Multihulls Today Spring 2020

AMERICA’S PREMIER MULTIHULL MAGAZINE

MULTIHULLS TODAY

DESIGNING AND BUILDING A NEW CATAMARAN

NEW BOATS

PUERTO RICO TO THE AZORES ABOARD THE LEGENDARY JUNIPER

POWER & SAIL CATAMARANS & TRIMARANS SPRING 2020

MULTIHULLS TODAY Volume 12 Issue 2

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

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ON THE LEVEL

Chartering in the Bahamas, Pajot 110

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ON PASSAGE

Transatlantic Aboard Legendary Juniper

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SAILING SMART

Nav Station Tools

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MODERN MULTIHULLS

Bringing a New Balance to Life

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MULTIHULL REVIEW

Ocean Explorer 60 - Dragonfly 40

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MULTIHULL DESIGN

Powercats on Parade

Cover shot: Lagoon’s Sixty 7 Phtograph by Nicolas Claris

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If speed is king, space is queen

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Letter from the Publisher Power Cats Takes the Cruising World by Storm AS WE WERE PUTTING TOGETHER THIS ISSUE’S BIG report on new power cats making debuts in 2020, we had a chance to talk with a lot of builders and dealers who are making great strides in the power cat market. The general consensus is that power cats as they are being developed today are going to be the long term cruising and fishing platforms of the future. There are many reasons why.

Space is the most obvious benefit of a multihull.

Just as in sailing catamarans, power cats can provide all of the comforts of home and with two large motors and a genset, you will always have plenty of electrical power and if you install a water maker you’ll have plenty of fresh water, too. Air conditioning and heat are also part of the space and comforts benefit of multihulls living.

Speed is another real benefit of a power cat.

With the ability to cruise at 15 knots or more, in any direction no matter the wind, you can cover a lot of ground every day. That means you spend less time “getting there” and more time enjoying the next harbor, or island or seaside village. In a week of cruising you can cover hundreds of miles, which is something it would be hard to do in a sailing cat.

Speed also means you can get to the safety of an anchorage or marina when bad weather is forecast much faster than you could in a sailing cat.

Fuel efficiency and your carbon footprint are also benefits of cruising in a power cat. No one buys a powerboat with the idea that they are going to skimp on fuel, but it is good to know that a power cat can be much more fuel efficient than a comparable monohull. Fuel efficiency will save you a lot of money in the long run and will allow you to maintain high miles-per-gallon ratios. At the same time, you will be emitting lower levels of carbon dioxide than you would in a monohull and that is a good thing. Shoal draft is another benefit of power cats. Because cats are designed to run on top of the water instead of through it, unlike displacement cruising boats, they have shallower drafts. This in turn allows you to seek out great little anchorages or cruise in areas like the Bahamas, without fear of running aground. And, if you do run around, the short keels will protect the rudders and propellers.

Power cats are here to stay. Enjoy our comprehensive annual preview of some of the best and most interesting.

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MULTIHULLS TODAY

Editor and Publisher George Day Ph: 401-847-7612 Fax: 401-845-8580 george@bwsailing.com Contributing Editors Bill Biewenga Rebecca Childress Patrick Childress John Neal Amanda Swan-Neal Art Director Sandy Parks Ph: 401-847-7612 Fax: 401-845-8580 sandy@bwsailing.com Advertising Sales & Tom Casey Marketing Consultant tomcat911@comcast. net Ad Director Scott Akerman Ph: 207-939-5802 scott@bwsailing.com

MT-Multihulls Today is published by Blue Water Sailing LLC in February, May, August and November. Copyrighted 2020. All rights reserved.

Reprinting, photocopying and excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of the publisher.

Blue Water Sailing ISSN: 1091-1979

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on thelevel

Chartering in the Bahamas: Open July 1 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS OPENED the country for international travel on July 1, with some simple restrictions. All travelers flying into the country must present to Customs and Immigration officers a negative Covid19 test that is less than 10 days old. Plus they will need to apply for and get a travel visa which is available on the Bahamian Tourism Office’s website.

With travel now open, hotels, restaurants and charter companies are able to open for customers, too. The Moorings, Sunsail, Dream Yacht Charters have all recommenced taking bookings for charter parties in the Exumas and they report demand is strong right through the summer. The Exumas are a wild and sparsely populated string of islands south of Nassau, so this is a perfect place to sail, snorkel and explore while maintaining social distancing. Plus, there are a few good little beach bars and restaurants for meals ashore. https://www.moorings.com/ destinations/americas/bahamas/ exumas-yacht-charters/itinerary 6 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

https://www.sunsail.com/yachtcharter/caribbean/bahamas/exumas/ travel-information https://www.dreamyachtcharter.com/ destination/exumas/ In the Abacos, north of Nassau, the story is a little different. The island chain was decimated by Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019 with the loss or many lives, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses and the wrecking of the fleet of charter boats based in Marsh Harbor.

Cruise Abaco suffered much damage to their boats and shoreside facilities. But, month by month, boat by boat and building by building, Marsh Harbor and Cruise Abaco are coming back. The Abacos are an amazing cruising ground with lots of islands to explore, reefs to snorkel over and villages to visit. Taking a charter in the Abacos is a great way to have an exotic sailing vacation not far from the U.S. while also supporting the ravaged economy as it gamely rebuilds.

Learn more here. https://cruiseabaco.com/

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on thelevel

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8 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

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FRENCHMAN MARC PAJOT IS ONE OF HIS country’s most accomplished sailors and has for years been a builder of high-tech, high performance multihulls through his company

on thelevel

Pajot Custom Yachts. His new project is something completely different.

Working with teams of experts in yacht design, rigging innovations, composite and aluminum hull structure and energy engineers, he has come up with a yacht that will provide owners with all the luxury one would expect in a 110-foot cruising catamaran while also creating a vessel that has a relatively small carbon foot print.

Sailing is essentially a “green” activity. With the PCY Eco Catamaran, that quality can be enlarged to all of the yacht’s systems.

With high performance hulls and rig, the 110 will sail very efficiently so the need to run under power is much reduced. Roll out the sails and let the wind to the work. This is backed up by a sophisticated system of solar panels, water generators, battery storage and electric motors.

The 110’s systems through out from the sailing rig to the propulsion to the superefficient LED lighting is designed for ease of use, efficiency and energy conservation.

Check out the video of the very first Xquisite Yachts Rendezvous in the Bahamas! Click on the website below.

10 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

The living spaces are huge and the galley and crew quarters are neatly separated from the owners’ and guests’ cabins. The master suite is on the same level as the saloon and will be fit for a king. The guest cabins are commodious, too. And, there are two VIP cabins in the aft end of each hull that have

their own folding swim platforms. Pajot calls the aft end of the big cat “the beach house.”

The new Eco 110 may be the ultimate modern cruising catamaran for the modern age. Read more here. https://pajot-yachts-catamaran.com/

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Clar!s, image builder - Photos Nicolas Claris

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Transatlantic Aboard Legendary Juniper The author and crew sail from Puerto Rico to the Azores and suffer a rudder failure along the way

by David Dabney

by David Dabney EVERY YEAR, HUNDREDS OF YACHTS SAIL across the Atlantic from Europe to the Caribbean. Most boats sail back to Europe but many are left in the Caribbean by their owners who fly home for the hurricane season; but, that leaves the owners constantly worrying if they ever will see their little ships again, let alone sail them back to their home ports.

This is how I felt when I arrived back in Denmark in December 2016 with a broken leg and a bank statement clearly advising that I would be driving my Nissan Micra for a few more years. I had left Juniper, our classic Chris White trimaran, behind in Puerto Rico.

Then on September 20, 2017 hurricane Maria passed directly over Juniper’s anchorage. I remember sitting in the Green Post at 10.30 am the next day with a large brandy feeling rather glum. Dave Lea phoned and we discussed Juniper’s chances of surviving Maria’s onslaught. It was a full 11 days before I received the following note from Puerto Rico: “Juniper has survived the hurricane with no visible damage”.

14 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Thanks to a huge amount of support from my friends, I did get to see Juniper again and what’s more, we have just sailed her from Puerto Rico to the Azores. I was short of crew for the return leg so I placed an advertisement on the Crewseekers International website. Within a few days the following three had signed up.

