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Performance Study of Daggerboards Versus Keels

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Performance Study of Daggerboards Versus Keels

By: Phillip Berman, published with editor’s permission from Boating NZ and Blue Water Sailing

In my forty-five year career in the catamaran industry there’s been a relentless debate on the virtues and vices of daggerboards versus fixed keels. This debate has, however, mostly been waged without “hard numbers” from which to compare performance differences. As we have had requests at Balance Catamarans for both keels and daggerboards, Anton Du Toit (my design partner) and I felt we should conduct a study, the results of which follow.

When we first set out to design and construct the Balance 526 we were aiming for cruising couples who wanted more performance and quality than they could find in mass production cats, but also more interior space, payload capacity and ease of use and maintenance than consumers focusing primarily on speed. Our intent was to find the balance – not to create the “lightest and fastest 52” in the world, or the “largest 52,” but a catamaran that could sail swiftly on all points of sail, carry significant levels of payload, yet still be gracious to live on. We also wanted her to be pleasing to the eye.

Our focus at Balance brings us an interesting range of buyers, some of whom are more focused on strength, space, safety and comfort rather than all out speed (cruiser types), others who are more speed focused, less value oriented, and prepared to give up comfort, ease of operation and payload capacity to go a bit faster (racer types). The later sorts of buyers are mostly what I affectionately call “spreadsheet guys.” (Full disclosure: I am not a spreadsheet guy. I am far more focused on how a boat lives, how tough she is, what she can carry, and how simple she is to sail and maintain without a professional crew.)

As we have gone along a few of our customers have asked if we would create the 526 with performance keels rather than daggerboards. They felt that the advantages of keels trumped the performance advantages of boards. We were happy to comply, so Anton set about to design high performance keels for the 526. (Note: On our 451, we only offer her with dual daggerboards and two shallow permanent fixed minikeels. On all other Balance designs it remains customer choice which configuration they wish to have.)

What we were not prepared to do was tell 526 buyers how much faster or slower the two different configurations would be. We felt it best to heed Lord Bryon’s advice to evade “kant and hyperbole” (the language of the day at boat shows!) so we hired the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics at the University of Southampton to conduct comparative studies of the two configurations on identical 526 models. When you are comparing identical products with just two different variables it seemed a worthwhile study to undertake and share with our customers. It also becomes, to some extent, a  worthwhile study for anyone considering a new or used catamaran purchase who is curious how the two different configurations impact performance.

While Anton and I believe these studies can be used by consumers to compare the relative performance differences between boards and keels, it is important to note that the 526 is a very light, narrowhulled epoxy performance cat and the keels we install are considerably finer, deeper and more carefullyshaped than those found on mass production designs. Additionally, we conducted the study with the daggerboards in the fully down position on all points of sail to reduce the studies complexity. The daggerboarded 526 would be marginally faster than the study indicates off- the-wind with boards raised due to a further reduction of wetted surface.

The disparity between keels and boards on a mass-production cat compared to a Balance or any other performance cat would be exaggerated considerably compared to the study that follows. I would note that we erred on the side of caution in setting our lightship weight for this study at 12.5 kg. We have carefully lode cell weighed our 5th boat and the actual lightship weight is 12,215 kg, or 26,930 pounds for the keeled 526 and 12,261 kg, or 27,030 pounds for the daggerboarded 526. Our lightship weight could be lower for customers prepared to put their boats on a diet, or sacrifice quality in several areas, but we have found that they want as much cabinetry as possible, folding tables, glass salon windows, Corian counter tops, and high-end flooring inside and out, etc. Spreadsheet guys miss the mark on this subject constantly in my experience. They also wrongly compare boats based on length, rather than the interior volume of the hulls and bridge – what I call the sum total of fiberglass parts. Regardless, the polars closely mimic the high performance our yachts have proven in real life cruising, fully laden, so this gives us great confidence in the studies accuracy.

Performance, of course, is not the be all and end all, so it is important to examine the advantages and disadvantages of boards versus keels beyond speed. They are as follows:

Advantages to Keels:

  1. No moving parts. One less thing to operate or break.
  2. If you ground the boat you hit the keels and they are easily repaired and at a low cost generally.
  3. You can chock the boat more easily on the hard and it is easier to beach in some circumstances.
  4. They cost less to fabricate.
  5. You get more room amidships for additional cabinetry.
  6. The keels add a bit of buoyancy. On a 526 about 1,600 pounds as our keels are large and mostly hollow inside.
  7. Daggerboards are typically a bit heavier. On the 526 each board and trunk weigh about 50 pounds more.
  8. Poorly designed boards and trunks can allow the boards to rattle when they are not under load. Keels do not rattle.

Advantages to Daggerboards:

  1. Boarded cats point higher and side-slip less as the study shows. I have noted that on keeled production cats you can “stick them up into the wind” but they tend to crab horribly when pinched, as such that you must crack off considerably to reduce leeway and sustain momentum. On most of the sea trials I conduct on production cats we “close reach” to windward on sea trials. This is less the case on deep, finely shaped performance catamaran keels.
  2. The draft on most keeled catamarans is deeper than the draft on daggerboarded cats. Our 526 keeled version draws about 12 inches more than the daggerboarded version. On daggerboarded cats the rudder tip usually represents her deepest draft. It is important to note that some cats carry very stubby keels to sustain shallower draft, but the shallower the keel the less well she performs when sailing close to the wind. This is important to keep in mind if you are comparing performance on fixed keeled production cats.
  3. Off the wind with the boards raised to 1/4 there is less drag and the boat steers and sails faster and more playfully.
  4. The daggerboarded cat is a bit faster and makes less leeway on nearly all points of sail as the study shows in the majority of wind conditions.
  5. An equally efficient set of keels have much more wetted surface than daggerboards, almost 4 times more. This is the case on our 526 keels.
  6. Daggerboards set properly can assist in preventing a cat from a “tripping capsize” in very high winds with large breaking cross seas. Both boards can be fully raised, or only the leeward board raised, so the boat can side-slip easily.
  7.  Daggerboarded cats tend to have a bit higher resale value due to the fact that so few are produced in mass production. A buyer that wants boards will only focus on catamarans that have them.

Shifting our focus now to the performance data generated by Wolfson Unit. Their analysis returned the predicted boat speed and leeway angle for the Balance 526 with a keel design and daggerboard design for all combinations of true wind speed from 4 to 25 knots and true wind angles from 40 to 180 degrees. We can begin comparing these two configurations by directly comparing the speed and leeway at major points of sail, specifically beating, close, beam and broad reaching.

While beating the two designs are predicted to perform as follows:
To summarize the upwind comparison, the daggerboard design is, on average, expected to sail 1.5 knots faster and 1.75 degrees higher. While close reaching the daggerboard design has less of an advantage than when beating, as can be seen from Table 2:

While close reaching the daggerboard design is expected to sail 0.5 knots faster and 0.75 degrees higher.

As the true wind angle approaches 90° for a beam reach, the keel and daggerboards become more closely matched.

In the beam reaching comparison the daggerboard design will sail slightly higher with a leeway advantage of about 0.25 degrees but it’s speed advantage in 5 knots TWS of 0.3 knots will fade to a 0.5 knot deficit in 16 knots TWS. At this point of sail the two designs are considered to have equal performance as the differences in leeway and boat speed are negligible.

Finally, while broad reaching the following speeds and leeway’s are expected.

In summary, when broad reaching the daggerboard design regains a slight advantage, as it maintains an additional 0.5 knots of boat speed. Leeway differences are again negligible.

Considering the above analyses, it can be seen that the daggerboard design will typically not only outperform the keel design but also out point it, make less leeway close to the wind, therefore giving the daggerboard design a substantial advantage when racing, or for performance focused sailors.

This data gives a fair comparison of the two designs at specific true wind speeds and angles but in order to fully understand the performance trends and enable better predictions between them, one must consider the entire range of wind conditions and all points of sail. This is best done with the use of speed and leeway deltas, where the differences between the two designs are calculated and analyzed.

The following two figures display the average speed and average leeway deltas. The calculation process to determine the deltas is chosen such that a positive value for the delta indicates an advantage for the daggerboard design, and a negative value favors the keel design. For example, a speed delta of +2 knots and a leeway delta of -1 degrees means that the daggerboard design is 2 knots faster than the keel design under the same conditions but would sail 1 degree lower than the keel design.

