Welcome to the wonderful world of catamarans! We know buying the right catamaran can be overwhelming, so we have taken the liberty of listing our top 5 tips you should take before going ahead and searching for the perfect catamaran for you. Without further ado, lets get into it!
1. Define how you will be using your catamaran.
The first question you need to ask yourself when beginning your catamaran purchase is: Will you be using your vessel for performance or comfort?
You should then specify if you prefer a sailing or power catamaran.
Next, answer these questions:
How much time will you be spending on your vessel?
Will you be taking your vessel blue water?
Where will you be sailing? (Local waters or offshore).
How much experience do you have sailing?
Your intended reason for buying a catamaran is usually a good indication of the model and size you will need. For example, if you’re considering taking your cat offshore, you will generally need to look at a vessel 12m or longer (40ft+). This is to ensure ultimate comfort and safety.
2. Define your budget
The second most important question you will need to determine: How much am I willing to pay for a boat?
The best advice in the market is to be realistic. Vessels are priced based on various attributes such as age, quality, engine hours, options, inventory etc.
It is imperative that you allow enough wiggle room between the true value of your ideal vessel, and your budget.
You also need to consider if you feel comfortable buying second-hand or not. Second hand boats can be the way to go in the current market due to current longer wait on production times, however, be very weary to make sure the second-hand vessel is not a project boat (unless you are up for it). Project boats often can be a temporal and financial money pit.
3. Determine the perfect size for your needs
The size of your catamaran again goes hand-in-hand with how you intend to be using it.
For example, if you wish to cruise, generally 36-40 ft catamarans can comfortably fit 4 people (give or take) depending on the length of your stay onboard and how often you will be cruising.
If you are after a performance Catamaran, then the longer the better as longer boats sail faster!
To calculate the hull speed, the calculation is simple: the velocity in knots = 1.35 X √length of your vessel.
Performance and comfort are inversely proportional, meaning that performance catamarans sacrifice living space yet endure speed, and the opposite usually applies for comfort-orientated catamarans.
4. Be mindful of your own capabilities.
This statement takes into consideration how large you want your vessel to be and what you intend to use it for.
As a rule of thumb, the larger the sailboat, the more experience and work tends to be required.
If you are new to sailing, there is no better way to learn than on your own vessel, getting a real feel for life at sea. However, if you look to relax and enjoy the ride, a power catamaran could be perfect suited for you!
5. Go through a broker.
If you want a seamless process when purchasing a boat, brokers are the way to go.
They provide you with:
- Peace of mind
- Buffers
- Years of expertise and industry backing
- Excellent negotiating skills
- The right networks
A good broker will be your one-stop shop. They will utilise their networks and connections to assist you throughout the whole process and alleviate the stresses of finding the perfect vessel for you.
If you want help from the professionals, our brokers at WWBB are well-known for assisting those looking for their perfect catamaran over 35ft and with a fee-free option. If you’re interested you can hit us up here.
