Conser 47

[multihullsailor6]

I am quite interested in the Conser 47 catamaran. The information I have been able to find on Blackle / Google is very limited.
Does anyone have any experience with this cat?

[Aussiesuede]

Give this member a shout. He owns one:

dpollitt



Here is video of one sailing in Hawaii. Apparently a well performing (fast) cat. Here is the blurb accompanying the vid of this particular Conyer:

This boat flipped over in 2004 with 10 people on board 2 miles off Lanai. A fishing boat rescued everybody a couple of hours after it capsized. It was towed back to harbor upside down, and righted with a crane. It was said to be triple reefed at the time, and went over when the wind gusted from 35 to 60 plus knots.

YouTube - Catamaran "Paragon" sailing in Maui

Specifications for the Conser 47
LOA 47.0 ft. LOD 47.0 ft. LWL 45.0 ft. Beam 24.0 ft. Draft 3.8 ft. Displaces 12,000 lbs. Sail Area 1,065.0 sq. ft.

[ejlindahl]

This boat is for day charters out of Lahina. I sailed on it last year. You can too for ~$150, google Paragon sailing Hawaii. We hit 17 knots in much less wind than the video, about 15 knots I'd guess with about 20 people aboard. They boast 20 plus knots on their afternoon speed sail charter. Yee ha! It is a performance boat. Adequate accomodations, but not a Lagoon. The salon is small and open so would need some modifications for cruising. It had a single ~75 hp triple longshaft outboard. With an odd stern helm station but fine for day charters. I saw one on Ebay a few years back named Battlecat in the Great Lakes area I think. It looked more cruiser oriented with saildrives, but was definately billed as a performance cat. Seemed like a pretty good deal. I'd consider it if you need performance. No bridge deck slapping of any consequence in moderate seas on my trip. For its age and all the hard use it gets it seemed like it was holding up ok. John Conser was the designer. Wish I had one.

[fhrussell]

Contact Wayne Iwamoto at Gil's Catamaran in Costa Mesa, CA. He can put you in touch with John Conser.

[Joli]

It was in our area for one season. Gotta believe you need to be a pretty snappy sailor to keep it together on that boat. They have a tall rotating rig and it looked like it could get out of control pretty damned quick. Big power, big speed, big trouble if your not on your game all the time.

Not something most people would take cruising.

Originally Posted by ejlindahl

I saw one on Ebay a few years back named Battlecat in the Great Lakes area I think. .

[Tellie]

I did a lot of work on Dave Pollitts Conser 47 "Shearwater" and I'm in contact with him practically every week as he is cruising the Pacific. These are fast and powerful Cats. The hulls are narrow and tight. A fun boat to be sure, a real Hot Rod. Daves a single handler and experienced. I'd be leary suggesting this boat for long term cruising especially with several people on board. If it's weekend type sailing you'll have a blast. Definitely drop Dave a line http://www.sailblogs.com/member/mangoandme/ He's a VERY interesting guy. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Tell him J.T. said Hi.

[fhrussell]

If I remember correctly, John Conser had entered into a business deal where the Conser boats were to be manufactured in China. But, there were some difficulties during the transaction, the molds were already in China, and the deal fell through. I believe the molds are still there just sitting...or have been destroyed.

[multihullsailor6]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Definitely drop Dave a line http://www.sailblogs.com/member/mangoandme/

Thanks for that link, interesting reading.

[RunawayC47]

Originally Posted by fhrussell

If I remember correctly, John Conser had entered into a business deal where the Conser boats were to be manufactured in China. But, there were some difficulties during the transaction, the molds were already in China, and the deal fell through. I believe the molds are still there just sitting...or have been destroyed.

Unfortunately the molds for the Conser 47 went to South Africa in 2002. They were damaged in transit and John was not able to recover them. As a current Conser 47 owner it is truly a great loss. I don't know what happened to them but suspect that someone has them still.

A Conser 47' in cruising form with full gear is still a 25 knot boat. In light displacement they will sail at over 30 knots. In cruising the biggest problem is slowing them down. I have done 23.5 knots sailing downwind with the self tacking jib only. Drogues are frequently used to prevent excessive speeds. Even at high speeds they are very stable. Averages of 200 miles made good are common on long sails with mixed upwind / downwind sailing. Truly an exciting boat to sail. As a friend who sails with me likes to say "It is a magic carpet ride".

