Cruising Cataraman

Catamarans are always fun but buying one can be difficult so we have put together some helpful tips on buying your first used cruising catamaran. Part One of our series is here.

Buying a used catamaran means a survey:

You will need a survey, just imagine buying a used car without a Car Fax? What you have? Well I hope you escaped unharmed. Think about it during the hurricane Katrina hundreds of cars were under water for days, weeks maybe more. What happened to them? Many got auctioned off as total losses but some body may have reconditioned them just enough to offer them at bargain prices. Now bargains are good but always look carefully for the reason behind the bargain.A boat no matter what kind lies in the water, OK water is not always forgiving, water can cause rot, decay and all kinds of damage so if you are buying some thing that has already predisposed to problems then lets get a good idea of its condition.

Now the type of catamarans I am speaking of in this article are the larger cruising catamarans, not beach cats, which are much easier to evaluate. A cruising Cat that is 30 to 40 feet and has holding tanks, heads, electrical, steering mechanics, auto pilot and so on needs some careful and experienced eyes giving it a going over.

Again who knows what the previous owner may have encountered? He may have taken excellent care of his boat but had a bad encounter with a hurricane or anther boat or an unmarked hazard. Let’s find out about theses things first before we buy.

What this means is you are going to need a survey. Or the proper name is a marine survey, basically a home inspection for the boat. It is not free and you the buyer will pay for it. That is unless you have an agreement that has the Seller pay for it. Customarily it is the Buyer’s expense.

But a survey comes way down the road. You first need to get as much information as you can about the used catamaran you want to buy. Today the internet makes everything easy. Pictures, specs and more can all arrive at your computer or smart phone without too much effort.

If you are unfamiliar with the make and model that you are considering its time to become an expert. You must spend some time researching the company and the models and the owners. Again today there are forums for owners of major brands there are also owner groups located on yahoo and Google in the groups section in fact there are even regional groups of owners you will find. So get going and find out what these owners have to say. You may also find forums and Face book pages that owners have all good stuff. Have a virtual chat with these people and find out the pros and cons of the models you like.

This process will save you so much time. Instead of wasting hours and days looking at boats that are really not suited for your needs you will be able to whittle it down.

Needs is the next area you need to consider, and consider realistically. All the places  you want to travel to all the thins you want to do with the boat need to be listed and reviewed. How will your family, friends significant other fit the situation.

We will discuss needs assessment in the next post.