Matrix 450

[xxuxx]

I wouldn't worry about the helms, that's why they make auto pilots with wireless remotes! Also while one is exposed the other is usually nice and snug and if it's that rough these boats have great forward vision from the salon (from just behind a cup of hot cocoa!) As a Nacra sailor you'll appreciate being able to see the sails on both tacks and also being able to see past the genoa//??????????????????

Since when does one dock a catamaran with a wireless remote??? When did they put throttle controls in a remote?????????????

[Intentional Drifter]

I haven't seen the boat in person, but from the photos on their website, there's a lot to like about the interior. Those "whatever they are" "things" in front of the coach roof are going to be a hazard, though. When you need to get to the mast, it will be because something (e.g., reefing, straightening a kinked line) needs to be done, in a hurry. With the rigging led back to the cockpit, that will be lessened, but since that is also more complicated, that might also mean that you will be dealing with something gone awry, and in rough weather. In such a circumstance, you want wide flat side decks with good handholds and as few tripping hazards as possible. The last 8 feet of so has no handholds and a big tripping hazard.

The other thing I don't like about it is that the area in between those "things" is going to catch green water, very efficiently, and it doesn't look like there's much place for it to go. You want that area in front of your cabin to be built so as to sluice away water, quickly. One good wave can easily bring 100's of gallons of water on your decks (@ 8.75 lbs per gallon) and you don't want anything getting it its way. The only places it looks like the water has to go are: Through your front window (very, very bad -- and it does happen, I've personally seen it on a Leopard 46, with disastrous results), down your hatches and onto your berths (merely bad, but that's not a good way to find out your hatches are leaking), or into your deck lockers (not a big deal, assuming they have drains). Otherwise, the water has to drain out forward, with other water coming right behind.

So, in my way of thinking, those design features right by themselves, would eliminate this boat from my consideration.

ID

[caribcat]

Originally Posted by xxuxx

I wouldn't worry about the helms, that's why they make auto pilots with wireless remotes! Also while one is exposed the other is usually nice and snug and if it's that rough these boats have great forward vision from the salon (from just behind a cup of hot cocoa!) As a Nacra sailor you'll appreciate being able to see the sails on both tacks and also being able to see past the genoa//??????????????????

Since when does one dock a catamaran with a wireless remote??? When did they put throttle controls in a remote?????????????

Surprised you have flagged my post up... this is pretty obvious stuff! On a port bulkhead helm, seeing past the genoa on starboard tack is not alway easy, especially on a sub 50 foot boat where the height of the coachroof tends to be relatively high vs deck length. Also reading the main on the same tack is not easy when you are seated directly below it. A former Nacra sailor will be more a fanatical trimmer than a 'point and cruise' sailor.

The second point was not about docking but answering a question about sailing offshore ie no engines on! However, as you bring it up docking with twin outboard helms is easier as your helm and throttle control (assuming you have duals) puts you on the business side of the boat every time. As for electronic throttle controls, these have been around for years and have been used a lot recently on big fly bridge cats like the P745, Sunreefs etc etc as they have bugger all vision from up there. Even Raymarine etc produce a remote with throttle control that connects easily to something like a Commander throttle unit.

We're a little off the track of this post, but hope this helps you out.

[fbchristo]

Yes I am, to a fault my wife thinks, the OCCD poster child of sail trim. Maybe after a few years of cruising I might relax but he word "tweak" will never leave my vocabulary.

I do like what looks like on a Cantata the ease of docking single or limited handed being right there with the aft dock-line to step off or reach a cleat. Maybe I should charter one next time out.

[caribcat]

Don't stop tweaking! Any two boats on the ocean is a race....