Before you read
Most boat type write-ups skim the surface and leave you with the same answer for every boat. This one is built around the questions that actually move a dockage decision: how marinas measure your boat, how they bill, and which clauses to read twice before signing.
Cruising catamarans — Lagoons, Leopards, Fountaine Pajots — bring beam that standard slips can't always handle. A 45 ft cat has 25 ft of beam, double a comparable monohull, and many marinas charge accordingly or simply lack the slip width.
Standard finger slips run 16–18 ft wide. A 25 ft beam catamaran needs an end-tie, T-head, broadside dock, or a custom double-wide slip. Always call ahead — booking platforms rarely surface beam constraints clearly.
Most marinas now charge cats by 'slip footprint': LOA plus an additional fee per foot of beam beyond a standard. Expect 1.5x to 2x a comparable-length monohull rate. Some marinas refuse cats entirely due to slip layout.
Catamarans are common in charter hubs — BVI, St Thomas, Bahamas Abacos, Florida Keys, San Juan Islands — where marinas were designed for them. Owners cruising outside these hubs need to plan slip stops carefully.
Cat-friendly slip features
- • End-tie or T-head
- • Wide finger slip (18+ ft)
- • Broadside dock
- • Double power (two pedestals)
- • Beam-aware pricing
Cat-friendly ports
- • Florida Keys
- • Annapolis, MD
- • Charleston, SC
- • St Thomas / BVI
- • San Juan Islands
- • St Petersburg, FL