How much will it cost?

[adamsaquatics]

I am in the market for a 15 - 25 year old catamaran. 34' seems a good size to me. I am 6'5" so I need ample headroom. Though I like to chat and truly enjoy bikinis, people often make me feel lonely so the boat only needs to house one person. I like my own company.

My goal is to sail, with ample diving, about N and S America and the Caribbean. Time frame currently is two years of exploring. My background includes cabinet making and maintenance, I am reasonably handy.

These are desired specs:
Excellent condition
Draft of 34" or less.
Big bed...I'm a tall fella
Solid main that doesn't mind some foul conditions
Twin diesels
Water maker
Hot water
Autopilot
SSB
VHF
Dinghy
Solar
EPIRB
No leaks
No rot

[sailingdog]

Most 30-35' catamarans are either outboard powered, like the MaineCat 30 series, or drive leg powered, like the Gemini catamarans. Most catamarans that size can not afford the weight penalty of two inboard diesel engine setups.

It would really help if you said what your budget is... since the requirements you're looking for are rather specific, and good catamarans tend to hold their value quite well.

I'd point out that some of your requirements, like the watermaker, Autopilot, SSB, VHF, EPIRB, Solar panels, etc, are going to be options that may not be there, and will need to be added by you.

The draft may also be an issue, since some of the catamarans that have dual diesel engines use a traditional saildrive that increases their draft considerably, compared to their saildrive leg or outboard powered peers.

I'd also point out that having dual diesels increases the cost of ownership as well as the maintenance required.

Head room will be an issue for someone 6' 4" on a small catamaran. Even the Gemini 105Mc, which is a fairly roomy catamaran for its size is going to be a head knocker for someone your height. My friends own them, and the clearance is about six feet.

Also, I'm not sure if the forward cabin berth on many of the boats in this size range would be long enough for you. This is one place where being shorter gives you a lot more options.

The Prout Snowgoose, 35/37 is a possibility, but most came with a single diesel engine and a drive leg like that found on the Gemini.

Another question is sailing characteristics. How important is have a boat that has good sailing characteristics. Many catamarans are not really good sailboats, being more motorsailers than anything else. If sailing characteristics are important to you, you're going to give up some headroom generally, as the high freeboard that gives the cats the headroom in the hulls is one of the things that makes many of the sail poorly. Of course, the larger the boat, the more freeboard and headroom it can afford to have.

[adamsaquatics]

They aren't requirements, they are what I would like to find. I have up to a year and can travel internationally if a boat intrigues me.

It hasn't proven to be difficult to find those general features....except for the roominess. 6'4" cabins are common, 6'6" have been less so.

I am a fan of the compromise. "Not too heavy, not too light". Not real fast, not a slug.

I prefer not to tell the world how much money I may be able to pay. 'Predators' lurk everywhere. My experience has been that budget should not prove to be a problem. I'd prefer paying more for a reputable, though not prestigious, manufacture that would tend to holds its value.

[sailingdog]

The only reason I was asking about budget is that there are a lot of boats that would be eliminated if your budget is less than say $200,000. BTW, I highly recommend reserving at least 15-20% of any boat buying budget for refitting, upgrading and otherwise customizing any boat you buy, since it will likely need it to fit the way you will use it.

Personally, if you're really looking for a boat for only a single person, I'd recommend getting a trimaran instead of a catamaran. You can still socialize with the boat bunnies, but have a much smaller cabin and such.

The Chris White-designed Hammerhead 34 trimaran is more than capable of doing what you're interested in doing, and can be built, brand new, for less than $125,000 all in at least from what I've understand. A Corsair 36/37 would be another option, but probably a bit more money IIRC. Not sure what the headroom or berth lengths are like on either off the top of my head.

[adamsaquatics]

If it takes 200,000 I'll have to get an older boat. I was just looking at a boat that fit almost all of my specs except for roominess and 34'. It had more equipment than I mentioned though. Asking price was 50,000. It came in at 29', with twin Yanmar's and a 30" draft. It was 24 years old which could be pushing it a bit.

I really liked about everything but the 6'4" of headroom in the cabin. That would get old pretty fast on a live aboard.

I figured 34' would often move into boats with more headroom. Little more stability as well.

I bought a new boat. Once. Great if you have the cash flow. I have the cash but not the flow. So I am being more frugal this time.

Trimarins strike me as a boat with training wheels. I'm sure they are perfect for many and have several advantages however.

[adamsaquatics]

I hate super long posts so I broke it up.

I am very concerned about security since I will often be alone. I am thinking three dogs. I love animals, my last dog (black lab) was the greatest in the world according to its owner. They will keep each other company. One will have super senses for long distance warning. One will look scary. One will be scary. I'm a big fan of back-up. Backed-up with more back-up.

Backed up by stuff I won't mention on the web.

I don't plan to be at dockside much at all. Thats where civilization hangs out.

I also want to run a web site with real time video of my adventure. Something to do and socialize with. Like I say, I like to chat. On my terms.

[sailingdog]

While you can find older catamarans for less than $100,000, I'd point out that most of them will be older than 20 years old, and in general need of some major refurbishing and updating. YMMV.

As for trimarans...they have almost as much stability as a catamaran, heeling only about 10-15˚*or so, rather than the 5-10˚ of a cat, but usually have far better sailing characteristics. In terms of tacking and such, they tend to pivot on the center hull, so behave much more like a monohull in many ways.

I'd point out that cruising with dogs can be a serious problem legally. Many countries have serious quarantine restrictions on dogs and can really put a crimp in your ability to travel. Same with weapons... specifically firearms.

[adamsaquatics]

No dogs. No guns. What does one do for protection?

[sailingdog]

Avoid high danger areas.

[adamsaquatics]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Avoid high danger areas.

Well....thats part of the reason I want to go sailing.