Have any of you guys considered going over to the Dark Side...

[GravyStain]

So why aren't power cat's more popular then?

I see some about abroad in Med and so forth, very few over here?

Why?

They are a bit marmite I guess.., the older ones, although reasonably priced don't tick boxes that a lot of people want. they suit people who want to spend a LOT of time at anchor and going at displacement speed with no desire to rush (although they can still cruise at 14 kts, and the newer ones even quicker).

I think they are great , but internally (on the ones that I can afford), they just don't make me feel special, and (again, on the older ones), the berths are compromised.

Newer ones are a different story as they have been designed ground up to be power only, and they are also fitted out to a much higher "superyacht" level, with berths to match.

If all that frippery is irrelevant to you then they are an amazing option for (relatively) cheap cruising, if you ignore the mooring costs and hassle of geting into marinas.

***I should say that this is only from reading and listening to other peoples experiences***

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Beauty (ok, that's in the eye of the beholder)... Pitch stability. Narrow hulls. Beam seas behaviour. Windage. Anchoring difficulties. Higher marina fees. Fewer marina berths. Harder to get a visitor berth... Parking. Limited places that can lift you. 2x scrub and antifoul costs.

Eww. Not for me. But @GravyStain might be just what you want!

 

[Hurricane]

Beauty (ok, that's in the ye of the beholder)... Pitch stability. Narrow hulls. Beam seas behaviour. Windage. Anchoring difficulties. Higher marina fees. Fewer marina berths. Harder to get a visitor berth... Parking. Limited places that can lift you. 2x scrub and antifoul costs.

Eww. Not for me. But @GravyStain might be just what you want!

I think you are being a bit harsh.
I appreciate that there are disadvantages but there are lots of benefits as well.
Space is the big one but your point with antifouling isn't correct - a cat's hull is much smaller but there are two of them so about the same surface area.
For general cruising, out in the open water, IMO, the beat a mono hull - particularly stability.
They are safer in shallower water etc.
You really need a full pros and cons to fully appreciate the differences.

About 18 months ago, a group of us from SC went to look at a Lagoon 43 power.
It might have been this one but wasn't in as good a condition as this one seems to be.
2001 Lagoon Power 43, Benalmadena Spain - boats.com
The one we saw had a massive substantial hydrofoil between the two hulls - just below the water line.
In its day, it would have been a lovely boat.
I. certainly think it is worth considering cats.

At SCM, I believe that cats have a special pricing structure.
I know lots of yachtie cat owners at SCM and thedon't moan about the berthing costs.
And if the cat is narrow enough to get into our boatyard lift, shore side costs etc would be much the same as a similar sized monohull.

Here is a pic of the widest cat that we get into our boatyard.
Dock fenders are removed - just the carpet left on the sides of the dock when this one is lifted!!

 

[ontheplane]

But if you only pay 1.5 times marina fees, it looks to me like you get at least that uplift in the accommodation. So a 40ft cat seems to be more akin to a 50-60' monohull

 

[Seastoke]

I had a look at a DAZ CAT 12,95 sail only but the fit out was poor i thought , i dont know if they do a power cat.

 

[James L]

I think you are being a bit harsh.
I appreciate that there are disadvantages but there are lots of benefits as well.
Space is the big one but your point with antifouling isn't correct - a cat's hull is much smaller but there are two of them so about the same surface area.
For general cruising, out in the open water, IMO, the beat a mono hull - particularly stability.
They are safer in shallower water etc.
You really need a full pros and cons to fully appreciate the differences.

About 18 months ago, a group of us from SC went to look at a Lagoon 43 power.
It might have been this one but wasn't in as good a condition as this one seems to be.
2001 Lagoon Power 43, Benalmadena Spain - boats.com
The one we saw had a massive substantial hydrofoil between the two hulls - just below the water line.
In its day, it would have been a lovely boat.
I. certainly think it is worth considering cats.

At SCM, I believe that cats have a special pricing structure.
I know lots of yachtie cat owners at SCM and thedon't moan about the berthing costs.
And if the cat is narrow enough to get into our boatyard lift, shore side costs etc would be much the same as a similar sized monohull.

Here is a pic of the widest cat that we get into our boatyard.
Dock fenders are removed - just the carpet left on the sides of the dock when this one is lifted!!

I am also very tempted by a Lagoon 43 at some stage in the future.
A friend fishes in a 10 meter cat and I was asking him about it.
No problem hauling out, can be lifted by a normal crane, on a flat cradle or just run it straight up onto the beach.
He had an issue with pitching into big head seas, broke the deck between the hulls (but he would be out in crazy weather, the rougher it is the better for the shrimp)
He fitted a hydrofoil between the hulls and that solved the pitching, but he did have to adjust it as first go it tried turning it into a submarine when running down the back of a big wave.
Very few marinas around here so not so worried about finding a berth.

