Introduction
If you are in the market to buy a catamaran, you have probably been inundated with sales pitches and marketing material. The catamaran market has changed dramatically over the last few years, making it important for sailors to be informed about what they should be looking for when buying their next boat. Here’s everything you need to know before buying your next boat:
Learn the language
If you’re looking to buy a catamaran, it’s important to know the difference between a catamaran and a monohull. A catamaran is a double-hulled sailing vessel that has two parallel hulls connected by cross beams. A monohull has just one. Catamarans tend to be more stable than monohulls, but they are also less fuel efficient—meaning they require more fuel to go faster or longer distances. Monohulls are faster and less stable than catamarans, but require less fuel for the same distance traveled.
Catamarans have cabins on them where you can sleep at night and store your gear during the day, while most monohulls don’t have cabins at all (although there are some exceptions).
The market has changed
The market has changed. Catamarans are no longer oversupplied, and prices aren’t as overpriced anymore. If you’re in the market for a catamaran, now is a great time to buy one!
You can get a good deal right now on a nice, used catamaran because demand isn’t high and there are quite a few options available. The best part? These boats are still going strong after years of use—they still perform well in all kinds of conditions on the water!
Don’t listen to your friends
Don’t listen to your friends.
This is important because they have probably never owned a catamaran and therefore have no idea what they are talking about. They will tell you that it’s impossible to find one that fits your needs, or that the only way to get the right boat is by going through a broker or dealer who can help you find exactly what you need at an affordable price. These people are liars, and if you don’t believe me then let me explain why they’re wrong:
First of all, there are many boats out there for sale which already match your description exactly—it’s just up to you to go look for them! And secondly, there’s nothing stopping any individual from buying any boat without paying someone else thousands of dollars in commission fees (and yes we’ll talk about those later). The key here is patience and doing research beforehand so that when the time comes and these boats become available, we know exactly what kind of boat we want before we even begin looking at them in person
Look for the things that make sense to you
Now that you’ve learned a bit about the various options available, it’s time to decide which boat is right for you. The first thing to do is look at what makes sense to you. What would be the most comfortable? What kind of storage and amenities do you need? Where will the boat be used most often? This can take some time; don’t rush into this decision if it doesn’t feel right immediately.
Once you know what kind of boat feels like a good fit, then start looking at boats that meet those criteria. Look for the boats that are well suited to your needs, as well as those with high quality maintenance records and caretakers who have taken excellent care of their vessels over time.
Find a good surveyor
The first step is to vet your surveyor. Does he or she have experience with catamarans? Does the surveyor have certification from a reputable organization like ABYC, ABS or RINA? Ask for references and talk to other people in the industry who know your prospective surveyor well. What do they think of him or her? Will they be able to help you with all of your questions?
Ask what kind of inspection method they follow when inspecting boats like yours and how long it takes them to complete an initial inspection (and subsequent inspections). Once you’ve made your decision on which boat and surveyor are right for you, make sure that person has access to documentations prior to taking possession of the boat—this way there won’t be any surprises about why certain things aren’t working correctly after purchasing the vessel!
Plan for a full year out of the water
The first thing you should prepare for is the fact that you will be out of the water for at least a year. The boat needs to be stripped down and inspected, the hull needs to cleaned and painted, the interior needs to rebuilt, and the engine rebuilt. It’s also very common for people who have been out of their boats for years to find that they need new rigging.
If this seems like too much work or too long a time frame, perhaps it would be better if you wait until your next boat purchase until you do this process?
Have an exit strategy
If you’re planning on chartering or selling your boat, then it’s important to have an exit strategy. What are you going to do with the money? Are there tax implications? Will you be able to get a loan against the equity in your boat so that it can help fund another project?
Make sure that when you decide to sell, everything is in order so that the buyer isn’t concerned about getting stuck with an issue.
If you are looking for a truly turnkey catamaran, then buying new is the right answer.
If you are looking for a truly turnkey catamaran, then buying new is the right answer. Buying new gives you a better resale value and more opportunity to make sure your boat has all of the features that you desire. In addition, if there are any issues with your new boat, they can be fixed before they become problems.
A great benefit of buying new is that it allows you to customize your boat exactly how you want it. This means that not only will the interior be perfect for living onboard but also all technical features like sails, helm controls and navigation equipment will be perfectly suited to your needs too!
If you have been considering buying a used catamaran then keep reading because I am going to go over some important things about purchasing used boats before making a decision on whether or not this option would work best for me based on my personal situation as well as other factors specific only (or mostly) applicable where I live (in case anyone out there wants help deciding between these two options themselves).
Conclusion
We hope our list of questions and advice has been helpful in determining whether or not a new catamaran is right for you. If it is, then we encourage you to look at the boats that are available on our site. We have made sure that each boat has a complete survey and warranty so that you can feel confident about purchasing one of these beautiful vessels.
