My Take on Nauticat's Sailing PERFORMANCE

How well does the Nauticat actually sail? Is the Nauticat sailing well with sails alone, or do you need motorsailing?

We have a Nauticat motorsailer, and we get these questions all the time. Is the Nauticat a good sailboat? How comfortable are the Nauticats, and and how are the Nauticat for live aboards?

I want to start below the water line. Take a look at what is under the water. Look at the keel. Now you need to understand that all Nauticats are not the same. They can look similar above the water, but they might be different below the water. I want to divide the keel in different categories:

Traditional long keel boats
Have a look at this boat. This is a traditional motorsailer. You can see that the keel starts below the main mast, and goes all the way back to the rudder. The rudder is protected by the keel, and this boat has a great directional stability. This is a bluewater cruiser. The problem is that it is not fast, and it will not tack easily.

Now, have a look at the second boat. Here you can see that the keel is shorter. It starts almost at the same place below the main mast, but it stops just in front of the mizzen mast. The rudder is at the same place, and is more exposed to dangers. This boat will have a better sailing performance. It will tack more easy, but it will also have less directional stability. By looking at the boat above water, you will not see this difference. They are both Nauticats. On the left we have the Nauticat 33. On the right we have the Nauticat 331.

Now, let’s get one more boat into the picture. This is the Nauticat 321. This is an even more modern sailboat. The keel is even shorter, and it has only one mast. This is made for sailing performance. Higher speed, easy to tack, less sails, going higher against the wind, but will also miss the directional stability and the benefits of the ketch rig.

So what is the best solution?
That depends on how you want to use the boat. The long keel on the left is best for traditional bluewater sailors, who don’t tack every day, and who wants comfort rather that quick boat handling. It is also better for the shallow anchorages. The modern boat on the right is for those who want performance, and the middle is a great compromise of these two solutions.
We have the Nauticat 38, and that is yet another solution.

Have a look at this. It looks like the middle compromise from earlier, but this boat is special. This is a semi long keel boat, with what we call a skeg in front of the rudder.

Let’s have a closer look.
Here we see the rudder. I’ll put a green circle around the rudder.
In front of the rudder you have the skeg. I’ll put a red circle around the skeg.

What is the purpose of this?
Well, This gives a fair protection of the rudder. The keel and skeg in combination gives a fair amount of directional stability. The keel and skeg does not connect, so you also have a fair sailing performance. It does not perform as well at the fin keel of the 321, but it is a very good compromise of all these different solutions.

Please note, that all these boats are Nauticats. When you see them on the water, you can not really tell how they look under the water.

So when you ask: Is the Nauticat a good sailer? Is the Nauticat performing well under sail alone, or do you need to motor in addition? Is the Nauticat a traditional long keel boat, or is it a modern yacht, but looking old? I can not give you the answer. This is because I don’t know what model you think of. I have now showed you four different variations. They are all good, but will perform different in different situations. What is best for you? I don’t know. I don’t know how you sail, or what you prefer.

The Nauticat 38 is a semi long keel motorsailor with a skeg. So, not a traditional long keel, but also not a modern fin keel.

Going against the wind is where she struggles. She can do it, but not as the modern fin keeled boats. At the other hand, she performs better that the long keel boats I showed you. So we are prepared to go a little less against the wind, and fill the sails a bit more from the side, or we start the engine and use both. This depends also on how good the skipper is to sail. Myself, I am quite lazy, and I tend to prioritize comfort and security over speed.

Chapters:
0:00 How well does the Nauticat sail?
0:43 Traditional long keel boats
1:08 Semi long keel boats
1:48 Compared with a modern feen keeled sailboat
2:13 What is the best keel?
2:43 Semi long keel with a skeg
2:42 Range of Nauticat motorsailers
4:27 Summery of Nauticat 38
6:40 How is the Nauticat for a liveaboard?
7:09 Disadvantages of a Nauticat
8:15 Sum up and good bye