Ten Advantages of a Catamaran Compared to a Single Hull of Equal Size

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The points where a catamaran is more advantageous than a monohull.
The points where a catamaran is more advantageous than a monohull.

Do you know all the advantages of a catamaran over a monohull? They are many, and almost all related to its (almost) only disadvantage in terms of cost: the width. Of course a width that is at least one and a half times if not two that of an equivalent boat with one hull only affects the cost of mooring. However the advantages are not few. Above all, many marinas offer multihull owners special areas at very attractive prices (for example, the Marina dei Cesari or the Marina di Varazze to name a port in the Adriatic and one to the west of the peninsula). Here is a quick guide that highlights the strengths of the multihull.

Flybridge

All catamarans by their nature can take advantage of this space. Because of its width it is obviously larger than a single hull of the same size, about 50% larger. 

Living

As with the flybridge, the square also has more space than a monohull. Here, however, the proportions even increase and you get to a 60% more surface area. In other words, in a 40′ there is a 63′ square.

Guest cabins

Nightclubs, usually three in the owner’s version and four in the charter version, generally have more space than in a single-hull. The narrowest width is recovered by the greatest possible length development. It is also easier for each of them to have its own bathroom. 

Stern

The wide stern of the catamaran offers space for life and the tender, even when sailing. The cockpit and aft platform are extremely liveable, always thanks to the width imposed by the type. This means that there is no lack of space to store the tender in navigation leaving this area always usable up to the surface of the water.

Bow

The beam is maximum for almost the entire length: the forward sundeck is that of a boat twice as long. In all catamarans, even smaller ones, this area is set up as a second cockpit, which in port offers even more privacy, being far from the “walk” at the dock.

Less consumption

By their nature they have less wetted surface than monohulls, which is why they are faster than a displacement monohull of the same size. Recent projects also leave the hulls bulkier and greatly reduce the geometries of the living work, further increasing efficiency. This reduces the energy needed to move at the same speed.

Master cabin

The owner’s suite has two layout options. It can fit into an entire hull or it can be placed between the two. In both cases the spaces are abundant. In addition, the “one hull for me” configuration greatly increases privacy.

Increased stability

Not only the width, but especially the fact of leaning on two hulls makes the catamarans in fact much less dancers and sensitive to the roll of monohulls. The zero speed stabilizer is inherent in their very nature.

La stabilità di un catamarano è inarrivabile per un monoscafo.
The width of the catamaran is an advantage for stability. The stability of a catamaran is unattainable for a monohull.

Redundancy

Surely with regard to the initial cost and expenses to be incurred for routine and extraordinary maintenance this is a disadvantage, but having two of everything, including the engine, is an unparalleled safety. In a catamaran it’s all double, even when it comes to the engine. In a catamaran more or less it’s all double, even in accessories and installations.

Unsinkability

The two hulls make the catamarans more floating. Even when shaken, the only real weakness compared to a monohull that generally tends to straighten out, but, as they say, it is better to stay afloat on an overturned boat than to go deep on a straight hull. Together with this, it is to be thought that the smaller volume of the single hulls makes it easier to empty with the bilge pump any water embarked in the event of a leak.

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