WHY A CATAMARAN

I suppose reasons for buying a particular boat are as varied as sailors. The discussions of mono-hull versus multi-hull get pretty heated. Here is a little history how we got there.

Our dream to sail away had distilled into a decision to buy a 41' Beneteau, put her in charter and then have it available when we retired. In 1999 we went to the Annapolis Boat Show, checkbook in hand to do just that. We had an appointment with Moorings, before which we spent time crawling over every mono-hull in the show that was anywhere near our price range.

At the appointed time, Moorings was too busy to meet with us, so we left, intending to return later.

A friend, with whom we did considerable sailing on his 83 schooner in Singapore, was based in Annapolis when ashore. We called hoping to visit with him. He was in town, had just completed a new boat of his own design and invited us aboard. It was a 57' cat with a 30' beam. Quite a vessel.

I questioned him about going to a cat, after all they turn over easily don't they?

I have a tremendous amount of respect for this friend, his sailing accomplishments are epic. His opinions are not reached without a lot of information and thought.

He said: "George, you need to get over your prejudice against catamarans. They don't turn over, they don't sink, they're faster and more comfortable than a mono-hull." I decided I needed to do more research before I plunked down a lot of money without considering a cat.

We spent two years reading, looking at cats, chartering cats, etc. My friend was right, well mostly anyway. Cats do occasionally turn over; of course, mono-hulls occasionally sink. In balance I think the cat is at least as safe as a mono. They are definitely more comfortable. More room, more stable ride.

We planned to do some serious offshore cruising and wanted a blue water capable boat. While there were a couple of other makes that interested us, the Prout 39 Escale was our boat of preference. Our 38' Manta is basically the same boat as the 39 but built in South Africa instead of the UK.

At that time, Prout had built more cats than any other company, had more circumnavigations and reputedly had never had one capsize. They are heavily built, and conservatively rigged so they are not as fast as many other modern cats. Still, on balance, it was what we wanted.

I sometimes miss the "feel" of sailing a mono, but have never regretted the decision to buy a catamaran in general or a Prout in particular.

George Stateham