I've been a dinghy sailor for the better part of my life (Laser, CL 16, Mistral) and have a little bit of experience crewing on a Hobie 18 and Hobie 16.
Im now at a stage in my life to make the jump to the cruising class. This past summer I did a 700 mile trip in a flotilla of four boats ( C&C 32, Cape Dory 36
Alberg 37 sloop rig, and Alberg 37 Yawl Rig.) This was a great opportunity for me to evaluate the various boats I had a chance to crew on all and preferred the Alberg 37 (sloop rig) the most because she was the fastest.
Unfortunately we powered or motor-sailed a lot because the wind was either too light or
was 'on the nose' From my limited H16 experience I learned that a catamaran points much better than a monohull and does not need a lot of wind to get underway.
I am assuming that this holds true for cruising catamarans as well. But I have no idea of where I can buy a used cruising catamaran and I have no idea what would be
a mangeable size of boat for me.
Does anybody have any suggestions for me???
Thanks in advance
Robert
tomcat 9.7, pdq 32
In the older/cheaper category you have the Sailcraft Iroquois (Mk IIa being the "best")which is ~32'6" long x 13' wide, and a good combination of cruising a performance.
The MacGregor 36 is a more performance-oriented boat with "accomodations".
The Stiletto 23 and 27 are in the same performance-vs-comfort category as the MacGregor, but on a much smaller scale (which inevitably leads to less comfort).
The G-Force (or Endeavor) 36 came in the Sport Cruiser and Salon Cruiser configurations and are both nice boats.
There is a Cruising Multihulls forum where you can find discussions on more boats.
the tomcat is not as pricy as she looks. we should be test sailing the first one next week sometime.
Very sleek.
Regards,
Phill
Robert,
Also take a look at the trimarans. The Farrier line of boats -- F-24, F-27, F-28, and F-31, all trailorable, fast, and safe. I think they are making an F-44 too.
Don
Size for size, Tris won't give you the same amount of room. But while you're at it, check out the John Cross (Cross) and Jim Brown (Searunner) trimarans.
Being a catsailor since the 1960's getting into an F25c was a major eye-opener. For me the Fboats are the perfect "next step" for catsailors. I have sailed F31R, F31, F28, F28R, F24MKI and my F25c. They really go well in light air as well as heavy air. My F25c has 27000lbs righting moment. I trailored my F25c across country at 70-80mph with no problem. It goes together in less than two hours max. singlehanding [quicker if there are two]. You can beach them if you want. Theres a double v berth in all that I have seen. Some have side berths as well. The Farrier design works exceptionally well. And the major factor is that they are FUNNNNNNN!!!!!
The cabins are small on the smaller boats but in comparison to my ARC22 or FMS20 my F25c is a aircraft carrier. Some of the larger ones have galleys and heads. If you're into traveling and sailing with similar boats you can have quite a time sailing in places that have these boat races. There were races in Key West, FWB, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Houston, LA, etc this year. The guy Farrier is a virtual "Pied Piper" with followers world wide. I have traded emails with F25 sailors form Croatia, Thailand, NZ, AUS, CAlifornia, Florida, Minnesota, Chicago, etc. All were great people to know. Gordon Myers of GMSails of Austrailia came up to sail with me at the 2003 Nationals. Unfortunately I was became ill and could not race. Did Gordon miss a day of sailing NO! He sailed on two F31Rs and had the a great time. The other crew found rides in about 20 minutes. This Fboat community is open/honest/what you see is what you get...try it before you buy a boat. Its what you can do as well as sailboat size.
thommerrill
F25c #009
ARC22 #2234
FMS20 #57
we have had the boat in the water for the last week and a bit. she sails great. with eleven people in the ****, in twelve knots of true, we were making just over eight knots. the rig had not been tuned and only stepped a few hours prior. nice motion and good sight lines. will try to get more photos up when they come.
Thank-you for the info on the Tomcat. I will definielt give it further study.
Robert
i like this shot
and this one
You learned that cats point better than monos from an H16? I can't imagine many things that point worse than an H16... 
neophytes with little knowledge have made h16s look bad to the general public, top sailors of this boat can smoke most monohulls- upwind too! i've pointed with, outfooted, outrun : )... ok i sail a h16...