Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Is a Monohull (AMEL) the right choice?
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David Vogel <dbv_au@...>
Hi Porter,
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Ahh, the dastardly debate - cat versus mono. We faced this choice a few years back, before we even knew what an AMEL was . . . So you are well ahead of the curve. Ours was a choice between 'conventional' mono versus cat. So we - as mono sailors through and through - crewed on a Cat (Lagoon 420) trans-oceanic - through the Panama, Galapagos, French Polynesia - so as to find out first hand. Low risk way to check it out. We concluded, as others have reported: CAT = - hobby-horsing - noisy and banging and shuddering in ocean seas, to the point of worrying about structural integrity, but this never proved to be a problem - could not get used to not being able to 'feel' the boat under sail - relying accordingly more on instrument to sail, rather than tell-tales and wind-on-the-cheeks Positives of a cat: as said, privacy, spaciousness, manoeuvrability in tight quarters (when two engines running, otherwise . . . . ) Speed under way was not an issue either way, as a priamry criteria for the kind of Boat - eithe cat OR mono - that we were consdering. Ultimately, it was for us it the ability to 'feel" the boat under sail, which was the determining fator for cat vs mono.Our 'mission statement': prolonged remote-area and blue-water cruising, most often but not always short-handed, owners being a M+F couple of retiring years (not muscle-bound athletic types). For good measure, the fact of only one propulsion engine to break - less complexity to worry about when things DO go wrong. Having decided this, then the option for us was clear. Mono. And the mission then lead us to a sail-plan supporting ease of sail-handling (and flexibility / redundancy if/when something breaks). = Ketch. And solo watches = protected cockpit, requiring also (for the fatigue-management of the off-watch) ease of sail-handling, which meant powered primary sail-controls, with (preferably) designed-in manual redundancy. Once we had established the functional criteria, this is lead us to discover the AMEL. The level of other 'domestic' aspects, dish-washer, washing machine, not so important, but nice as 'added bonus' once the decision was made. As was most of the 'other stuff', but all of which concreted the wisdom of the decision. We went to cruising forums (physical, in-person, not on-line) and searched/visited other boat brands/configurations to try to dislodge our choice of an AMEL but, simply, could not do so. Only then, did we start to refine the age, equipment spec, and hone in on the vessel that we eventually bought 4 months back. That is our story. I know everyone has their own path, and prioritising what is important is a personal choice. But your 'mission spec' - long-term blue water, short-handed, kids = safety is paramount, seems to be roughly the same. My belief is that you can not do better than AMEL for this. When/if, we decide to 'retire' to coastal/inshore cruising, then we figure that a cat may well be the answer. If so, then we figure that a well-maintained AMEL will hold her value more so than other 'plastic fanstatics' , but that is yet another story for a, hopefully, much later time. Hope this helps you in your quest, Blue skies, David Novice Boat Owner PERIGEE, SM#396, Martinique
On Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 03:38, W Porter McRoberts portermcroberts@... [amelyachtowners] wrote:
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