An overview of multihulls and their advantages, with links to the individual types discussed in this chapter.
Multihulls
Multihulls is the collective term for boats with more than one hull: catamarans, trimarans, and proas. Multihulls are pleasant, safe, and stable cruising and racing yachts. They are ideally suited for sailing with family, young children, friends, and for relaxed cruising.
Thanks to their speed potential, multihulls achieve high daily averages and are particularly well suited for racing. Depending on design and size, they can be sailed on inland waters, open sea, and oceans. The trimaran even holds the unique distinction of being the fastest type of sailing vessel to complete a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe.
Compared to monohulls, multihulls offer another major advantage: shallow draft. This allows them to dry out safely and access some of the most beautiful and remote anchorages.