TWICE AS NICE?

Are two hulls better than one? A rising number of builders and sailors are answering yes to this question, judging by the numbers of new designs flooding into the market, and by the enthusiasm of new owners and monohull converts to jump aboard.

Many of these owners have an eye to longer voyages or on more time living aboard. Catamarans clearly provide space no similarsized monohull can rival, and lifestyles are changing. For a variety of reasons, owners I have spoken to say they would not return to cruising on one hull, most especially because families and friends appreciate the privacy and comfort afforded by two.

In many ways catamarans offer ideal attributes for warm water cruising: level sailing; easy access to a tender; large cabins; all-round views. Hence the trend seen in the ARC rallies this year, where fully 50% of the new yachts – that is, launched within the last 18 months – are catamarans. If this growth continues, within a decade monohulls could become a minority in some of these bellwether events. Incredible!

That would likely trigger disruption in other areas, from renewable energy (all that space for solar panels) to cruising routes and marina facilities. What we are seeing now may well be just the start of some much larger changes.