A catamaran is a type of boat (or occasionally ship) consisting of two hulls joined by a frame. Catamarans can be sail- or motor-powered. Catamarans are a relatively recent design of boat for both leisure and sport sailing, although they have been used for millennia in Oceania.
A recent development in catamaran design has been the introduction of the power catamaran. The 'power' version incorporates the best features of a motor yacht and combines it with the traditional sailing characteristics of a multihull. Usually, the power catamaran is devoid of any sailing apparatus as demonstrated by one of the top-selling models in the United States, the Lagoon Power 43. This vessel has now been introduced to a number of charter fleets and is becoming an increasingly common sight.
In the power catamaran part of the multihull spectrum one can find a range of boats from small single pilot Formula 1 power boat series to the large multi-engined or even gas turbined power boats that are used in the off-shore powerboat racing series and that are piloted by 2 to 4 pilots. The combination of the use of modern materials such as Carbon and Kevlar in the mass production, as well as innovative design from some of the best designers in the world, catamarans are considered to be among the fastest sailing crafts.
Say you're a sailor and you've never taken a power catamaran vacation, but are considering it. A sailing vacation aboard a cruising motor catamaran boat is like no other. Bellow you can find a few bits of information to consider:
power catamarans are both elegant and spacious.
Bedrooms are more like those in your home than berths at sea.
The decor is usually more formal than on a charter sailboat.
Water toys are many and often include jet skis and dive equipment.
There are usually more crew members per guest than on sailing charters.
You cruise fast between locations for greater time in the water or at leisure.
Water access is usually exceptional via an aft platform.
What makes a power catamaran the best option for rough-condition boating and fuel efficiency?
All power catamarans have less hull resistance in the water as you are not plowing through waves with a wide bow, this accomplishes both greater fuel efficiency and overall performance at sea.
The expanded deck area of the relatively rectangular design allows for more room and load level capacity.
Turns are flatter versus the leaning action of a monohull, which improves stability as you are not pivoting on the centerline of the hull.
The footprint is wider, which negates the effects of rolling seas.
The shallow draft of the catamaran design also allows access to areas that traditional hulls can not reach.
One of the biggest developments over the last time has been the rise of the super catamaran.
These expensive luxurious catamarans come in semi-custom design (well-designed limited production catamarans where you choose the cabin layout, interior materials (like wood, leather, etc.), instruments, machinery, sails, and so on) and custom design (allow you to choose the design, size, hull-material and number of cabins; it's all up to you and your imagination).
Catamaran Cruiser Houseboats - the only manufacturer of a complete line of fiberglass catamaran boats, offers a unique line of recreational watercraft ranging from trailerable houseboats to full time live a boards. In addition to houseboats, they have built water taxis, floatels (floating motels), replica sternwheelers, and many types of commercial watercraft, as well as boats for the US Navy. The company export boats to fourteen foreign countries. The Catamaran Cruisers make the pleasures of house boating affordable by manufacturing appealing, high quality, low maintenance recreational watercraft.