Igor: Russian-English, 28, retired merchant banker, limited sailing experience but keen.

Robin: English-Irish, 55 years, retired nurse, five years sailing experience but suffers from bowline deficiency syndrome (can’t tie one).

Pierre: French Canadian from Quebec, 53 years, IT and math teacher, boat owner with lots of experience including Atlantic crossings.

We set sail from Puerto Rico at noon on June 1. After an hour, we had motored through the reefs, the engine silenced and the sails set. Under main, mizzen and jib we headed North for Bermuda at 8 knots.

The route home is as follows. Sail north around the Western edge of the Bermuda

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onpassage High. Turn sharp right at Bermuda and sail over the top of the Azores High to Ponta Delgada, Azores 2,850 nautical miles to the east. After some light refreshment in the Azores we will set sail for Plymouth 1,250 nautical miles to the northeast where I will be experimenting with a diet based entirely on English ale and salted snacks.

The final leg of 950 nautical miles is from Plymouth to Svendborg, Denmark. ETA July 12. That is more than 5,000 nm of sailing in six weeks. More distance than I drive the little Nissan each year.

Day 1: 24 hour run 181 miles Day one was a great success. The crew quickly got to grips with how Juniper works and I solved one of the bigger problems we had to deal with on the way to the Caribbean. The autopilot never functioned from the day we left Denmark and we had to hand steer all the way across the Atlantic. Full of optimism I opened the instruction manual and set to it.

Crew are perspiring a lot so I doubled the water ration and took a shower. Shower is an inaccurate description as it consists of a bucket of seawater over the head, a sponge down with washing up liquid and a second bucket of seawater to rinse off the suds. On my way back through the cockpit I invited the crew to try the bucket method.

Day 4: 24 hour run 132 miles.

Still making good progress north towards Bermuda.

The supermarket we used in Puerto Rico, Mr Special, was a bit different. Apart from a small green grocer and a bakery, there were aisle after aisle entirely devoted to tinned food. No fresh meat or fish. This made boat shopping e a s y .

Masses of tins, rice, p a s t a , bread, fruit and veggies. The tomatoes are peculiar. There is something odd about them.

Maybe genetically modified. I will keep one in the galley to see how long it lasts.

So, our diet is excellent. Bran flakes with an apple for breakfast, egg or tuna sandwiches for lunch. Dinner is rice or pasta with beans and freshly made coleslaw or lightly boiled cabbage. Delicious.

From a sailing point of view day 3 was rather like day 1 and 2

Day 2: 24 hour run 140 miles From a sailing point of view, day 2 was rather like day 1. Heading North at around 6 knots. My new crew are very sharp. Sails are going up and down with ease, nobody talks too much and all are appearing on watch in good time.

My personal contribution was to solve another of Juniper’s bigger problems. A mast fairlead was chaffing through the spinnaker halyard. The solution was to slide a piece of hose over the halyard where it chafes. As the hole in the masthead fitting is very small the two layers of outer sheathing were first peeled away exposing the 8 mm Dyneema core. Now, at last, we have a chafe resistant spinnaker halyard.

Day 3: 24 hour run 124 miles From a sailing point of view day 3 was rather like day 1 and 2. Heading North at around 6 knots.

It’s hot, I mean really hot and very humid.

16 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Day 5: 24 hour run 158 miles Still making good progress North towards Bermuda.

Some of my crew are metrosexual men.

Metrosexual man believes to look and smell good he must moisturize. So, every evening some of the crew cover their bodies in white greasy fluids that contain rare herbs and of course, essential oils.

“Why are you all greasing up like channel swimmers” I asked. They replied, “Come on skipper, we have to replace the essential oils that the sun has absorbed during the day” Day 6: 24 hour run 136 miles.

Bloody hell, it is hot but still making good progress towards Bermuda.

For the first time I have a vegetarian crew.

Actually, that was a lie. I did not buy any

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onpassage

meat so they had no choice. (I have stashed two cans of corned beef and two of SPAM to use as bargaining chips in the event of crew unrest).

Day 7: 24 hour run 129 miles.

At around 0100, the loom of Gibbs Hill lighthouse on Bermuda was visible to our north so we turned right and headed east for the Azores. Course 070m.

Pottering about in the Atlantic gives plenty of time for musing over things like astronomy/ astrology and meteorology. I am not looking for answers to the big questions but getting a few simple questions answered would be nice. Like: Why do the constellations look nothing like the signs they are supposed to represent?

Ok, I concede Scorpio and Cancer are acceptable but as for the rest, utter make believe.

Suzanne Andersen is joining the crew in the Azores for the last legs to Denmark. She arrives in Ponta Delgada on the June 19, so I was hoping to arrive in port by the 18th.

At 1400, the wind increased to SW 15 knots and Juniper was let free to do what she does best, surf the Atlantic rollers. Average speed is around 9 knots. Three days of this and we are back on schedule.

Day 10: 24 hour run 194 My new crew are into the rhythm and performing all tasks with a quiet professionalism.

Did you see the mileage? 194. Now that’s more like it for a trimaran. We have been surfing under full mizzen and spinnaker for almost 24 hours. This is why I bought the boat.

Before growing up and becoming boring I wanted to surf the Atlantic in a trimaran and here I am living the dream. Juniper is totally at ease under these conditions. She surfs on rails, almost no rudder required other than a fingertip tweak now and then.

This is why I bought the boat.

Before growing up and becoming boring I wanted to surf the Atlantic in a trimaran

Day 8: 24 hour run of 110 miles.

The wind has become very light. We have been jogging along at 4 knots under spinnaker for the last 24 hours and crikey it’s hot.

Sadly, I am unable to concentrate on my journal this morning as all my free head space has been taken up with a more pressing matter. The condition of Pierre’s underpants. He has not changed them since we left Puerto Rico 8 days ago. It’s not just an underpants issue, there is something bugging him.

I was mulling over how I should broach this delicate matter without causing any offence when Pierre appeared on deck and took a bucket shower. He then opened a bag and put on a brand new set of Calvin Klein boxers, new Ralph Lauren shorts and a new T shirt. Well done mate.

Day 9: 24 hour run 90 miles No change in wind speed or direction, very light SW. That puts us behind schedule.

18 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Day 11: 24 hour run 211 We have broken the 200-hundred-mile barrier under full mizzen and jib. The wind piped up at midnight so the spinnaker was bagged and the jib set.

Now, under our working rig, Juniper is easy to handle and easy to depower if the wind suddenly picks up. There is absolutely no strain on the rigging and we are flying along at over 9 knots with no spray in the cockpit.

This morning, Pierre told me he teaches navigation to commercial pilots. This is not the stuff us jolly tars do with sextants and tables.

This is the real thing, spherical trigonometry.

Personally, I am wary when good navigators are on board since it makes me dispensable.

I had better watch me back.

Day 12: 24 hour run 186 Another effortless 24 hour run. The average

for the trip is 6.2 knots. Almost back on schedule.

Juniper is now bouncing along on a reach at 9 knots with a full mizzen, full jib and two reefs in the mainsail.

At daybreak, we had a visit from a half dozen dolphin. Often, we see the small grey and white porpoises, which are about three feet long. Our visitors today were the big bottlenose, at least 10 feet long and weighing in at around 400 pounds. The dolphin came right alongside and gave us a full stare with their smiling eyes each time they broke the surface.

Day 13: 24 hour run 233 LOOK AT THAT MILEAGE. A huge 233 in 24 hours. That is an average speed of 9.7 knots and we are still charging on. We have 868 miles to go.

The wind dropped slightly this morning so the two reefs were shaken out of the

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mainsail. We are now carrying full sail in 10 knots of wind on the starboard beam. Speed 9.5 knots.

Today we finished the bread. It lasted well but that is hardly surprising as it was sugary sweet.

Day 14: 24 hour run 190.

A very respectable 190 miles. We are still carrying full sail. Wind SSW 12 knots, speed 8.5

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knots. Distance to Ponta Delgada 695 miles.

At 1830, we are carrying full mainsail, mizzen and spinnaker on a reach. A lack of concentration by the coxswain and Juniper headed to wind, her spinnaker luffing. As he pulled on the wheel to make the correction, there was no reaction and Juniper kept on ploughing on. A second attempt and still no reaction. I immediately went aft and looked over the stern. Oh dear! The lower rudder support had snapped off and the rudder was swinging freely from port to starboard.

