What are the best live aboard multihulls for someone interested in retiring and just "sailing away"?

I can't say what the best boat would be but as a previous and occasional live aboard I found that a big bathroom and shower area were most important to me. If I had one like on the Gimini 105m http://www.performancecruising.com/ it would eliminate having to haul cloths and shower kit down the long dock to the bathhouse. More than once I forgot my towel. If you are retiring this may not be such a big deal since you can quit bathing and wearing cloths at that point anyway, right? My 2 cents. Ed

You know Ed, I could have sworn you were retired...

Depends on how much cash you got.....

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/Catana/1

I could live on the Gunboat 62, but only if it came with an all female bikini model crew - but now I'm dreaming....

http://www.gunboat.info/home.html

Bill

I would like one with a queensize bed that has room to walk around it on three sides so it is easier to make the bed. After you ever tried to make a bed that is up against walls on three sides (or sometimes four)?

Make the bed?!?! I guess that's the difference between "sailing" and "yachting"....

I guess you want to eat with silverware, too!

This thread is about dreaming about the perfect liveaboard boat. I'm just building on the post about having a good shower on the boat.

Having lived aboard two different boats, I can tell you from experience that bedmaking is a very arduous task, even on the big cruising catamarans.

This is just a word to the women, who are the ones who always have to make the beds: Before you and your husband buy a cruising boat, try putting sheets on the V-berth for a monohull and on the beds in the staterooms in both monohulls and multihulls.

At boat shows they make the staterooms look really pretty, but under those pretty bedspreads, I'll bet there aren't any sheets.

For 9 years we had a 33ft lead slug (although in actual fact it was quite a quick boat with a 6ft 2in fin).

It had twin double aft cabins and my wife very quickly adapted some fitted double sheets from our local store so that they fitted the shaped bunk mattresses exactly. Throw in some duvets and bedmaking was a snap!

If I ever get beyond paying for our seemingly constant stream of 4 kids wanting to go to university (1 down, 1 starting, 2 to go) I'll take all that suddenly available extra money (sorry about that, I'll just pick myself up off the floor) and we'll buy ourselves some kind of 32-39ft cruising cat.

The older Prouts are good value if originally factory built, but I have a secret yearning for a Fontaine Pajot Athena 38 or similar

Jalani,

Right "extra money". My wife tried to use that term a while back. So far one college education down, one wedding down, and one in her junior year at college. One more wedding to go and I'm buying one of these with my "extra money". Yea, the 67 footer!

http://www.cata-lagoon.com/UK/frameset_uk.html

I'm just gonna disappear on the I20 one day, show up on some island somewhere, and live on it. Nothing beats a nice tramp on the beach.....

Trey
N20 873
www.velocitysailing.com

Some of those cruising cats are larger than my apartment. It would be a step up. And, I would always be packed for vacation

Or a nice Girl Too..........!!!!

First of all, in terms of multihulls, you need to decide whether you want a catamaran or a trimaran.

Personally, I prefer catamarans because they have a lot more usable interior space vis-a-vis the length of the boat. Smaller boat means lower costs for a lot of things, like sails, rigging, and dockage.

Catamarans are more open and spacious-feeling inside, and you don't have to walk DOWN into the main hull as you do with a trimaran.

On the other hand, a trimaran usually has more exterior deck space because the overall boat is wider.

Also, I would get a production-built boat as opposed to a home-built boat. And fiberglass as opposed to glass over wood.

A good website to find owners to talk to about various types of cruising multihulls is the Chesapeake Multihull Association, http://www.chesapeakemultihulls.org/

SIG45 SIG45 SIG45!

Ok, assuming you could retire and sail away on a cruising cat.

How would you take the beach cat? You would want to bring it right? Would you be able to fit a rigged 18ft beach cat on the cruising cat? Hang it off the davits?


Pretty cool to sail up to your regatta, drop anchor, drop the F18/Acat/whatever in the water and be ready for the start line in 10 mins.


Thoughts?

that's been a dream of mine too.

You mean your Butler does not rig your boat while you drink tea ?

tomcat 9.7
www.tomcatboats.com

While that may be nice and all - I work in my dreams. I can't sit still until I'm exhausted. AFTER setting up the boat and sailing...that's where the butler makes dinner and drinks for me, Bonnie, and all my friends! Besides, I'm too particular to let someone else rig my boat.