Powercat Trawlers

Unfinished 65' Powercat

I almost forgot this one....

65' Power Catamaran - $175,000 - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum

This is a 'blank page' that could be turned into something real nice.

Thanks for the link. Yes, a very interesting boat and conversation about it. If money were no object and I was single, I'd buy that, stay in the Bahamas, live aboard, and make that boat my project doing one thing at a time. The guy has realistic objectivity about his amidships outboard application, but if I ever did outboards, it'd have to be diesel units on the stern. Since he says you need 14 knots to plane and could get near 20 knots with twin 215's (and 3mpg at 8 knots), I'd probably go back with similar diesel power that he has now. I wonder what it weighs.

There is a 2 day old forum for owners and interested parties in the Motorcat line of power catamarans. Unlike the PDQ, Endeavor, Glacier Bay and others, this boat is designed and built in Poland and is the lightest and most efficient hulled power catamaran on the market. It will achieve 20 kt on just a pair of 50 hp outboards and will be comfortable in off shore conditions. I'm interested is this boat because its design lends itself to diesel-electric propulsion with solar assist.

Here is the brand new forum Motorcat Owners Group • Index page

If you are into trailerable off shore capable power cats, the offerings are increasing due to their economy of operation.

Thanks for that link, Bob....I didn't know. Actually, I had mentioned the Motorcat to you along with the Aspen as a pretty good candidate for solar-electric. There was actually a UK test of the Motorcat that netted a 10 knot cruise from two 10 HP outboards....very efficient and slippery. You probably know that Motorcat also developed an enclosed pilothouse version. Two of my friends have Motorcats, one of which has now built an enclosed pilothouse totally unlike the factory version. He was about to splash it last time we talked, but I'm really curious about this for the same reasons you might be. If the pilothouse version trims well, a roof for solar (similar to Greenline) or even something in the line of Reubin's boat could be adapted. Kris Czerwonka at Bond Yachts Marketing e-mails updates on builds and developments. I think this is a company that one could work with in a special build. The relatively narrow beam may even lend itself to a asymmetrical or sail-drive type drive.

I just want to cruise on the cheap and not deal with sails and rigging. Is that too much to ask? The one advancement that makes this possible is the LiFePO4 cells and their capabilities and last year's major price reduction. My lithium cells continue to amaze me, when not powering my electric kayak 80 miles on a charge they are cooking my steaks on a 1500 watt electric BBQ. I'm doing this just to get as many cycles in as I can. 64 lbs of these cells power the BBQ for 100 minutes which is 5 uses. Still no reduction in capacity and I BBQ 3 to 4 times a week.

All kinds of data on their site, but no pricing. Anybody have a clue as to prices?

Bob

$125K~$150K new.

Yachtworld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

One for the Gardner lovers



Sher Khan

While we are on the subject.....

This was a 60ft Powercat that I had lusted after for quite some time. Absolutely beautiful boat capable of cruising in the 20s with a 30+ WOT. I know one of the guys on the boat. He said it split right down the middle of the bridegdeck. I never would have expected that result based on what the boat looked like. It was beautiful and "appeared" very well built. This happened about 3 weeks ago....

Coast Guard rescues 12 from Gulf of Mexico after catamaran sinks - KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

Baker

I can't say that all cats are alike but what you have just posted is the perception I have about a cruising cat sailing at 30 knts. People get enthusiastic and they loose their judgment capacity in face of the sea conditions. Yes cats and other boats can cruise at high speeds, but speed is something that needs to be hand in hand with other factors. Like monohulls, the cats are also qualified as planning, displacement hulls and whatever is in the middle. That means that not all cats are meant to run at 30 knts. At that point, starts the bad judgment.

What you have written above is exactly what happen in the Arabian Gulf 5 or 6 years ago with a multimillion dollar cat. At 30+ knots she just split in half. Nobody died.

I fear the capacity of those things, and perception is 90% of reality.