“Ok guys let’s get the sails down, we have a problem”.

Once the sails were dowsed, we attached two lines to the rudder and unbolted the remaining support and the steering quadrant. The rudder departed abruptly bending the top support and quadrant. Using the mizzen halyard the rudder was lifted over the rail and lashed to the cabintop.

Juniper was now drifting back to America at 1.5 knots on a course of 260 degrees. This was the exact reciprocal course to the one we wanted. If we could only jibe or get the bows through the wind Juniper would continue towards the Azores albeit rather slowly.

After a brainstorming session we came up with the following: A bucket that could be 22 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

moved to port and starboard was attached between the floats and towed.

The engine was started and put in forward gear.

The reefed mainsail was hoisted.

After five minutes, Juniper started a very slow turn to port, the bucket was moved to port to assist the turn and the crew backed the mainsail by sitting on the boom. Juniper’s bows came to wind but the mainsail suddenly tacked throwing the crew across the deck.

On the third attempt, the bows went through the wind and the jib was unfurled.

We are now sailing at 4 knots, eleven degrees off course and steering with a bucket. As it was dark and moonless night, we continued under this rig until daybreak.

Now, we have run out of coffee.

Day 15: 24 hour run 110 110 nautical miles steering with a bucket.

That is not too shabby.

At first light, the crew, although satisfied with the bucket as a steering mechanism, felt a more permanent solution should be sought. Igor suggested I use a leaf of the dining table as a rudder blade. I was reluctant as the dining table is the only bit of lacquered mahogany on the boat. He correctly pointed out that the portside leaf was the correct size and shape for a rudder.

So, this is what we did: First, the lower rudder pin had to be removed from the hull bracket as the pin would be used to attach the new rudder. Sitting in the bosun’s chair I

was lowered over the transom and into the Atlantic. After a few minutes I had wrestled the pin out of its bracket. With the pin back on board we could start fabricating the new rudder.

All the good hardware was removed from the original rudder and transferred to a long gatepost that I just happened to have lying about. This would be the rudderstock. Next, the dining table or rudder blade was passed up through a deck hatch and bolted to our new rudderstock. Finally, two short planks were bolted to the head of the stock to form the tiller.

I was lowered into the Atlantic for a second time followed by the new rudder. I managed to insert the pin through the rudderstock and the transom fitting. The lower part of the new rudder was now secure.

Once back on board, the top of the rudderstock was lashed to the transom and

the sails raised. And guess what? It worked.

We set off for Ponta Delgada very pleased to be back on course at a reduced 5 knots.

Day 16: 24 hour run 123 The first 24 hours sailing with our varnished mahogany rudder and we have made 123 miles. That is an average speed of 5 knots, which is more than enough to get Juniper to Ponta Delgada before the drinking water runs out.

The crew have been excellent. I have just been on watch with Igor who, to my amusement, talks a bit like flight deck officer Chekov of the U.S.S Enterprise.

Q. Igor how is the lunch coming along?

A. Sandwiches under construction Captain.

Q. Any chance of some tea, Igor?

A. Boiling of water initiated Captain.

Sandwiches for lunch. That was the last of

www.MultihullsToday.com 23

onpassage the cucumbers and tomatoes.

Day 17: 24 hour run 130 The dining table is doing rather well as a rudder with no visible damage apart from the varnish, which has started to peel. Dining is less formal as we only have half a table, those on the portside having to settle for TV dinners from their laps. I hope to dismantle the new rudder and put everything back in its rightful place before we leave the Azores.

I seemed to have banged my left knee rather badly and cracked a rib while I was under the boat installing the rudder pin.

There is a lot of fluid on the kneecap. I am sure a couple of hours on a bar stool in Ponta Delgada will be the perfect cure.

Last of the eggs were used in an omelet.

Day 18: 24 hour run No idea what the run was as I was busy on deck and did not record our position.

The wind dropped at noon as we got closer to the Azores so the little diesel was started which gives a stunning 5.0 knots at 1650 RPM. Pierre found another jar of coffee. I don’t normally drink instant but this stuff from Puerto Rico was brilliant.

Day 19: 48 hour run 221 Very good mileage under these light conditions. At 1530, we broke through the 100 miles to go barrier.

The engine has been on for over 24 hours and is ticking along just fine. The little Kubota has suffered from several irritating coolant leaks since we left Denmark back in 2016. I just found and cured the last of these, a leaking radiator cap.

After three weeks sitting on a shelf in the galley my genetically modified tomato is looking perfect. Can I be genetically modified? Probably too late.

Day 20 0300 and we are 70 miles from Ponta 24 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Delgada. The engine is still clattering away in her own little world as small diesels do.

Time is 1110 and the harbor wall is just 6.3 miles away. I am going on deck to prepare for the next part of this challenge, parking a 52-foot trimaran without a proper rudder.

1300. We are tied up on the commercial quay behind a whale watching boat.

Now, I have read all the books and believe me ours was one of the greatest escapes in modern yachting. No rudder, 700 miles from land on a passage that can dish up some really nasty weather. I will accept your pats on the back for our ingenuity in creating a rudder from a dining table. But, there is more to it than that.

To say we have been fortunate with the weather is an understatement. The wind has blown from SSW at 10 knots day and night since the original rudder broke free of the transom. The apparent wind has therefore been precisely on Juniper’s beam. This is the only point of sail we could hold without putting too much strain on the makeshift steering. Luck, good fortune, call it what you will, but this time the gods have been kind to this crooked old mariner.

I collected the passports and trotted off to the customs quay for visits to the marina office, the customs office, the police office and finally immigration. On my return to Juniper I found a large pile of luggage on the quay. Igor and Pierre had had enough. I had paid them to complete the trip. This being the case I bid them farewell with a polite “Fuck off” and gave them back their passports.

I passed by the whale watching boat to ask the owner/skipper where on the island the broken rudder bracket could be welded.

He took the bracket and invited us out for some whale watching. When I enquired about the cost he pointed at Juniper and replied: “If you can cross the Atlantic in that boat, you don’t pay.”

Steady on mate, she is a fine little ship.

22rd June

0630 The skipper returned the bottom rudder bracket all welded up and strengthened.

Cost 20 Euros. I added two bottles of whiskey

to the payment.

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Nav Station Tools NAV STATIONS HAVE CHANGED, AND they continue to change. We now have more means to gather positioning, performance and weather data than ever before. In addition to GPS, VHF, SSB, and weatherfax, we now have nearubiquitous satellite communications to connect us to the Internet, computer displayed digital charts, weather satellite picture receivers, smartphones and various other gadgets to help gather an ever-increasing amount of information.

But despite all of the new tools we’ll discuss here, the older, more traditional tools not only have their place in the modern nav station, they still provide the most reliable foundation for our work as navigators and onboard decisionmakers. We still need the means and understanding of how to put an LOP (Line of Position) on a paper chart and the knowledge of why that’s important.

New technologies shouldn’t merely replace existing tried and true techniques; they should augment and enhance them. Electronic instruments, plotters, radar, A.I.S., and satellite communications aren’t meant to be replacements for your senses, charts, 26 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Here’s a look at the modern chart table and all of the amazing devices that are changing the way we navigate and communicate by Bill Biewenga hand bearing compasses and radios.

These technological wonders are meant to more efficiently identify, quantify, and help you to better analyze the data that your more traditional approaches identified or may have missed. The day that you have an electrical failure, you will have a sincere appreciation for the traditional tools and processes. Managing all of the available information efficiently will give you an appreciation for today’s electronic onboard marvels. Both are required in today’s information age.

Of course, the newer electronic equipment has a prominent, increasingly popular, and well-deserved place in the nav station. Instrument manufacturers like Raymarine provide us with access to a vast array of data. As with most things, there are numerous instrument

manufacturers that can provide a variety of levels of sophistication, ranging from Garmin to B&G and Ockam . Whether you’re looking for low cost, ease of installation and use or high-end data collection and the ultimate in accuracy, there are plenty of options and a range of costs. They will all provide you with information about wind speed and angle as well as other things. How many other things and the accuracy associated with those data points will – to a large degree - determine the cost.

