Catamarans
Two hulls, one family
The catamaran became the default family charter boat in a decade, and the reasons have almost nothing to do with sailing.
Your result
The Family
Shallow water, level decks, a cabin each and somewhere the children can jump off.
The week is for the family, which means the boat is judged on things no brochure measures: whether everybody gets a proper cabin, whether the table works at anchor, whether the water is two metres deep at the stern, and whether the person who was talked into the holiday has a good time. A catamaran of twenty to thirty metres answers most of that better than anything else afloat.
What works about it
You will have the cheapest good week in yachting and the one children remember. Shallow draft opens anchorages the rest of the fleet cannot use, the level deck removes the single biggest complaint about sailing, and the boat is small enough to run with a crew of three to five.
What to watch
Berths, in both senses. A wide boat pays more per night and is turned away by old harbours, so plan a season of anchorages rather than ports. And be honest about passages: a catamaran to windward in a short sea is uncomfortable, so build the itinerary around short hops with the wind behind you.
The boat it points to
- A catamaran of 20 to 30 m, or a monohull under 30 with a shallow draft
- Four equal cabins rather than one grand one and three compromises
- A stern platform the children can use unsupervised
- An itinerary of anchorages, not harbours
Catamarans
Volume, shallow draft, stability and the berth problem.
Charter Destinations
Itineraries, seasons, the two-continent calendar, and what a week really costs.
Marinas
Where the boat lies, what it costs, and how to read a harbour.
Luxury Hotels
Hotels with a berth, hotels as a base, and the ones you can only reach by boat.
Read next
Catamarans
Catamarans
The beam problem
A catamaran gives you the deck of a boat ten metres longer. The harbour charges you as if she were two boats, when it will take her at all.
Charter Destinations
The Caribbean season
The winter half of the fleet calendar runs on trade winds, short hops and a completely different idea of what a charter week is for.
The Log
One entry a week, on a Saturday.
One entry a week: the new long read, one boat worth studying, one number worth knowing. No advertising, no tracking, one click to leave.