Articles about Articles by Phillip Berman

Featured in Blue Water Sailing By now most monohull sailors have chartered a catamaran in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean and have come to appreciate the many virtues cats have to offer for cruising, including stable sailing with fewer seasick guests, faster off wind speeds, little or no rocking at anchor, a large aft cockpit for lounging and dining, privacy for each guest in suites that are far apart, and galley up cooking in a saloon bathed with light. Yet these traditional monohull sailors, while appreciative of the catamaran's strengths, also come back from their charter experi.....

A catamaran broker’s advice to help you maximize your investment We all know that boats, unlike real estate, tend to depreciate. For those who are about to buy a catamaran, the question is: How much will it depreciate? Here at our brokerage firm it is pretty common for someone to call and ask, “How much am I going to lose over the next two years if I buy this boat?” Alas, no honest broker could answer this question with deep conviction because a wide range of factors—always shifting and unpredictable—impact the resale value of used catamarans. Nevertheless, my experiences as a catamar.....

CATAMARAN VERSUS MONOHULL – WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU? I’ve long been fond of quoting the 16th century Scottish philosopher David Hume who wrote that “all advantages are attended with disadvantages.” For Hume the good life had nothing to do with the quest for perfection, but the effort to discover the wise compromise that might inch us closer to fulfillment. Every person who contacts The Mulithull Company is striving to follow Hume’s advice (whether they know it or not!). They hope to make the wise compromise when choosing their yacht. As such, they seek honest answers to three.....

DAGGERBOARDS VS. KEELS – WHICH IS BEST FOR ME? Many people are confused about the pros and cons of daggerboards versus keels. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of dagger-boards: PROS A daggerboarded cat will sail consistently higher into the wind than a cat with keels. Typically between 5 to 7 degrees higher. This added speed and pointing ability represents a significant safety feature when cruising because it enables you to claw off a lee shore or to arrive at an upwind destination with far greater alacrity. Someti.....

At the recommendation of the RYA, on November 9, 2007, the ISAF Council voted to remove the catamaran as an Olympic boat for 2012 even though the Events Committee recommended that the cats stay. The sailing community was not consulted and has now initiated a petition to reinstate the use of catamarans. Multihull sailors, worldwide, recognize catamaran sailing as a worldwide, dynamic sport that defines the ultimate challenge of high performance sailing. Please support this exciting recreational and competitive discipline by signing the online petition to reinstate multihull racing in the 10.....

SHOPPING FOR A CATAMARAN ON THE INTERNET? HERE ARE 6 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CHOOSING A YACHT BROKER IS THE BROKER YOU ARE CONSIDERING A TRUE EXPERT IN CATAMARANS OR TRIMARANS? Many brokerage companies claim to offer “buyer brokerage” services, but their brokers are not Multihull experts. Any yacht broker who sells a powerboat one day and a single hulled sailboat the next cannot be a true “buyer broker.” At The Multihull Company every broker is a true expert – all we do, year-in and year-out, is sell catamarans and trimarans. We know.....

If you are in the habit of attending boat shows, as I am, it becomes obvious that most catamaran manufacturers would like you to believe they have created the perfect yacht. The general drift of their sales pitches is nearly always the same: “Plenty of room and safety for mom and the kids, loads of performance for dad.” Unfortunately, such hyperbole is not at all helpful when we are trying to decide which sort of catamaran is best for us. While choosing the right catamaran is a highly personal matter, most of us can avoid a serious buying blunder if we pay careful attention to the.....