Considering Figures 1 and 2, the three TWS ranges used are from 4 to 7 Knots, 8 to 12 Knots and 14 to 25 Knots and will be referred to as light, medium, and strong wind conditions respectively. By analyzing the Average Speed Deltas shown in Figure 1 below and taking a beam reach (90 degrees TWA) as the point of sail under investigation, we can determine that in light winds the daggerboard design will perform better than the keel design as the blue line (4 to 7 knot TWS range) indicates a positive delta of 0.4 knots at 90 degree TWA. We can therefore expect the daggerboard design to outperform the keel design by about 0.4 knots under these conditions.

Counter to this, while still on a beam reach but when moving from a low wind condition to a high wind condition, the keel design begins to perform better. This is now taken from the green line (14 to 25 knot TWS range) and gives a -0.6 knot reading. Therefore the daggerboard design is now expected to be about 0.6 knots slower than the keel design under the new, higher TWS conditions.

Figure 2 is used in the same manner as Figure 1 but shows the leeway angle of each design rather than boat speed. Focusing again on a beam reaching condition, the leeway deltas indicate that the daggerboard will always out point the keel design as all three lines (TWS from 4 to 25 knots) indicate. positive values of 0.3, 0.35, and 0.1 degrees at 90 degrees TWA. Overall, Figure 2 shows that the daggerboard design has a significant gain in leeway over the keel design at all wind speeds and angles. This reaches a maximum when beating (TWA ±40-45 degrees) of 2 degrees, and declines to zero when running (TWA ±180 degrees).

With respect to the average boat speed deltas, Figure 1 shows that the daggerboard maintains a higher boat speed when sailing in light and medium winds (red and blue lines in Figure 1). In stronger conditions (green line) the daggerboards yield better boat speed when beating but the keel surpasses this between TWA of 60 to 145 degrees. Keeping in mind that the study was conducted with the daggerboards fully down at all times, in reality, the daggerboards will be raised in the 60 to 145 TWA range. As such the study slightly underestimates the speed of the daggerboard design over this TWA range.

Overall the daggerboard outperforms the keel in both boat speed and leeway in the vast majority of sailing conditions and is thus considered to be the better design choice if achieving ultimate performance is the key criteria. It should be noted that this study is specific to the Balance 526, but corresponding trends can be expected in performance cats of similar size and design.

In the end, and it is a point I cannot stress enough to any boat purchaser, all boats are sets of compromises and trade-offs, and so too with features – helm designs, sheeting systems, rig layouts, bimini designs, bed designs and locations, baths, engine placement, etc. Because I have been deeply involved in brokerage catamaran sales much of my life I recognize there is no one right or wrong boat, certainly no perfect boat, only a boat that happens to be a better fit for a particular sailor and his or her budget, cruising agenda and specific aesthetic proclivities.

At least now we can say that if someone wants a 526 with keels, here is how she will perform compared to a boarded version. It is then up to the buyer to decide which configuration is the most appealing to them. I will say that, based on the five 526 we have sailing today, with over 60,000 miles of sailing behind them, those owners with keels seem quite happy, just as those with boards.

Alright spreadsheet guys, here’s your numbers to mess with!

Phil Berman is a former Hobie Cat World Champion and the owner of The Multihull Company, a global catamaran yacht brokerage firm. He is also the owner of Balance Catamarans, a boutique brand of high-end performance voyaging catamarans. He can be reached at phil@multihullcompany.com.

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

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Setting Sail with Kids

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Setting Sail with Kids

By Josh Holloway

Josh, shut off the water!” my wife, Heidi, yelled up to me from the galley.

Huh? What water? I thought as I wheeled around and caught a horrific view of the problem. Our 1-year-old had hopped off his potty in the cockpit and was hosing down the entire brunch buffet, spraying a little additional pee on his mother through the companionway. I grabbed him as quickly as I could and directed the stream overboard, but the damage was done. Were we really going to make a go of the cruising life with gremlins aboard?

A little over a decade ago, Heidi and I set out on a grand sailing adventure. We were newlyweds, and invincible 20-somethings, so the idea of taking a few years to sail the fabled waters of the South Pacific from Hawaii to Australia aboard Tiny Bubbles, an engineless 24-foot sailboat, seemed fairly reasonable. We would follow the trades and frolic in the crystal-clear waters off Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and other specks on the chart.

People’s reactions ranged from “OK, you two are nuts” to “Yep, get it out of your system while you’re young and kid-free.”

We both survived, and three years later, in Australia, we realized that Heidi was not feeding the fishies because she was seasick. No, she was feeding the fishies because “kid-free” was about to change.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and a couple of kids, to a mostly land-based existence, hunkered down on an island off the coast of Maine. All was well, albeit a bit chilly, but a sailing itch had returned, and my wife and I decided it was time to raise sail again and introduce our brood to the dream. We purchased a cutter-rigged Shannon 28 to serve as our summer digs. Tiny Bubbles II had all the bells and whistles our previous boat lacked, namely an engine, a head and a galley.

My wife’s wish was for our two boys (Kai, 4, and Cove, 1) to have a comfortable, well-nourished introduction to sailing, the likes of which we had never known. We went to Whole Foods and provisioned with the goal of utter decadence. There was creamed honey; lox with bagels and cream cheese; melons; exotic fruits and their juices; and other expensive tidbits to tickle the taste buds.

We moved aboard Tiny Bubbles II and promptly set sail for Monhegan, the quintessential Maine island. Arriving just before dark, after a smooth sail, the restless crew was eager to get some shore leave, but we tucked them in with promises of sand castles, pointy sticks, other little people and treats in the morning.

We all awoke early to get our perfect day started. Heidi busied herself in the galley, slicing the melon, toasting the bagels and lining the cockpit with a breakfast buffet to remember, while I read books to our 1-year-old as he sat on his potty on the cockpit sole. After finishing a book, I turned for a moment to put a couple of items into the dinghy, and that’s when our brunch buffet became a urinal.

“Aaaaaargghhhh, here!” I grunted, handing Cove down the companionway hatch to Heidi so I could attempt a salvage job.

Bagels? Terminal. … Creamed honey? I’ll try to pour the pee out of the jar. Can I just rinse the melon in some fresh water, Heidi?

At about that moment, our 4-year-old yelled up to us, “Uh, Cove’s doing something naughty!” We both peered down and saw the brown trail of footprints leading across all of our bedding — starting at a stinky pile on Kai’s berth and ending at the laughing 1-year-old standing on our berth.

Sailing presents certain challenges, and laundry is one. Our perfect day was transformed in seconds into a grueling ordeal consisting of bagging up all the bedding, ferrying it to land and lugging it to the laundry dungeon.

This reality was, well, parent­hood. We decided not to throw in the towel, and after five summers of cruising Maine’s waters, we’re ready to go full-time cruising again. Did I mention we have three sons now? And Zev, our third son, is ready to potty train.

The Holloway family is currently cruising the U.S. East Coast. Follow along at www.adventureswithboy123.blogspot.com.

Originally published in Cruising World Magazine on January 16, 2018.

This article was originally published in Cruising World Magazine is being used with express permission from the publisher.

Read the Original Article Here

Balance 526 Rescues Sailors from Sinking Vessel

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Balance 526 Rescues Sailors from Sinking Vessel

Originally published in Cruising World Magazine on February 1st, 2016.

Catamaran skipper, Sasha Bading, and his crew were racing their way to Florida for the upcoming Miami Boat show onboard their Balance 526 catamaran, Ondine when they rescued three French sailors from a sinking motor cat near Mona Passage during the night of January 23rd.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico forwarded Pan Pan call from the French sailors who were on their way from the Dominican Republic to Martinique when the crew of Ondine responded to the call.

After being alerted to the Pan Pan, the crew kept a sharp lookout and were able to spot a distant flashing light miles away. They sailed to the light and found the sailors, brought them on board, and called the Coast Guard.

Getting the French sailors on board Ondine in the large seas was no easy feat, yet was done so without damage to her. The U.S. Coast Guard arrived at the scene shortly thereafter to transfer the sailors and return them to land.

Congratulations Sasha and crew for a job well done.

This article was originally published in Cruising World Magazine is being used with express permission from the publisher.