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Joli

It was in our area for one season. Gotta believe you need to be a pretty snappy sailor to keep it together on that boat. They have a tall rotating rig and it looked like it could get out of control pretty damned quick. Big power, big speed, big trouble if your not on your game all the time.

Not something most people would take cruising.

Not having actually sailed on one I probably wont comment on whether it is or isnt a "snappy sailor" boat. However I did see one parked in Mooloolaba recently and spoke with the owner and it had cruised across the Pacific. He seemed happy enough.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Factor

Not having actually sailed on one I probably wont comment on whether it is or isnt a "snappy sailor" boat. However I did see one parked in Mooloolaba recently and spoke with the owner and it had cruised across the Pacific. He seemed happy enough.

Betcha it was David. He's a super great guy.
But this boat is not for the beginer or the timid sailor. It is a fast and high performance boat.

[bazcatana]

Barry Parkinson speaking, I could be that snappy sailor you are talking about being an Ex Tornado Olympic helmsman.
I am trying to buy one of the Conser 47' off Dave Pollitt called "Shearwater' - after two weeks of trying I have no answers.

The Bow is Low in the water 3' is my guess at the freeboard and being Shear design like the Tornado, a Designer contact in NZ said this could be a problem even though the Transoms are narrow so they match the Bows.

This Boat must be a wet boat on a beat to windward cutting through waves and having less buoyancy in the Bows it must be prone to nose diving but, I can't get an answer from Dave Pollitt or John Conser the designer or the sales agent.

Any body out there that can give me contact details of an owner.

All the best

Barry Parkinson

[bazcatana]

Tellie,

You say you worked on Dave Pollitt's Boat 'Shearwater' I'm trying to buy it but, I have got to understand how the Bows are regarding nose diving because there is too little free-board on the Bows.

How do I get any answers on this subjest.

How high does it point to windward because my Catana 381 Race that I tuned-up sails at 35 deg to windward and outpoints Monohulls in a blow.

The video of it on a reach with a Screecher up and a drogue out the back with a triple reef she was plodding along at 8.5 knots in large seas, was she plodding along because the Bows dig in????

Any comment

Barry Parkinson at bazcatanaATyahooDOTcoDOTuk

[Sand crab]

Shearwater was listed but now it is for sale privately, I think. If you go to the bottom of this ad then there's the phone #. I will say that these boats are a partial bridgedeck design where you have to exit the salon to enter the hulls so it's not for everyone. Just those thst want to go fast.
2001 Conser Performance Catamaran sailboat for sale in Florida

[RunawayC47]

Originally Posted by bazcatana

Tellie,

You say you worked on Dave Pollitt's Boat 'Shearwater' I'm trying to buy it but, I have got to understand how the Bows are regarding nose diving because there is too little free-board on the Bows.

How do I get any answers on this subjest.

How high does it point to windward because my Catana 381 Race that I tuned-up sails at 35 deg to windward and outpoints Monohulls in a blow.

The video of it on a reach with a Screecher up and a drogue out the back with a triple reef she was plodding along at 8.5 knots in large seas, was she plodding along because the Bows dig in????

Any comment

Barry Parkinson at bazcatanaATyahooDOTcoDOTuk

Barry

I have a Conser 47 and have sailed 40,000 miles on her. Although the bows are narrow the do not bury but are wave piercing. The have almost no bow wave. David just sailed around the world single handed. His biggest problem is slowing her down. Weight is an issue for top performance (30+ potential) but even heavy she will sail 20+ but it takes more wind to plane. His boat is in great shape. In cruising form we have won many ocean races Caribbean 1500 Bermuda Cup Around Long Island Bahama Rally. We point to 35 deg but Ron in Barbados point to 25deg with the wing and daggarboards.

You can email John at johnconserATgmailDOTcom. A good person also is Capt Ron in Barbados. He sails his on day charters or Eric at Paragon in Maui. These are both light day charter boats. The Fl boats are heavier than the Ca boats though. Three of the Ca boats have sailed 31 knots that I know of.

David's boat has the carbon wing mast and is very fast. He has sailed 20+ with just the mast downwind. I would contact the three I have mentioned and test sail the boat.

Good luck.

Bill Danilczyk
Runaway