Rob and Emily pose with Chris White in front of Synergy, an Atlantic 55 catamaran of Chris's design.

Chris White's Nifty Cruisers

• Chris White has been designing multihulled sailboats since 1983.

• His Atlantic 55 design costs about $800,000 and should be crewed by at least four people for ocean voyages.

• He has also designed versions in 38 and 42 foot lengths, which are better for smaller crews.

• His catamarans offer the most comfortable accommodations in his line, but if you want extra speed, his trimaran designs edge the catamarans out.

A Few Sailing Terms

• Catamarans have two hulls. Trimarans have three. Monohulls have only one hull and are generally what people think of when they imagine a traditional sailboat.

• Speed as expressed in Knots is nautical miles per hour. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a land mile.

• Heeling is the tipping of the boat under the pressure of the wind on the sails. Multihulls do not heel, or tip, nearly as much as monohulls when under sail.

• A blue-water cruiser is a sailboat designed with the strength to withstand trans-oceanic voyages.

• Coastal cruisers can be appropriate for trips of several weeks or even months, but they are not sturdy enough to withstand long oceanic crossings.

• Daysailers are good for very short trips of a few days to a week or two and should not travel beyond a day's sail from shore.

Speed Demons of the Sea

• In boats of equal length, trimarans are generally the fastest followed by catamarans and monohulls.

• A multihull's speed comes from several factors. Multihulls plane on the water rather than plowing through it like most monohulled sailboats. Multihulls also use the wind in their sails more efficiently because the extra hulls keep the boat from heeling over excessively. Multihulls are lighter than comparable monohulls, so their lighter weight also increases their overall speed.

• The Atlantic 55 we sailed on reaches top speeds of 25 knots. Trust us, that's fast for a cruising sailboat.

Stability Under Sail

• Because multihulls don't heel over as much as monohulls, we find it much easier to walk around and relax on a multihull compared to a monohull.

• Our ride on the Atlantic 55, Synergy, was so smooth that we didn't even realize how fast we were moving. This smoothness in sailing means that people who may get seasick on other sailboats will generally have fewer problems on a multihull. Our captain reported never having anyone get seasick on his boat.

Contact Information

Chris White Designs
5 Smiths Way
South Darmouth, MA 02748
Chriswhitedesigns.com