The HARDEST Decision When Buying A Catamaran
The biggest benefit to hanging around such a bespoke boat factory is the unfettered access to some of the world’s leading experts. Because it seems there are new specialists coming in to collaborate on different boats every month.
And lucky us, we managed to make friends with Erik Berzins while he was visiting the factory. He is a Yacht designer and all-around incredible engineer at Morrelli & Melvin. If you know who M&M is, then you already know they are regarded as some of the best designers in the world. And wow, we learned heaps about all things sailing while carpooling to the factory and exploring on weekends together.
He designs and manages a wide variety of projects including some very cutting-edge multihulls with mighty fancy appendages (daggerboards, foils, winglets, rudders). And considering we wanted to make a video explaining why we choose NOT to get daggerboards…we knew he was just the person to help us break down exactly what all these different appendages do.
To get or not to get daggerboards, that is the question. And it was a huge, difficult decision we had to ponder for weeks. Especially because of this other option we never knew about called winglets.
Striking the balance between performance, maintenance, ease & cost isn’t easy. At the end of the day, we wanted a cruising boat. We’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of performance for ease of use and maintenance. Especially with the option of adding the winglets for a boost. It seems to be the perfect goldilocks middle solution for us.
S/V CURIOSITY
- Curiosity 2 is a hybrid electric HH44 Catamaran splashing late summer of 2023. Catch the full scoop here: gonewiththewynns.com/curiosity-sailboat
🍏AG1 THE BEST ALL IN ONE GREEN DRINK
- Get a 1 year supply of Vitamin D + 5 individual travel packs FREE with your first purchase: drinkAG1.com/gonewiththewynns
🦈GET SURFSHARK VPN
The best tool to unblock the internet. Enter promo code WYNNS for 3 extra months FREE!
🎥 CAMERA GEAR USED TO FILM THIS VIDEO
🎶 MUSIC In This Video
- We Use Artlist: Get 2 Months for FREE with this link: https://bit.ly/artlist-GWTW
- Artists – Ian Post, Rex Banner
🎨 CREATIVE ASSETS IN THIS VIDEO (SFX, TEMPLATES & PRESETS)
Alan Solomon
Awesome video. I am like Mary from above. I am happy you are making the decisions that work best and help you the most and you are Happy overall. Great job.
You have created such a diverse audience here. I like reading the range of comments. And the extremes from living in Thailand to technical boat comments.
Daily Happiness and Fulfillment,
Curious Minion
Right? I am never bored while reading all of your comments. Such a great community here.
Curious Minion
Mary Van
I have no comment except that it makes sense to me.
I’m happy that you guys are getting closer to having a home again.
Michael Barnhorst
I am a 79-year-old ex-cruiser (ex because of health issues) living in Thailand for the last 16 years. Phuket gets all the PR but it is a “pave paradise and put up a parking lot” place like so many others in the world. Patong is just too crowded with tourists, touts, traffic, development, etc. Outside Patong is much better, but I would recommend Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Chang. After traveling extensively in the country, I settled in Pattaya, a moderately sized beach city on the Gulf of Thailand an hour and a half south of Bangkok. It does not have the scenic beauty of the islands (koh = island), but it has all the infrastructure and amenities for a comfortable retired life as well as miles of beautiful beaches.
Luca
Hi guys, as Michael here I am an old Phuket salt, arrived on my 1978 redI Italian catamaran Namaste and got stuck around here. I am at present rebuilding Namaste on my beach 200kms north of Phuket.
While I agree that Phuket is not what it was 30 years ago, I would certainly not choose Pattaya!
While Phuket is overdeveloped, the surroundings are fabulous coasts and Islands, forests and National Parks.
So, enjoy!
PS. I was also thinking to add winglets to my minikeels, glad to have seen your blog!
MarkByron
Bravo for the winglets story and choice!
Enjoy Phuket! You’ll love the beach, clear water, Singha beer, fresh seafood and Thai hospitality. 😎
Michael
There are so many little issues one can consider. Should the hulls be using an X-bow design? Should they have a bulbous nose? Should they be longer and sleeker? Should the winglets also be on the leading edge of the bow?
What about the release design at the back end? Does it reduce drag properly?
Lots of little details, as Mike R pointed out.
Etc. etc…….
At the end of the day, we are not designing our own custom craft. We are taking the best performer of the various brands and being happy with the knowledge of the builders.
The video was very informative on appendages. I think you’ve made a wise decision, and will be very happy with it going forward. I’d be pretty happy following your steps in choosing a boat.
Thanks, as always.
PS: You do have bow thrusters, right?
Mike R
Any idea as to why one wouldn’t extend the winglet the full length of the keel, if it helps so much with preventing water from passing under the keel? Is it an issue of drag?
Warren
Agreed , full length end plates do work and are less vulnerable but M&M ‘know best’…. The simplicity of no dagger boards will work well for the Wynns I think though.
John
Hi you two!!! We love your videos and have done the same as you but in reverse. Bought a Lagoon 400 first and then onto an RV during Covid hitting 41 of 50 states including 6 months in Alaska. Your videos have helped us a ton.
I do have a question because I got Google Fi service on your recommendation back in 2018. Now Google is shutting our International Data off because we have been in South America since November with just a brief stop in the USA for a week. Are you having the same problem with Fi or are you using a new international data plan? Love to hear how you are surviving because you definitely use more data than we do.
By the way, definitely make Colombia a place to visit. We have been in 29 countries over the past couple of years and it is probably the best country to visit.
Again, love the videos.
John
https://www.youtube.com/@wanderingtwo7857
Nikki Wynn
Ah, Alaska…by far our favorite trip in the RV. You’ve got it, Google Fi is now cracking down after 3 months away. We have reverted back to getting local plans when we arrive and use a free google voice account to keep our USA number. Google voice is an app and works just like a regular phone and we can text & chat with family back home.
Gerry Brentnall
You seem so comfortable there in China. I assume you two Texans don’t speak Chinese. So what do you use to translate and how is that working for you? Was recently in Greece and found Google Translate to be quite awkward to use.
Curious Minion
I don’t think they mentioned which app they’re using, but they did mention that they had downloaded it on their phones so that they didn’t need call service/WiFi to use it. If you didn’t see this vid, they talk about communicating with the locals via translation apps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGaiVCHAw_M Hope that helps!
Curious Minion
Nikki Wynn
We are learning a bit through an app called Hello Chinese. It’s really good. For translation we use Google Translate (interestingly, it works different on android and iphone) and WeChat messages are super easy to translate. So it is a mix.