Advantages of Catamaran Charter in Croatia
Catamarans are becoming increasingly popular choice among sailing lovers and their demand in Croatia is growing from year to year. This stable, spacious and practical vessels offers a unique experience at sea, combining comfort, safety and excellent maneuvering characteristics. In this article we will present you all the major advantages of catamaran rental in Croatia and why they became the favorite choice among sailors.
Stability and Safety
One of the biggest advantages of renting a catamaran is their great stability. Thanks to their two hulls, catamarans are rocking much less on the waves, ensuring more safe and comfortable sailing. This advantage is especially noticeable with larger catamarans. While catamarans are offering a great stability, in extreme weather conditions such as strong winds and big waves, a monohull sailboats may be a safer choice due to its deeper draft and lower risk of capsizing. However, these extreme weather conditions are very rare in the Adriatic, especially during the summer months, and when renting a catamaran in Croatia, you can always choose safe routes and sheltered bays or harbors.
This stability is very important for the families with children, elderly people, and anyone prone to seasickness.
Spaciousness and Comfort
The most common reason why the catamaran rental in Croatia has become so popular is their spaciousness and comfort, which make staying at the sea easier and more enjoyable. Catamarans have spacious cabins in the hulls, each with its own bathroom, while salon and cockpit are positioned on the mid deck that connects both hulls. That open design creates comfortable and functional space for sunbathing, relaxing and dining.
The mid deck is large and clear of any obstacles like sail ropes, winches, etc. This makes moving across the boat very simple. To maximize the living space and maintain the comfort, the helm station is typically positioned on the upper deck. This separation ensures that skipper has a clear view and full control over the navigation, while others can relax and move around the boat without disturbing the skippers job. Larger catamarans often have a flybridge, which, in addition to the helm station, provides extra space for sunbathing and lounging.
At the bow, there is a net designed to break waves, though it is often used as a perfect place for sunbathing and relaxation. Besides the net, on the bow you can find a comfortable seating and sun beds, ideal for relaxing during sailing or while the boat is anchored in the bay.
After couple of days spend with family or friends on the same boat, sure there will be a moment where you will want some time for yourself. While this can be quite difficult on monohull sailboats, catamarans provide this luxury and comfort. Thanks to their design, size and multiple separated areas, you can always find a quiet corner to enjoy a moment of peace.
Sailing and Maneuvering Characteristics and Ease of Handling
At the first glance, monohulls seams faster, and usually when someone mention sailing, most of the people will think about monohulls. However, catamarans can also reach very good speeds while sailing. In some conditions, some catamarans can sail even faster than monohulls. That said, a key difference is that catamarans have a significantly poorer upwind sailing angle.
One of the biggest advantages of catamarans is their stability; they don't heel while sailing, making the experience much more comfortable. This is important for those who are not used to boat rocking and are prone to seasickness. Of course, there are differences between manufacturers and models of catamarans, but generally, they offer very pleasant and comfortable sailing.
Another major advantage of catamarans compared to monohulls is significantly shallower draft, which allows them to approach closer to the shore and entering deeper in the bay. This opens an opportunity to explore places that you maybe wouldn't be able to see with a monohull with a deeper draft. Also, shallower draft can help you avoid grounding in some situations, but it is very important to carefully study nautical charts and seek for an advice from the local experienced sailors
When approaching to the marina or harbor and it's time for docking, than you will be really happy you rented a catamaran, especially if you are not very experienced in docking. Thanks to two engines, one on each hull, maneuvering a catamarans becomes much easier and less stressful. These engines can operate independently, allowing you to rotate a catamaran in the place and maneuvering more precisely in tight spots and with slow speed, which is very useful in narrow marinas during the docking.
Dinghy Handling
As you may already know, most of the monohulls and catamarans for rental come equipped with a dinghy which is used for transfer to the shore while the boat is on the anchor or on the mooring buoy. While this is quite demanding and annoying work on the monohulls because it involves lowering the dinghy from the bow or pulling it out from the garage and mounting the outboard, on a catamaran this entire proces is much simpler and more practical.
Catamarans are equipped with supports or a platform for the dinghy at the stern, on which it is lifted and transported. Depending on the model, the supports may have manual winches for easy lifting of the dinghy or electric systems that perform this process automatically. If catamaran has a hydraulic platform, raising and lowering the dinghy is completely effortless.
Another advantage is that the dinghy is mounted together with outboard on these supports or platforms, so there is no need for removing and mounting back the outboard motor each time, which further makes this work easier.
Environmentally Friendly Option
If we compare catamaran rentals with the rental of powerful motor boats, such as speedboats or yachts, we can notice that catamarans, especially when sailing, have a significantly lower environmental impact. Even when using engines, sailing catamarans are equipped with significantly weaker engines compared to motor boats and yachts, whose powerful engines consume large amounts of fuel and increase harmful gas emissions.
By relying more on wind power and consuming less fuel, catamarans represent a more sustainable and eco-friendly choice for those who want to enjoy the sea while minimizing their environmental footprint.
Cost vs. Comfort
One of the great advantages of renting a catamaran in Croatia is that the comfort that a catamaran offers comes at a much more affordable price compared to large motor boats or yachts. What does this mean? If you want to rent a motor yacht with a lot of space, you will have to shell out a significant amount of money. In addition to the high rental costs, such boats consume large amounts of fuel, which further increases the overall costs.
This is not the case with catamarans. Their rental price is significantly lower, and at the same time they offer the same, if not more, space than motor boats. In addition to offering more space, catamarans use less fuel, making them a more economical and sustainable choice for longer voyages.
One of the costs to consider when planning a catamaran charter in Croatia is the higher cost of berths in marinas, since a catamaran takes up more space.
We hope that we have managed to bring you closer to some of the advantages of renting a catamaran in Croatia. On our website you can find a wide selection of catamarans for rent. Using our search engine and filters you can easily find the ideal catamaran according to your wishes, whether you are looking for specific equipment, departure location or a certain price range. If you are not sure what suits you best or you need help choosing, feel free to contact us or fill out the contact form.
