"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, 1908

I guess you could say that I had the desire to buy a boat.  In my case, this desire had built very slowly over the years, until quite surprisingly, it transformed into the absolute, irrepressible need to buy a boat and I just couldn't talk myself out of it.  Trust me, I tried. I had spent my whole life avoiding the boat ownership issue for all the reasons you've probably already heard (or if you are a boat owner, that you know). Over the years I've been fortunate to have had family and friends who have owned boats from small day sailors to a genuine America Cup boat and I'd crewed on all of them. Most summers boating was a common activity, but with other people's boats.

My New Years resolution in January of 2004 was that my time had come. It was time ... I  wanted a boat, and not just any boat, I wanted a sail boat. Was it that I've watched too many Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Or that boating and sailing were in my blood. Who can say for sure? I just knew (God help me) that it was time for my sail boat.

I read that you buy your boat for the way you will use it now, not 5 or 10 years from now. Too many guys buy the perfect boat to sail around the world only to discover that it's too large and impractical for daily use from a dock or marina. So, I tried to go about the boat buying research logically. I live on a very long lagoon with generally shallow waters and lots of small islands it would seem that a shallow draft sail boat would definitely be more useful and flexible given the sailing area. It goes without saying that it would have to be comfortable for 2 people to spend a weekend or a short vacation on, with enough room not to be confining. I wanted a boat that would be stable, and to actually be fun to entertain on. The Bahamas are a very short distance away, so another requirement is for a boat that would be capable of crossing the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida, and then there's that age old dream of someday cruising through the Caribbean. I'm a realist and understand that some dreams take longer than others to become reality, so in the mean time, the boat would have to be small enough not to break the bank when she's at home in her marina. (reread the first sentence of this paragraph)!!

During these many months of reading and research Cruising Catamarans kept popping up, and I admit that I was intrigued. I knew little about them as the only catamaran I'd been on had been a Hobie Cat. To be fair, as I went down my check list of desired features, I found that catamarans were matching up better than a monohull for my requirements. I was fascinated by the fact that they had more interior room than a monohull 50% larger and that recent insurance data showed that cruising catamarans are actually safer than traditional monohulls. Fewer boat losses, fewer injuries and fewer deaths as a percentage of hulls sailing ( data from NTSB). It's amazing what you find when you sit down and actually do some research.  In the end, I came to the conclusion that anyone should want one of these boats. It was settled, a Cruising Catamaran was the boat which best fit my needs.

It didn't take very long to learn a couple of things during this information gathering period. First, what affect 2 hulls had on boat pricing (ouch) and second, the trend in the industry to make newer catamarans bigger. Every year they seem to be getting longer and wider. I wasn't looking to buy a condo or live aboard, I just wanted an affordable catamaran to have fun with.

So, the search was on. Before I was done, I spent almost every weekend during the winter of 2004, through the spring and early summer of 2005 in most of the marinas and boat storage facilities in Florida. Obviously, my boat choices were pretty limited. After months of armchair research, Gemini catamarans seemed the logical choice. On paper they met all the criteria and the company was still in business. This began to change as the boats I looked at (that were in my price range) were in disrepair, requiring serious refitting investment, which was discouraging. On a trip to a South Florida boatyard to see another Gemini, Linda discovered a slightly smaller Cat in the same yard called a Catalac. I'd never heard of these boats, and on our return began doing the research which eventually became this website.

There is a real knowledgeable man by the name of Charles Kanter who wrote a couple of books on catamarans which were very helpful. Mr. Kanter has been involved with boating for decades and earns his living as an author and boat surveyor. He sailed a Catalac 8M 1000 miles to windward to the USVI from Florida which made him the closest person I knew of who could be called an expert on catamarans in general and obviously had intimate knowledge of Catalacs. I actually managed to talk with him about it at one of the Seven Seas Cruising Association annual meetings, which are held once a year in Melbourne, FL. From Mr. Kanter I learned about older British catamarans including this Catalac. The bottom line is that they aren't particularly fast boats but are built like battleships. Boats are a product the British understand very well and they build good ones. What's almost as important is that these boats are reasonably priced as very few people in this country knew what they were. As I read, it became clear that Catalac Catamarans are well respected boats, very popular in Europe, and almost unknown in America. Well, to say I was hooked would be an understatement.

Catalac Catamarans

There aren't more than 40 Catalac 27's (8M) in the USA,  and many were sailed here from England, which is quite a feat for such a small vessel.  I became more and more interested in her after reading up on the Queen's Birthday Storm disaster  where a Catalac survived 100 knot winds and 30 meter seas (that's not a misprint - 100ft seas) without dismasting in a storm where every monohull was dismasted and lives were lost. Catalac Catamarans were designed to sail the North Sea and are heavily constructed. Their solid fiberglass hulls are double the thickness of current designs. A design feature which probably has something to do with the reason these boats age gracefully. It would be fair to say that they just don't build them like this any more, as newer boats are designed for the calm waters of the Caribbean. What totally blew me away was that the boat had more interior room than my buddy's 38' Morgan. I felt like I just entered Dr. Who's TARDIS. Originally, you'll recall that I had a larger boat in mind. However, after contacting the boat broker and having just one look at the interior of the Catalac 8M convinced me that although smaller than what I was looking for, had plenty of room for two people and could sleep 5 comfortably. It also was a huge 'plus' that I found that she spent most of her life out of the water, and has been owned by the same family for 20 years. You see, I figure that if a guy keeps a boat that long .... there's a reason. In the end, this was a very easy decision. A well built British boat, respected in Europe, solid fiberglass hulls, dual inboard diesels, and built to cross oceans. I couldn't find any other cruising catamaran in her price range that compared to the Catalac in layout, features or build quality, and today, there still isn't.