A modern nav station will provide a wide variety of information. Radar will enable one to pick up a buoy in fog, track a target or see your way through a rain squall.

Raymarine and Furuno provide some of the more common radar units, although Garmin and Simrad also provide a large number of units to the marine recreational market.

Organizing all of that data into one central location often entails the integration with a marine plotter or multifunction display (MFDs). Well beyond the scope of merely providing an electronic chart, MFDs integrate A.I.S., instrument data, radar images and often have the ability to overlay digital weather

forecasts. MFDs often end up being the unifying element, acting as the boat’s central nervous system.

Of course, one can also have an onboard computer, augmenting and backing up the MFD. With generally superior computing power, the vessel’s computer often also adds communications to the mix, enabling text and email messaging and even video through suitable communications devices such as SSB or – more commonly – satellite communications services.

MFDs also come from a wide variety of manufacturers, most of which are listed above. A few of the more common ones include Raymarine, B&G, Garmin, Simrad and Furuno, but you may also want to explore the others.

As the modern navigator is, in a sense, becoming the onboard Chief Information Officer, the data that is available to us now is not limited to what we see around us. With satellite communications enabled, we have access to up-tothe-minute resources on the Internet or from experts ashore. Single Sideband HF radio still has its role to play in the nav station, given its unique and sometimes critical ability to broadcast and receive

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sailingsmart broadcasts, run low cost email programs and receive weather data, but satellite communications are becoming more ubiquitous. Some of the more common marine SSB manufacturers include Icom , Furuno, and SEA. They, and others, also provide both hard wired and portable VHF radios.

For cruisers wanting immediate calls and other forms of communications, satellite communications are currently the way to go, and that, too, is offered in a wide variety of flavors – and costs.

Of course, we’re all used to picking up the phone, dialing a number and getting in touch with almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world. HF radios aren’t quite that simple, but satellite telephones are. On the lower cost end of the spectrum, Iridium and Globalstar have approached satellite communications from slightly different perspectives. Iridium has a constellation of 66 satellites circling the globe providing comprehensive worldwide coverage through their little portable handheld unit. Now, Iridium provides WiFi connectivity through Iridium GO to your own Smartphone – anywhere on the planet – creating a hotspot for up to five Smartphones or tablets.

Globalstar uses a smaller number of low earth orbiting satellites to provide partial coverage of the globe. A few years ago, Globalstar had rather significant problems establishing and maintaining calls due to the fact that several of

28 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

their first-generation satellites went out of service. Those problems seem to be behind them, however, and Globalstar has introduced a number of new devices and options including the ability to create remote hotspots and maintain connection via your Smartphone while off the grid. Utilizing Globalstar satellites, SPOT also continues to evolve into a more comprehensive, wide-ranging tracking and communications technology. For tracking and instant messaging, my favorite is Garmin’s InReach unit which utilizes Iridium’s satellites and provides a larger coverage area. It goes with me on all of my passages so that I can provide a current track of my progress or send an instant message to friends and family back home.

There are other electronic devices, as well, some of which don’t necessarily inhabit the nav station. Autopilots enable us to spend less time driving in tedious conditions and more time analyzing data so we can make good decisions.

Simrad’s autopilot (formerly made by Robertson) is probably one of the better units. Robertson had built autopilots for Scandinavian fishing trawlers years ago, and their reputation for reliability and simplicity for controls has continued with Simrad. Raymarine also makes wellknown autopilots, formerly produced by Autohelm. Sailboats are also turning more frequently to vessel management and integration systems to monitor tank levels,

power supplies and other mechanical devices.

CZone monitors systems throughout the boat and enables the opening and closing of valves or switches while also integrating its management with plotters. Navigators can now change fuel tanks without leaving the comfort of the nav station.

Convenience for the navigator is a welcome change. We’ve all been inundated by increasing amounts of information, most of which is extremely helpful in making informed, intelligent decisions. With the limitations of time and the almost unlimited amount of information that’s available, we need to streamline the data inflow and integration into the decision-making process. However, having said that, we also need to be prepared for the inevitable emergencies that await us around the next corner. The

day we have a power failure onboard our boat, the vast majority of those new technological labor-saving devices will be useless. Being responsible for the safe navigation of our vessels and the safety of those onboard implies that we also need to be prepared for emergencies.

Don’t forget the traditional tools and how they’re used. Paper charts, dividers, parallel rulers and other “things of the past” must still be part of our inventory in today’s nav station. Those things of the past could very well save your future.

www.MultihullsToday.com 29

modernmultihulls

What’s really involved in designing, engineering, tooling and building a new catamaran?

by Andrew Hodgdon

Bringing a New Balance to Life IN EARLY 2019, CO-DESIGNERS OF THE a new catamaran model unless they are Balance 526 Phil Berman and Anton du Toit, were discussing the best way to build on the success of our award-winning catamaran.

Due to my growing role at Balance Catamarans, I was fortunate enough to be brought into the brainstorming process and excited to share my insights from the past decade as a professional multihull captain. We started the conversation based on a trend that we had noticed in the feedback from many of our customers; they loved the design and build quality of Balance Catamarans but wanted a smaller option at a lower price point. We were eager to enter this segment of the market but needed to be cautious.

It should first be mentioned that no company will go through the process of creating 30 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

quite confident it will sell and have a strong market. Creating a new design, engineering it, and building the tooling is very costly. For that reason, many builders use the same tooling for a decade or more; they simply make slight revisions to it after a few years in order to call it something new.

I am amazed, as a yacht broker, how many one or two decade old designs are still being marketed and sold, often as brand new models. This is due entirely to the high cost of designing and tooling up a new boat.

The good news for Balance was that we had very high demand for our 526 and 482. We knew our concepts and designs were well vetted and, therefore, felt confident the mar45 favorably to an entirely ket wouldLeopard respond

new 44-foot model that shared the DNA of her very popular larger sisters.

DESIGN OBJECTIVES It was imperative that we capture the same soul of the 526 and 482, only this time in a more compact package. The resulting concept was christened the Balance 442. The objective of the 442 was to create another fully modern, daggerboard equipped, worldvoyaging catamaran. It must also be truly livable for a couple or family to sail anywhere in the world, along with the expected equipment they would need to carry. The task was made easier because the boat was a refinement and scaled down version of the 526 - a tested design, with tested features.

We knew several of those features absolutely must be transferred from our flagship model to the new 442 design. We had to include the innovative VersaHelm, we wanted to maintain the 6-foot, 8-inch headroom throughout the interior, and the design had to share the same balance of livability and performance that is our namesake.

Meeting at the office of Du Toit Yacht Design in Cape Town, South Africa, we began the laborious process of bringing a new Balance model to life.

The process began with an overall design brief. Phil, Anton and I wanted to sustain a real performance orientation in the new 442 without sacrificing her livability and payload capacity. We had to decide on the basic dimensions of the new boat and the list of necessary equipment she would need to have aboard. All liveaboard catamarans need much of the same equipment – watermakers, solar panels, two engines, refrigerators, freezer, air conditioning, etc. The smaller you go in size, the more challenging it is to equip a catamaran properly and keep her light enough and narrow enough to achieve that ideal balance. Based on those parameters, we then determined the materials we would use for her construction. We also had to consider the size and layout of her sail plan and match it to her projected displacement to achieve our performance goals.

DESIGN PROCESS We accelerated the design process by taking the specifics of the Balance 482 and simply shrinking them on a computer aided design program (CAD) to see where we would have to alter the 442. Anton then began the brand-new design by drawing the hull and cabintop of the vessel using the

www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 31

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measurements that we’d already agreed upon. Once we had a basic drawing, Phil and I gave our input about possible adjustments. Let’s give the bows a slightly sharper rake. I would prefer a rounded curve to the hardtop bimini. Make sure the davits aren’t pushed back too far. Eventually, spars and sails were added to the drawing. The trampoline and longeron dimensions became clear. We decided on the perfect size and outline for the sugar scoops. Slowly but surely, we started to see the new vessel taking shape on the screen.

Next, we moved the design focus to the interior. We played around with different placements of cabinetry, lockers and heads striving to find the best fit for all the necessary equipment. Tables moved from one side of the saloon to the other. Companionway stairs shifted fore and aft to find the best placement in relation to the daggerboard trunks.

