New small cat builders?

[pianopraze]

Who is still in business that makes new small cats like Prout, Gemini, tomcat style?

Loved my Prout. Had to sell and move to Philippines for a while due to Covid delays on wife’s green card.

Wife wants to buy new but I’m not sure which sites are the manufacturers. Don’t want to start calling as we are a ~ a year away from buying.

Found Tomcats website but it looks abandoned… brochure is from 2018.

Gemini 35 legacy link on their website doesn’t work.

Is any builder still building 30-35’ new Cats in this style?

[Franziska]

These guys used to built a 34ft until very recently.
Maybe you find a used one? https://www.cat-sale.de/en/aventura-34-new/

Now the 37ft seems to be the smallest they have.
https://www.aventura-catamarans.com/...ns/aventura37/

[Tupaia]

There is no profit in small cats (all boats for that matter). The same labour and services, give or take are required in a 30-35ft cat as there is in a 50-55ft cat and the builder makes %%% more profit. Interest rates also play a part when they are low credit is easy, 50-55ft being the top end for personal ownership. High interest rates and people have to actually buy their boat outright, smaller boats prevail. The way of the world.


Andy Smith Boatyard in Philippines builds really nice Wharrams to order.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by pianopraze

Who is still in business that makes new small cats like Prout, Gemini, tomcat style?

Loved my Prout. Had to sell and move to Philippines for a while due to Covid delays on wife’s green card.

Wife wants to buy new but I’m not sure which sites are the manufacturers. Don’t want to start calling as we are a ~ a year away from buying.

Found Tomcats website but it looks abandoned… brochure is from 2018.

Gemini 35 legacy link on their website doesn’t work.

Is any builder still building 30-35’ new Cats in this style?

Excess build the 11 metre. Just a bit bigger than your desired length. Haven't sailed one but been aboard and liked everything except the helm position which is a little exposed for my taste... https://www.excess-catamarans.com/ou...rans/excess-11

[CaptainRivet]

Asia catamarans have a 10.8 and are superlight and already in your region.
From australian designers grainger is the Raku 32 or 36.
https://www.graingerdesigns.net/raku-catamarans/
And i am sure the other typical aussi ones like Simpson, crowther... have plans for small cats too a shipyard can build for you.
But well they would be from the price much higher then these entry once....
Well asian labour is cheap, maybe you find some local builder that can make you small budget one. Asian catamaran us definitely worth a call.

If used my goto would be a FP mahe 35 evolution , for me the best small cat ever build. Best compromise of all.
A FP 35 Tobago is also a very good choice, if you are on a small budget.

Was looking for small cats too, ended up with a FP Lavezzi which is light, 39ft but has the interior volume of the 35 Mahe.

As other mentioned beside the asian catamaran which has a genius way of building 10.8 till 14m from the same molds you have no real advantage to go small or in other words 40ft is small today and considered the entry class that a Gemini or PDQ32 was 30 years ago.
There is also hardly any performance cat in sub 44ft, asian catamarans being one of the rare that starts with the stealth 11.8 and Grainger with Raku 32 and 36 but i am only aware of 40 and 44 where build till now.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Excess build the 11 metre. Just a bit bigger than your desired length. Haven't sailed one but been aboard and liked everything except the helm position which is a little exposed for my taste... https://www.excess-catamarans.com/ou...rans/excess-11

Well i sailed on Bombarda Excess 11 who won the ARC cat class....well steering position and solution is a nogo, went nearly overboard twice when that folding helm seat did what it wants...and i already where on high alert when being at the helm due to its position. If that rogue wave that damaged my Lavezzi would hit that excess 11 you would have been washed into sea from that wave on the helm seat...ok for costal but nogo for bluewater.

Interior is ikea boxy quality and falls apart from its own...sails quite ok but loud and feels flimsy as very thin build but not with carbon or kevlar that would give the necessary strength. A typical mass production nail quickly together that has some solutions to make a bit more performing then the average condo.

[pianopraze]

Thanks everyone. I had never heard of several of these.

We are back in USA now, btw. Sorry I wasn’t clear on that.

Man some of these boats are massive (and well beyond our price point).

Want a prout/gemini/tomcat type cat with 14-15 foot beam max so we can fit in a normal slip. I got quite good docking with my Prout; but it scared the hell out of me at first… wouldn’t want anything larger. Wish I had never sold it, loved that cat.

Also, as insurance seems to be getting more picky/expensive, 35 foot Prout had tons of room for us. No need to go bigger.

We didn’t know how much we would like it so went with used less expensive boat. Now wife is one wanting to get one and go... We miss it so much. But she wants new, if possible.

I suggested a new Catalina 315 but wife just hates monohulls. I think they look great but no-go with wife.

I will contact TomCat eventually and see if they are still making new. Love the look/design of those dual outboard Yamahas. Wife fell in love at first sight of a used 2014 970s TomCat. I loved the deck locker storage on my Prout but she likes those trampolines for some reason.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by pianopraze

Thanks everyone. I had never heard of several of these.

We are back in USA now, btw. Sorry I wasn’t clear on that.

Man some of these boats are massive (and well beyond our price point).

Want a prout/gemini/tomcat type cat with 14-15 foot beam max so we can fit in a normal slip. I got quite good docking with my Prout; but it scared the hell out of me at first… wouldn’t want anything larger. Wish I had never sold it, loved that cat.

Also, as insurance seems to be getting more picky/expensive, 35 foot Prout had tons of room for us. No need to go bigger.

We didn’t know how much we would like it so went with used less expensive boat. Now wife is one wanting to get one and go... We miss it so much. But she wants new, if possible.

I suggested a new Catalina 315 but wife just hates monohulls. I think they look great but no-go with wife.

I will contact TomCat eventually and see if they are still making new. Love the look/design of those dual outboard Yamahas. Wife fell in love at first sight of a used 2014 970s TomCat. I loved the deck locker storage on my Prout but she likes those trampolines for some reason.

I get everything you said. I had a PDQ 32 (stretched to 34') until recently, and for a little local cruising for a couple, anything more would just be more work, heavier sails, and harder to slip. I get the economics and the more-more world we live in, but everything you said made sense.

[CaptainRivet]

Fogot the boardblue 346 is also quite a good small one which you can get a new one too.
https://www.broadblue.com/cruising-c.../broadblue-346