Do Catamarans Make You Seasick?

Seasickness resembles motion sickness occurring while on a boat. The level of uneasiness can vary based on the vessel. Seasickness varies based on the sailing comfort. Smoother the ride, fewer chances of seasickness. But, catamarans are well-known for smoother rides. So will it make you seasick? Let’s find out.

Catamarans can lower the risk of seasickness to a certain degree. That’s because they offer a smoother ride than other mono-hull boats. Better ventilation further reduces uneasiness. Though, first-time riders can still get uncomfortable on catamarans due to deficient boating experience.

Wish to know more about catamarans and whether they’ll make you seasick or not? This article covers all the relevant information, so keep reading until the end.

What Makes You Seasick?

For a better grasp on the subject, let’s first learn what makes you seasick in the first place. What’re the scientific reasons? This section covers that.

The boat moves up-down and side-to-side constantly. Such regular movements trigger an imbalance in the inner parts of the ears. The imbalance directly stresses the brain resulting in nausea and or vomiting.

Still confused? Let’s elaborate on this scientific theory a little bit.

Deeper Explanation

Basically, it’s the atmospheric pressure present in the inner parts of your ears, which misbalances when the body experiences regular motions formed by the boat’s movements. When you’re inside a cabin, the view perceived by your eyes changes with the boat’s movements. As a result, your eyes observe a stable scene, while your ears experience a misbalance.

This situation makes your brain stressed out and once it’s unable to sustain any longer, it releases stress-related hormones. These hormones are the reason for nausea, vomiting, or urge to vomit, which is better known as seasickness.

Hence, your endurance level determines whether or not you can make it through a long cruise. Experienced boaters usually become habitual of this phenomenon and their body adapts to the boat’s unusual movements.

Seasickness Prediction

If you’ve never been on a boat, determining whether or not you’ll get seasick is tough. Fortunately, there’s a test to predict it.

Ask yourself. Have you ever been motion sick on a road trip? Ever felt uneasy in a car, or a high-speed automobile? If yes, then you may become uncomfortable on your cruise.
People who find air travels unpleasant might fall seasick.
If you’re unable to survive or enjoy a roller coaster or other amusement parks’ rides, cruising can be pretty painful for you.
Those who’re immune to air travel, fast automobiles, and or roller coasters shouldn’t fall seasick so easily.

Seasickness Remedies

Not habitual of cruises? No problem. Here’s a quick list you should go through, that’ll help you overcome uneasiness while on a cruise. They’re applicable for catamarans as well.

Focus on the horizon. Several veterans suggest keeping your eye on the horizon helps to overcome seasickness. Just don’t carry it too far.
Fresh air helps maintain calmness. Walk around on the lower deck and get some fresh air.
Center of gravity is a pivot of the boat, from where it moves side-to-side. As you move lower, you’ll achieve a lower center of gravity. But as you move upwards, you’ll achieve a higher center of gravity (it’s a point where you’ll experience increased boat movements). Moving downwards will reduce movements, decreasing the chances of seasickness.
Food and water in low amounts will help calm down your anxious stomach. Consumption of food and water in large amounts at once will increase the burden on your stomach, which can result in vomiting. Therefore, always go for minute quantities. Also, avoid alcohol. It’ll stress your body.
Few people carry medications for seasickness. It’s a rather trustworthy option than all of the above. Consult your physician for the same.

Seasickness On Catamarans

Although catamarans can reduce seasickness to a certain magnitude, it’ll be wrong to conclude that you can’t possibly fall seasick on them. So, the reasons why you’re less likely to fall sick on a catamaran as are follows:

Catamarans have living decks on the top. This allows fresh air ventilation, allowing you to calm down and relax.
The engines are installed far away from the living room(s). That way, the smoke and noise aren’t going to bother you much, minimizing the risk of falling sick.
The ride is far smoother and gentle on catamarans as compared to other boats.
Catamarans are multi-hull boats. As a result, they experience relatively reduced effects of waves. Therefore, you’ll notice fewer side-by-side movements on a catamaran, permitting you to stay cozier than on other boats.
The geometrical design of a catamaran further supports tackling seasickness.
Given that the living space is constructed above, you’ll get a better scenic view. Remember the importance of concentrating on the horizon? You’ll achieve it here easily.