It became a game to see who could come up with the best idea for saving a few inches here or an extra centimeter there. Believe it or not, we actually got out a tape measure. We rearranged Anton’s office furniture so that we could simulate the space in a hallway or through a doorway. We stood on a chair to determine the height of a shelf or locker.

We stacked books to see the clearance of a step. We had to have a clear understanding of how people would live and move in these

spaces, using every bit of space to the best application. Always with the knowledge that Balance owners need to be comfortable in these spaces both at sea and at anchor. No detail could be overlooked or disregarded.

A great design is the culmination of thousands of small decisions and subtleties that most people miss

32 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

A great design is the culmination of thousands of small decisions and subtleties that most people miss. It is always about attention to the smallest things which, if gotten right, add up to a superb finished product. Can you sleep on her? Lounge on her? Is there good visibility from the helm – up or down?

Is she managed easily under power or sail?

Does she have enough cabinetry for long term storage? Does she have enough payload to carry equipment – tenders, kayaks, etc? Does she have enough headroom to avoid turning tall people away? Will she perform upwind? Will she ride over the seas or pound hard into them? Every choice is a decision that is a balancing act between form and function. Always striving to design a catamaran that is a marriage of beauty, functionality, and speed.

Once we were all happy with the overall

design, we handed the project to Anton’s amazing design team to finalize. They scoured the layout looking for imperfections. Will this door open all the way? Will this plumbing be obstructed? Can this angle be improved?

They put in hundreds of hours staring at every minute detail on the screen.

HAND OFF TO THE BUILDER Finally, the revised drawings were sent to the builder, Mark Delany at Balance Catamarans Cape Town, who has the daunting job of taking the design and turning it into reality.

This inevitably leads to another round of revisions and adjustments as Mark dealt with the reality of taking a drawing and bringing it to life. Not only did we have to design the boat well, but we had to design the boat to go together well. So, it went, with all parties to the design process working together to make a great catamaran. It is the collective belief

at Balance that a total team approach to the design and build process improves our product. Disagreement, push back, and collective head scratching from as many knowledgeable parties as possible inevitably yields the best results.

It brings me great joy to play just one small part in the development of such amazing products. I am only one person in a process that will eventually involve over two hundred others, who dedicate their professional lives to building incredible catamarans. We are all very eager to see the new Balance 442 come to life over the next few months. Moving from a simple design on a computer screen to a floating work of art, carrying its new owners across oceans and creating memories they will cherish for a lifetime.

Andrew Hodgdon is the Technical Director and a yacht broker at Balance Catamarans.

www.MultihullsToday.com 33

multihullreview

Ocean Explorer 60 Is a World-Class Cruising Cat

W

hen the first Ocean Explorer 60, Like a Breeze, was launched in Finland in 2013, the owners set out right away to do exactly what the big cat was designed and built for: Explore the world’s oceans. After sea trials, the new owners sailed the boat south to join the 2013 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers fleet in the Canary Islands. From there, they took their brand-new boat—hull number one—across the Atlantic Ocean. That the 3,000-mile crossing was a success and Like a Breeze made landfall with almost no gear or equipment failures is a loud testament to the quality and craftsmanship that the Finnish builders put into their work.

34 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

Designed by German Frers and built in Finland, the new OE 60 combines, style, luxury and speed

by George Day

OCEAN QUALITY SYSTEMS The OE 60 and its subsequent sisterships, and the new OE72, are built by a company called Ocean Quality Systems (OQS), which is based in Jacobstad on the west coast of Finland. As most sailors know, Finland has long been one of Europe’s leading builders of high quality sailing yachts. It is home to Nautor’s Swan and Baltic Yachts. Plus, the country has numerous smaller builders who serve the Scandinavian and Northern European markets for cruising and racing sailboats.

OQS was founded by four marine companies that each has a long track record of excellence and innovation in their fields.

Riskas Snickeri, which was founded in 1980, builds fine interiors and joinery for yachts and mega yachts of all sizes. Polypoint has been in the marine engineering business for more than 20 years and is renown for its expertise with all sea-going systems from energy charging and distribution to onboard plumbing, water-making and waste-water management.

Acu-Electro has been installing, maintaining and repairing all types of marine electronics on yachts for 30 years and has earned a reputation for reliability and excellence. Lastly, Wi-Bo is a metal fabrication shop that has been designing and building stainless steel, titanium, aluminum and even iron gear and equipment for yachts, super yachts and ships for the past 40 years.

This group of companies joined together to create OQS with the aim to build cruising catamarans capable of sailing the world’s oceans in comfort, safety and style. Their vision from the beginning was to deliver quality second to none, in the Nautor’s Swan and Baltic tradition, and to provide on-board systems that are reliable, safe and easy for an amateur crew to handle. The company’s name, Ocean Quality Systems, says it all.

OE60: DESIGN & RIG OQS worked with yacht designer German Frers for the OE60 with the brief to come up with a fast, elegant, comfortable cruising cat that would be appropriate for a family who wanted to explore the world together. The boat needed to be thoroughly modern and have better than average sailing qualities without being ultralight or liable to fly a hull. Hull number one was going to be a passagemaker capable of sailing around the world.

The design Frers came up with incorporates all of the items in the brief and more. With a slightly

reverse curve to the sheer lines, the reverse stems at the bows and the angled transoms, the yacht looks purposeful and sleek. The saloon and coach roof sit quite low above the hulls and add to the elegance and sleekness of the design.

The cabin top is sculpted into a curved shape that evokes wings in flight. The wraparound windows in the saloon, eight deck hatches and the five square side windows in each hull allow a lot of natural light into the interior spaces and aesthetically break up the look of the side panels of the hulls.

The 60’s hulls are narrow which means the boat will get up to speed quickly and will perform well in light and moderate breezes.

Curved daggerboards inside each hull will give the 60 better upwind performance and will also be steadier and more comfortable in lumpy seas as the daggerboards, when part way down, dampen the hull’s motions. With retracting rudders and the daggerboards, the 60 can explore coves and anchorages off limits to boats with deeper drafts.

Bridgedeck clearance on a cat is one of those dimensions that too often gets overlooked or glossed over as a builder or designer works through the natural compromises that go into a new design. But clearance is critically important: too little and waves will continually slam the bridge deck making life in the saloon and even the ability to sleep in the cabins difficult. The OE60 has

onpassage

more than enough clearance to give the boat and her crew a quiet and comfortable ride in just about all sea states.

The 60 has a fairly traditional, poweredup, performance cat rig with a carbon mast and boom, swept back spreaders, no back stay and a large square-top, fully battened mainsail. The main drops into a pocket-style boom and is controlled with lazy jacks so one person will be able to lower the sail or raise it alone while using the autopilot to keep the boat head-to-wind. Halyards run to the forward cockpit so crew can see the sail clearly when raising and lowering it. The doubleended main sheet and the sheet cars on the traveler can be trimmed form either helm stations.

The headsails are set up so you can control both the jib and the staysail from the cockpit and both are on electric roller furling systems. Both headsails are self-tacking, which makes upwind work simpler. The staysail will be the headsail of choice in breezes over 25 knots or so. The jib and staysail sheets 36 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

and control lines run aft through line stoppers next to the electric sheet winches.

This leaves the decks uncluttered and the tails next to the helms.

The bowsprit is set up to fly downwind sails. You can opt for a Code 0 on its own free-flying furling system, or go with an asymmetrical spinnaker on a top-down furling system.

The EO 60 will be a joy to sail in all conditions and promises to be a fast passage maker. The crew of Like a Breeze saw over 20 knots on the speedo a few times on their passage across the Atlantic. The crew of the OE60 Cygnus Cygnus had 300-plus nautical mile, 24-hour periods, with numerous times over 20 knots and a top speed of 27.4 knots, LIVING ABOARD With the twin helms, the actual outside living space is solely for living. There are two identical dinettes to port and starboard that each will sit six people and provide lounging areas for those off watch. The area under the hard top can be secured with an Isinglass enclosure that will make the cockpit warm

and dry in bad weather. Crew at the helms or trimming sails will have to don foul weather gear in such conditions.

