SafeHaven Marine of County Cork, Ireland, specializes in pilot boats, work boats, survey boats and passenger vessels, including both monohulls and powercats (we’ve featured their Interceptor pilot boat in a previous post). 

SafeHaven boats are designed to withstand the most demanding weather and sea conditions.  Their Wildcat powercat series features symmetrical planing hulls and full-length keels for greater stability.  A large flush aft cockpit, central helm console and comfortable seating make the Wildcat as accommodating as it is powerful.

Read more about the Wildcat on the SafeHaven website and see amazing footage of the Wildcat 36 undergoing sea trials in gale force winds and 15 ft seas off Cork Harbour in this YouTube video.

The Big Cat Poker Run is scheduled to take place July 22-23, 2011, in the California Delta. Offshore monohulls and power cats will compete to raise money for local charities. The event is sponsored by the Discovery Bay Lions Club. 

We love the concept behind of Poker Run races and have blogged about it here in the past. This as much a game of chance as a race. Power boat navigate a charted course at top speed, stopping at 5 designated card stops to pick up a sealed envelope containing a playing card. At the finish line, all envelopes are opened and the boat with the best poker hand is the winner.

To see footage from another Poker Run held earlier this year, check out this YouTube video of the Miami Boat Show Poker Run 2011.  You can find out more about the Big Cat Poker Run on the official website.

We’ve written in this blog about WorldCat power cats, a top manufacturer of high-performance fishing and cruising power catamarans.  In 2009, WorldCat owners Andrew Brown and Chris Brockway bought Glacier Bay, the oldest U.S. maker of catamaran’s and WorldCat’s biggest competitor.  Two more acquisitions followed in 2010 – Carolina Cat and Livingston Boats.  At this year’s Miami Boat Show, the PowerCat Group made its debut as the union of these four brands.

We’ll be looking at some of the current offerings of the PowerCat group in our next few posts.  You can learn more about the company on the PowerCat Group website.  You should also check out this PowerCat Group YouTube video that shows why mono-hulls just can’t compete with powercats on the high seas.

The Moorings is one of the world’s top powerboat charter companies. One of the services offered by The Moorings is Moorings Power Yacht Charter. A fleet of 37ft and 47ft powercats provide a perfect option for families and friends to enjoy the excitement of a powercat vacation. The charter service is available in 6 exciting worldwide destinations, including the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Baja California, Thailand, the Seychelles and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. For more information, see the Moorings Power Yacht Charter website.

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.

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 basic design of the catamaran boat goes back thousands of years.  The stability of the catamaran’s twin hull design allowed people and cargo to be transported safely across the Pacific Ocean.  These are some of the benefits of the catamaran design and of powercats:

• Greater stability, since a powercat doesn’t pivot on a centerline the way a mono hull does.

• Allows fishing from one side without listing.

• Shallow draft allows greater access to areas unreachable by conventional hulls.

• Wider footprint facilitates navigation of rolling seas.

To see a World Cat in action in big waves, check out this video:

If the idea of a bareboat vacation sounds intimidating or like too much work, you can also take a crewed powercat cruise. Read an article here about a crewed powercat cruise of the Greek Islands. Whether you choose a crewed or bairboat powercat cruise, it’s sure to be the adventure of a lifetime.