Real-world advice from over 20 years of building, buying, modifying and cruising catamarans. Helping ordinary Sailors add to their toolbox in preparing for Safe Remote Offshore Cruising

For most offshore cruisers, a 40 to 45 foot catamaran is the best balance of safety, performance, comfort and operating cost. This size provides the fuel, water and storage capacity needed for extended passages while remaining manageable for a couple to sail without additional crew.

Modern 40 to 45 foot designs typically offer better bridgedeck clearance, larger sail plans and greater payload than smaller catamarans, reducing slamming in rough seas and allowing sufficient provisions, spare parts, solar power and lithium battery capacity for long periods away from marinas. Industry buying guides and experienced bluewater sailors consistently identify this size range as the practical "sweet spot" for offshore cruising (See this Article).

For cruising couples and families planning self-sufficient voyages, a well-equipped 40 to 45 foot catamaran appears to offer the best compromise between offshore capability, ease of handling and long-term ownership costs, which explains why it remains the most popular size among production bluewater cruising catamarans.

Having said all this, I think that Lagoons older 38' catamaran holds top spot with couples cruising the world.

As much as you can practically install.

Research and real world cruising experience consistently show that increasing solar capacity reduces engine run time, fuel consumption and dependence on marinas or generators.

Modern cruising catamarans routinely consume 4 to 8 kWh of electricity each day. A solar array of 1,000 to 1,500 watts is now considered a practical target for self-sufficient offshore cruising, provided sufficient mounting space is available.

For this reason, we have fitted custom aft-mounted brackets carrying at least 1,200 watts of solar panels on each of our yachts and would not compromise on available panel area. An added advantage is that the panels create valuable shade over the aft cockpit, dinghy and safety equipment, reducing heat, protecting equipment from UV exposure and improving comfort while at anchor. Win, win.

Offshore cruising demands an ongoing commitment to maintenance. There is no getting around this. Studies by marine insurers, classification societies and yacht manufacturers consistently show that preventive maintenance is one of the most effective ways to reduce equipment failures and costly repairs at sea. And yes, this does cost money.

Saltwater is highly corrosive, while constant vibration, UV exposure and heavy loads accelerate wear on engines, rigging, electrical systems, plumbing and deck hardware.

The most successful cruisers are not necessarily skilled tradespeople. They are people with the curiosity to learn, the discipline to inspect systems regularly and the willingness to fix small problems before they become major failures. Most people with these attributes can do this and are very successful cruisers.

If you enjoy understanding how your yacht works, maintenance becomes part of the cruising lifestyle rather than a burden. Those who dismiss yacht ownership by saying the best two days are when they buy and sell the boat are often those who underestimate this reality on owning a vessel.

If routine maintenance feels like an inconvenience, offshore cruising is unlikely to be enjoyable. For those prepared to stay ahead of maintenance, the reward is a safer, more reliable yacht and significantly lower long-term ownership costs.

There is nothing wrong with monohulls. They have safely crossed oceans for centuries, continue to dominate offshore racing and remain the most common type of cruising yacht worldwide.

In fact, I spent years racing monohulls before moving to catamarans. The change was not because one hull type is inherently better than the other. It reflected a change in priorities and family life.

Racing is driven by weight, speed, handicaps, weather windows and finishing on a particular day. Cruising has vastly different objectives. Comfort at anchor, living space, shallow draft, load carrying, stability at rest and energy independence become far more important than outright sailing performance. Having family on side with some creature comforts, is a HUGE plus.

Research into cruising trends shows that catamarans have become increasingly popular for long-term liveaboard cruising because they better suit these priorities, particularly for couples and families spending extended periods aboard.

The best yacht is therefore not the one that wins the debate, but the one that best matches the way you intend to use it.

Yes. Production catamarans are regularly used for successful ocean crossings and have become the most common type of multihull completing bluewater passages.

Well-known production models from builders such as Lagoon, Leopard, Fountaine Pajot and Bali have crossed the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans thousands of times. Events including the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), Island Cruising (South Pacific Rally Group), regularly feature large fleets of production catamarans completing the 1000 - 2,700 nautical mile crossing with experienced cruising couples and families.

Offshore sailing organisations consistently advise, assist and help with careful preparation, conservative weather routing windows and ongoing maintenance.

Production catamarans are generally heavier and carry more accommodation than performance catamarans. You can find performance catamarans that are reliable and capable of extended offshore cruising, but come at a higher financial cost.

For the vast majority of cruisers (including ourselves), a properly prepared production catamaran offers a proven, practical and cost-effective platform for safe ocean crossings.

For most offshore cruising catamarans, a professionally designed lithium battery system is one of the most worthwhile upgrades. Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) batteries provide around two to three times more usable energy than equivalent AGM or lead acid banks.

They accept much faster charging from solar, alternators and shore power, and maintain a stable voltage as they discharge.

We run refrigeration, ovens, induction cooktops, freezers, watermakers, navigation equipment and communications for longer while reducing engine run time and fuel consumption.

Research and industry guidance agree that the safety of a lithium installation depends on the complete system, not simply the batteries themselves. A marine-grade battery management system (BMS), correctly sized cables and fuses, quality charging equipment and installation to recognised standards (such as ABYC), are essential to minimise risk and pacify Insurance Companies, who want lithium work certified.

There is no minimum number of sea miles required before setting off offshore, but research into sailing incidents consistently shows that experience, preparation and sound decision making are far more important than confidence alone.

While there are many stories of first-time cruisers buying a yacht and successfully sailing around the world, these accounts are subject to survivorship bias. Their negative stories, and those damaged or wrecked  receive little to no attention. We have personally met cruisers whose voyages ended soon after start with avoidable mistakes.

At a minimum, you should be competent at sailing your yacht in a range of conditions and confident handling navigation (including at night), anchoring, weather forecasting, emergency procedures and routine maintenance.

Offshore cruising demands far more than sailing ability. It requires systematic preparation, reliable equipment, practical seamanship and the discipline to make confident decisions when conditions change, which they always do.

You need to confidently back yourself. We all make mistakes, and when we do, take a lesson from that mistake. If you still remain in doubt...don't.

Negative stories about boats attract far more attention than routine, successful passages (of which there are thousands), creating a distorted picture of offshore cruising. Given that 'production boats' out number 'smaller boat groups' by 1000:1, the negative bias will be toward production vessels.

Research in psychology describes this as negativity bias, where people naturally pay more attention to adverse events, while media organisations reinforce it because dramatic incidents generate more clicks and engagement.

As an example, two articles by a writer; (one) they 'get bitten while in the water' while reporting on (two) 'an upsurge starfish, killing coral'. Both worthy of news articles, however, only one will make the news.

At the same time, some articles are written from a particular perspective, such as promoting a preferred hull type, brand or design philosophy. For that reason, it is worth reading more widely and critically and not basing a judgement on just one or two articles.

A practical approach is to discount the most extreme articles at both ends of the spectrum. Ignore the most sensational negative claims and the overly enthusiastic success stories, then make a judgement of the remaining articles.

Look for recurring themes from incident investigations, long-term owner experience and independent testing rather than isolated anecdotes. This broader picture makes it easier to recognise bias, whether it's commercial or unsupported claims.

We have first hand experience with two of the biggest production yacht companies (Lagoon and Leopard), each have there own quirks. We stepped into cruising knowing this and that it does cost money.

Overall, we are very happy with our purchases, designers and what you get when buying a production yacht.