Catamarans

Buying a new or used yacht involves a great deal of planning and careful thought to choose from over 700 pre-owned catamarans for sale worldwide and a few dozen new yachts.

Buyer's Guide Home | Purchase Agreement | Details Details | Yacht Placement Program

There are advantages and disadvantages of both. Discuss with your broker your yachting plans.

New Yachts

Newest designs, materials, technology
Much less maintenance in the first years
Warranties
Financing more readily available
Highly Reliable = Peace of Mind
You can choose options and upgrades
Good performance
Refined systems

Cons:
Extended waiting period
Quicker depreciation
Cost more initially

If you choose to pursue a new catamaran you will find a selection of builders from around the world with the majority of the premier builders located in France.

We are standing by for your buyer's guide questions

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Pre-owned Yachts

Pros:

Slower depreciation
Bigger "bang for the buck"
Huge selection

Cons:

You inherit problems of previous owner
Less curb appeal
Older designs and manufacturing techniques and materials
No warranty protection
Hidden defects

Charter Yachts - Consider our Yacht Placement Program

Pros:

Costs of ownership is reduced through charter income
Sometimes there are additional tax benefits
Someone else will maintain the yacht for you. When you are done sailing just walk-away and the boat is cleaned…

Cons:
The yacht will receive additional wear and tear
Charter clients have been known to damage the yacht
(Note: The Catamaran Company's insurance option fully covers our operating charter owners)
Most charter companies restrict the equipment you can have (except The Catamaran Company).
You must leave the yacht at the charter base year-round (through pre-arrangement with The Catamaran Company, you are able to take your yacht sailing at any time)

Click HERE to reach Yacht Placement Program

Define Your Yachts Cruising Role

You first should define what your cruising plans are and how you plan to use your yacht. The normal alternatives are:

Charter management programs based in the Caribbean with 2-4 weeks of owner use/year.
"Privately" owned and sailed primarily on weekends or short trips best described as coastal-cruising voyages.
Living aboard and cruising the world (blue water cruising).

Other things to consider:
How many people will you be cruising with? (i.e. how many sleeping cabins do you need ?)

Most catamarans have a minimum of three sleeping cabins and more storage space than you will ever use. However, as you add extra weight to a cat, the sailing characteristics can be altered significantly if the load is beyond what the manufacture has designed the yacht to carry. Hull design makes the biggest difference . You will notice that modern hull designs with fuller hull cross sections forward and aft will carry more load and perform better offshore. If you look at older hull designs i.e. first generation designs you will notice very narrow bow and stern cross sections. The Prout and Manta designs are very much like this example. ( Lagoon 380 is rated for 6,636 Lbs. load carrying capacity and is an example of a modern catamaran hull design that will perform well even with the addition of significant load.)

A cat that is suitable for charter may not necessarily be the best for a couple's live-aboard. Many people tell us, "We will cruise our new boat for "x" months and then we will put it into a charter program". Well, then, you must go with a charter type boat (lots of staterooms and simply equipped) because otherwise, high maintenance costs and low utilization will impact your income.

Choosing Your Cruising Waters

HOME WATERS CRUISING
There are many local bareboat charter companies in areas where is good sailing. The trade off with these programs is the charter revenue is often much less than a Caribbean based charter yacht however, you may use your yacht more if it is close to home. This type of chartering is called a "demise charter" and there are no special licenses or permits required in most locations.

If you want to take people out on your yacht and act as the captain on US waters you must have a USCG license. In the past a little piece of legislation called the Jones Act precluded yachts that were not built in the USA from embarking and disembarking from a US port. The Secretary of Transportation is now allowing foreign built vessels that are at least 3 years old to carry up to 12 passengers for hire. This Jones Act waiver cost $300 and can be submitted electronically at www.marad.dot.gov/programs/smallvessel/index.html.

For more information call Michael Hokana: 202-366-0760.

GLOBAL CRUISING
So you want to cross-oceans! Get hooked-up with a good support group like the Cruising Club of America WWW.CRUISINGCLUB.ORG or Seven Seas Cruising Association WWW.SSCA.ORG : 954-771-5660 . These clubs have thousands of members and tons of friendly advise from experienced cruisers.

TIP: Remember you can visit us at some of the major shows including Miami, Annapolis and Newport to talk directly about buying your dream boat.