Read the Original Article Here

“It’s a Rental” A First Timer’s Guide to Bareboat Chartering in the Caribbean

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“It’s a Rental” A First Timer’s Guide to Bareboat Chartering in the Caribbean

By: Chrystal Young

Dreaming of chartering a boat in the Caribbean? Can you Imagine palmtree lined, white sand beaches kissed by azure blue waters and the sound of the surf lapping at the shore? There you are, standing on the bow, watching the anchor set in seven feet of crystal-clear water as a warm breeze caresses your cheek. Sailing in 15 knots of steady Trade Winds on a beam reach with the next island in sight. Now, that’s a happy place! Make your Caribbean island dreams come true for you, your family or friends. Book a boat, book the flights, and set sail! But where should I sail in the Caribbean, what can I expect when I get there, what should I pack, when should I go, I’m scared!? Here’s some help:

Where to sail in the Caribbean?

The chain of Caribbean Islands stretch from Puerto Rico in the north, south to Trinidad. THAT is a lot of sailing! All these islands have beautiful beaches, amazing blue water and yummy tropical drinks. There are so many awesome places to visit, but let’s narrow it down to a few favorites.

BVI: This is the most common answer when people decide to sail in the Caribbean. It has more charter boats available, light breezes for easy sailing and a routine route to follow. What is attractive about the BVI can also be what is unattractive. More boats means more traffic, light breezes can mean no breeze, and routine routes can be, well, so routine. It’s got all the cool guy attractions you have heard about at the yacht club – you just have to share it with so many other boats!

Antigua/Barbuda: If you would like something a bit further off the beaten track, try the hidden gem of Antigua and Barbuda. This area has a variety of beautiful anchorages and sometimes more interesting sailing conditions. The sail up to Barbuda is a 25nm open ocean passage and Barbuda is such a low lying island that you can’t see it until you get there. Interesting – and worth it!

St. Martin / Sint Maarten is a popular yachting destination in the middle of the Caribbean chain. There is a French side and a Dutch side so you will enjoy the best of both cultures.

Duty-free shopping is a popular past time with top fashion designs at bargain prices. Experience some of the best and most variety of culinary delights in the Caribbean!

St. Vincent, Grenada & the Grenadines: 72 miles of sailing paradise, untouched by mega-tourism. There are no 10-story-high casinos, no gimmicky bars, or lines of floating cities littering the harbor. You will find unobtrusive shore accommodations, beach bars made out of lean-tos and maybe a cruise ship anchored far away from the shore. This is the REAL CARIBBEAN!

What to expect?

When you land on the island, you will go through customs and immigration. Most of these officials take their job seriously – all the “i’s” dotted, “t’s” crossed. Best advice? Keep it simple and keep the conversation to a minimum. Have your passport ready, copy of your return ticket and address of the charter company. Now, “address” is a relative term since so many places in the islands don’t have an “address” as you know it. You might get the name of a marina or village – perfectly acceptable. Be respectful and in the end, let them know how happy you are to visit their island!

Packing: It is wise to pack a change of clothing in your carry-on. Or, at the very least, a bathing suit. Not only will it be 80 degrees when you step off the plane but you may or may not get your luggage right away. It happens! No problem – go sit on the beach with a rum punch until it arrives. (Hint: “No problem” usually means no problem for that person. YOU might have a problem, it’s just not THEIR problem. Hence the term – “No problem!”) Other things to pack are the typical summer items: shorts, t-shirts, nice summer dress for the ladies, a cover-up for sun protection and a light rain jacket for the occasional squall. Serious sailors should consider sailing gloves, a hat clip and strap for your sunglasses.

In your checked luggage: Your favorite sunscreen (hopefully one that doesn’t run into your eyes as you sweat), bug spray (look for 25% DEET), pocket knife, headlamp, a printed copy of your passport, mask & snorkel (You can get the fins from the charter base but you probably don’t want to put a used snorkel in your mouth.) Oh, and a 1⁄4” patch cord (headphone size) and 12v adapter for playing all your island music over the speakers!

When is the best time to charter

 The BEST time to charter, of course, is when you can actually go! Experienced charter guests often schedule a boat a year ahead of time – especially in high season. The most expensive time of year to go is usually 20 December to 3 January. The prices almost double during this time. But, if that is the only time you can go, GO! In general, the seasons are:

Prime Season (Dec. 14 – Jan. 3 & Feb. 8 – April 25) is the time of year when boats are in the highest demand and the weather is most desirable and cooperative for great sailing. During winter holidays and spring break, prices are high. Charter companies know this, of course, and the prices reflect it. Plan EARLY for prime season, not only for the boat but for flights as well. Last minute deals are rare.

Shoulder Season (Jan. 4 – Feb. 7 & April 26 – May 9) is a transition period for most people’s availability, and for demand. Double check your dates andtry to be flexible. You could save a lot of money just by adjusting your vacation by a day or two.

During Low Season (May 10 – Dec. 13), boats are in less demand which can mean fewer people to compete with on your vacation. But, it can also mean fewer services available, like stores, restaurants, and transportation. You can get great deals, and make last minute plans. Hurricane season is June 1 – November 30 (besides, who takes a vacation to the Caribbean during the summer?).

How does it work?

Gone are the days that all you have to do is pull out a credit card and they will hand over the keys to the boat. Charter companies are realizing that inexperienced skippers are not just destroying boats but doing harm to the environment as well. The skipper will be asked to send in a sailing resume. You can hire a skipper for a few days or your entire trip if you are not comfortable on your own. Or maybe you just want to sit back and enjoy a refreshing beverage or two without having to worry about being the skipper. When you get to the base, you will receive local charts, a cruising guide and boat briefing. Make sure you get familiar with the systems, know how to reef sails and check the gas in the dingy. Each briefing takes about an hour. Most charter companies don’t allow you to get on the boat until later in the day – 4 or 5 PM. You are prohibited from sailing after dusk, so often, you won’t be sailing that first day. Check out time is usually 11 AM.

About the Author

As owners of a sailing school, it quickly became evident that many people learning to sail also want to buy boats! The partnership with The Multihull Company and LTD Sailing in beautiful Port Louis Marina is a natural progression to complete the circle of services offered in Grenada and the Grenadines. Do what you love! Sailing and sailboats are at the top of the list of Chrystal’s passions and now she has managed to make that her career. After working through a five year plan with her partner, Chris Rundlett, Chrystal was able to throw off the bowlines, quit her job and move to the Caribbean full-time. Starting her sailing adventures on the Inland waters of North Idaho then expanding to the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, she now sails the tropical waters of the Caribbean – “Living the Dream!” 

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CAN A CATAMARAN REALLY SAIL UPWIND?

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CAN A CATAMARAN REALLY SAIL UPWIND?

Featured in Blue Water Sailing

By now most monohull sailors have chartered a catamaran in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean and have come to appreciate the many virtues cats have to offer for cruising, including stable sailing with fewer seasick guests, faster off wind speeds, little or no rocking at anchor, a large aft cockpit for lounging and dining, privacy for each guest in suites that are far apart, and galley up cooking in a saloon bathed with light. Yet these traditional monohull sailors, while appreciative of the catamaran’s strengths, also come back from their charter experience with the same legitimate complaint-these boats sure don’t point very well and off-the-wind they steer like trucks.

For those converting from a power yacht to a sailing catamaran (and there are many these days) pointing ability and helm feel don’t mean too much. They order their catamaran with large engines and just toss in the towel when the wind is on the nose. But for those who intend on serious blue water passage making where beating for days on end is inevitable, or for those who are simply passionate about sailing, this lack of upwind performance and steering stiffness is downright aggravating.

For the most part, there are only four things you can do to greatly improve the upwind performance of cats beyond making them super light, lean and long:

  • You can reduce weight aloft by purchasing a carbon fiber mast and light, high-tech shrouds, as this not only provides a lighter and stiffer rig, but reduces the fore and aft pitching moment that so inhibits upwind performance in catamarans.
  • You can purchase a very costly, custom, fully rotating rig that enables you to rotate the mast directly into the eye of the apparent wind when sailing close hauled or reaching.
  • You can upgrade your sails from Dacron to some sort of Mylar or Kevlar product that allows your sailmaker to create a much stiffer sail that will not distort under the heavy loads a catamaran is subjected to while sailing upwind.
  • You purchase a catamaran with daggerboards.

It is very costly, of course, to take all of the above four steps to improve upwind performance in a cruising cat. In my view, however, you get the most mileage for your money with a super set of high tech sails and daggerboards. Of course, if you are a true sailing enthusiast or racer, taking all four steps will create a true rocket ship. When it comes to sails, much has been written already, so I’ll let the sailmakers weigh in on this one-which fabrics to use, what type of battens and what sort of cut for optimum upwind performance. Here I’ll focus simply on the pros and cons of daggerboards versus fixed keels for cruising sailors, because there are many misconceptions in the catamaran market on this subject.