We closed on our (new to us) Cruising Catamaran in the summer of 2005.  At just 27' long and 14 feet wide, she's one of the smallest cruising catamarans ever made. The British designed and built Catalac 27 (sold in Europe as a Catalac 8M) was built in Christchurch, Dorset England in 1985. She's a one owner boat, weighs 3 1/2 tons and is a Bermuda rigged catamaran. Catalacs have a reputation for their strength and durability. Before the company went out of business, over 600 boats were built, making Catalacs second only to the American Gemini's in production numbers (note: Gemini's can not compare to Catalac build quality) and one of the industry's most successful multihull boat brands. They have solid fiberglass V-shaped hulls with internal low aspect ratio keels, with built in buoyancy compartments forward (they float upside down). The cruiser design has a full-ridged foredeck and a wide (huge) aft cockpit with wraparound seating, storage lockers forward on deck and aft (really deep -- 5 FT) under seating in cockpit. She has two opening hatches and six opening cabin windows all with removable screens. The master stateroom is a double berth and is accessed in the forward Starboard hull. The galley is Starboard amidships. The head has a shower and is forward in the Port hull. Navigation station is in Port hull amidships with a Settee/single berth, and the salon table converts into a king size berth. ( Catalac model info is here). And of course the very rare twin Yanmar diesel engine option.

Her previous owner was an avid sailor. He was Canadian, but kept the boat in Florida from which he sailed her to the Islands and to Cuba on a regular basis (Yes, Canadians can do that). There was an old Bahamas cruising guide in the Nav Station which has course headings and waypoints penciled in throughout the Bahamas. Unfortunately the Previous owner passed away in December 2004 at the ripe age of 85. I've been told that he sailed her right up until the end. So, when my research was completed and I realized what she was, I leaped at the chance to own her even though she was on the wrong coast of Florida, and knowing full well that bringing her home to east central Florida was going to be an adventure.  Looking back, I would say that 'adventure' wasn't the right word. To be fair, it was in fact an adventure,  and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a single thing. But "challenge" might be closer to the truth in describing events.

I have no idea why the previous owner decided to name her Catalpa, but it probably had something to do with that age old boat naming superstition of a 7 letter name with three "A's" in it bringing good fortune. Why else would a guy name his boat after a tree? Of course, over time the name has grown on me, and I've decided not to change it.

It would be fair to say that a result of being caught in a hurricane, I developed confidence in Catalpa immediately, but that doesn't begin to tell how strongly I feel about the excellent design and build quality of these boats.

Click on the "Outrun a hurricane" button on the left menu and read about our attempt to outrun hurricane Katrina on the trip home. (talk about baptism by fire!).

When we finally arrived home I made the appointment for a bottom job at a local boat yard. When I arrived at the haul out I was met by an Irishman with an accent so thick you could cut it with a knife. He began smiling ear to ear when we tied up. We later discovered that he worked in many English boat yards before relocating to America, and he was smiling because he knew exactly what a Catalac Catamaran was. He asked me if I knew how lucky we were to own one?

I thought about the year of research and searching that went into my decision. I thought about the hurricane Catalpa had just brought me through.

A range of emotions washed through me... yet all I could say to him was ...." Yes sir, I do".

Catalpa was designed as a Pocket Cruising Catamaran and has twin Yanmar 1GM10, 9 hp diesels (one in each hull) which are in great shape. These engines are the smallest diesels Yanmar markets and have a reputation of running forever. At cruising speed they use fuel at slightly more than 1 pint an hour. With twin 12 gallon fuel tanks, this works out to a power cruising range of 600 NM, farther if you run on one engine which I commonly do when on flat water. These diesels also allow tremendous maneuverability in crowded marinas. With the engines spaced about 12 feet apart, and new Morse engine controls, this boat turns on a dime. The only problems I've had with them are with the engines' raw water cooling system. The lagoon I sail in has a lot of silt in it which eventually causes the water pump seals to fail.

As a footnote... When I first purchased Catalpa there were no Catalacs in my sailing area. These days there are now several Catalac Catamarans in these parts, and I've seen a few more passing through. We must have looked very strong sailing out there. As a matter of fact there are a surprising number of Cats appearing as mono guys are finally getting the message (smile).

They say that the day you buy your boat and the day you sell her are the two happiest days in a boaters life. I'm here to tell you ...they lie...my happiest days are on board Catalpa and the bond between us has grown wide and deep.

After a few years, I'm still having a ball and if you're wondering if I made the right choice... I sure did. Just take a look at this web site and see why.


Can you tell that I just love my Cat?