carrying capabilities as an equivalent monohull.

The wind has been on our nose most of our journeys and cats have been racing past us, much to my dismay. But it is easy to out point a monohull with twin screws sitting at 2200 revs and the main sheeted tight. Cheating if you ask me! (as we pound into 18knots with just a jenny out).

But cats can't point. 45 degrees apparent is about the best these beasts can do. So they don't. They either wait for a decent breeze or motor sail between islands. 

Being a bit of a purist, I prefer to sail even if it means a slightly uncomfortable beat.

But, with having twin hulls, you have twin engines. Multiple heads (some of them up to 4 heads!).

This means multiple times the amount of maintenance than our MONOhull. As ours is MONO most things!

They also cost more to haul out the water, more to store on the hard. But they have lighter / smaller rigs as they have less displacement...

Good quote from a website i found..."Choosing your monohull is like choosing your car. If you ‘re choosing a vehicle to go cross country, towing a trailer with amenities, you choose a big, rugged, 4 WD, heavy vehicle. For in town, something small and light and easy to handle. No one boat does it all, monohull or multihull. You have to decide on your priorities. Traditional good looks. Resale value. Appeals to the traditionalist, though some of the latest crop of monohulls could leave you wondering. There are more people that identify with monohulls and more of a mass market. Multihullers are making progress. This has been the fastest growing segment of the sailboat market for the last couple of years."

If I was going chartering with a group of friends or even my extended family, I would seriously consider a cat. 

For cruising and potentially crossing oceans, I will take Orion!