Q. What did you do with all your "stuff"?
A: We sold lots of "stuff" using E-Bay. Other items were given to friends or family and various charities. Yup, it was hard giving away virtually all of our posessions, but hopefully our "things" can be enjoyed by others instead of locked up in storage.

Q. Why did you choose a Maine Cat instead of one of the other catamarans out there?
A: There are so many reasons, but here are just a few. We liked the performance of the boat under sail - during test sails she tacked just like a sailboat should. Having a "real" helm station was important to us.  We also liked the openness and 360 degree visibility from the helm.  Having a large galley and not wasting space on extra beds was also a factor. Many other "production" catamarans are really designed for the charter market that places a premium on as many beds and heads (bathrooms) as possible. With our current set-up, she can sleep 6, and the most we'll normally need is 4, so who needs 4 staterooms? Finally, the Maine Cat 41 was the only cat we looked at where almost every design decision and every system matched what we wanted.

After 4+ years on the boat, we are still quite happy with her. There is not another boat that we have seen that even comes close. We recently replaced the mainsail cover with one made by Doyle Offshore, and we replaced the trim (UV protection) on the sails so we now have a pretty green/turquoise cover that makes us easier to spot in a crowded harbor.

Q. With that big open cockpit don't you find it cold and aren't you worried about a lack of privacy?
A: No! 

Despite our complaining about the cold temps in some places we have visited, we are not cold on the boat because we installed a hydronic heating system throughout the boat. Basically the heating system heats tubes of hot water and pumps the hot water to radiators with fans behind them. The result is wonderful, warm air being blown into the cockpit. This was one of the "must have" items we wanted on the boat and Dick Vermuelen, the Maine Cat builder/owner/designer was the only one who (partially) supported this idea. All the other cat builders wanted us to use heat pumps and/or electric space heaters. This system also heats water for us and the whole thing runs off of diesel. The boiler is in the port engine locker, so it is quiet and doesn't smell in our living spaces.

Privacy on any boat is a bit of a luxury. In a marina you are rarely more than about 50 feet away from your neighbor and in some crowded anchorages it can be similar. However, we recognized early on that we might like a bit of privacy, so we ordered "privacy screens" that attach to the inside of the Strataglass curtains around the cockpit.  These privacy screens are made from white Textilene and they have the added benefit of serving as sunshades in the morning and afternoons when the sun can really make the cockpit unbearably hot.

Another word about privacy - no one is looking! Or at least they are hardly looking! On top of that, to really see anything, you have to work really hard at either looking or wanting to be seen! The reality is everyone is busy "doing their own thing", so it is not an issue.

Q. Does your family think you are crazy?
A: Probably, but they're being quiet about it.  People have one of two possible reactions: they either say "wow, I wish I could do that" or "Huh? I would never do that". One family member said we are living in "tubes"!

Our family has been quite supportive - helping out with transportation when we visit and understanding that the first thing we want to do is take over the laundry room. They recognize and promote that this is our choice and as long as we are happy, they are too. It also helps that we can serve as a floating hotel room in some pretty cool locations when they want to visit.

Q. How many bathrooms do you have? 
A: They're called "heads" on a boat and we have two - one in each hull. The head on the starboard side (that would be the right side) is a bit better for taking showers, so we share that when guests are along.

Q. How much water and fuel do you carry?
A: The boat can carry 120 US gallons of water (454 liters) and 92 US gallons (348 liters) of fuel.  

We also have a Spectra Catalina 300 watermaker with MPC5000 remote control panel. The watermaker lets us make great quality water in some unexpected places and runs at 7 - 13 gph. We find we normally run the watermaker every 3 - 4 days for about 3 - 6 hours. We rarely take the time to completely fill the tanks unless we are about to depart on a long passage or are expecting guests. 

Running @ 6 knots we typically use about .75 gallons/hr, so we can expect to have a cruising range in excess of 700 nautical miles.

Our Spec Sheet has other details of the boat that may be of interest.

Q. I would love to come visit you two, what should I bring? 
A: Start by sending us an e-mail (sailor'at'tabbycat.us - replace the 'at' with the @ symbol). We find our schedule is chiseled in sand and there are ay too many questions to get answered here.