PROS OF DAGGERBOARDS

A daggerboarded cat will sail consistently higher into the wind and make far less leeway than a cat with fixed keels-typically between five to seven degrees higher. This added pointing ability and reduced leeway represents a significant safety feature when cruising because it enables you to claw off a lee shore or to arrive at an upwind destination with far greater alacrity. As any blue water voyager knows, sometimes you cannot “run for cover”-you must “beat for cover.” A daggerboarded cat, all things being equal, will sail at least 1 to 2 knots faster, on average, than a catamaran with keels simply because it isn’t carrying the enormous fixed hydrodynamic drag (i.e. wetted surface) of two long and deep fixed keels. This added speed is a significant safety feature for longrange cruising. Not only are long passages cut shorter, reducing exposure to adverse weather, but should one encounter adverse weather it is much easier to either run from it or avoid it entirely with proper weather routing. A faster boat always increases one’s options, and therefore increases safety, when cruising. A daggerboarded cat typically draws one to two and a half feet less water than a cat with keels. As such, the sailing grounds and potential anchorages available to a cat with daggerboards are considerably larger than those available to a keel cat. In extremely severe seas daggerboards enable the skipper to adjust the balance of his catamaran by raising and lowering the boards.

When sailing in large cross-seas you typically raise the leeward daggerboard entirely and lower the windward board halfway to prevent being tripped over by a breaking wave. A keel cat is stuck with the keels down, all the time-as such, there is no way to prevent the boat from “tripping over herself ” in storm-force conditions with large breaking cross seas.

Off the wind a catamaran with fully raised daggerboards is much faster because wetted surface has been greatly reduced. But, more significantly, the maneuverability of a cat with raised boards off the wind is astounding. For the true sailing enthusiast there is nothing like surfing downwind on a daggerboarded cat-the boat feels loose and free with fully raised boards. The keeled cat, on the other hand, is always to an extent sailing down a train track it cannot escape.

CONS

Daggerboards are very costly to construct. A builder must create dual daggerboards as well as dual daggerboard trunks, along with the winches and pulley system to raise and lower them. Dual daggerboards add about $30,000 to $50,000 to the construction cost of a 45-foot catamaran. So you will always pay more to get a cat with daggerboards.

Daggerboarded cats are less ideal for bareboat chartering because bareboat sailors run aground a lot. Even if they are told to raise the daggerboards when they are not beating, after a few “Painkillers” they forget, which results in broken daggerboards. Charter sailors tend not to care about performance, so there is no sense offering them a costly option they will likely break.

Daggerboards that are not carefully installed by a professional shipyard can rattle in their trunks. This is annoying. A well-built cat will not have this problem.

If you are not a careful navigator and operate near shallow waters with one of your daggerboards in the down position and plow into a hard reef at high speed, you will break it. The good news is that you simply raise the broken board and sail away. The bad news is that a new board will cost about $8,000 to replace. To put this in perspective, if you had a hard grounding on a keel cat you would have to haul the boat and have the keel repaired at a shipyard. To replace a daggerboard you do not have to haul the boat or rely on a shipyard to do fiberglass repair. All this said, it is likely a few thousand dollars cheaper to repair a fixed keel (they are largely speaking just large chunks of glass and resin) than a costly vacuum bagged foam composite daggerboard.

If you are sailing far offshore and run into something with the boards down, chances are you will break just one board. It is easy enough to sail with one broken daggerboard as you can lower the unbroken boardif you must sail upwind. (A single daggerboarded cat will still far outpoint a keeled cat.) Daggerboard trunks take away a modest amount of interior room from the inside of each hull.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DAGGERBOARDS

Daggerboards are for racers only. Not so. I am convinced this myth is propagated by builders who do not offer daggerboards due to their cost.

Daggerboards are complex to operate. Not so. Unless you are sailing upwind they are always in the raised position. When you sail upwind you simply un-cleat the boards and let them drop. To raise them you simply pull a few turns on a winch. It is easy to operate daggerboards.

You cannot beach a daggerboarded cat. No so. A properly built daggerboarded cat is easily beached and indeed can beach much closer to shore. The entire bottom of a well-built daggerboarded cat is solid fiberglass.

Since high volume production catamaran builders must sell nearly 50 percent of their yachts into bareboat charter, it is not surprising that none of their models have daggerboards. At the present time there are just four production builders of daggerboarded cats: Catana, Outremer, Gunboat and Dolphin. There are of course a wide range of custom and semi-custom dagger-boarded cats on the market, particularly in New Zealand and Australia.

I confess that my own background is that of a racer. Sailing is a kind of grace, a kind of magic to me, and therefore I prefer to own and sail daggerboarded cats-I love to pump upwind as high as a monohull but even faster, and I find surfing a cat in big seas with the daggerboards up is truly exciting. Yet over the years I have sold hundreds of fixed-keel catamarans and they work perfectly well for the needs of the bulk of the buyers I have advised. Most sailors I have learned are far less concerned with the performance of their cats underway than they are with her comfort at anchor. Indeed, they should be- the bulk of those who voyage in the Caribbean and Bahamas really spend 95 percent of their time on the hook. There is not a lot of sense in them purchasing a more costly daggerboarded cat unless they are true blue water voyagers or simply love to sail and expect their boat to return the love.

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

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CATAMARAN VS MONOHULL

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CATAMARAN VS MONOHULL

WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU?

 I’ve long been fond of quoting the 16th century Scottish philosopher David Hume who wrote that “all advantages are attended with disadvantages.” For Hume the good life had nothing to do with the quest for perfection, but the effort to discover the wise compromise that might inch us closer to fulfillment. Every person who contacts The Mulithull Company is striving to follow Hume’s advice (whether they know it or not!). They hope to make the wise compromise when choosing their yacht. As such, they seek honest answers to three primary questions:

  1. Is a sailing catamaran really right for them?
  2. If so, what is the best catamaran for their needs and budget?
  3. And which catamaran offers them the most value for their dollar?

Here I’ll endeavor to tackle the first question by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of a catamaran over a monohull.

COMFORT AT ANCHOR

The great success of catamarans in charter programs over the past decade is due primarily to the fact that catamarans offer enormous advantages over monohulls when the anchor is dropped. These benefits are as follows:

  • Catamarans are considerably more stable than a monohull. As such, they do not bang back and forth in swells. So catamaran cruisers can eat, sleep, and live far more comfortably on the hook than a monohuller.
  • Catamarans are much wider than monohulls and therefore provide enormous aft cockpits. In tropical climates this is an enormous plus because cruisers tend to spend the majority of their time dining, reading, and lounging in the cockpit under the protection of the bimini.
  • The main salon of a catamaran is on the same (or nearly the same) level as the cockpit. Unlike a monohuller, catamaran sailors do not step down into a deep dark place (where the windows are generally above eye level), but rather straight from the cockpit into a light filled salon. I don’t mean to get New Age here, but catamaran sailors truly “Live in the Light.” Onboard a catamaran you remain intimately connected to the world outside. This makes cooking, reading, dining, navigating and lounging far more pleasant on a catamaran than a monohull.
  • Because catamarans are more stable, those onboard do not enter into an extended stowing routine whenever they hoist anchor. Similarly, catamaran sailors do not enter into an extended un-stowing routine when they drop anchor. Having lived on both catamarans and monohulls, I cannot stress what a huge plus this is for live-aboard sailors.
  • When sailing with three or more people catamarans offer much more privacy as the two hulls, and the suites and heads within them, are far away from each other.

SPEED UNDER SAIL

Because a catamaran does not have to carry a heavy lead keel underneath to stay upright, they are generally faster than a similarly sized monohull – especially off the wind. However, catamarans that carry keels cannot point as high into the wind as a monohull. They will, however, typically arrive at an upwind destination at about the same time because they are moving much faster. They sail a greater distance, but at a much higher speed.

A catamaran with daggerboards and good quality sails will point as high as a similar sized monohull. It will also travel at a much higher rate of speed and therefore arrive at upwind destinations sooner. (Note: these are generalizations based on apples to apples comparisons – a performance monohull vs. a performance cat, a cruising cat vs. a cruising monohull, etc.) It is important to note that most of the production catamarans on the market are under-powered charter designs made for trade wind sailing. In light airs many of these designs perform poorly unless larger headsails or a roachier mainsail are added.

