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Accommodations.
How might it appear as a waterfront real estate ad? "Fiberglass cottage, three bedrooms, two baths, large kitchen & dining area, big deck, wonderful views." Comfortable life onboard is designed around the extensive living space provided by the extra large saloon & cockpit areas. The main saloon is divided up into two large 'U' shaped, galley and dinette/seating areas, and without partitions between them. This provides a spacious open feeling to this area.
Including the galley in this social area is analogous to the situation at most land based home parties; the kitchen invariable becomes a center of the party (in catamaran terminology this is referred to as 'galley up').
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The catamaran configuration is exceptionally adaptable at merging all these areas at one raised level which provides for a panoramic view of the yacht's surroundings. This single attribute is one I much admire about a cat. I truly disliked my old 47' ketch's 'basement saloon', where I was forced to either stand up or climb topsides to see what was going on outside. I can sit at anchor with a mornings coffee and watch all the wildlife, or duck in here while underway in nasty weather and still maintain a cautious watch.[/FONT]
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Our navigation stations are conveniently close to the entrance to the cockpit and accessible to the large table of the dinette. It also provides another seat in this social area.
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[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Just outback, the aft deck (the 'porch') becomes an extension of the main saloon with its abundant seating and stowable dining table. There are a variable host of the possibilities back here, and this area can be covered, either selectively by a pull out awning from the deckhouse roof extension, or permanently by a hardtop extension to this roof. I've shown a fishing chair option as remembered from that old Phil Rhodes design. It could just as easily be a dive center, etc., etc. That's the beauty of a Motor/Sailer. And this cockpit expanse is at the same level as the main saloon, and only a single step out a large accessible door.[/FONT]
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One other virtue of the catamaran form is the stateroom arrangement. What other vessels in these size ranges could provide 3 to 4 double staterooms, to the exclusion of any saloon conversion, and do so in such a manner as to provide a privacy to those parties of either side of the vessel from one another, and from the occupants of the saloon. Wow! The 65' version even provides for two separate crew's quarters in the bows. The layout arrangements can be modified to fit an individual owner's requirements, but the basic premise was to locate all of the living areas (excluding crew) between the two major watertight bulkheads fore & aft, and isolated from the engine and mechanicals.[/FONT]
