Dufour Gibsea 51 Opinions?.. Mono after Cat?

I know its an older boat, but there are still some around and rates are more than reasonable for a "5" cabin boat.

If you've ever spent any time on one, i'd love to hear opinions.

My first 3 BVI charters were on 413, 464, and 505 Bene's and i've been on 4 38-40 foot cats since then. Going back to a big mono has me excited for some fun sailing, and nervous i'm going to wish I had a big salon / cockpit to hang out on.

Don't want to start a big mono vs cat fight, but if you've spent time on a mono after spending a lot of time on cats I'd love to hear about that [censored] well.

Guess I wasnt logged in when I wrote the above post. Its me asking the question...

The big difference, from a skipper's perspective, is the finesse you have to use bringing a big mono to the dock vs. a cat. With a cat you have positive control all the time and can totally control the situation. It almost doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing. With a mono the wind can flip your bow around and you will not be able to overpower the wind with the engine. You're going around whether you want to or not. Same thing picking up a mooring. So... you really need experience reading the situation to bring a big mono into the dock professionally and safely. Some docks are easier than others, of course. The worst is backing down into an inside slip with the wind. You'll have to pull all of your tricks out of the bag doing that.