Not only is it fun to say “Catamaran” it’s a lot more fun to ride on one. Basically the catamaran is a multi-hulled boat. The most common notion of the catamaran is that of a two-hulled ship with a cabin over the top and in the middle of both hulls. Basically when you look at a catamaran, you can see right through the bottom of the boat to the water on the other side, between both hulls. Catamarans have been used for almost as long as any human has taken to the sea, with the earliest records of these vessels used by ancient peoples off the southern coast of India, Polynesia, and Oceania. Catamarans can be powered by sail, as they were originally, or by motors, which incorporates the best features of a motor yacht with the traditional sailing characteristics of a multi-hulled vessel. Various sources in the boating world will tell you that the catamaran is the fastest growing segment of the entire boating industry.
There are any number of places to find Catamarans for sale, especially in a sluggish economy. Whether you are looking for a new or used vessel, power, sail, or both, there is no shortage of places to find one for sale. Here are just a sample of the many catamarans on the market. The Multihull Company is a great broker and sales rep for catamarans and other multihulled vessels. In fact they claim to be the world leader in multihull sales and service. Here are a few of the Catamarans that they are listing for sale.
Madeleine – available for $295,000 – This beautiful Cat is very clean, well equipped and has a gorgeous interior. Recent upgrades to Madeleine include new solar panels, new service and engine batteries, and a complete engine overhaul. She is a fast, compact cruiser that is perfectly suited to Caribbean cruising. The bottom was painted in January 2012. She has Incidences sails, Furuno instruments and autopilot, upgraded Volvo 30 HP engines and Flexofold racing props.
TRT 1200 CR and GT Catamaran - available for $350,000 – The TRT 1200 is one of the fasted cruising Catamarans in the world. The 1200 GT features a huge open cockpit with all accommodations in the large volume hulls. It has a steamlined bridge deck cabin with seating for 6-8 around a large dining table as well as a large navigation station.
Broadblue 385 Pura Vida – available for $249,000 – Pura Vida is a magnificently maintained Broadblue 385 owner’s version that was kept up to the highest standards by her current owners. This is a must see catamaran. She is 39 ft. long, the beam is 19 ft 7 inches, she is powered by 2 Volvo 30 HP engines and halogen lighting throughout the entire boat. There are 4×130 watt solar panels with 2 blue sky solar boost 2,000 regulators, a 12 GHP watermaker, air-breeze wind generator and an 18.5 BTU air conditioning unit with heat flagship.
You’ll also find a great selection of new and used Catamarans for sale from the sailing experts at Large Catamarans For Sale.com, as one look at their website will attest. Here is just a small sample of the many multi-hulled vessels for sale at Large Catamarans.com
108′ Multiplast Maxi Catamaran – available for EUR 2,950,000 – “Swift” was beautifully converted last year into a fast cruising catamaran with light and comfortable accommodations for the famous French yacht owner, Jackie Setton. She can accommodate 6 guests in 3 state rooms plus 4 crew members. She was previously one of the world’s fastest racing catamarans as Ex. Kingfisher 2 and Gitana XIII and she can still maintain average speeds of over 30 knots.
90′ Catana 92 Catamaran – available for $4,900,000 – “Orion” was built for an experienced catamaran yachtsman and is the largest yacht to date from this highly respected builder. It has a GRP hull, twin diesel engines and a cherry wood interior. She is in tip-top shape. There are 4 double en-suite staterooms for guests plus two crew cabins, and a huge salon. She is indeed fully equipped.
85′ DRA Catamaran – available for EUR 1,750,000 – “Lone Star” is one of 2 identical sister ships built in 1991 from the highly respected naval architects and multi-hulls specialists Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prevost. The Lone Star can accommodate up to 16 passengers on her 2367 sq. ft. of deck space. The main salon offers an impressive 484 sq. ft of space. The yacht is air conditioned throughout. She has 6 guest staterooms located in the hulls, 4 in the port hull and 2 in the starboard hull. The deck cockpit is extremely spacious and is approximately 250 sq. ft., and is fully weatherproof with a rigid frame cover and roll up side panels. The boat has had continuous upgrades since she was built including a major refit in 2006 under the supervision of the original builder. New decks, new deck gear and Lewmar winches were added while the salon was reconditioned and most of the accommodation reviewed and upgraded. The Lone Star is an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the few large catamaran sailing yachts still available at a bargain price.