In winds under 8 knots most catamarans, due to extreme wetted surface drag, are not any faster – and often slower – than similar sized monohulls.

COMFORT UNDERWAY

Because a catamaran does not heel it offers far more comfort underway than a monohull.

For example:

  • Cooking is much easier on a cat underway and more pleasant as you are looking out on the world and not “down below.” Most catamarans do not have gimbaled stoves and ovens because they simply don’t need them.
  • Your guests are far less prone to sea sickness because you have mostly fore and aft pitching and very little beam-to-beam motion. Catamarans don’t roll from swell to swell like a monohull.
  • Walking on the deck of a cat underway is far easier as the boat is sailing flat. This makes sail changes and reefing much, much easier and a lot safer. The danger of falling overboard on a catamaran is considerably less than on a monohull.
  • Finally, it is much nicer to sleep on a boat that doesn’t heel.

One advantage most monohulls do have when underway is that they don’t pound or slap. Catamarans with low bridge deck clearance (the distance from the water to the bottom of her salon floor underneath the boat) are prone to pounding and slapping on the undercarriage in lumpy confused seas when sailing upwind. This banging and slapping is quite disconcerting when you first experience it. At times, in very lumpy seas, you will feel as though the boat is getting pounded to pieces. Most monohulls just don’t pound in this manner and are therefore a bit more comfortable than low bridge deck catamarans when beating into severe lumpy seas in high winds. Note that I am talking about lumpy seas, not necessarily large ones. In large swells bridge deck slapping is generally not a problem. The problem comes in cross-swells and confused seas – what I like to term, “Washing Machine seas.”

To overcome the unpleasantness of pounding I believe strongly in catamarans with excellent bridge deck clearance and semi-rounded under carriages that disperse wave action. I also prefer catamarans with few hull protrusions or chines as they increase not only slapping and pounding but magnify hydrodynamic drag.

SAFETY

Monohull sailors have for years argued that multihulls are not nearly as safe. I heartily disagree. One of the primary laws of physics is that “Everything in nature seeks its most stable position.” The most stable position for a catamaran is indeed upside down on the top of the ocean. But the most stable position for a monohull is at the bottom of the ocean. A well built and properly designed catamaran is very hard to sink – you must either be run over by a tanker or suffer a massive fire.

Multihulls gained a bad reputation in the 60’s and 70’s because most of them were home built, not beamy enough, and poorly designed. But modern Multihulls are very hard to capsize. It really takes a monumental act of bone-headedness to capsize a modern cruising Multihull in winds under 70 knots. If you are so bold as to cruise around far offshore in hurricane zones, well, yes, you are taking a serious risk. But so is a monohull sailor. Fact is, monohulls sink about as often as catamarans capsize, which explains why Lloyd’s insurance policies on cruising cats are nearly the same for cats and monohulls of similar value. (Note: racing mutihulls capsize quite often because they are little more than Hobie Cats on steroids, driven to the edge at all times by thrill seeking racers.)

In short, monohull sailors are rescued from liferafts. Multihull sailors are rescued from capsizes. Where would you rather be? Sitting in a small life raft in a storm or sitting securely inside your much larger and more stable upside down multihull? For me, the answer to this is a no brainer.

A faster boat is also a safer boat, as the faster boat is exposed to fewer storms. A catamaran that can regularly pull 220 mile days on a passage from Panama to Hawaii will be exposed to far less storm risk than the monohull that has a hard time regularly pulling 175 mile days. With good weather routing information a Multihull can avoid most serious weather and, at worst, place itself on the most favorable position to avoid the brunt of a storm. Since most multihulls can run before a storm between 10 and 15 knots they offer considerably more options and therefore safety than a boat that has difficulty topping out over 9 knots.

I would say that a monohull is preferable for serious offshore single-handed sailing because you can hove-to in a howler and sleep it out more easily than you can on a catamaran. A multihull does require very careful seamanship in serious storms. For this reason I believe monohulls are better suited to single handed sailing or voyaging in Northern and Southern latitudes. A super well built monohull will often capsize or even roll in a storm, but they generally pop back up, even if the rig has been swept away. Once a catamaran goes over she stays over. But, here again, she generally stays afloat, offering an excellent place to survive until one is rescued.

I also believe that catamarans are superior to monohulls in terms of redundancy. Cruising catamarans generally carry two diesel engines and a diesel generator. An engine failure on a monohull is the end of motoring. Not so on a catamaran. In fact, when motoring, most catamaran sailors only use one engine to conserve on fuel. They use two engines to dock.

And a catamaran has two hulls, not one. Should one of the hulls be damaged you still have another one for buoyancy. A hull fracture on a monohull is a far more serious and dangerous thing that it is on a Multihull.

MANEUVERABILITY

Because most catamarans have twin engines they are far easier to dock than a single engine monohull. A modern catamaran can do a 360 turn in her own length. A monohull cannot do this. However, a monohull under sail is much more maneuverable and certainly will tack a lot faster than a catamaran.

In shallow areas the catamaran is clearly superior to a monohull. Because most cats draw 4 feet or less of water they can anchor in places a monohuller could not even consider. In the Bahamas and the South Pacific the catamaran sailor has a peerless advantage. I often anchor my own cat just a few feet away from a beach, occasionally tying her off to a tree.

HAULING, STORAGE AND SLIPPAGE

While catamarans are better at anchor, monohulls have one huge advantage at the dock, marina or shipyard – they are much cheaper to haul and slip and they have a lot more options. Most catamarans must be slipped on end ties due to their beaminess. As such, there are some marinas a catamaran cannot use. Trimarans are even harder to contend with. And, for the most part, the marinas that do take multihulls charge more.

The beaminess of multihulls also greatly limits the number of shipyards that can haul them. Most 40 foot and over multihulls must be hauled on a 50 ton travel lift. This not only increases the cost of getting the boat out of the water, but greatly limits the multihullers choice of the shipyards he can use for repair and maintenance. This of course limits one’s shopping power and drives up the price for shipyard services.

COST

Catamarans, alas, are very costly to build. Builders must create two hulls, a large salon, and finish all of them off with cabinetry. And the rigging and sails of a catamaran must be more stout because the Multihull doesn’t heal and bleech off loads when hit by puffs like a monohull.
Monohulls can be bought cheaper new and the buyer of a monohull has a lot more choice of builders.

On the used market monohulls are very cheap to buy because the supply presently far outstrips the demand. Such is not the case with catamarans. Used catamaran prices remain quite high and stable, even in our weak economy these past few years. When I am contacted by someone who says they are searching for a cruising multihull under $150,000 I often advise them to buy a monohull. Their choices in a catamaran are very, very limited. Under $100,000 the task is nearly impossible unless one is drawn to very old, one-off models, or older, smaller budget catamarans like the Gemini.

It is of course important to remember that if you buy a monohull cheap you will surely also sell her cheap. If you buy a catamaran properly she will hold her value remarkably well for years to come if the present trend toward catamarans continues. I see no reason why it won’t.

MONOHULLS ARE ROMANTIC

I believe there are many sailors who choose monohulls for purely esthetic and historical reasons. They are traditional and pretty and healing is a part of the esthetic for them. I understand this. My first large yacht was a gracious old Pearson Alberg 35, with a cocktail glass stern and truly lovely lines. Many of today’s modern catamarans are just not that pretty – they lack a certain romance.

As for myself, I could never again go back to a monohull. I like sailing fast. I like sailing flat. I like a big cockpit. I do not like rocking at anchor. I still well remember sailing on the outskirts of a monohull race near Newport, Rhode Island, a few summers back. I was close reaching on my 41 foot cat at 17 knots, passing monohulls as if they were standing still. Romantic? Perhaps not for everyone. But sure a lot of fun. As the Dalai Lama once said: “You cannot buy happiness. But you can buy exhilaration.”

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

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DAGGERBOARDS VS KEELS

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DAGGERBOARDS VS KEELS

WHICH IS BEST FOR ME?