The saloon has an amazing galley to port with a huge L-shaped counter, two drawerstyle refrigerators, a four-burner stove and oven and tons of storage space. The galley island down the middle of the saloon has twin sinks, a drying rack for dishes and an under counter waste bucket. Any family will find this galley as good as or better than anything ashore and will make social life aboard at mealtime a communal affair.

The dinette on the starboard side has three comfortable director’s chairs along the inside and bench seats on back sides so you will be able to sit eight comfortably for dinner when eating inside. The views from the dinette table through the saloon windows are unobstructed so you will always know what is going on around the boat. Plus, the bench is long enough for an adult to sleep on when off-watch at sea.

The 60 can be configured in a number of layouts since each one is built to an owner’s specifications. But, OQS offers the basic fourcabin, four-head plan. They also offer a galley-down plan that has the galley aft in the Knysna 500SE

port hull and a crew cabin with upper and low berths tucked into the hull aft of that.

Each of the cabins has plenty of storage and in the owner’s version, with the starboard hull turned into a master suite, there is ample room for a couple who wants to live aboard for long periods.

The first 60 was finished with teak soles in the cockpit and saloon and a light-colored veneer on all of the furniture. You can see the expert hand of the Riskas Snikeri crew everywhere you turn. The workmanship in the joinery is of the highest yacht style. On pure fit and finish, the OE60 will stand with any custom yacht anywhere.

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS Since OQS was founded by technical professionals who have extensive expertise in their areas of mastery, it is no wonder that the OE60 is something of a technical marvel. The electrical, lighting and plumbing systems are as advanced as you will find on any yacht. The marine electronics, both at the helms and at the excellent nav station in the saloon, can be as expansive as any owner could demand.

OQS state as part of the company’s www.MultihullsToday.com 37

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vision that they want to offer the OE60 and her larger sisters as “green” yachts that have a very small carbon footprint and do not flush untreated black or gray water into the oceans. To that end, they offer a solar array on the cabin top that charges a huge Mastervolt battery bank that in turn can drive a Torqeedo electric power propulsion system, which would be augmented by a diesel generator.

To deal with waste water, they offer a “greenpack” sewage treatment system that employs an Ecomar water processing unit

38 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

that draws from each head’s holding tanks.

Ecomar builds water treatment systems for cruise ships so they know a thing or two about waste water. Designing such a system for a 60-foot catamaran is a leap into the “green” future.

GO SAILING The OE60 falls into a category of luxury, 60-foot plus catamarans that has been active and growing in the last few years with new designs appearing annually from France, Poland, South Africa and China.

With the formation of OQS and the launch of the Ocean Explorer line, there is now a player in this luxury market that brings all of the traditions of Finish luxury yacht building to the center of the world cruising cat stage.

For a couple or a family, the OE60 will make a fine and stylish floating home and a very fine, performance cruiser that can safely and comfortably take them anywhere in the world.

Read more here.

Watch a virtual tour here.

After taking hull number one of the new Ocean Explorer 60 catamarans across the Atlantic only months after commissioning, the crew of Like a Breeze sent the builders the following report.

ON BEHALF OF LIKE A BREEZE CREW, WE HAVE the pleasure to inform that on Dec 10th at 10.27 UTC the first OE60 concluded the ARC race in Rodney Bay Marina on St Lucia, the Caribbean. Due to weather conditions. we had to cover 3,011 miles and used for that 15 days 22h 27 min making average speed of 7.8 knots. Our top speed during the course was 21,3 knots. From 226 yachts that started in Las Palmas, Canary Islands on Nov 24th-including racers, cruising monohulls and multihulls-- Like a Breeze crossed the finish line 12th overall, 2nd in the multihull class and 2nd in the cruising class.

Describing the features the OE60 showed during the voyage, despite some small technical problem, we have to admit that it is probably the best combination of luxury and performance in the multihull world.

The hulls provide a smooth, silent and comfortable motion both upwind and downwind. Most probably the perfect

weight balance and light rig, makes OE60 extremely stable in any weather conditions.

That feature makes it possible to have the wine glasses standing on the table even with 8 meter Atlantic waves; it’s a boat for people who admire comfort.

Luckily our wine cupboards were well equipped and we managed to enjoy every single day of the 16-day voyage. Our set of sails worked perfectly in apparent wind angles from 30 to 155 degrees. Considering the prevailing wind direction, we were missing straight downwind sails but always in life you need some room for improvement. All equipment on board except the ice-making machine worked as expected.

We congratulate German Frers and OQS team for their success, send our best greetings to everyone who loves the sea and based on our now total 6,300 nm experience, we highly recommend ocean voyaging onboard an OE60.

www.MultihullsToday.com 39

Dragonfly 40: A Cruiser that Sails as Fast as the Wind

by George Day

M

ost of us have never sailed or cruised a modern trimaran. They aren’t all that common, in the first place, and they are a bit odd in the view of most monohull sailors.

They used to be called sailboats with training wheels.

But step aboard a modern tri and take it for a whirl in a fair breeze and you will have your socks knocked off. Even the heaviest of modern tris will sail at speeds in the mid-teens and 40 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

the more performance-oriented designs will get the speedo to the low 20s.

That’s exactly what happened when the Owner and CEO of Dragonfly Yachts in Denmark, Jens Quorning, took the brand-new Dragonfly 40 out for its first real sail test in Denmark, where Dragonflys are built. The breeze was a steady 18 knots. With the full mainsail and the Code 0 set the new 40-foot tri accelerated quickly and soon was pegging the speedo at 18.5 and then 19 knots. They were sailing as fast as or even faster than the wind.

Plus, they were sailing on a level boat and they were warm and dry in the large aft cockpit. The thrill must have been palpable. The boat’s theoretical top speed is somewhere in the mid to high 20-knot range. There’s a link

Bermuda in two days instead of four or five. Imagine sailing right around squalls at sea or racing to a safe harbor before a developing storm. Very appealing.

to a fun video of the boat sailing below.

Sailing fast is fun but most of us do not need or want to sail at 20 knots or more for long when we are cruising since doing so means we’re hanging on and paying very close attention to the sails, the boat and the watery world around us. Those speeds are for afternoon sprints and the race courses.

At high speeds, if something goes wrong, if you run into something, or if a person falls overboard, the problems are compounded enormously.

But sailing at 12 to 15 knots, easily and steadily, now that has a lot going for it. Imagine making the Gulf Stream crossing from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini in the Bahamas in four hours. Imagine sailing from Newport to

DESIGNED FOR CRUISING The new Dragonfly 40 has the speed to do all of that in safety and comfort. The largest and most sophisticated trimaran that Quorning Yachts has ever built, the 40 was designed from the git go to be a couple’s or family cruising boat with all of the systems and comforts modern sailors demand in their new boats. Into the design went the Quorning family’s 50 years of trimaran design and building experience, plus the input from hundreds of their owners.

The main hull is beamier than on earlier Dragonflys and has a large chine that keeps water off the deck and out of the cockpit and adds volume inside the boat for more living space. The floats have wave piercing bows that slice effortlessly through the water. Under the water the hull shape is fairly flat, which makes it easy for the 40 to get up onto a plane quickly and stay there. The centerboard will greatly enhance upwind performance and unlike modern catamarans, the 40 will sail as close to the wind as monohulls. The large high-aspect rudder will make steering the boat a breeze and when raised will allow you to explore shallow bays and coves.

The cockpit is large and split into two zones, the sailing area aft and the lounging area forward. With twin helms, you will always have a clear view of the sails and of what’s ahead. All halyards, sheets and control lines lead aft to electric winches and line stoppers with halyards and control lines running www.MultihullsToday.com 41

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in conduits under the deck. This arrangement means all of the line spaghetti can be kept at the helms and neatly out of the way of those in the forward cockpit. The 40 comes with an open transom but an optional folding stern is available that folds up when sailing and down when anchored and swimming.

The engine and hot water heater are under the cockpit sole and partitioned from the boat’s interior to reduce odors and noise.

The hatch is large enough so access to the engine is excellent. The engine runs a sail drive that has a folding propeller.

The floats each have two large access hatches so you can store lines, fenders, spare sails, folding bikes and even kayaks. A special kayak access hatch in the transom of one of the floats is an interesting option. Trimaran sailing is all about keeping the boat light. But, cruisers like their toys and in the 40, there is plenty of space for them.

