Adventure Bay Motoryachts of New Zealand is banking on power catamarans as the most important new trend in motoryachts. In 2001, Adventure Bay designed and built the 86ft Pacific Harmony, a luxury charter powercat yacht. Chartered for the America’s Cup in 2003, the Pacific Harmony was then motored to Florida and sold.
Adventure Bay has designed several models of 30ft – 56ft powercats, with production taking place at their shipyard in the Far East. Completed boats are shipped to the buyers’ country of choice. The Adventure Bay designers have a decade of experience with multihulls and are able to use this experience for innovative hull and foil designs.
You can get a good view of the Pacifica Harmony’s hull design in this YouTube video.
Admiral Powercats of Cape Town, South Africa are a new breed of power catamarans aimed at the sport, fishing, leisure and commercial markets. Asymmetrical stepped hulls and hydrofoil technology provide an extended range, greater speed and increased fuel economy. Admiral Powercat models include the 21ft Centre Console, the 42ft Prestige and the 45ft Express Powercat.
The Admiral Boat factory is one of the largest catamaran producers in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 70% of the boat produced for international export. The state-of-the-art facility includes a variety of eco-friendly processes. Cape Town is a center for boat manufacturers, with many of the leading builders in the world located along the Western Cape of South Africa.
Winterfest 2009 is a truly unique Boat Parade sponsored by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The boat lineup for the parade starts near Riverwalk and then travels north on the intercoastal route to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach.
The 38th annual Winterfest Boat Parade is being held on Dec. 12 this year. This dazzling exhibition of decorated boats and homes has been named by USA Today as one of the “Top 20 Parades in the World.” Thousands of boats take part in the parade and up to one million spectators are expected.
The 33m Curvelle power catamaran yacht is being offered with through an innovative Fractional Ownership system that allows 1 to 8 owners to each purchase a share of ownership. For many people, Fractional Ownership may be a more practical and economical way to purchase a yacht. Each owner enjoys at least 5 weeks of cruising per year for a total investment of 1 million euros. Two Curvelle yachts are planned to be completed by the 2010 season. According to Luuk V. van Zanten, Curvelle Marketing Director, each owner will feel like the yacht is their own private vessel. “Our management will enhance the experience by ensuring the owner and his family know they are aboard their own yacht. Details such as diet, drink preferences, family photos and furnishing layout will all be ready for the owners arrival.” Read more Fractional Ownership at the Curvelle website.
The 2009 St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show will be held Dec. 3-6 along the scenic waterway in St. Petersburg, Florida. In addition to a full display of more than 400 new and used boats, a variety of special events will be held in conjunction with the ninth annual St. Petersburg Boat Show. Kids can learn how to fish at free “Hook the Future” fishing clinics for kids. The St. Pete Cruisers’ Party will celebrate the cruising lifestyle. Sail America will be presenting a Marine Meteorology Weather Course, and there will also be a variety of free sailing, fishing and power boating seminars. There will also be tents showcasing the latest in marine accessories and gear.
The Motorcat 30 (MC 30) powercat is a trailerable family cruiser built in Poland by Bond Yachts. The MC 30 features twin four-stroke outboard motors that are capable of reaching top speeds of 27 knots (30 mph). The fuel-efficient hull design allows owners to use only 2 to 4 gallons of fuel per hour , as compared to 3 to 6 times more for typical power boats of the same size. The stable design of this powercat allows you to enjoy deep sea cruising while still allowing you to pull right up on the beach. You can also pull a water skier with the MC 30.
Bond Yachts claims the MC 30 delivers a smoother and safer power boat ride because it seldom rolls and has little danger of capsizing. The twin engines provide another safety factor, since if one fails there is still another one to power the boat. Find out more in this video:
A smaller boat builder named AeroCat is entering the powercat market with two new models. Located in Erie Pennsylvania, AeroCat has introduced the AeroCat Pocket Trawler and the AeroCat Center Console powercats. According to Terry Olsen, AeroCat’s owner, the name of the company refers to the unique design of the hull and air foil tunnel. See an AeroCat in action in this (commercial) YouTube video:
We’ve written here in the past about the ArrowCat family of power catamarans, described as the next generation of powercats due to their targeting of the family boating niche. Here’s a YouTube video showing one of these midsized New Zealand powercats in action. The video also includes a tour of the interior of the ArrowCat.
The SeaBob is a combination of a personal jet-ski and bodyboard. This simple device designed in Stuttgart, Germany is powered by a rechargeable electric motor and uses an impeller propulsion system to travel at speeds up to 15km/h. The SeaBob can be used to bodysurf through the waves or to explore the underwater world. It was created with safety in mind — the motor stops almost immediately if you let go of the controls. An LCD display shows engine power, battery life, water temperature and also includes a depth gauge. See it in action in this YouTube video:
Rounding the Cape of Good Hope at the bottom of the continent of Africa is one of the great boating challenges of the world. Perhaps this is the reason that South Africa is the second largest exporter of catamarans in the world, right behind France. This is quite an accomplishment, given that the reputation of South African boat builders has only been established in the past 20 years or so. The experience gained from building boats that can withstand severe weather has give the South African builders a superior edge. For more information about the powercat industry in South Africa, see this excellent article by Gregor Tarjan of Aeroyacht Ltd.