Many people are confused about the pros and cons of daggerboards versus keels. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of dagger-boards:

PROS

  • A daggerboarded cat will sail consistently higher into the wind than a cat with keels. Typically between 5 to 7 degrees higher. This added speed and pointing ability represents a significant safety feature when cruising because it enables you to claw off a lee shore or to arrive at an upwind destination with far greater alacrity. Sometimes you cannot “run for cover” – you must “beat for cover.”
  • A daggerboarded cat, all things being equal, will sail at least 2 knots faster, on average, than a catamaran with keels simply because it isn’t carrying the enormous fixed hydrodynamic drag (i.e. wetted surface) of two long and deep fixed keels. This added speed is a significant safety feature for long-range cruising. Not only are long passages cut shorter, reducing exposure to adverse weather, but should one encounter adverse weather it is much easier to either run from it or avoid it entirely with proper weather routing. A faster boat always increases one’s options, and therefore increases safety, when cruising.
  • A daggerboarded cat typically draws 2 to 2.5 feet less water than a cat with keels. As such, the sailing grounds and potential anchorages available to a cat with daggerboards are considerably larger than those available to a keel cat.
  • In extremely severe seas daggerboards enable the skipper to adjust the balance of his catamaran by raising and lowering the boards. When sailing in large cross-seas you typically raise the leeward daggerboard entirely and lower the windward board half-way to prevent being tripped over by a breaking wave. A keel cat is stuck with the keels down, all the time – as such, there is no way to prevent the boat from “tripping over herself” in storm-force conditions.

CONS

  • Daggerboards are very costly to construct. A builder must create dual dagger-boards as well as dual dagger-board trunks, along with the winches and pulleys to raise and lower them. Dual daggerboards add about $30,000 to the construction cost of a 45 foot catamaran.
  • Dagger-boarded cats are not a good idea for bare-boat chartering because bare-boat sailors run aground a lot. Even if they are told to raise the dagger-boards when they are not beating, they forget which results in broken daggerboards. Charter sailors do not care about performance, so there is no sense offering them a costly option they will likely break.
  • Daggerboards that are not carefully installed by a professional shipyard can rattle in their trunks. This is annoying. A well built cat will not have this problem.
  • If you are not a careful navigator and operate near shallow waters with your daggerboard(s) in the down position and plow into a hard reef at high speed, you will do serious damage to the bottom of your boat. While most daggerboarded cats have mini-skegs to protect the rudders and saildrives from a grounding, a high speed collision with a reef could do major damage to the bottom of your catamaran.
  • Daggerboard trunks take away a modest amount of interior room from the inside of each hull.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DAGGERBOARDS

  • Daggerboards are for racers only. Not so. I am convinced this myth is propagated by builders who do not offer dagger-boards due to their cost.
  • Daggerboards are complex to operate. Not so. Unless you are sailing upwind they are always in the raised position. When you sail upwind you simply uncleat the boards and let them drop. To raise them you simply pull a few turns on a winch. It is easy to operate daggerboards.
  • You cannot beach a daggerboarded cat. No so. A properly built daggerboarded cat is easily beached and indeed can beach much closer to shore. The entire bottom of a well built daggerboarded cat is solid fiberglass.
  • Since high volume production catamaran builders must sell nearly 50% of their yachts into bareboat charter, it is not surprising that none of their models have daggerboards. At the present time there are just four production builders of daggerboarded cats: Catana, Outremer, Sud Composites, and Dolphin. There are of course a wide range of custom and semi-custom dagger-boarded cats on the market, particularly in New Zealand and Australia.
  • For the most part, daggerboards are preferred by serious offshore voyagers who insist that their catamarans sail upwind swiftly and as high as a monohull. They also want a catamaran that is considerably faster than a monohull on all points of sail, not only because they enjoy sailing fast, but because it is safer.
  • We sell a lot of used catamarans at The Multihull Company. Most of them have keels. As for me, if given a choice, a dagger-boarded cat is my preference. But I am a true enthusiast!

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

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SAILDRIVES OR STRAIGHT SHAFTS? WHICH IS BEST FOR ME?

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SAILDRIVES OR STRAIGHT SHAFTS? WHICH IS BEST FOR ME?

Many buyers who contact us these days develop some very strong personal preferences about a range of things: dagger boards versus keels, Yanmar versus Volvo, Flybridge versus Bulkhead Helms, etc. etc. Many buyers send us long “Must Have” lists. 

One of the “Must Have’s” we are getting from some buyers these days is: “straight shaft engines.” Either there is a builder or two out there touting them because that is what they happen to offer, or some forum or blog or owner group stating their superiority, but we see a bit of an uptick in people who think straight shafts are the only way to go. What is clear to me is that most of these catamaran purchasers do not fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of straight shafts over sail drives or recognize how many limitations and negatives they pose for catamarans under 50 feet in length. Let me clear a few things up.

Straight Shaft Advantages

  • Nobody currently makes sail drives for engines much larger than 75 horse power. As such, on most production cruising cats over 50 feet you will only be able to get straight shafts.
  • Straight shafts are relatively mechanically simple. You have a shaft coming directly off the back of the engine that runs through a seal and then to a cutlass bearing and out into the water. 
  • Straight shafts are generally cheaper and easier to repair than sail drives.
  • Straight shafts force the designer and builder to place the engines further forward in the boat and anytime you move weight toward the center you reduce pitching momentum. Many racing multihulls carry their engines in the very center of their hulls for this reason

Straight Shaft Disadvantages

  • Straight shafts require precision engine alignment and tend to put much more pressure on engine mounts. Engines often need to be realigned.
  • Straight shafts are always louder and produce more vibration than sail drives. In larger cats with long sterns and space the engines and shafts can remain aft of the sleeping quarters in separate sound insulated compartments. On smaller cats this is generally not the case. 
  • Straight shafts produce less effective horsepower at the prop because the prop is at an angle. On a typical 40 foot horse power engine you lose 3 to 4 horse power over a cat with sail drives. 
  • The less the prop is angled down the better the performance on a straight shaft. That usually means positioning the engines quite forward of the sterns. This in-turn produces the enormous negatives of having to house the engines under the aft bunks, or a portion of them, in most cats under 50 feet in length. This amounts to: louder inside the living spaces, more vibration, more heat, and a potential for engine exhaust to encroach on the yachts interior. It also makes it a bit more difficult to properly ventilate the engine rooms.
  • Sleeping close to, or over the top of a running engine, especially a straight shaft, can be noisy and hot.
    Most shaft seals are supposedly “dripless,” but anyone who has spent time around them knows that when the dripless seal starts to drip you had better take care of it fast. I have seen plenty of flooded engine rooms in my years on straight shaft cats. Both seals and cutlass bearings are therefore best replaced every two to three years. Straight shafts, in short, are not maintenance free.

Sail Drive Advantages

  • Sail drives are very quiet.
  • Exact engine alignment is not critical. 
  • Sail drives can be positioned further aft in cats with ease and therefore make it possible to keep the engines out of the aft staterooms and in their own watertight engine rooms. On cats under 50 feet the design trend today is to produce sharper bows and wider, flared sterns aft, both to manage the engine weight aft and to get the cat to sit back on her haunches and pierce through waves to dampen pitching moment. A good example of this is the evolution of the Leopard 47 (a straight shaft boat) to the far superior sailing Morelli and Melvin designed Leopard 46 (a sail drive boat.)
  • Sail drives offer more horsepower at the prop.

Sail Drive Negatives

  • Sail drives generally cost more to replace than shafts. The typical drive leg for a 40 to 50 foot cat is between $3,500 and $5,000 dollars.
  • Sail drives legs must always have good zinc protection or there is a danger of the shaft corroding. Sloppy zinc inspections can lead to the destruction of sail drive legs. I’ve seen plenty of this at surveys from sloppy owner care.
  • Sail drives carry seals that are meant to prevent salt water incursion into the lubricated shaft leg. If the seals are compromised salt water can enter the drive leg and lead to internal corrosion. Note: water incursion in a drive leg is easily seen if one inspects the sail drive fluid level and finds milky looking oil. Most prudent sailors replace their sail drive seals at least every other haul out. If they see milky fluid they change the fluid right away and then replace the seals at the next haul out. (The newer drives allow you to change the oil from inside the engine room easily, without having to haul the boat.). When a sailor finds milky fluid on the older sail drive legs it is good to run the engines and transmissions frequently. This will keep the sail drive oil emulsified until the next haul when the seals can be replaced. 
  • Some older sail drives had cone clutch or shifting problems. These were sometimes found on Yanmar SD 50 drive legs. That problem has been overcome with the new generation drives. 

