Thin-Water Cat ?

[dc9loser]

Looking for a thinwater boat above 40 feet - less than 3 feet draft. Suggestions? What models have this attribute?

Power or sail catamaran.

Thanks in advance!

[dc9loser]

If you are going to operate in Florida and the Bahamas thinwater draft is really important. These are the cats I know about which have a less than 3 foot draft.

Mainecat P47 at 33 inches

Mainecat 41 30 inches.

Endeavour Cats 40, 44, 48 at 36 inches with protected tunnel for props

Seawind Venturer 44 at 28 inches

Catana 42 at 32 inches

Any other suggestions?

[Adamante]

Originally Posted by dc9loser

If you are going to operate in Florida and the Bahamas thinwater draft is really important. These are the cats I know about which have a less than 3 foot draft.

Mainecat P47 at 33 inches

Mainecat 41 30 inches.

Endeavour Cats 40, 44, 48 at 36 inches with protected tunnel for props

Seawind Venturer 44 at 28 inches

Catana 42 at 32 inches

Any other suggestions?

Gunboat 48 at 24 inches

Gunboat 66 at 26 inches

[dc9loser]

Ah, yes. The gunboats. My dreamboats, too pricey for me.

Maybe if my investments do really really well or I win the lotto. The 66 is a dream but 4.5 million is a bit rich.

I saw a 48 gunboat used for about million. Maybe a few more years and a used one might drift into my price range. I wonder how well carbon fiber holds up for a used boat though.

[dc9loser]

YouTube - ‪Gunboat 66 Video‬‏

Gunboat video

Any other brand name thinwater cats?

[bangkaboat]

Are you specifically looking at one hull material? Are you looking for an "off the shelf, buy now" boat? Richard Woods & other designers often have a section listing used boats of their design which are for sale.

[dc9loser]

I am basically looking for a boat type to look for in the used market. So brand names are good and suppose well designed custom boats would be too.

Like I said, it is for the Bahamas, Florida, Keys, and generally not too far from my home NW of Tampa.

Right now I have a Catamaran Cruisers houseboat that at 40 feet is awesome for local conditions which are always benign on the flats. It can only get so rough in 5 foot of water along the coast here. It is huge inside and out and drafts 20 inches, rides like a Rolls over anything less than 3 foot of chop which is the most you ever get here outside of a tropical storm. The problem is the boat is not safe to go across deep water with big waves.

I am trying to find a boat that will do as well as my trailer on floats locally but still allow me to go further, specifically to the Bahamas. I am open to power or sail. I have lots of coastal sailing experience in various boats over the years but have never owned a sailing cat.

It is really hard to find a boat that will be as good as the one I have for local operations and still be able to go further out.

I want to basically take a look at every option out there that has a really thinwater capability and see which ones will do as my boat does right now. Things like being able to park at high tide and have zero problems when the tide goes out and you are hard aground. I do that all the time in my present boat. Many of the thinwater boats cannot do that - you can damage the running gear.

Anyway, there are boats I don't already know about out there that might fit the bill and I am in a research mode. I was going to buy soon, but have decided to wait as I have a new son (6 months) and will probably change boats in say five years as the current one is perfect for short trips off my backyard dock to the nearby white sand beaches of Anclote Key and spring fed rivers North of here.

[TOM]

Originally Posted by dc9loser

Gunboat video

Any other brand name thinwater cats?

I want one of these so badly i'm thinking of doing something ilegal to get the money !

www.byamee.com

[Sand crab]

I'll bet most of the daggerboard cats fit the bill. Try the rest of the Catanas, Dolphins, Outremers and all the customs with boards. Back in the old days the major manufacturers offered your choice of keels or boards. You may want to look for those as well. BOB