Why a catamaran for charter?

There are many ways to sail around the beautiful island of Phuket. And the Catamaran is certainly a great choice – especially if you are planning a longer trip. One of the most popular reasons for choosing a catamaran is due to the fact most cruising catamarans have up to seventy per cent more usable living space than other types of cruising yachts.

As with single-hulled vessels, there are a whole host of options when it comes to choosing your perfect holiday cruiser. There are different shapes, sizes, prices, and purposes – and so it is a good idea to give us a call and talk to a professional about which variety will best suit your travelling needs.

Catamarans size and design affect the way they move. You will want to pick the right length and performance spec of boat to suit your needs. Whether you want something a bit nippy or more of a slow cruiser. Most cats will go about 30 per cent faster than other types of vessel meaning you can get from A. to B. in a shorter amount of time.

On a standard catamaran you can expect to average 8 knots when travelling 1,000 – 2,000 miles but you can get up to speeds of 20 knots with ease. It is key to remember to take it gently around areas of outstanding natural beauty – especially reefs. Also in choppier conditions you will want to keep it at a slow pace. The catamaran provides an overall smoother ride, you don’t get the same rolling sensation as you might with a monohull boat.

The Catamaran is also thought of as quite a good powerboat. They can be good in terms of fuel usage as for cruising they will only use one engine at a time – powering up the second when tackling head seas or the like. Due to their design, catamarans are balanced like no other, which for a leisurely holiday trip can be mighty lovely.

When heading windward the catamaran’s performance can be somewhat mixed if you are not using a daggerboard. Even with one, the catamaran’s performance in these conditions is probably slightly worse than monohull boats. It is all about minimising the headstay sag, and once you have that down you are good to go. Sheeting the mainsail hard is also a good tactic to overcome this little problem. Most of the worlds cruisers are downwinders for a reason – on this kind of trip you are not going to be going windward in your boat.

The familiar roll, heel, and yaw of the monohull boat is not what you get with the catamaran. Thus the basis of its appeal. With a catamaran you experience a suite of different motions – all are quick, but small. Up, down, sideways, forwards – it all feels a bit more ‘normal’ than the motions of other vessels. There is less chance of your coffee flying off the side, or your book ending up in the sea. This is another reason why cats are popular choices for the more leisurely trip on the ocean.

In calm conditions the catamaran is like no other. If there is a slight breeze you can get some bounce but nothing like the roughness of the monohull experience. It is also easily overcome by simply reducing speed. At a lower speed Catamarans are very good at balancing themselves to ensure minimal disruption to your sailing experience.

In terms of noise, the caamarans can be a little louder – here them purr as you zoom across the waves. It is quite exhilarating. This is simply due to the physics of water passing past two hulls instead of one. This noise is usually higher below deck as opposed to above, and is only when you are travelling at higher speeds. The clap of the hull against rough waves is something to get used to, but again at a low speed this can be greatly reduced and this is not something you will come across often in Phuket!

There is a saying that goes ‘overload a cat and it becomes a dog’ – that is to mean that with too many passengers or too much cargo the vessel can become less elegant and streamline, and a little more bumpy and awkward. Although there is more space you must be careful not to overfill a Catamaran otherwise all of the benefits described above will be lost.

So all in all, a Catamaran is a great choice of vessel when embarking on your trip around Phuket. If you would like to discuss what options we have available for you please get in contact with a member of our specialised team.