The roll behavior and pendulum effect are higher on mono-hull boats and lower in multi-hull boats like catamarans. It’s quite scientific, so follow this link if you feel the need to dive that deep. It explains this topic in detail with diagrams.

Catamarans Are Highly Preferred

Since the catamarans hold so many extraordinary benefits in possibly eliminating seasickness, countless tourist and commercial organizations prefer them. But why?

That way, they can present a much pleasant cruising experience to their highly valued customers. Since a lot of riders aren’t immune to seasickness, they’ll automatically prefer catamarans over other cruise ships for a healthier sailing experience. Additionally, ferries do prefer catamarans as well for the exact same reason.

Seasickness Symptoms

Ideally, when on a boat, you’ll notice a few symptoms before falling sick, which most people often ignore. Taking essential measures on their occurrence can reduce the chances of falling sick. Hence you’ll suffer less.

Dizziness

Many people complain of dizziness while cruising. It’s quite natural to feel dizzy due to lacking nutrition. If you stayed hungry for a while, try eating light snacks in small amounts. Drink sufficient water (but not too much). If you still feel dizzy after an hour, maybe you’re about to get sick.

Loss of Appetite

Discomfort kills hunger. If you don’ feel like eating anything, you’ll eventually lose energy and fall sick. It’s best to try eating something really light.

Pale Skin

Pale skin can be a result of malfunctioning bloodstreams, which is caused due to uneasiness. But it can also be a sign of seasickness.

The best method of overcoming these symptoms is proper medications. Furthermore, some people experience headaches, extreme tiredness, shallow breathing, etc. They’re all symptoms of seasickness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you fall seasick on catamarans in rough seas?

Although catamarans offer quite a stable cruising experience, you can still experience a bumpy ride in rough seas. This can result in worsened health, ultimately making you seasick.
However, it’ll take extreme tides to misbalance a catamaran. Due to their structure and design, they can float even with a hole in them. This makes catamarans almost unsinkable.

How does catamarans’ hull prevent seasickness?

Lots of people believe that getting in the hull can prevent seasickness, which is acceptable to a certain extent. Basically, at the hulls, the center of gravity lowers (discussed above), which minimizes the sickness. The hulls of any boat are said to be most stable.

Who’s most vulnerable to seasickness?

Basically, anyone can get sick on a cruise, still, these people are more vulnerable:
– Women, especially pregnant ladies, menstruating girls, and those who’re on hormone therapy.
– People who’re suffering from migraine
– Kids up to 12 years old (though that’s not a rule of thumb)
– Asthma patients, people who consume drugs, and or people on regular medications (anti-depressants, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.)
– Older people

How long can seasickness last?

Since the occurrence of this phenomenon is absolutely based on an individual’s endurance level, still, it can last for up to 4 hours after stopping the motion. If you felt sick in the middle of your trip, you’ll have to suffer until your body starts reacting to your medications.

What is the best medicine for seasickness?

Antihistamines is a common medicine for motion sickness and are available at most drug stores. Cyclizine (Marezine) and dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) are considered good as well.
Please note that this merely a suggestion as per WebMD, and you MUST consult a doctor before consuming these drugs. Also, you MUST avoid giving them to kids (without professional consultation) no matter what.
For kids from 2 to 12 years of age, dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl) might prove to be helpful. (again, don’t give them without consulting).

Conclusion

Seasickness is common while cruising. The young generation usually ignores this phenomenon and regrets later. We advise carrying some medications for backup. Many people consume ginger for relief. Also, people overeat during their cruise perhaps because of hunger, or the food was delicious. Just ensure you avoid overeating since it can be painful later.

By the end of this article, we’ve covered a lot of content related to catamarans and whether they make you seasick. Our job was to offer the right information, and now it’s your turn to act wisely. Happy cruising!