 

[GravyStain]

But if you only pay 1.5 times marina fees, it looks to me like you get at least that uplift in the accommodation. So a 40ft cat seems to be more akin to a 50-60' monohull

Yes... Apart from the berths... Long, but narrow.

 

[GravyStain]

Beauty (ok, that's in the ye of the beholder)... Pitch stability. Narrow hulls. Beam seas behaviour. Windage. Anchoring difficulties. Higher marina fees. Fewer marina berths. Harder to get a visitor berth... Parking. Limited places that can lift you. 2x scrub and antifoul costs.

Eww. Not for me. But @GravyStain might be just what you want!

Scala, they don't tick enough boxes for me (the older ones), but I'd take a good look at a Fontaine Pajot MY 44 or better still an Aquila 44 with a huge centre berth.

Waaaaaay outside of my budget though

 

[GravyStain]

I am also very tempted by a Lagoon 43 at some stage in the future.
A friend fishes in a 10 meter cat and I was asking him about it.
No problem hauling out, can be lifted by a normal crane, on a flat cradle or just run it straight up onto the beach.
He had an issue with pitching into big head seas, broke the deck between the hulls (but he would be out in crazy weather, the rougher it is the better for the shrimp)
He fitted a hydrofoil between the hulls and that solved the pitching, but he did have to adjust it as first go it tried turning it into a submarine when running down the back of a big wave.
Very few marinas around here so not so worried about finding a berth.

The Lagoon 43 has a huge aft berth if memory serves. Not a pretty craft, but very practical.

 

[GravyStain]

I had a look at a DAZ CAT 12,95 sail only but the fit out was poor i thought , i dont know if they do a power cat.

The fit out on Cats generally have a far more practical slant compared to Mobos... Not as luxurious in general. A lot more GRP on show and less headlining , trims, leather etc...

Arguably not an issue for many people. Personally I like the luxury touches although they do come with a touch of paranoia...

 

[Bajansailor]

I had a look at a DAZ CAT 12,95 sail only but the fit out was poor i thought , i dont know if they do a power cat.

Roy, the Daz Cat folk have a range of power cats from about 17' - 64' - have a look at :
Powercats - The Multihull Centre

 

[ontheplane]

Those Aquilia do look nice - no UK dealer tho - what price are they?

 

[GravyStain]

Cheapest I've seen is around £750,000...

I'd better get a lottery ticket

Lovely Cat though!

 

[ontheplane]

£750K for a 44 footer??? WTF??????

That's truly crazy money.

The 36 ftr with a pair of COX diesel outboards might be nice.....

Does anyone know - have those COX outboards gone into production and are they now on sale?

 

[ontheplane]

To answer my own question, it appears they have, as have OXE Diesel - there are now 2 x diesel outboards on sale in UK....

Not sure what the prices are mind!

 

[Bajansailor]

This seems to be the cheapest Aquila 44 on Yachtworld, for US$ 750k - newer ones are asking around US$ 1 million.
2016 Aquila 443 Power Catamaran for sale - YachtWorld

This is what Boat Test has to say about her -
Aquila 44 (2018-) | BoatTEST

Here is a 36 with twin Mercury Verado 350 hp -
2019 Aquila 36 Power Catamaran for sale - YachtWorld

And a Boat Test Report for the 36 -
Aquila 36 (2018-) | BoatTEST

On the Cox Marine site they mention that the 300 hp outboards are in production -
The CXO300 Diesel Outboard Engine - Cox Marine

 

[ontheplane]

Wow - that is off the scale expensive - can't think how on earth they can justify those prices - that's double or triple the cost of a similar monohull - I'm guessing that's why we don't see any dealers over here!

Yes both the COX and the OXE are in production.

Interestingly the OXE do a 125, 150, 175, 200, 250 and 300hp versions - whereas the COX is just the 300 - no idea on prices.

 

[Bluemu]

The Aquila 44 has quite wide hulls and, if memory serves me, is heavy. Not the best combination for fuel efficiency.
I will try and find the figures again and update my analysis of powercats...

 

[ontheplane]

Acutally just realised it's not double a monohull - the price of new boats has gone mad!

Still, it is expensive!

 

[Cyclops Rooster]

I have an Aquila 44, and I think you nailed many of the pros and cons. It's lackluster on fit and finish. However, extremely stable yacht, fuel economy is not bad if you operate at trawler speeds. Master cabin is huge, overall space is great. Super easy to pilot and dock albeit, it has a 21'6" beam. I've had some quality issues with it thus far, but every boat has those. In general I would recommend it. We are looking at the Aquila 54 as an option as it provides better fit and finish, more space and many learnings from the 44 are applied to the 54.