A thread devoted to Big Power Cats. I´ll start with the biggest I have touched. It is a 90 m / 300 feet proposal for a Malaysian Cruise Company where the dimensions were given and I could fit in 40 suites with balconies and very spacious common areas. With waterjets she should offer a very silent and vibration-free ride. This was in 1994, but as too often I have lost track of what happened with the project, has anyone seen her, send me a PM!
Thank you Lars! Big cats are my favourites! Some years ago I surveyed the worldwide market as editor of the powercat section in a specialized magazine "Catamaran World". This title didn't survive, but that's another story. I know plans exist to start building big powercats on spec, semi-custom, close to Europe, in the very near future. One of the models on the production schedule should be a not-all-too-new design by Luiz de Basto. Updated and slightly lengthened she would still be a very nice lady!
Moecca The reference of big cat yachts! Recently I heared a gossip stating that, due to overweight, Moecca is now limited in speed to some 12kts. Does anyone have information on this?
Moecca is a very nice Cat, but has had performance problems since new. I think they predicted 30 knots top speed and reached 22 or something like that. Even with bulbs and a hydraulically adjustable foil the speed is on the low side when having almost 7.000 hp on 240 tonnes of boat plus 80 tonnes of fuel. This is the downside of pioneering new routes, you never know until you have tried. But to run the yacht in 12 knots is probably the most fuel efficient under the circumstances, I don´t think there are other reasons behind.
I´ve just found a 60 m version of my 90 Cat, built by Austal/Oceanfast 1999. Pretty much the same anyway... She was now up for sale for 5.5 m Euro if anyone would like to have a nice mini cruise ship or convert to a spacious private/charter yacht.
Here is the Cat No. 1. It's not a yacht, but it could be a yacht. It's a ferry to Helgoland. I have read that she was built by Austal.
This is not a Yacht or even a Cat, but still very impressive! Benchuga Express is the latest launch from Austal.
The spray is from the two steerable waterjets which with over 10.000 hp each is causing quite a lot of jacuzzi-bubbles even at idling. The third centerjet has another two 10.000 hp..., which is needed to get the largest aluminium boat in the world to reach over 40 knots. She is 127 m long and 30 meter wide! You can read all about her here; http://www.austal.com/news/article.cfm?news_id=123
These boats has few water resistance and they are faster. And they have a lot of deck space. That is what I know. Anymore advantages?
A monohull boat is not so wide like catamaran or a trimaran. So I say on a monohull boat is not so much space.
As you could read in the link, this is the advantage; ".... "Benchijigua Express" achieved a speed of 40.4 knots whilst carrying deadweight of 500 tonnes. With a capacity to carry 1,350 passengers and 341 cars...."
