An increasing number of boat manufacturers are proposing motor-powered catamarans, which suggests that more and more yachtsmen choose and buy them. While to find a motor-powered catamaran was a challenge 20 years old, today there are at least 18 shipyards that offer this type of boat. Why?
- First of all, because many catamaran owners sailed only under power, diminishing the importance of mast and reinforcements.
- Secondly, because catamarans offers many advantages. Compared with motoryachts of the same length, catamarans are 65%-70% more spacious (catamarans are not twice the length of mono-hulls of the same length).
The result is an amazing visual impact: when climbing on board a 40-footer, you can find the dinette, the forward cockpit and forward sun pad you have seen on a traditional 60-footer. - The bow is full-beam and, consequently, if you want to find the same spaces in front of the deck house you need climb on board a 80-footer…
- Moreover, catamarans are stabler at sea: on one side, there’s only one hull whose width is about one third of its length; on the other side, there are two hulls whose base is two thirds of width.
- Furthermore, catamarans are sturdier: fears of possible damage and instability can be abandoned since the central cell and the hulls are one-piece, without any crosspieces between the hulls and the central body. Technical and service spaces, too, can be wider, with larger side-decks and more space inside.
- Another important advantage lies in the possibility to enjoy greater privacy: the owner can benefit from an entire hull destined to his night area.
- Last but not least, consumption. Catamarans are more fuel-efficient than traditional motorboats. Displacing models have a considerable length/width ratio. While a motorboat features a 3:1 ratio, a catamaran has a 8:1 ratio. According to the laws of hydrodynamics, this is the limit that removes the constraints linked to resistance. In other words, a boat with a length/width ratio that is lower than 8:1 can exceed the speed limit imposed by its waterline length only when on plane; if this ratio is higher, the limit disappears and, as you know, to keep a hull surfing is more demanding in terms of power required. It is no coincidence that almost all catamaran builders use hulls with a section that is narrower than the topside under the waterline.
As for berths and therefore the rates demanded by marinas to moor your boat, things have finally changed. While catamaran owners were forced to pay double10 years ago, today many marinas, including Marina di Varazze, Marina dei Cesari and Marina Sveva, offer good rates for catamarans. Moreover, you can always reach an agreement with the port manager, considering that, in most marinas (especially, in the Italian ones) there are more berths than boats.
