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The advantages of catamarans |
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Catamarans are often the preferred vessel for cruising and sailing. Owing to its intrinsic built and design, catamarans generally provide a more stable and pleasurable ride.
Riders and sailors alike generally attest to the better sailing experience with catamarans. These two-hull vessels has less resistance to wind and water, providing a more comfortable ride.
Originating from the Tamil word “kattumaran” which means “logs bound together”, a catamaran is a type of ship of boat that consists of two hulls joined by a frame. It is powered by sail, motor, or both. Although they have been used for seafaring exploits in ancient times, the use of catamarans for sports and leisure sailing is fairly recent.
There are several reasons that extol the advantages of catamarans over single hull vessels. The two-hull design of the catamaran gives it greater stability because air flows more easily between the two hulls. Each hull of a catamaran is thypically thinner in cross section than those of monohulls. It also has larger load bearing capacity. Riders get a more comfortable ride at any speed because a catamaran does not tend to pound on water, but simply glides smoothly through the waves.
Another distinct advantage of catamarans over monohulls is that sails tend to stay more upright and not lean over in most parts of the ride. Monohull sailboats tend to force the sail to lean at a 15-to25-degree angle forcing sailors to always keep up with the slant. Catamarans, however, heel barely at about four to six degrees only.
Aside from better stability, catamarans also offer more efficient fuel consumption. At lower speeds of about six to 11 knots, the two-hull vessel uses about 10 to 20 percent less fuel compared to its monohull counterpart traveling at the same speed. At faster speeds of about 15 to 25 knots, the fuel savings get more significant. The fuel consumption of catamarans at these speeds would be about 40 to 70 percent lower than that of monohulls. This fuel economy is particularly advantageous for longer journeys.
The power catamarans can also take you to your destination much faster than traditional monohull cruisers. Add to this the superior motoring performance that its twin engines provide. The widely spaced twin diesels of catamarans offer maneuverability, safety, and redundancy.
With catamarans, riders can also move more comfortably because it is much more spacious that single hulls. Its beam or width extends the boat’s full length. Therefore, it is able to carry more sail area per meter of length than an equivalent monohull.
The rugged design of catamarans also makes them the perfect companions when treading shallow waters or when there is a need to beach the boat. It is also believed to be practically “unsinkable” because of its state-of-the-art cored-sandwich construction.
With all these features, it is little wonder why catamarans have become a favorite among yacht charters, private boat owners, sailing enthusiasts, and sail racing sports participants. Catamarans are very much ideal to use in coastal waters since the open spaces allow the boat to reach and maintain its maximum speed. These boats definitely make good cruising and long distance boats.
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