Catamarans, Tips, Boats, Maintenance: The Beginner’s Guide to Sailing

Alongside yachting in the Andaman Sea, windsurfing in Koh Lanta, and surfing in Rayong, one of the great activities you can engage in throughout the year in Thailand (and many other costal Southeast Asian countries) is sailing.

If you’re thinking of getting into sailing, here’s a comprehensive guide that will give you all the tips, tricks, and information you needed.

What is a Catamaran?

A catamaran (aka “cat”) is a multi-hulled watercraft with two parallel hulls of equal size. The structure connecting a catamaran’s two hulls ranges from a simple webbed frame to support the crew to a cabin and/or cargo space. The inspiration for modern catamarans came from catamarans from Polynesia and Maritime Southeast Asia. Catamarans range in size from small (sailing or rowing vessels) to large (naval ships and car ferries). Catamarans have lower resistance to passage through the water and greater stability.

READ MORE: Tips to avoid boat sailing emergencies

NACRA F20 | Carbon – the “flying” racing catamaran

NACRA F20 Carbon boats are designed and built by Dutch-based Nacra Sailing International. With its all-carbon wave-piercing hulls and a carbon/Kevlar mainsail, this catamaran is very light, very stiff, and very powerful. Like most high-performance multihulls, it is fitted with curved carbon daggerboards. The 10ft 6in beam provides a huge lever for the crew to hold down a bigger mainsail and spinnaker. The 20ft leeward hull provides great longitudinal stability. NACRA F20 Carbon is a boat designed to sail fast with 375-465 pounds of crew weight.

HOBIE 16 | Fiberglass catamaran sailboat

Hobie 16 was introduced in 1971 in Southern California and ever since has become the 2nd largest boat fleet in existence. Over 135,000 boats of its kind have been built to date. It has asymmetric “banana” shaped hulls which were designed to work without the need for daggerboards so that the boat be run up the beach easily. The Hobie 16 has two sails, the mainsail and the jib, and each hull has two pylons. It can be equipped with two trapeze wires either side to allow both the helm and crew to trapeze. Hobie 16 can have a maximum load of 362 kg (800 lb) and can reach a top speed of 23.83 knots.

RS QUBA | Best Sailing Boat for Beginners

Here are 10 reasons why the RS Quba, which has been produced since 2008, is the best boat to choose if you’re interested in learning how to sail.

1. The RS Qubais a one or two man monhull dinghy  which is very popular for beginner sailors.
2. The RS Quba is quick to rig, easy to carry on the roof-rack and demands virtually no maintenance.
3. The cockpit is spacious but is also light enough to be handled by children.
4. The RS Quba is a versatile boat ideal to teach the youngsters cruise around the bay and it’s also a good boat to race.
5. The RS Quba can be sailed with a main sail or main and jib.
6. Optional additional crew foot-straps and movable mainsheet block can be added for double handed sailing.
7. The RS Quba Sport mainsail has an easy reefing system and a jib can be added for sailing with two people.
8. The hull is a highly durable Comptec PE3 construction system.
9. The RS Quba is a partner in the ISAF Connect to Sailing programme .
10. It was designed by Paul Handley and built by RS Sailing from the United Kingdom with the following specifications:
    Length: 3.53m
    Beam: 1.42m
    Hull Weight: 58kg
    Sail Area: 5.7/ 7.1m2
    Starting price: $3.555 (£2.780)

 Top 10 Beginner Sailing Tips You Must Follow

 Before you take your sailboat out on the water, make sure you follow these 10 sailing tips for beginners:

1. Choose calm, uncrowded waters and practice in ideal conditions of light winds and low traffic.
2. Choose a small boatbecause a small dinghy will be more responsive and easier to maneuver.
3. Begin on a boat rigged with one sailso you will make learning sailing basics easier and less complicated.
4. Follow sailing basics for safetysuch as telling someone before you go out on the water, bringing a floatation device, and knowing how to swim.
5. Research tide, wind and weather conditions so you can be prepared for whatever the weather might bring.
6. Become familiar with sail control: sails should be relatively flat when the wind is either very light or very strong, and full when there is a moderate wind.
7. Capsize on purpose as it’s better to practice how to handle a capsized sailboat within a controlled environment.
8. Respect the boomas some of the most common sailing injuries are a result of not being aware when the boom is about to swing.
9. Learn basic sailing terms and make sure you know the difference between port, starboard, and other important concepts.
10. Practice makes perfect but make sure you get proper training from experienced sailors.

Top 10 Sailing and Nautical Terms You Must Know

Before you venture out on the sea, make sure you know these top 10 sailing and nautical terms:

1. Aft– The back of a ship. The aft is also known as the stern.
2. 2. Bow – The front of the ship.
3. Port– Always the left-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow.
4. Starboard – Always the right-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow.
5. Leeward – The direction opposite to the way the wind is currently blowing (windward). Leeward is also known as lee.
6. Windward – The direction in which the wind is currently blowing. Windward is the opposite of leeward.
7. Boom – The horizontal pole which extends from the bottom of the mast.
8. Rudder – Located beneath the boat, the rudder is a flat piece of wood, fiberglass, or metal that is used to steer the ship.
9. Tacking – The opposite of jibing, this basic sailing maneuver refers to turning the bow of the boat through the wind.
10. Jibing – The opposite of tacking, this basic sailing maneuver refers to turning the stern of the boat through the wind.

Top 10 Sailboat Maintenance Tips

1. Never ignore a strange noise.
2. Don’t let inexperienced crew play with your gear without close supervision.
3. You need a workbench for any repairs, no matter how small, with a vice.
4. Have a written parts inventory with storage locations.
5. Have the shop and parts manuals for everything.
6. When in doubt, don’t rebuild it, replace it.
7. If something breaks twice, replace it.
8. Delegate highly skilled tasks you don’t do often.
9. Always supervise anyone working on your boat. You can stop screw ups and you can learn a lot too.
10. Keep a written maintenance schedule and log.

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