There are many questions and even more doubts when choosing the right boat. The other day I was sitting at the end of a dock in the town of Izola watching boats sailing by thinking how it is all about three primal wishes: luxury, speed and low price. I was thinking how to join all of them and I was comparing boats along themselves. A luxurious and fast boat costs a lot of money. A luxurious and cheap one is usually an old fart that gets you nowhere and there are high costs included and unforeseen.
What were my criteria in choosing the right boat for me
To choose a boat is no picnic. There are many questions and the choice depends on several things, the aim and the area of sailing included. A boat should be easy to carry around, it should not sink too deep, there should be a lot of space on the deck, it has to be fast and of course it has to be low-cost and easy to maintain. That can only be a sailing catamaran!
We made the first version of this video back in 2011. It was the first video published on our channel, which was completely deleted by YouTube on July 4, 2024. The video is one of our most viewed. It reached 778,000 views before it was deleted. Now the count starts again.
“Building Tiki 26 in 180 Days,” is a fascinating book chronicling the author’s journey of constructing a catamaran in their own backyard. Through a series of detailed chapters, the author takes us on a captivating adventure, from choosing the right boat and assembling it piece by piece, to its first sailing and modifications to the interior and exterior. Along the way, we learn about the challenges and rewards of building a vessel and the new lifestyle that comes with it. Join the author on their nautical quest, and discover the joy of building and sailing your own boat.
Read more…
Choosing the right boat is a difficult task
Whichever way you take it, choosing the right boat is a difficult task. What I wrote above is only the tip of the iceberg.
The first and biggest question is the price and space for construction. We had very little money at that time. Our yard is also smaller. It is only 8 meters long. Although I flirted with a larger catamaran, there was not enough money for it, and the backyard is too short. It was also for this reason that the final decision was made to build a 26-foot boat.
Our selection is far from complete. We were well aware of the biggest shortcoming of the boat we had chosen. Staying there in winter is impossible. The cabins are small and cannot be heated. Also, there is the amount of investment that we will never be able to recoup by selling this type of boat. Here the great and long-standing desire for a Wharram catamaran prevailed. I wanted one for so long I had to build it.
