Luxury 45-50' Powercat

[andreavanduyn]

as a sailing guy I have no idea about catamaran powerboats.

Can anyone advise?

A friend is looking for a motorboat and wants my opinion
Think a powercat is better start for his first boat than a monohulled....

Understood there are quite a few new brands coming on the market but what is good?????

Xpets
orion 50' Tashing

[Bash]

friends don't let friends become powerboaters.

[andreavanduyn]

no choice; he wants a 'gin palace'

am trying to convince him of a cat; at least can learn from that angle boats as well

[gosstyla]

I believe a power cat could be a very good option. However, if "gin palace" is primary objective then probably not - many more monohull options available.

Schionning has a few good designs.

[YOGAO]

If he wants something nice and fuel efficient have him look at the Maine Cat P-47.



Fair Winds,
Mike

[David M]

To answer the original question, the advantage of a power catamaran over a power monohull is the smoothness of the ride. Power catamarans pound less going into chop. They can also be more stable if they have not already built a tall superstructure.

We have a 21 foot power catamaran at work and it is much more smoother into the chop than the Whalers.

[Herewegoagain]

Does anyone have experience using a cat for cruising on SF Bay and the delta and or the Pacific NW. What are the pluses and minuses. thanks

[jsschieff]

Power cats offer a lot of advantages over monohulls, but there are trade offs. Power cats are usually more efficient than monohulls, since they are pushing two skinny hulls through the water rather than a big fat hull that takes more power to get going. So you can get decent cruising speeds -- 14-16 knots -- from a power cat with much smaller engines than a similar-sized monohull. Also power cats are usually softer riding in head seas, and are a bit more stable when they are at anchor.

On the down side, power cats are very weight sensitive. You cannot load them up with heavy granite counters, huge fuel tanks and other heavy items because the performance drops dramatically as the weight goes up. Also, power cats can have a quick snap roll in beam seas that is unpleasant. Accommodations down in the hulls can seem cramped, especially with regard to floor space. And sometimes engine access can be difficult since the engines are jammed down in the skinny hulls. One final disadvantage to power cats is finding slips -- many power cats in the 45-foot range have 21-foot beams, which greatly limits slips you can squeeze into.

There are several new power cats coming on the market. However, power cat companies seem to come and go -- Manta, PDQ, Transocean, and one or two South African power cat companies have all gone out of business in the last few years. One or two charter companies offer big power cats like the Leopard 46 in the Virgin Islands and Bahamas -- your friend should try out one to see if he likes it. The Maine Cat listed above is a fine power cat, but it is a little bit of a "purist" power cat -- very light, very thin, efficient hulls, not designed for four staterooms and big crowds. A company in Florida called Endeavour builds big power cats -- 40, 44 and 48-footers. They are decently built but not everyone finds them visually appealing. The 48-footer in particular has a bit of a floating condo look to it.

The French build some interesting power cats. I'm notr sure if it is Jeannau who build the Maryland 37 and bigger power cats, and there was a nice power cat called the Lagoon 42 that was popular here. There are several power cat internet forums.

[seafish]

If your friend has an unconventional side have him look at trawl boats [shrimpers] in Louisiana. Prices are at an all time low, the potential for conversion is unlimited, the work force there has unlimited experience and design your way in is simple.

Friends with sail boats spend their spare time on their friends power boats.

[Overlord]

Hi, i have a friend who has a leopard 47 power cat for sale. it is just over 1 year old and is as new. Lying in the med. let me know if your interested
Regards Chris

[Sailor-Gene]

Hi

I had a Manta 40 Sail Cat for 9 years and loved it until we fell in luv with the Manta 44 Power Cat... More space and more posh and more speed with the same fuel expense at the same+ speeds!!! Pangaea PC was on YachtWorld until we dismissed our broker. Will be up again soon. We have a semi open listing, so contact me to save a few $$$

Gene

Originally Posted by Xpets

as a sailing guy I have no idea about catamaran powerboats.

Can anyone advise?

A friend is looking for a motorboat and wants my opinion
Think a powercat is better start for his first boat than a monohulled....

Understood there are quite a few new brands coming on the market but what is good?????

Xpets
orion 50' Tashing

[Sailor-Gene]

Originally Posted by Sailor-Gene

Hi

I had a Manta 40 Sail Cat for 9 years and loved it until we fell in luv with the Manta 44 Power Cat... More space and more posh and more speed with the same fuel expense at the same+ speeds!!! Pangaea PC was on YachtWorld until we dismissed our broker. Will be up again soon. We have a semi open listing, so contact me to save a few $$$

Gene

Luv My Mantas

[rja]

Hello,

You might want to check out Pacific Expedition Power Catamarans: Expedition Trawler Catamarans and Yachts .. they have a few nice cats in the size range you're looking for..

-rja

[videorov]

Been looking around for a PowerCat in the 40 to 50ft range.
The Manta's are nice but don't see many around.
The lagoon is nice too. Looking for something with not to much draft
4ft and under.

[Sailor-Gene]

Hi
Please check out Manta 44' Power Cat "PANGAEA" FOR SALE BY OWNER BASICS Pangaea, Manta 44 PC is available to a new loving owner. Ready to cruise... bring your food and toothbrush...

Happy Holidays
Sailor-Gene