Cats for offshore

Been looking into getting a Catamaran hull in the 19-23 ft. range. Can I find one out there for under 50K? Twin Vee I'm not interested in and World Cat is too rich for my blood. Any suggestions?

Used Glacier Bay?

For running offshore on the Texas coast I would not suggest a cat under 30 foot unless you only want to go on days when seas are less than 2 foot. For a cat to ride good you have to run fast enough to pack air in the tunnel and most days you can not do that in a small cat. Small V hulls plow thru rough seas better than small cats.

Thanks for the info. Capt. Steve. Some people say it's not wise to go offshore without two engines. Is this true!

I'll look into that! Thanks!

Depends on who you ask. West coast fishermen don't tend to use multiple engines or they use a kicker (usually for trolling). They claim gas is too expensive. Others will tell you a kicker is only good. Still others will say that if it won't plane on one engine, having two is no help. The TX coast tends to multiple engines. It's a somewhat complicated subject. For instance, most 2 engine boats pull fuel off the same tank, but statistically bad fuel is one of the biggest causes of breakdowns. A lot depends on the shape and/or how new your engine(s) are. As you see, there is no simple answer. There are a lot of single engine boats on the ocean, but two engines never hurt.

I think twin outboards is only needed if you need the horsepower. Otherwise with the excellent reliability of the newer modern outboards if you can get it done on one that is the way to go. Unless ypu regularly run overnight to deepmoffshore areas by yourself, regular maintenance, consistent usage (not letting it sit) and fresh fuel, todays modern outboards are just as reliable as the car sitting in your driveway. Additionally towing is available in an emergency through a tow membership and/or on your insurance.

Cat or V is personal. I captain several twin engine V hulls and Cat hulls out of Galveston and Freeport. There are pros and cons to both. I also run out in my large tunnel v bay flats boat with single engine. There are lots of single engine boats out there.....far offshore.

look at the Dargel 23 and the 25. i've been on both, althought only in the bay in the 23. the 25 is a capable near offshore and bay boat.

Thanks guys, I am looking to get the boat that I will retire with and am wrestling with use vs, price and more future time spent in the salt. Not looking to go too far offshore and only on calm days. Shallow sport looks great x3 but way to pricey.

I have a 25 Dargel Kat and it is a pretty amazing hull. It will run across 6" deep shallow spots (wouldn't recommend long stretches of really skinny water) and also handles rough water well. Been offshore to 40 miles and been in 2'-3' seas at times (with some larger swells mixed in) and not been worried. I had a 45' Blue Wave that was taken by Harvey. It was a nice boat but very rough in quartering sea and much wetter depending on angle and wind. Will get up in 18" or so depending on bottom and how aggressive you want to be. Not a fast boat (low 50's loaded with 300 Evinrude) but faster than the X3, also less expensive. Cat hull definitely takes getting used to but has more advantages than disadvantages for me.