Yachts are watercraft used for pleasure or racing, ranging from 15 ft to over 100 ft in length. They can be powered by sail, electric or diesel motor, or a combination of both, and can come in a variety of materials. Catalina Yachts is one of the largest manufacturers, primarily building affordable luxury sloops.
Yachts are watercraft used for pleasure or racing. While more specific criteria have been applied to the term in the past, in recent years the word has been used to describe virtually anything that goes on the water, whether under sail or motor, that is not a boat.
These vessels can range from 15 ft (4.5 m) to over 100 ft (30 m), with larger yachts in the 200-500 ft (61-152 m) range. However, due to the exponential increase in cost as size increases, the vast majority used by private enthusiasts are between 20 and 50 feet (6-15 m) in length. Those used for racing over 70 feet (21 m) are often referred to as maxiyachts, although this definition is somewhat flexible.
Yachts can be powered exclusively by sail, exclusively by electric or diesel motor, or by a combination of both. They can have one or more shells, and they can come in a wide variety of materials. The most common sail configuration for modern sailing boats is that of a sloop, a large-masted ship with a mainsail and jib. Sloops are popular due to their superior ability to ride upwind, making them useful for both amateur sailing and racing. A notable disadvantage of the sloop is its poor ability to sail downwind, and most have a spinnaker attached to assist in such conditions.
Single-hulled or monohulled yachts are somewhat less stable than their multi-hulled cousins and often have an underwater keel to help counterbalance the boat when it catches the wind in its sails. Multi-hull yachts, such as catamarans and trimarans, are much more stable than single-hull vessels, but are still regarded as skeptical by many traditionalists. In general, multi-hulls are more difficult to tackle because they tend to be much lighter than monohulls. However, they can also move at a much higher speed due to reduced weight.
While yachts were made almost exclusively from wood in the past, the materials revolution of the 1950s has given rise to a number of alternative technologies, and wood is now mainly the province of artisan shipowners. Most mass-produced containers use fiberglass as the primary material for construction, although lightweight metals such as aluminum and titanium also play important roles in manufacturing.
One of the largest manufacturers in the world is Catalina Yachts, which has sold more than 70,000 hulls since its inception in the late 1960s. Almost all of its vessel designs are sloops, and they are built primarily as affordable luxury yachts, that offer more than ample cabin space and ample storage.
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