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Power Cat vs. comparable monohull yacht

Discussion in 'General Catamaran Discussion' started by Pelagic Dreams, Nov 26, 2011.

  1. u4ea32

    u4ea32 New Member

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    But to specifically answer your question, Brian: I'm not ready to post specifics yet, as I'm still early in the design spiral. But to get what we want, its going to be between 50 and 100' LWL, between 7.5 and 9' beam, about 10,000 lbs loaded displacement, sandwich e-glass/vinylester, twin 60HP outboard, several high performance windsurfer rigs and a ballasted centerboard for positive drive roll stabilization. All of the above are from trade studies, they were not driving requirements.

    The driving requirements are: clear view of horizon sitting, sleeping, and standing; excellent ventilation; sufficient galley for gourmet meals; sufficient hanging lockers for nearly all clothes (avoid mold!); wide open interior to greatest extent possible; low total cost of ownership and low peak cash flow requirements; go anywhere we want to go, but that includes avoiding bad sea conditions and careful routing (easy to do without time constraints); 2500 miles for less than $1000 at expected future fuel prices ($10 per gallon).

    All of the above are easy to achieve only if SL is kept below 1, and DL is below 20 -- really, about 4 to 6! But very easy to achieve if and only if L is quite long. Sounds bizarre, but do the engineering, and its pretty straightforward, pretty much all about the structural engineering.
  2. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    the problem I'm having here is you have chosen to compare a vessel that's built and out there performing at X, with an imaginary vessel that you hope will come in at that displacement with that performance.

    In all of your examples so far I have yet to see a real live 100 footer with an 8 foot beam?

    ....and at that length to beam ratio in a monohull I would imagine she would need some roll stablization....have you accounted for the drag of those appendages?
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2012
  3. Pelagic Dreams

    Pelagic Dreams Senior Member

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    I love all the great suggestions and comments on this post. I have learned quite a bit and it has made me think...which is what this is all about.
    One of my original questions in the post was how a mono hull and a power cat of the same length compare in price. I know that a a new Hampton endurance E650 lists for 2.65mil. Anyone have a price on a Cat of the same or near length?
    At new....you have to weigh 1. features, 2. sea keeping, 3. systems and 4. price. We see it as a mixed bag of some of each, more of this, some of that, to come up with what works best. And with us....room on board both above and below decks. No one wants to be confined in small spaces for an extended period.
    So, any price comparisons?
  4. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    Speaking in just generalities, consider that the hull of a vessel represents generally about 10-15% of the cost of a finished vessel. With the multihull you are going to have considerable more surface area and volume in hull materials, and the fitting out of same....so lets say the multihull could cost you twice as much in hull cost. Assuming both vessels are the same length, and same twin engines, etc, you can expect to pay at least 10-15% more for the multihull....
    .....but you'll end up with a lot more living space...and more favorable distributed per privacy of separation
  5. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    I sent you a private message about a week ago...just wondering if you received it?
  6. kkreicker1

    kkreicker1 Senior Member

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    Having two large homes as well as several club memberships I still get a high from being out on the water. I am still very young and have to work (thank god for satellite internet), but when the weekend rolls around. I love nothing more than to untie and head out to a new port of call. Then again I also love to take the Whaler out to the yacht club for lunch as well. :)

    If I had to put my two cents in on this conversation it would be like this... One Hull. I am a single man who likes to travel alot via water. I like the idea that I only have a 22' beam. I don't have to run all over the place to try and run around to set lines.

    I don't know what kind of budget you both have but the east cost sells some great single hull boats. They are great to work on and with.

    Good luck and best wishes!
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    And what exactly are you going to do with a floating submarine? A 100' yacht with an 8' beam would hardly be a yacht. There wouldn't be any room inside to do much of anything with. Basically you're speaking of the hull design similar to a submarine, yes it might be fuel efficient, but who would want to buy or own it? If you want a big yacht that is fuel efficient yet also useful, why not just go with a 100' Sailboat where you'd at least have stability and room inside?
  8. YachtmasterBVI

    YachtmasterBVI New Member

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    Sunreef Yachts

    Interesting perspective on Sun Reef Yachts, not sure I agree. We are now seeing several Sun Reef yachts here in the BVI, both 70ft power cats and 62ft sailing cats which are in charter and doing fairly well. I have been aboard both the power and sail charter versions. A reasonably new 70 foot Sun Reef powercat, Damrak II passed through here about a month ago and is scheduled to be in the upcoming Miami Boat Show.

    Two days ago I was speaking with the Captain of a private use 62 ft sailing Sun Reef Cat. He said he had to deal with the usual new boat gremlins, but he liked the boat and at a year and a half old, it has already crossed the Atlantic Ocean three times.

    Moorings has quite a few 47 ft Leopard powercats in their charter fleet here in the BVI and they charter very well, I see them out on the water all the time.

    Rumors abound that a charter version of the Horizon powercat will soon be making an appearance here in the BVI.

    I am currently looking after an owners version Leopard 47ft powercat for an absentee owner. Although not top of the line, it really is quite a nice boat. It does however, hobby horse a bit in choppy seas. It has Volvo Penta D260 engines and will top out at 23 knots! Surprisingly it is relatively fuel efficient as well. Sadly, the owner has decided to sell it.
  9. Pelagic Dreams

    Pelagic Dreams Senior Member

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    Power Cat length?

    Can anyone tell me if the length of a power cat vs. the beam effect the ride quality? It seems that it is now we are seeing more power cats over 60' and upward. Does the longer hull lines make it more "slicing" through waves? Is a longer hull more efficient? I know that there are a bunch of variables, but given a moderate load, would a longer hull be better overall?
  10. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    Absolutely the longer hulls are more efficient, just don't utilize a slenderness ratio that is too extreme, ...and try to leave some weight (accomodations,etc) out of the extremities.

    I've attached a good article from Malcolm Tennant that appeared in Professional Boatbuilder.

    Then I've given you a LOT of reading material in some extensive discussions on the subject that I've participated in elsewhere:
    Monohull verses Multihull powersailers / motorsailers - Boat Design Forums

    Striking New Power Cat Design - Boat Design Forums

    Catamaran Conversion - Boat Design Forums

    Unusual catamaran hullshape - Boat Design Forums

    ....there's a test coming after you read all of this :eek:

    Attached Files:

  11. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    62' Powercat for Sale

    Well that good friend of mine has decided he is going to sell his vessel as his treasure hunting days are limited.

    Here is the listing along with photos I didn't have.
    1999 Catamaran Malcolm Tenant Cat Craft Custom Pilothouse Power Boat For Sale
    Bill's 62 Tennant cat.jpg

    $750K...a good deal by todays std's to build a new one