Between the floats and the hull are the large trampolines that add a huge amount of deck space. These are great for lying in 42 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

the sun or for having a dozen friends over for sundowners.

The new boat has a permanent bow sprit from which you can fly a Code 0 or asymmetrical spinnaker. Because the 40 is so fast, the apparent wind will often be forward of the beam even when reaching and running, so a Code 0 will be a very useful sail.

The 40 comes in two versions, Touring and Ultimate. The touring has an aluminum mast, a high roach mainsail and a self-tacking jib.

The Ultimate has a taller carbon fiber mast, a large square top mainsail and the sail tracks that allow you to fly a larger overlapping genoa.

Like all of her Dragonfly sisterships, the new 40 has a simple way to fold the floats back against the sides of the main hull, which reduces the beam to 13 feet and thus allows you to moor the boat in a normal marina slip. It takes two minutes to fold or unfold the floats.

The deck layout and rigging plans are designed for fun and fast sailing, but everything has been tailored for a couple or family

who want to have the best of both the performance and the comfort worlds.

LIVING ABOARD With all of the interior living space in the main hull, trimarans have always had less interior volume than monohulls or catamarans.

(The NEEL tris are the one big exception.) The decision to build their largest trimaran ever by the Quorning family was largely based on the need in the market for a performance tri that was large enough and roomy enough for a couple to live aboard for extended periods without feeling like theywere camping.

The new 40 has two large sleeping cabins, one in the fore peak and the other tucked neatly under the cockpit. The main living area has the L-shaped galley to port with a stove and oven, refrigerator and plenty of storage for cutlery, plates and dishes and all the supplies a cook needs. The head is across from the galley and has a hand-held shower.

The saloon table is built on top of the centerboard trunk and has folding leaves. You can easily get six adults around the table. The port settee can be converted into another double bunk so you have good sleeping facilities for six.

The cabin and salon are full of natural light from the large cabin windows and the multiple overhead hatches. With a white overhead and the light colored veneers and joinery, the interior is bright, warm and inviting.

The finish work is of very high quality.

Couples who may not have considered a trimaran because of the cramped accommodations will feel right at home aboard the new Dragonfly 40 and will be comfortable living aboard for weeks and months at a time as they explore their cruising world at utrahigh speeds.

For more information click here.

To watch a short video of the Dragonfly 40 sailing click here.

multihulldesign

10 New Power Cats in 2020

ON A BLUSTERY AFTERNOON IN, FALMOUTH, Cape Cod, I jumped aboard a Buzzard’s Bay 34 power catamaran with the owner and builder for a test run on Nantucket Sound.

The cat was powered by two big outboards.

It had an enclosed saloon with a galley and small dinette. Going forward it had the stateroom in the starboard hull and the big head in the port hull. We followed a big sportfisherman (monohull) out the channel into the sound and then put the throttle down, as did the big sportfisherman. The chop was made of big square waves built by strong breeze against the current. The sportfishman was pounding like crazy as it crashed into each wave and seemed to almost stop with each impact. The BB 34 was completely different. The narrow hulls cut through the waves like a hot knife through butter as we passed 44 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, spring

the sportfisherman doing a steady 20 knots, level, not pounding and not crashing.

Therein lies the difference between a single hull powerboat and a power cat. And, it was an eye opener.

Power cats do have a lot going for them. They offer much more living space than a similarly sized monohull, they are much more fuel efficient, and they are much more comfortable in all types of sea conditions. All of which explains why power cats are the flavor of the month and year in the marine market. Just about every catamaran builder now has at least one power cat model in its fleet.

Aquila 70 The brand new Aquila 70 is scheduled to debut in 2020 and will be the company’s flagship power cat. Aquila has grown into the world’s leading builder of power cats for the cruising and yachting market with dealers in more than 30 countries. In the new 70, Aquila has created a boat that has true

mega yacht styling, comfort and performance, yet it still shares the brand’s DNA. The owner’s suite will be a true stand out for buyers since is spans the full width of the 27-foot wide hulls. The guest cabins are luxurious and spacious with huge windows and their own en-suite heads and showers. Crews’ quarters are in the bows.

For the American market, the galley is in the saloon so mealtime is also the social time aboard. The dining table is huge as is the table in the cockpit so you will always have room to entertain guests. The galley can also be in the port hull which opens up the saloon into a huge space. The flying bridge will add another living area which, as an option, can be entirely enclosed so you can be air conditioned.

For those in the market for a very large, very fast, very luxurious yacht, the new Aquila 70 should definitely be on the short list. Read more and watch the video here. https://www.aquilaboats.com/models/ power-catamaran/70 Bali 4.3 MY The new Bali 4.3 MY packs a lot of lounging and living space into a compact package.

Bali yachts are built by Catana in France and have been created primarily as charter boats for the Dream Yacht Charter fleets around the world. The 4.3 MY continues the Bali theme of building boats that are truly indoor-outdoor living spaces. The saloon and

cockpit can be made into one wide open living space by sliding back the huge glass doors. The dining table is in the cockpit while there is a huge sofa built across the transom.

The cockpit is covered with the flying bridge so you can be outside yet still protected from the weather.

The flying bridge is another huge living and lounging area and this will be the spot for sundowners and al fresco lunches. It, too, is covered with an affixed Bimini top. The bow area is another living and lounging area with a large sofa, a low coffee table and an acre of cushions for sunbathing.

The standard model destined for charter fleets has a four-cabin, four-head layout in the hulls. An owner’s version will have a master suite in one hull and two cabins with heads in the other. The new Bali 4.3 has a distinct and racy look. With two 250-hp. Yanmar diesels it will get up and go, too, so you can cover a lot of ground during a week-long cruise. For more information click here. https://www.bali-catamarans.com/en/ catamarans/bali-4-3-my-2/ Fountaine Pajot MY 44 Once again, Fountain Pajot turned to French naval architect Daniel Andrieu to design their new MY 44 and the results are both very stylish and innovative. Two design elements stand out right away. First, the MY has two helms, one on the flybridge and one at the forward end of the saloon, where you will be safe and dry even in torrential rain.

This is a great feature. The second is the use of Volvo IPS drives on the two 400-hp. Volvo

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diesels. The combination means the MY 44 will have a very good turn of speed and will be even more maneuverable than most catamarans.

The saloon has a large dinette with a folding table. The galley is aft and has an enormous U-shaped counter and a full standing fridge and freezer; whoever is cooking or washing up after will like this space a lot. The flying bridge has the helm to starboard and a lounge to port. At the after end, there is a large L-shaped sofa with tables. In good weather you will spend a lot of time up there.

Across the foredeck there is another open air lounging area with its own cockpit The owner’s version has the master suite, with a walk-around double berth and large head, in the port hull will be the guest cabins, heads are in the starboard hull. The charter version will have four cabins and four heads.

The styling of the new MY 44 is ultra-modern but still has the warmth and feel of a proper yacht. This is a 44-footer that you can take anywhere and live aboard for weeks or months at a time. Read more here. https://www.motoryachts-fountainepajot.com/en/motor-yachts-catamarans/ catamaran-motor-yachts-my-44/ Lagoon Sixty 7 At a reception aboard the Lagoon Seventy 7 a few years ago, Lagoon managing director Yann Massalot noted for the assembled yachting press that the new large Lagoon power cat appealed to a very high

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end clientele, the owners of mega yachts who were downsizing to something less complicated and more intimate for their families and friends. He also noted that they were selling as fast as Lagoon could build them and the company was building a new factory just for the big cats. The one-tenth of one percent strikes again.

In a less formidable package but still at the very high end, the all-new Sixty 7 packs a lot of luxurious accommodation in a very modern and attractive package. VPLP created the design for Lagoon and noted designer Patrick Le Quement did the exterior styling. The interior and living spaces were created by Nauta Design. The Sixty 7 can be either an owner-operated cruising boat for experienced skippers or you can have it set up for a professional crew, usually a couple.

There are several versions of layouts available, some with the galley down in the port hull and some with the galley as the centerpiece of the saloon. The galley down versions work best when professional crew will be managing the boat while the galley up versions are primarily for owner operators.

You can have several cabin plans from a four-cabin, four-head configuration to a sixcabin, six-head, plan.