I have heard some internet chatter that straight shafts are better if you run aground, but I strongly disagree. If you run aground hard with shafts or sail drives and for any reason they are not protected by a keel, or mini keels, or a skeg, you are going to have a bit of a mess on your hands either way. One of the reasons I much prefer engines in their own watertight engine rooms is that if one does run aground and water enters the engine room from a broken shaft or sail drive leg, the water remains in the engine room, never enters the living quarters where water damage leads to major floor and woodwork repair in general. 

The upshot of all this: Getting hung up on shafts or sail drives as a major purchasing concern is quite unwarranted. If having a shaft is something you are so convinced you must have, bear in mind you will live with all the advantages as well as the disadvantages noted above. More importantly, you will learn very quickly when you start to shop for a cat that 95% of the builders today have all concluded that the advantages of sail drives far outweigh their disadvantages on cats below 50 feet and are therefore superior for use in the smaller modern catamaran. I happen to agree. 

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

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EIGHT GREAT REASONS TO BUY A USED CATAMARAN

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EIGHT GREAT REASONS TO BUY A USED CATAMARAN

 By: Alexis de Boucaud

It should go without saying the primary reason for getting a used catamaran is that you cannot afford a new one, or one of the size and quality you need or ardently desire. Today a high quality catamaran 40 feet and above will cost $500,000 dollars or more. So the reason my company sells mostly used catamarans is that 75% of the buyers who ask for our advice and help simply cannot afford a new boat, or do not wish to spend most of their savings to own one.

If you can afford a new cat it can, in fact, make very good sense to buy one but only if you intend to get many years of use from her.  So long as you own a new catamaran four or more years, it starts to make economic sense.

If you are not certain you will be sailing four years or more, and sailing often during this time, you should focus on a used boat unless suffering a significant financial loss doesn’t trouble you.

There are 8 good reasons to get a used catamaran instead of a new one. These are:

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING

When you buy a used catamaran, if you are wise enough to pick a very high quality surveyor (and, forgive me, a quality buyer broker who has your best interests at heart), you will know exactly what you are getting at exactly what price. If you are very smart you should not be in for any great surprises. You will know exactly what is right with the boat, what is wrong with it, what you need to repair, or add, and can therefore calculate your costs very accurately. Ideally, going in, your broker will have provided you with all of the recent sales of that specific model so you will have a very good idea of what to pay – what the market says the boat is worth, not some Seller on the internet who wants to fetch back all of his costs and has no idea at all what boats like his are selling for.

YOU GET YOUR BOAT VERY FAST

If you get a used boat, have a good survey and can accept it without major issues or painful and protracted negotiations (sometimes this does occur) you will be sailing and underway within 30 to 40 days in most instances. No waiting around. If you are an impatient soul a used boat – especially a very clean and well cared for one – is definitely the way to go.

YOU WILL SUFFER LESS DEPRECIATION.

If you buy a used boat you will be tying up less cash and experience less depreciation when you sell. As a rule, most new boats depreciate around 10% in the first year, and an additional 7% percent in the second year. After that, depreciation gradually decreases. While there is no fast and hard depreciation scale – because some catamarans hold their value at lot better than others – it goes something as follows: Year 1: -10%, Year 2: -7%, Year 3: -5%, Year 4: -4%, then another -2 percent decline per year until the boat is 12 or so years old. Depreciation largely stops after 12 years because new boat prices rise with inflation, holding up used values. This is not a hard and fast rule. Please do not hold me to this! If the cost of new catamaran builds jumps a great deal while you own your boat that will hold up your resale value. If you have a boat in high demand and limited supply that also sustains her resale value. If there is an overall limited supply of clean late model cats coupled with strong demand, as there is now, depreciation will again be lower. If you overpay from some crazy oddball design you will probably suffer a lot more depreciation. Note: During the Global Financial Crisis there was little demand for new catamarans so few new cats were built. That has, for the time at least, reduced catamaran depreciation.

YOUR BOAT WILL BE DEBUGGED

Used boats do not have to be debugged or go through a warranty process. I have found that many new boat buyers falsely assume that ordering a new boat is very similar to buying a new car. You pick the options, a delivery date is set, and everything is going to go nice and smooth. You just sail away. Sadly, it seldom works this way. There are often delays, and you can be certain it will take several months to “debug” your new gem. People forget that these boats are floating ecosystems with diesel engines, generators, water makers, refrigerators, complex electronics, etc. It always takes time to get all of this equipment working just right, tuned to perfection. So unless you are patient, or working with a very good dealer, prepare yourself for some warranty repair downtime.

USED BOATS ARE EASIER TO RESELL

Used boats are usually easier to sell because they sell for less, often a lot less, than new ones. The pool of potential buyers grows the older and cheaper a catamaran becomes. The number of people who call us asking to buy the turn-key cruising cat for under $250,000 is staggering, because far more people have this much to spend than those with $400,000, or a million, etc.

LATE MODEL CATS, 1 TO 4 YEARS OF AGE, ARE OFTEN A FANTASTIC DEAL IF YOU CAN AFFORD THEM

Clearly, if you only intend to sail for just two years, getting a new boat is costly due to the initial steep depreciation curve I noted earlier. Often, the hardest boats for us, as yacht brokers, to re-sell are the one to two year old boats, which is why they are often such a good deal! The sellers say to us, “Here is what I paid for my boat, look at all my options. Why cannot you find a buyer who is prepared to pay me something close to this?” The reason we cannot, or any broker, is the mentality of the new boat buyer who wants to pick the options, the colors, the name, have the latest technology, and have that “new boat smell.” Unless they can buy that two year old boat for a very steep discount they prefer to spend 15% to 20% more and buy new. This is why the best catamarans to buy are often 1 to 4 years old, provided you can afford them. If you cannot afford them, the next best thing is any used catamaran that is in excellent condition with light use for her age, or a catamaran the seller already paid – probably overpaid for in my experience – to seriously refit.

A TOTALLY REFIT OLD CATAMARAN WILL DEPRECIATE MODESTLY AND COST YOU VERY LITTLE TO MAINTAIN FOR MANY YEARS

If you do not wish to experience much, if any depreciation, buy an older catamaran in tip top condition. Tip top is the key here, because as depreciation decreases, maintenance and refit costs increase. If you buy an old boat that needs new engines, generator, sails, standing rig, etc., watch out. Unless she is priced properly to factor in these refit items you had best be careful. Why do charter companies “phase out” their fleets after the boats are 5 years old? Because this is when things start to break on a heavily used boat, start to wear out. This is when the costs of care and or refit start to rise significantly. During a boats first four to five years she should really cost very little to maintain and sustain. After that, expect higher costs on an annual basis for care, refit, and maintenance. Just remember, there is a vast difference between a five year old charter boat with 4,000 engine hours and a privately owned five year old boat with 1,000. The two boats cannot, in any manner, be compared on the same playing field in terms of value. How do you compare a 15 year old 58 foot cat that recently had a $250,000 refit to a cat of the same size that did not? Think hard on this. Too many buyers see these two 58 footers on the internet and instantly fixate on the one that is $100,000 less when in fact the more expensive one – the total refit boat – is the far better deal.

A USED BOAT IN BRISTOL CONDITION IS NEARLY ALWAYS A GOOD BUY IF SHE IS PRICED PROPERLY

After boats are five or more years of age condition is far more important than year of build. Many people tell us, “I do not want a boat more than five years old,” even if they cannot afford a five year or newer boat. They get hung up on age instead of condition. What they should really be saying to us is: “Find me a boat that was cared for by a pilot or an engineer or a very rich family who paid a captain to pamper the boat.” A well maintained and cared for used boat will cost you far less over time than one that had mediocre care. Those who fixate on the entry cost of a used boat, and not the exit costs, are making a very large mistake. It is a mistake I see quite often. Here in our office we often joke that if we want the phone to ring, there is a very simple way to do it: List large catamarans at terribly cheap prices. All those dreamers sitting on their computers are fixating on that bargain boat. These are the ones who tend to make the biggest mistakes when buying a used boat.

The above 8 reasons suggest that getting a used boat makes a lot of sense for many people. But used boats are not for everyone. There are four reasons why some people are not suited to purchase a used boat at all.

IF YOU ARE NOT HANDY, OR CANNOT AFFORD A CAPTAIN, A USED BOAT COULD PROVE FRUSTRATING TO YOU

If you buy a used boat that needs considerable work you will have to spend a lot of time in a shipyard, not sailing, but overseeing contractors. This, I am afraid, is generally not much fun. Never try it with your wife and family. Trust me that you cannot live on a boat sitting up on the hard in a dirty shipyard.

