Taken from The Design File, Tony Grainger Yacht Design. 

“CATS have become more popular for cruising mainly because of the accommodation space and privacy they provide and because for a given length they are faster and cheaper to build than a trimaran.  TRIS, on the other hand, provide good performance through a wider range of conditions than catamarans, and can also be effective for cruising by utilizing flare above the waterline in the main hull, and by fitting aft cabins where additional privacy is required in the accommodation layout. Apart from the accommodation, the trimaran provides a more forgiving motion in a sea way and better resistance to pitching if the hull shapes are well designed, and the wide beam allows it to carry more sail in fresh conditions. Against these advantages is the fact that a cat will require less berthing space and is likely to be more maneuverable in close quarters if twin diesels are fitted. Also, the cat will have a more steady motion than a tri while sailing downwind.”

I built my first multihull in the 70’s and it was a Trimaran, foam cored, TriStar design, a great multihull.  Now I am building a cat for my wife and I, mainly because of the room, very wide main salon and stateroom and big aft deck and flybridge.  The Tri was maybe a bit more sea kindly than the cat will be, but besides not having to build a third hull, she will be a bit faster as well as maybe a bit more economical.

Yes! 100%

But you must stay in the boundaries of the designer structural requirements i.e.. mast placement, weight to be carried and where. All the multihulls we have built over the last 42 years, have been what the clients have wanted, inside and out. Once they find the size they think will work, we find the basic design and designer for their dream platform to create it.

The final look is up to you, either with your drawing or pictures or work with one of several concept artists we know to help. Same with the interior, your interior designer, pictures or cut out from magazine of things you would like or we can line you up with someone to help. You work directly with these people, pay them directly to go as far as you want or need to, the do not work for Pedigree.

Based on our first price estimate, a basic 60′ power or sail typically takes about 24 months. This would be a very nice Cat, but not a lot of fancy, expensive items on board (gold faucets etc.) Engines, hydraulic steering, electric heads, windlass, gen.set, etc., very nice, but not a lot of goodies. The second price we show is with almost everything clients really want onboard, Watermaker, A/C, Shore boat, TV (s), fancy wood decor and custom items and electronics. This, of course, also adds more time to construct, maybe 6 months, You can also have us build to a certain stage and you take her home and finish the build or stretch out the time to build to fit your schedule or investments. If you add 6 months to each of these times, it would be for a 75′-85′ and 6 months to that and you would be in the 100′ range.

Taking her home from here or maybe cruise the San Juan islands, inside passage to Alaska first. Clients have also taken them to Vancouver and had them shipped to Florida or hire a crew to deliver them to where they want.

We have been building multihulls since 1975 and we know how many hours each boat should take to build, even custom boats since we do not build production boats.  Other companies may not have built or built enough boats to determine the cost.  Granted boat costs vary directly with the customer’s requirements, however the hull build should not vary much.

Also, we do not have “salesmen.”   We are a owner/operated business that talks directly with each customer based on our 42 years of boating and cruising experience.  We believe that you want a cat of your own, not what a production builder thinks everyone should have.

I would be very leery of a company who wants large deposits up front and can’t provide basic prices to a customer.  What we are hearing now from people that have paid a large deposit up front, only find the builder wants more and more and exceeded their guess of the cost and time line.  Then the worst, they want more money or they will sell the cat to someone else, holding it for ransom from the highest bidder,  Our clients chose to pay as we build and the cat is 100% theirs from the start and definitely no large deposit up front. 

The cost of a custom Pedigree catamaran, constructed with foam core, composite construction is very close to that of a production built yacht.  The advantage is, you will have exactly what you want and the disadvantage is, it will take a little while to build.

Charter cats are generally a lot less expensive. They do not need the big ticket luxury items, such as water makers, A/C, big gen. sets, fancy interiors, etc.

When we have an opening to start a new project, you can have just the hulls built and finish the catamaran yourself at a considerable savings at your home port.  If you wish, we can provide you with a cat at what ever stage you like. For example, we can fit the engines and aide in completion and when you are ready to launch, we can arrange that as well.

Most of our catamarans are fully loaded and ready for cruising.  We have listed the average cost clients have spent on our amenities and pricing page. For a list of some of amenities included in a Pedigree Cat and the average prices, click on the “Amenities & Pricing” button available from most pages on our site.

Over the last 20 years, the clients have chosen to pay as we build and they have approved to have done as well as what we purchase for them, engines etc.. 

All and all, we can provide just about anything you and your budget can imagine. Our goal is to get you out there to enjoy the fun with  the exact Catamaran you have always wanted.

I think we are about the only builder that shows you the price you might spend on you dream, it’s up to you and what you want and need.

Several reasons. One might be, that every cat produced is probably from the same mold and in most cases, several years old and not updated or no improvements incorporated over any previously produced. Thus no real reason to get a new one if you can get the same one used for a lot less. The owners must lower their asking price far enough below the new ones that it will make it desirable. The price on the same new cat, next year, must be in line pricewise, in the marketing field to be sold, thus last years model must be substantially lower.

The production cats do not provide the clients with what they expected in a catamaran. Lacking in performance, require a lot of power to move them at a reasonably expected speed, to narrow to give the stability and the room onboard they were led to believe they would have. Deeper draft than expected, very heavy solid fiberglass construction, noisy, sinkable, sweat and hard to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. Most are imported and can not be used for charter in US waters.

One of our custom built multihulls came up for sale, built in 1980 and sold for $60,000 more than it cost the owners to have it built back then.

Even today, we have people trying to buy the clients cat we are constructing from the client and at a substantial amount more than they have into their dream. Problem is, this is their dream and it is not up for sale.

Step 1 – What type and length do I need?

Step 2 –  What is included and how much is it going to cost?

Step 3 – Contact Us

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