Hmmm. Such catastrophic hull failure is probably no more frequent in the design of multi-hulls than it is in monos, but maintaining a balance between the weight sensitivity of multi-hull design and its strength must be a pretty big challenge. I've never had a catamaran, but when researching to do exactly that, interviews with cat owners in the 35-45 ft. area indicated concerns about hull flexing in seas that the boat was capable of running in perhaps, but weren't specifically built for. If I eventually buy a cat, I don't think my attitude toward seas will be any different than the typical mono-hulled coastal cruiser.

Besides being stable when inverted the biggest problem is the usual attempt to create a roomaran of huge size.

This is fine IF the wing decking between the hulls is high enough not to be constantly slammed in a large seaway .

The constant hammering can test any , even a well built structure , to the point of weakening.

Its one thing to work the bending loads for one hull immersed the other doing little , but the math after the first million blows is iffy , after many millions less than a guess.

The best success is from a decade or two of creating similar boats.

Both South Africa and the Aussies boats seem to do OK.

A high wing deck solves much of the hassle , but does not add to the looks of the boat very much.

Baker said:

While we are on the subject.....

This was a 60ft Powercat that I had lusted after for quite some time. Absolutely beautiful boat capable of cruising in the 20s with a 30+ WOT. I know one of the guys on the boat. He said it split right down the middle of the bridegdeck. I never would have expected that result based on what the boat looked like. It was beautiful and "appeared" very well built. This happened about 3 weeks ago....

Coast Guard rescues 12 from Gulf of Mexico after catamaran sinks - KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

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How does it sink?

I cant remember seeing one ever having done so, but have seen many images of the complete boat or at least large sections of them washed ashore later on and have read reports where they have been abandoned during catastrophic storms only to be recovered later and even one that was abandoned during a storm with damage and in danger of sinking, but wouldn't so had to be ran down by the rescue ship so as it wasnt a danger to shipping.

Parmenter said:

How does it sink?

I cant remember seeing one ever having done so, but have seen many images of the complete boat or at least large sections of them washed ashore later on and have read reports where they have been abandoned during catastrophic storms only to be recovered later and even one that was abandoned during a storm with damage and in danger of sinking, but wouldn't so had to be ran down by the rescue ship so as it wasnt a danger to shipping.

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The story of the above abandoned cat was told in the book " Rescue in the Pacific " The folks that owned the cat were a bunch of whack a doodle's that we met in New Zealand. They thought the boat had to be sunk because of something to do with a pacific vortex and aliens... The were kooks.

If you haven't read the book it is a great read about a bunch of boats caught in the storm that became known as the Queens Birthday storm. We had cruised the previous year with a number of boats that got caught on the edge of the storm.. but missed the brunt of it. We sat in a yard in N.Z. with the other cat that was lost without a trace. We were luck to have got out of N.Z. prior to the storm.

The recent failure of the is very interesting... but doesn't do anything to change my mind on the ability of cats ( power or sail ). If we ever go back to the dark side it will be on a cat.

Attached is a pic on a cat I have sailed multiple times and done offshore passages on that were amazing... the stress on our faces from being on a cat is obvious

HOLLYWOOD

Why would anybody want a cat when they could have a boat?

Seriously there are some cats that I like like that Fisher in post #19 by Daddyo. I had no idea Fisher made a cat. Nice looking boat.

Moorage must be awful w cats. They probably need to anchor out a lot.

Looked at a couple of Fisher cats several years ago. Great layout but they were so torn up inside we had to pass.

Bob

manyboats said:

Why would anybody want a cat when they could have a boat?

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Mostly use a lot less power and fuel for a given speed, more room, dont roll as much if at all in a seaway and not at all in an anchorage , can use glassware ,say no to spilt drinks, shallow draft so easy bottom scrub, there's bound to be more reasons.

Moorage must be awful w cats.

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What makes you say that?
I read that now america has gone tits up marinas are charging the same price for cats and monos

They probably need to anchor out a lot.

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And this is a problem why?
I never like that trailer park feeling that marinas impart.

