Mono vs Cat

[Hobes]

Can anyone give me a quick idea of the pros and cons of a mono hulll vs cat?.... I am looking for an offshore boat that can take 3-4 people out up to 70nm from land but still remain reasonable dry.... What size would be a min for these requirements (considering 20 -22ft)?

cheers

[dfox]

Travelling that far out mate you want a big saftey margin, at times you'l be out of standard system radio contact and its best to be self reliant. id concider a hull upwards from 6 meters. as for mono or cat thats not real important, the accual hull you'd choose is more on design and performance.Most cats have a large safety margin and can handle tricky seas but many monos are equally capable. The cat has 2 engines, 2 fuel tanks and at least 2 batteries, so chances are if one failed you'd get home.In monos you need a capable hull with a realiable engine at least 2 batteries a good fuel filter. A good example is outsiders new 6 meter fisher with 4 stroke currently being built, (boating chat). Price is another limiting factor, and in some cases leads to short cuts usually in safety. Be wary there are plenty of crap boats on the market, and many have large price tags so do your research before comitting, and lastely measure the hull many say 6 meters but that includes the pod and bow spit, you need water line length...foxy

[Kerry]

Water line length is where a Cat basically has the advantage over an equiv mono as well as more internal room to move.

The pro's and con's of cats v mono's can be debated for ever and a day without a resolution :-X but there's many reasons for that, which some wouldn't admit to in a month of sundays ;D

Honestly you are really stretching it with the proposed 70nm (3-4 people) as 70nm is somtimes a long long way home especially in most things 20-22 feet.

Regardless of hull type for that distance if you can't afford twins and the extras to support them maybe you should reconsider that type of distance, especially straight out to sea and especially if there's nothing but sea at the start, in the middle and at the end.

Cheers, Kerry.
#

[lenm]

While on the topic of cats, i was just wondering about counter-rotating motors. #
Is this really necessary an a cat?
Can anyone shed some light.

[Kerry]

....i was just wondering about counter-rotating motors. Is this really necessary an a cat?

Once into the higher HP's if the option is available then it's certainly the best option as countering motors don't have to work to balance the hull in the first place so there more available trim for doing other things.

Up until a few years ago smaller cats really had no choice than to run with motors swinging the props the same way and probably stll applies to the under 115 hp motors??

Up to 115's one can get away with non counter motors but it just means the port engine works a little harder (being trimmed down) to balance the hull and this is before other influences start to affect the balance. With cat engines being the distance apart that they are there is a lot more flexibility and control with twins on cats than twins on a mono.

Cheers, Kerry.

[Mortalkombat]

Hobes where are you fishing from? Here on the Gold Coast i own a diesel powered mono hull 23 footer and fish the shelf and canyons when the weather is fine and thats only 20 nm but 70 nm from shore is a long long way if it blows up. If i was going that far out to sea on a regular basis i would want twin diesel motors and 28 foot min. 34 footer better ;D
Have you ever been caught in a nor wester its terrifing i once took two hours to get in from about 9nm and had my life jacket on and did not think i was going to get home.
Nick

[redspeckle]

O'well hobes i hope you have shares in bp you will need it going out that far just remember you dont have to 70nm to get big fish i caught bigger fish just few k's out than being out on barwon banks and doest mean giong to get feed every time out there its just not weather as well what about the slient death (Big Cargo Ships)& someone gets hurt
where are you going from do have to cross bay or a bar as well ? conditions change
I have to agree with what DFOX said as well