Question #3, Wave Handling:

I am trying to decide between a 36 ft holiday mansion coastel barrcuda or a 31 ft cruise-a-home...I intend to trailer it to the sea of cortez in mexico and spend three months per year on the sea of cortez...I would be very interested to know what kind of waves the 31 ft can handle, from what I can find out, the holiday mansion can handle 3 to 5 ft waves in a pinch.

I have no intention of boating in rough weather as their are lot of bays and inlets in the sea of cortez to duck into and wait for calm water..It just appears to me the hull design of the cruise-a-home is much better suited to a little rough water,not to mention the sealed bulkheads,thanks for any info based on your experiance.

James Scott

Answer from Carl Tenning:

You will hardly feel 2-foot waves cruising the 31-foot Cruise-A-Home and it will take 3-foot waves without a problem. I have experienced 5-foot waves coming over the bow and against the windshield, leaving standing water on the forward deck. Fortunately, however, the standing water drained off the sides before the next wave hit. My biggest worry was not that the hull could handle it, but whether the windshields might break. If they did, the whole hull could be flooded. As far as trailering goes, remember that the beam of the 31-footer is 11 ft 8 inches which may require a special permit.

Answer from Dean Singer:

Hello James ---

Carl sometimes forwards queries from folks like you, since I am a self-styled guru about CAH's. (There has never been any verification of that, however.)

First: I'm sure you realize that you are not going to TRAILER either of these vessels. You may pay someone to TRUCK them somewhere, but it would be expensive to consider doing it regularly. Nor do I have a clue as to licensing or permits for loads of that size in Mexico.

Seaworthiness: Carl has a 31 footer, and has mentioned to others that he has handled 3-foot waves with no problems. I have owned a 40-foot CAH for 25 years and put nearly 4000 hours on it on several trips to Alaska, around Vancouver Island, and various other "adventureous" spots. We have run in 5 or 6-footers with no great problems; it's just a matter of finding the right speed and angle. (Wives don't always agree with that assessment.)

CAH's have a "regular" hull, patterned from a very successful (good riding) charter fishing boat in service off the Washington coast. The Holiday Mansion, is a modified tri-hull, and enters the water with a much flatter surface. We had a HM in our cruising club several years ago, and he could outrun us in flat water with less power than we had. But he struggled in heavier water because of the more blunt bow. Some models of HM's have what was called an "offshore bulkhead" or "offshore (something)" that was basically a bolt-on hull extension on the front to keep the big ones from coming aboard. Perhaps the Coastal Barracuda is one of those. I have seen them, but never talked to an owner, so don't know how much more rough-water capability it gave. But, you'd still have the rougher ride.

Either of the boats would probably do the trick for you (excluding the trailering issue). It seems most any boat will take more than the crew can. The best advice I can give is to try each of the vessels, in choppy water if you can.

This advice is guaranteed worth every penny you spent for it. Aren't you glad you asked?

Dean Singer