The interior and exterior living spaces are very stylishly laid out and the furniture looks like it came from exotic furniture designer Roche Debois. The new Lagoon Sixty 7 has the living space of a 100-foot monohull and will make a great floating home for discerning owners. Read more here.

https://www.cata-lagoon.com/en/ sixty-7#video LEEN 56 Power Cat NEEL Trimarans turned the multihull world on its head 10 years ago with the introduction of the NEEL 45 cruising trimaran. The new design did not put the living quarters down inside the three hulls but, instead, placed them on top of the hulls in an expansive cabin that made use of the boat’s vast beam. The 45 neatly combined the great sailing performance of a tri with the living spaces and great views of a cat. The launch was an amazing success and NEEL hasn’t looked back since.

Last winter at the Dusseldorf boat show in Germany, NEEL launched their new power cat concepts under the smartly named LEEN brand. Not only does LEEN spell NEEL backwards it also refers, we suspect, to the new designs’ fuel efficiency and small carbon footprint. The 56 is unique. It’s cockpit joins the saloon on one level through large sliding doors so the outside and inside dining tables almost join. Imagine the dinner parties you could have. And, to go with that the huge galley is just forward to port and is more like a real kitchen than you will see on most boats of this size. The owner’s cabin in the starboard side of the saloon with huge windows and a small home office desk and chair. Its head is down six steps in the starboard hull and has a separate toilet compartment, twin his and her sinks and a huge shower.

Forward of the saloon is the bridge with the steering and nav center to starboard and an L-shaped couch to port, which has a

flat screen TV mounted in front of it. This is the home cinema. There is a day head down a spiral stair in front of the bridge and forward of that is a double guest cabin. The main guest cabin occupies the port hull and there are two more guest cabins tucked onto the starboard hull and under the transom.

Up top the flying bridge has a hard top over the helm and lounge plus a screened area for sunning just aft of it. The dinghy rides on the aft end of the flying bridge and is deployed and retrieved with an electric crane arm. The new LEEN 56 is going to turn a lot of heads and will make an excellent coastal and even trans-oceanic cruiser.

Read more about it here. https://neel-trimarans-group.com/ Leopard 53 Power Cat The new Leopard 53 Power Cat, built by Robertson and Caine in Cape Town, South Africa, made its debut in the US in 2019 and immediately took its place as one of the leading power cats in the 50-plus size range.

Although it is a big cat, most competent boat handlers will find it both easy to manage in close quarters and plenty fast enough to knock off really good daily runs. The twin 370-hp Yanmars give the 53 a top speed of 25 knots (light ship) and a cruising speed of 17.5 knots. So, you can cover 140 miles in a easy day’s run. At 8 knots, the 53 has a maximum range of 1,330 miles so the boat is truly a long range, blue water cruiser.

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The 53 has a huge saloon that joins seamlessly with the cockpit for indoor-outdoor living. The main dining table in the cockpit will seat six in good weather while you can have the same party sit down for meals in the saloon when the weather turns sour. The flying bridge will be the space where you will spend a lot of time. There is the two-seater helm to starboard, a bench seat to port, a dinette and a large lounging area.

The 53 is set up for luxurious living aboard.

The owner’s suite in the starboard hull has a large centerline double berth, a small desk/ vanity and a chaise lounge. Forward the master head is huge and has a shower large enough for two. In the port hull, there is a VIP guest cabin which is as commodious as the owner’s cabin and a second smaller guest cabin. Both have their own heads.

For a couple or a family, the new Leopard 53 Power Cat offers a huge amount of cruising value, comfort and style. Plus, it will be economical to run and offers her owners a wide world of cruising opportunities. Read more about it here. https://www.leopardcatamarans.com/ catamarans/leopard-53-powercat

like a buffet for those eating outside. Inside there is a large dining table with drop leaves that can seat six or be folded and lowered to become a coffee table. The flying bridge will be the social center in good weather so whomever is running the boat can be part of the party. The forward lounge area has two curved sofas and two large sunning beds.

The public spaces aboard the 47 are positively sybaritic.

The master stateroom with a double berth aft and a huge head forward take up the full starboard hull. A couple could live here happily for years on end. The port hull has two equal double cabins, each with its own head.

The 47 has a powering range of over 1,000 miles at 8.5 knots miles which makes it a proper long range cruiser. You could get from New York to Bermuda in three days and still have a third of your fuel in reserve. For an adventurous couple or family, the new Nautitech 47 has a lot of fine qualities and above average performance. Read more about it here, https://www.nautitechcatamarans.com/ en/47-power.html

Nautitech 47 Power Cat The new Marc Lombard designed 47-foot power cat for Nautitech is a stunning addition to the power cat fleet and one that adds new levels of performance and style. The French builder was purchased by Bavaria a couple of years ago and is now part of a well-established and financially secure boat building conglomerate. The 47 power cat joining the Open 40, Open 46 and Open 541 sailing cats. All three designs are known for fast and efficient performance through the water.

The 47 has three outside living spaces, the aft cockpit, the forward lounge area and the commodious flying bridge. The cockpit has two bench seats and a table that will seat six for meals. The cockpit joins with the saloon via double sliding glass doors. The galley fronts the starboard glass door so when they are open, food can be staged on the counter

Silent 55 All-Electric Cat Last year at the Cannes (France) boat show I had the opportunity to go out for a test ride aboard the aptly named Silent 55. The big cat is powered by solar panels, with a backup genset, and driven by two electric motors. As we pulled away from the dock, there was no engine noise at all, just the faint whir of the propellers turning through the water. The cat handled just like

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any twin-engine catamaran. Once in open water, we pushed the speed to maximum and were pleased to see that even with the smallest engine package the boat motored at 8 knots. Like an electric car, the power system is monitored by a computer that gives you a constant reading of the state of the batteries, the current rate of discharge, the rate of incoming charge from the solar panels and a calculation of time and distance available for motoring.

The 55 can be built with three different power pages. The smallest, cheapest and slowest has 70 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity, two 30-kW motors and a 20 kW genset. This will give you a cruising speed of six to eight knots with a top speed of 10 knots.

The mid-range power package has a 140 kWh battery bank, two 135 kW motors and a 100 kW genset with a top speed of 14 knots.

The top end performance package has a 210 kWh battery bank, two 250 kW motors and 100 kW genset with a top speed of 18 knots.

The Silent 55 has a large comfortable flying bridge where you will run the boat in good weather and an inside steering station in the saloon. The cockpit and saloon all flow together nicely to make inside-outside public spaces. You can have the galley in the saloon or opt to have it down in the port hull. The master suite is forward of the saloon and down three steps; this occupies almost the entire 24-foot beam of the boat and is an amazing cabin with tons of light and ventilation. The guest cabins all have en-suite heads. The fit and finish of the Silent 55 is yacht style and will appeal to those who demand the best of European luxury. The Silent 55 is a unique and interesting entry into the electric boat category and will make a fine cruising boat. Read more about it here. https://www.silent-yachts.com/silent55/

sailing catamarans They always knew there was a market for an equally unique and innovative power cat, so they decided to push the project forward and introduced the design of the X5 power cat.

The all new design has the signature Xquisite Targa-style arch aft, which means the boat will be instantly recognizable. The design has a huge flying bridge with an equally large hardtop over it. Forward, there is the centerline helm and instrument console while aft there is a large dining table for up to eight for al fresco meals.

The cockpit is not all that large since you will be living up on the bridge most of the time. This allows the interior spaces to be made much larger than you might find on other 50-foot power cats. Still, there is plenty of room for another dining table and a long bench settee.

The X5 power cat has several different interior variations with the standard having three cabins and three heads with the owner’s suite being in one whole hull. Or you can opt for the four-cabin, four head versions.

Xquisite yachts are built in South Africa in a boutique factory so you can work closely with Tamas and Sara and their design team to configure the new boat to your specifications. Sure to be a sensation when it is launched, much like the X5 sailing cat, the new power cat is going to turn heads and surprise you with its high level of fit, finish and technical innovation. Read more about it here. https://xquisiteyachts.com/ x5-power-standard

Xquisite XS Power Cat The concept for the new Xquisite X5 power cat has been evolving for the last couple of years as Tamas Hamor and Sara Hajdu have built a very successful business building X5 www.MultihullsToday.com 49

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