| Catamarans have become very popular lately among | | | | cabins, thus offering privacy to people on board. |
| people going for sailing vacations. Their biggest plus | | | | There are various types of hiring catamarans. |
| point is their size and wide berth, which makes it | | | | Bareboat catamarans are available if the number of |
| possible for large groups to be accommodated. | | | | people is between 2 to 12, provided someone among |
| Families, office staff and groups of students prefer | | | | them has the necessary expertise to row a |
| catamarans for their sailing vacations as they offer | | | | catamaran. A test may be conducted before hiring a |
| them more space on board along with speed and | | | | bareboat catamaran. Skippered catamarans are also |
| stability. | | | | available, with a local skipper on board. The skipper |
| The word 'catamaran' is the Anglicization of the Tamil | | | | looks after the needs of the catamaran, while the |
| word 'kattumaram', which literally means 'logs joined | | | | people on board can plan their itineraries. Catamarans |
| together side by side'. Tamil Nadu is a southern state | | | | can also be hired with an entire crew and cook. This |
| of India, where this craft was originally used by | | | | is especially done when catamarans are hired for |
| fishermen and river racers in a crude form. Even | | | | occasions like birthdays, anniversaries or weddings. |
| modern catamarans are two-hulled, with a wide deck | | | | Despite that, catamarans have certain demerits. |
| connecting them with diagonal panels. This is the | | | | Catamarans, being bulky, cannot be navigated in |
| reason for the wide space that a catamaran | | | | narrow strips of water like cays. Vacationers use |
| provides. Catamarans are also characterized by huge | | | | smaller poke boats when they have to navigate such |
| sails. This gives them more wind momentum and | | | | areas. Catamarans on hire may have poke boats |
| hence, higher speeds. However this is also a | | | | bundled with them. Another thing is catamarans are |
| disadvantage when making turns. | | | | ideal for bigger groups. Smaller groups may lack the |
| Catamarans are fast becoming even more popular | | | | sense of privacy on a catamaran vacation. |
| than yachts at top sailing destinations. The original | | | | Catamaran hiring prices depend on the location and |
| apprehensions about the catamarans have now | | | | the size of the catamaran. Prices could vary from a |
| dwindled away and many agencies now provide | | | | few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. |
| catamarans for sailing and cruises. As catamarans | | | | Charter brokers can be hired to choose a suitable |
| have more space, they can have some rooms and | | | | catamaran for the vacation. |