The comfort of a catamaran or the experience of a monohull?

Definitions and History:

A monohull is a type of boat having only one hull.

Among the earliest hulls were simple logs, but these were generally unstable and tended to roll over easily. Adding weight or ballast to the bottom of the hull or as low as possible within the hull adds stability.

The use of stones and other weights as ballast can be traced back to the Romans, Phoenicians and Vikings. Modern ships carry tons of ballast in order to maintain their stability; even heavily laden cargo ships use ballast to optimize the distribution of weight.

A Catamaran is a watercraft made up of two connected hulls or a single hull with two parallel keels. Originally used by the natives of Polynesia, the catamaran design was adopted by Western boatbuilders in the 19th cent. The American Nathanael Herreshoff first built Western-type catamarans in the 1870s.

It is a geometry-stabilized craft, deriving its stability from its wide beam, rather than from a ballasted keel as with a monohull sailboat. Being ballast-free and therefore lighter than a monohull, catamarans often have a shallower draft(draught) than comparably-sized monohulls.

The twin-hulled sailing has since become a popular pleasure craft, largely because of its speed and stability.

In general, the two hulls combined also often have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than comparable monohulls, requiring less propulsive power from either sails or motors. The catamaran's wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion, as compared with a monohull, and can give reduced wakes.

Benefits of Catamaran:

• - Great views from the spacious Salon
• - Excellent sun decks for easier, more comfortable lounging on deck
• - Fewer stairs and less separation between the cockpit and the galley
• - Reduced seasickness (cats don't roll as much as a monohull)
• - More private sleeping quarters (cabins are separated from each other in the hulls)
• - Easier to navigate in shallow water.
• - If you’re not an expert sailor and prefer to sail with more stability, catamaran is the right one. It has two hulls, it’s unsinkable and usually offers more space and comfort.
• - They have shallow craft in order to make the access to land and bays easier.
• - A feeling of being "on top of the world" when in the Salon

Benefits of Monohull:

• - Monohulls have much better “self-righting” capabilities in the event of a worst-case knockdown situation, particularly sailboats.
• - Monohulls maneuver better because you’re not dealing with two hulls. They can make sharper turns and navigate much more easily through narrow channels and tight spaces. Plus, their higher hull displacements reduce the adverse effects of cross winds in tight conditions.
• - A monohull is much easier to dock, takes up less space, and is cheaper to dock, haul and slip.

All in all, it is obvious that the beauty of, and choice of, multi vs monohull is in the eye of the beholder. However, although multi's may look a little strange at first glance, you should investigate their inner beauty and space.