Europe with Pride Bulletin Board

October 13, 2000

Lee Vogtman,

What are the differences between sailing a monohull ship and a multihull ship across the ocean?

John & Maxine

Hi John & Maxine!
Multihulls (for those who aren't familiar with the term) include catamarans, trimarans and any other vessel that has more than one hull. Monohulls have one hull and are the traditional style sailboats. The first obvious difference between sailing a monohull and a multihull across the ocean is that the motion is different. The multihull will sail flat whereas the monohull will "heel," or lean over. In large waves or swells this heeling will create a corkscrew motion that can be quite unsettling to the stomach for somebody not used to it! (ME!) The other difference is that the multihull will sail faster over a period of time, although I must say this is the fastest monohull I've been aboard! I've seen 11 knots on deck and I know she's gone faster than that. Another difference is how much room is on the boat. A 35-foot catamaran will have the room of a 42-foot monohull. This can mean quite a difference to a sailing family!

Thanks,
Lee Vogtman