...Once somebody told me that the difference between a cat and a mono while sailing in high seas is that in the mono, the soup falls on your feet. In the Cat it falls on your head.
I sailed both in various sea conditions and I never had soup falling either way

The perception that a Cat can nearly fly over the water, is the responsible for the number of accidents with these boats, either motor or sail.
Malcom Tennant, to name one example, has very nice and strong boats, and some are made of alloy. What makes me nervous, are those multihulls made of extremely thin egg shells of high technology composites that promise to ride at high velocity with 2 HP engines... Power of expression.
My latest boat before Rainha Jannota, was a 18' fishing displacement hull Cat. I had 2 x 50 HP outboards and I could put some decent weight in it for a 18'. But two things I had to be aware, there was not a gap between enough and too much weight in the boat. The second thing was when in high seas, the water would fill the void space between the hulls and the boat would be all over the place at 22 knts cruising speed

Parmentar,
I don't really care for cats but meant my post mostly as a joke. I'm not positively disposed to people whining about their boat moving more than their house but even I could like cat stability at times.

In the marinas around here probably less than 5% of moorage is suitable for cats. And along the PNW coast usually the towns and villages are more interesting than the next anchorage. I like to walk the docks in strange places more than just about anything else and there's always interesting people to talk to. Perhaps even girls to look at .. mostly dressed though.

manyboats said:

Parmentar,
I don't really care for cats but meant my post mostly as a joke.

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That was the way I read it, but I'm glad that Parmenter responded to the questions as is. Eric, I think if you got aboard a 34 PDQ Powercat, I think you may recognize the qualities similar to the ones you enjoy in the Willard 30. I think the PDQ 34 may be the ultimate efficient cruising machine and I'd love to have one, but I'm just to big and stiff for it. Yes, it hobby-horses, it has a snap-roll and many other cat attitudes, and while it lacks the richness of a teak and holly mono-hull, it's no tighter than a Willard 30 X 2. If I were on my own, I'd probably be OK with it, but with my Admiral and her shoe collection, I'll probably end up with a Great Harbour.

Cats are wonderful once you get used to the wave slap under the bridge deck.

Bob

Domino powercat

I think you naysayers need to go back to the first page of this subject thread and look at a few of the vessels presented there.

Then I would strongly suggest you have a look thru this extensive blog by the owners of Domino, a 20m (65') Tennant powercat that has done a considerable bit long range cruising, including offshore. They are getting ready to do the Pacific now.

DOMINO 20




By the way, I had suggested that a version of this design could be converted into a 'motorsailer' with the addition of my aft-mast rig.

Catamarans are not trawlers.....

Shallow draft !!

brian eiland said:

On another occassion I did the same with a Louisiane 37 catamaran that drew 19 inches of water with the CB's up and the rudders kicked up.

Come to think of it I took that same Louisiane 37 down along the backside of the outer islands of Cape Hatteras, NC (there were times we were pulling the boat along while walking the shallows....what a great trip that was). I'm sure there are not many boats of that size that have ever made that trip !!

That stretch between Cedar Island and Beaufort was actually where the original inland waterway used to be,...long ago. All silted in now, so no boat traffic,...except us.

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Any of you ever managed to cruise the backside of the Hatteras outer islands?

markpierce said:

Catamarans are not trawlers.

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Why not?

What do you term the PDQ's,....the Lagoon 43's,....the Mainecat 47,.....the Endeavour Trawlercats

...or this one

Song Saigon



Recent sale of yacht, sailboat or yacht

markpierce said:

Catamarans are not trawlers.....

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Monohulled powerboats are not trawlers

Presumably, catamarans are capable of greatly exceeding hull speed, thus are not recreational trawlers, which are, by definition, slow. What you have/show are dual-hulled express cruisers. No? A "fast trawler" is an oxymoron. (My apologies to any hull-speed, cruising-capable catamarans.)

markpierce said:

Presumably, catamarans are capable of greatly exceeding hull speed, thus are not recreational trawlers, which are, by definition, slow. What you have/show are dual-hulled express cruisers. No?

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No. Several of those vessels are aimed at 8 knot cruise
Can you show me where it is written that a trawler must be slow?
Efficient hull shapes allow them to go faster than an in-efficient monohull, but a trawler they still be.

If you really want to go by definition how do any of the vessels on this forum fit this description?

trawl·er
ˈtrôlər/Submit
noun
1.
a fishing boat used for trawling.

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Do any of these liveaboard trawlers get used for trawling (fishing)?