We are holding a couple Catamarans for charter in the BVI's and are trying to make a decision as to which one to get. We have a Leopard 384, Leopard 4300, Catana 47& Moorings 3900. We would like to have a bigger boat since we have 8 people so that would be the Catana which has a wierd helm set up, but does anyone know which boats are easier to sail? This would be are first time captaining a catamaran.

last year my husband and I chartered the moorings 35ft power cat and it felt the same as driving our 40ft cruiser, it suited the two of us perfect, but we felt the cabins would be crowded with 2 couples. as we hadn't chartered from moorings before, this was a nice introduction which convinced us to charter a bigger cat from their fleet.

this year, we've chartered the 50ft from moorings for 8 adults, we checked out the layout when we returned the 35ft and one of the other couples also had an opportunity to look at the bigger boat when they were in the area, we believe the bigger cat will work well for our group as it has 4 identical cabins all with full ensuites, in addition, there is a day head and transom shower which are convenient, i'm excited to drive this boat as we enjoyed the smaller cat and are looking forward to seeing the differences with this one, there is lots of room on the boat with the outdoor dining area aft, a large fly bridge with seating for everyone as well as the hard deck forward - 54 days to go!!

Go big or go home!
Especially with eight...four couples. Us guys are OK with just two heads, but the ladies like the idea of en suite heads. They really like the electric heads too!

You didn't mention gensets and A/C, but that is another advantage of bigger is better. The size with MooringS you mention aren't AC.

Lastly, the TUI R&C cats are fantastic at the helm. But you are cruising, not racing!

remember, on a charter, you are likely 4 to 6 hours maximum on the helm. You'll spend far more time on the deck, cockpit, salon, cabins, etc.

I'm only familiar with the 3 Leopards you list, not the Catana. But with those 3 I think the 4300 would be better. Nice for everyone couple to have their own head.

But I'd think the Catana at 47' would be better as well.

I second that, and prefer it myself when with couples.

I assume by "weird helm setup" you mean the twin helms. I've wondered how forward visibility works out with that setup. I've also wondered if all lines go to one helm station making it the primary. Don't know.

But, if it's 4 couples bigger is going to pretty much be better but amenities might be the deciding factor. Ease of sailing to me comes down to little things like getting the main up easily (power winch?), good visibility and good sailing ability. I think the bigger the cat generally the better it sails. But, like mentioned above a boat you love while on the hook is important in the BVIs.