Why
choose a multihull?
Multihulls
are not new, they are
a proven technology going back thousands
of years. They are not even new in European waters; the first European
catamaran was built
in 1662. Financed
by King Charles II and built by Sir William Petty,
the boat was called Invention,
and the Mk II version, Experiment, went on to win
a race between Holyhead and Dublin. The first victory for multihulls,
but not the last!
European
multihull design has come a long way since then and development has
been fast. Here at Dazcat, we believe multihulls to be the best way
to enjoy the water, expanding your cruising ground and letting you
explore our planet’s many beautiful estuaries and rivers, as
well as its oceans. Our new Dazcat Discovery (see Designs)
is the perfect example of this – a boat that will take you from
ocean to river to canal and back again, with room for family, friends
and all the toys you might need for an extended voyage. With one of
these, or any boat in the Dazcat range, the journey is definitely
the destination.
Multihulls
create a safe, stable living environment, with more space to enjoy
inside and out, and most importantly, more space for you to relax
and have fun. Would you like a boat where the galley is on the level,
where you do not need a gimbal for the cooker or big fiddles around
the table? How about being able to enjoy a sit-round dinner for all
while sailing at 10 knots with a glass of wine, with no fear of it
spilling, 360º vision and pilot controls at your fingertips?
Think we're exaggerating - read Daz's account of racing in the 2000
Round Britain in News and Stories.
And for those who can’t bear to go ashore, we now have the new
Dazcat RP (see Designs), ideal for living
aboard. This incredibly versatile vessel can also double up as a floating
studio or workshop, as the internal layout can be constructed to suit
any individual’s fancy. Initially designed for someone who couldn’t
face climbing onto the bottom rung of the property ladder and was
looking for viable alternatives, this design makes for a spacious
and attractive place to live or work, with all the additional benefits
a boat has to offer.
All
this and reduced overheads; multihulls can be moored on drying moorings
and beaches, reducing the need for expensive marinas. John and Eileen
Marshall spent a total of £16 on marina fees in over a year’s
cruising throughout the Med and Aegean on their Dazcat 975 Cloud
Nine, preferring to opt for anchorages most deeper draft
boats could not get to.
Much
has been written and said about the greater performance you can get
from a multihull over a monohull, so we won’t be going into
that here, though you can read in more detail about the Dazcat design
philopsophy. If you want to find out more about the technical aspects
we suggest you visit the About Multihulls section at www.multihull-maven.com,
which is a very clear and succinct breakdown of why multihulls are
so much faster without compromising stability, and how to decide what
sort of design would suit you. On the important issue of safety we
do have this to say; imagine you are sailing at night, you hit a submerged
object, and the hull of your boat is holed. Wouldn’t it be reassuring
to know that, not only do you have another hull, but also separate
watertight compartments, a double bottom and enough reserve buoyancy
to still get you home safely?
We at
Dazcat are dedicated to the design and development of multihulls,
and to their being accepted as part of the sailing and power mainstream.
As William Petty said, way back in 1662, “The Devil can not
stifle what I have so amply demonstrated.”
