Choosing a boat: Catamaran or monohull?

Prior to 2000 few people would have chosen catamarans and Hal Roth did not even consider the option. Having had no experience with catamarans we also chose a monohull yacht without too much thought. With hindsight, a catamaran may well have been a better choice especially with two couples on board.

So what are the pros and cons of catamarans if you wish to sail round the world?

A catamaran has several advantages;

- much more space,

- shallower draft which is useful in crowded anchorages as you can get closer in than the monohulls,

- much less roll when at anchor

- they are usually faster downwind

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There are also disadvantages; 

- there is no recovery from a 'knock down'. If  a monohull is laid flat by a squall it pops up again afterwards. If a catamaran tips over then it is doomed

- unless choosing a performance cat (in which case the narrow hulls limit the space advantage) most sail badly to windward with a lot of slamming  

- when using marinas the costs are typically x1.5 to x2.0 than of a monohull

- maintenance costs are higher (there is two of everything, much more cabling and plumbing, etc)

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At the end of the day, there is no 'right answer'. Double click on the pictures for more information