If you are thinking about sailing on a yacht, then, obviously, you have already planned those exotic places through which your route will pass. But choosing a vessel for a future trip is sometimes not so easy. Experts from 2yachts have figured out what to look for when choosing the right yacht.
Among yachting lovers, there is often an eternal discussion: which is still better - a yacht or a catamaran? Someone may argue that a catamaran is a “floating dacha” on which one cannot experience the drive that keel yacht owners experience. Others are of the opinion that it is difficult to organize a quiet rest on a keel yacht, being in constant tension due to heels.
This dispute is akin to a confrontation between snowboarders and skiers, and it's not about which is better or worse, but about personal preferences and individual feelings that depend on the expectations of the yachtsman from the upcoming voyage across the sea. In this article, we'll highlight the important differences between the two types of pleasure craft and provide some important tips for beginners.
Of course, a sailing yacht for fans of extreme yachting has a much wider range of possibilities. However, compared to a catamaran, it has less space, and this is noticeable, for example, a catamaran with a length of 40 feet in terms of living space is quite comparable to a sailing yacht with a length of 50 feet.
The indisputable competitive advantage of the catamaran is the ability to approach on this type of vessel as close as possible to the shore in shallow water. The minimum safe depth for a catamaran is 1.2 m, while for a yacht this value is 2.2 m.
Monohull yachts, due to the mass of the keel, can more confidently cut the wave when sailing, and in a good wind they get out better against the wind. Catamarans, by virtue of the design features of the placement of the sails, do not differ in such properties. In addition, the catamaran is more prone to lateral drift due to its short keels.
With excitement, you can notice that the swing of the keel yacht is still a little more than that of the catamaran. That is, a catamaran, whose purpose is exclusively comfort, has no other ideology among its owners of catamarans. And with a little excitement, the catamaran is more stable, so you can almost always leave glasses and glasses on the table - they will not fall.
Note that the catamaran still wins in terms of comfort - it is a large yacht for recreation. However, the catamaran also has significant drawbacks, the fact is that its initial stability, high roll resistance at low angles is quickly lost at large roll angles. That is, at angles greater than 12 - 13 - 15 degrees, the catamaran sharply loses its stability, and therefore there is a great difference between the steering style of the two types of ships - a catamaran requires more qualified steering.
For a catamaran, a coup is, in fact, a disaster. In this regard, the mainsail on catamarans is relatively small, and the sails are made in such a way as to lower the center of sail. If you are an experienced captain and value comfort, choose a catamaran and there is no competition for it. It is still better for novice skippers to choose a keel yacht, as it forgives many gross mistakes made while driving. On it you can get experience about how the yacht heels, how it experiences dynamic wind loads, after which it will be possible to change to a catamaran.
It is clear that there is no way to get an unambiguous answer to a question that causes constant disputes between yachtsmen in different generations. When choosing a type of vessel, everyone must independently weigh all the advantages and disadvantages and draw conclusions only after the correct prioritization.
For example, keel yachts are more economical in harbor space and take up less space. At the same time, their internal structure, as a rule, is always the same, which means that over time it can induce boredom. If we add to this the increased draft (not taking into account the yachts with a lifting keel), then the picture becomes clearer. When maneuvering in the harbor, steering a yacht requires more skill, because there is no way to correct mistakes at the last moment. On a catamaran, it is much easier to turn around, as well as change the trajectory - this is facilitated by two engines. At the same time, lateral drift when entering the marina is the main danger for the catamaran and all maneuvers on the catamaran must be carried out taking it into account.
However, due to the considerable width, catamarans are subject to high fees when parking in the port (on average, parking costs 1.8 times more). The main argument of opponents of the use of catamarans is that such ships are fraught with the threat of capsizing in sudden strong gusts of wind without any possibility of returning to their normal position, mast up.
The pleasure obtained from the fresh wind, lapping waves, salt spray and the sound of swaying sails remains unchanged in the journey, both on a keel yacht and on a catamaran!
If you need to purchase or rent a yacht, you can contact the specialists of the 2yachts company. We promise that with our help you will find exactly the yacht that will help you make your dreams of a leisurely and beautiful vacation come true!