IF YOU CAN ONLY LIVE WITH PERFECT

If you overpay for a used boat, by failing to accurately survey her, or know what her market value really is, or fail to accurately estimate what it will cost you to refit, repair, or outfit her to the standards that make you happy, you may well end up “overinvesting” in the boat. You may find that you suffer a greater loss when you sell than the depreciation you sought to avoid from buying a new boat. You may in fact, “Sell her for more than you bought her for,” but when you calculate the money stuffed into her, and the time you spent to get her in top order, you really lost a lot of time and money. The age of the boat is far less important than what you pay for her, and what condition she was in when you bought her. So be careful. Every used boat has a value; the tricky part is finding someone you can trust to educate you on what that market value is.

CUSTOM, ODDBALL BOATS ARE HARD TO RESELL

If you have a penchant for going against the grain and are drawn to some very odd, or exotic used catamarans, or a catamaran with strange and quirky features, she could be very hard to resell and you could lose a lot.

IF YOU ARE A TECHNOLOGY FREAK, AND CANNOT LIVE WITH ANYTHING BUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST, YOU REALLY NEED TO GET A NEW BOAT

Each year there are significant advances in design, and in the way in which catamarans are built, configured, and equipped. The pace of technology moves swiftly and there is no question that a modern, up to date boat, with all of the latest features and technology is enormously appealing to many. It comes down to what you have to spend and how long you intend to keep your boat.

Whether you buy new or used, get a catamaran, get out on the water while you are young enough to do so. Sailing is a kind of grace, a kind of magic, and will leave you with lasting memories and joy the likes of which you may never experience in any other way. See you on the water sometime soon I hope.

About Alexis de Boucaud

Alexis grew up racing dinghies in the waters of Brittany, France. He immigrated to the United States as a young man and developed his interest in offshore cruising and racing in New England and the Bahamas. Alexis began his professional yachting career as a charter captain sailing the storied seas of French Polynesia on a Fountaine-Pajot Marquises 57 catamaran. There he developed a talent for sharing and communicating his love for bluewater sailing to his worldly guests. More recently, Alexis spent ten years managing Nautor’s Swan Charters, a high-end charter company with over fifty Swans based in the Caribbean, New England and the Mediterranean. While at Nautor’s Swan, Alexis coordinated sales of new yachts through the French defiscalisation program. He later instituted a successful yacht sales and management program to develop the fleet in non-French territories. This experience gave him substantial experience in the many facets of yacht sales and brokerage in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Alexis is bilingual English-French. He was educated in the United States and has worked in the US, Europe and the Caribbean. He has sailed extensively on multihulls and particularly enjoys performance cats.

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Testimonial

Alexis de Boucaud and the team were fantastic. We moved the listing to TMC after being with another broker for over 6 months…. Alexis is a true professional and we recommend him to everyone.
Tony and Michelle
Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36

The Multihull Company and agent Alexis de Boucaud stand head and shoulders above the competition. I think Alexis may be the most honest boat broker I’ve met and is he extremely knowable. From start to finish, Alexis controlled every aspect of the sale and everything went extremely smooth.
George and Judy
Foutaine Pajot Belize 43

I know Multihull Company for some time now as I have bought and sold several boats through them, and all the contacts I had with the Multihull Company were very positive. My contacts with Alexis de Boucaud and Phil Berman were always great. If I would look for a another boat, they would be the first person I would contact.
Thierry
Catana 581

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ANCHORING IN THE CARIBBEAN – HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO GO?

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ANCHORING IN THE CARIBBEAN – HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO GO?

You have the boat – purchased or rented – and you are ready to head out on your own private adventure. No tourist-filled cattle boat for you anymore. It’s time for the two of you to explore those small, romantic bays that long-time Caribbean boaters have told you about.

The whole day is perfectly planned … a quiet cove, a picnic lunch, a bottle of champagne … and a National Park Service Ranger pulling his boat up alongside yours to write you a ticket for illegal anchoring. Not exactly what you had in mind? In that case, the first thing you had better do before you head to that romantic spot is to find out where you can legally drop your hook. There are many ways to obtain good information about where to anchor in the Caribbean; here are a few of the best.

Within the U.S. Virgin Islands, the first resource to consult is the National Park Service (NPS) website. The NPS has very strict rules governing the use of anchors and you risk a ticket if you violate them. The only Marine National Park in the British Virgin Islands is the Wreck of the Rhone , where anchoring is strictly prohibited (mooring buoys are available). Boaters are allowed to anchor in the sand bottoms of Tobago Cays Marine Park; however, there is no anchoring allowed anywhere in Bonaire – the entire island is a National Marine Park.

Charts

Nautical charts produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA atwww.noaa.gov) offer the best information about reef location, types of bottoms at each anchorage, water depth, hazards, channels, etc., from Virgin Gorda to St. Thomas (NOAA chart number 25641.) Imray-Iolaire charts cover the non-U.S. Caribbean all the way down to Trinidad and west to Aruba. Charts are available at most ship chandlers, such as Budget Marine, Island Marine Outfitters, Island Water World and West Marine, and range in price from approximately $36.00 for a single page to $80 for a Chart Kit that contains five to six charts and aerial photos of favorite spots. (You can check the full range of charts available from NOAA’s approved online vendors: www.oceangrafix.com andwww.maptech.com. Look for Imray-Iolaire charts at www.nauticalcharts.com andwww.bluewaterweb.com, to name a couple.) However, traditional nautical charts can be a bit daunting for those who are not used to reading them – don’t despair! There are many other resources available for those of you who want something simpler.

Cruising Guides

An excellent source of information, and one that is easy to carry on a small boat, is any one of a number of cruising guides that offer specific information about the islands. Guides from Cruising Guides Publications (www.cruisingguides.com), not only provide anchoring information from the Bahamas to Trinidad, they also offer advice on how to approach an anchorage, the type of bottom you are likely to find, restaurants ashore and other tips. Reed’s Nautical Almanac is another good resource; it is crammed full of all sorts of useful information, such as local holidays and tide tables. These guides range in price from about $26.00 to $50.00; you will find that most boaters have two or three different volumes on board. It is not a bad idea to compare information in different books – and never forget that a cruising guide was accurate only on the day it was written. That said, however, you will find that most boaters cherish any cruising guides written by Donald M. Street, Jr., in their possession – no matter how old. Street has cruised the Caribbean for decades. His books contain small sketch charts, as well as tidbits about life in the islands before the arrival of many modern-day conveniences. A good rule of thumb, though, is that if your guide is outdated, spend the money to buy a new one.

Local knowledge

If you just want to know where to go today, without have to take a course in navigation, local knowledge is the key. Even boaters who arm themselves with charts and the latest cruising guides should seek out people who live and boat in the area they want to visit. You may be tempted to explore an anchorage that was written up last year – the people on the beach might have been there last weekend. Ask around. Walk down the dock and talk to people. Discuss your plans with the folks at the marine stores; they deal with captains – professional and amateur – every day, and they keep up with what is happening around the islands. I have yet to meet a boater who would not share information – and opinions – with a fellow mariner, especially if you buy him a beer while you are chatting at the local boater’s bar.

Still not ready to head out on your own? An easy way to get where you want to go is to follow someone into an anchorage – provided that someone knows the area. Get friends to show you how to navigate into a secluded bay and talk you through the tricky parts (on a working channel please, not channel 16). Just be sure you use the most important resource you have – your brain. Ask questions, evaluate the answers and share information. If the boat you are following draws three feet and your boat draws six – and the captain of the lead boat doesn’t know that – you are in trouble. Pay attention to markers. A Boat Exclusion Area marker means, “Stay out.” Look around you. White water usually means shallow water – maybe even a reef. Above all, communicate with your crew and the person providing the information.

A True Story:

We had started the engine, furled the sails and were ready to approach the anchorage. I was at the helm. The owner/captain said to me, “Okay, take her straight in.” When I did not immediately comply, he turned and gave me a questioning look.

“I’m going to take her around the reef instead of straight over it,” I replied, stating what I thought was obvious.

“There’s a reef in front of us?” he asked. “I didn’t know – I’ve never been here before.”

I was startled. Had he been driving, I am sure that when he headed toward the reef I would have corrected him in my usual diplomatic way, “Where the [censored] are you going?” But what if I had turned over the helm and gone below? I was unaware that this was his first visit – a potentially serious failure to communicate by experienced boaters who should have known better.

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