Manta Owners, or Those Who Know Mantas

[bradb]

the difference is mostly cosmetic. They raised a second level counter top around the sink in the galley. Put storage under each step coming up from the berths to the galley. Also put a step with storage going through the door between the galley and cockpit. A seat in the owners side shower. There was also a second anchor introduced up front.

[cldh2odvr]

Thanks, bradb
Don

[cldh2odvr]

Does any one know of any problems with Mantas before hull#87?
Thanks,Don

[nettlesbe]

I'm looking in this range myself, and love the use of space in the Mantas. But I'll probably have to get something in the 1996 - 2000 range. Those don't have the louvers. I've chartered leopards and really appreciate the way the louvers cut down heat buildup.

Since the company is out of business, I guess there isn't any possibility for buying/adding those to an older model Manta?

[colemj]

The Manta tooling goes up for auction soon. You could buy the louvre molds and make some yourself.

Mark

[nettlesbe]

Thanks colemj.

Can someone clarify the difference in displacement listed for the different models?

The 40's for sale claim 13,000 pounds, while the 42's show 16,500 or 17,000.
Seems like 3,000 pounds is a lot considering people describe the difference as being mostly a stretch to add 2 feet at the sugar scoops.

The louvres' must add a few hundred pounds, but what else??

Wouldn't the 3,000 extra pounds negate much of the gain from the 2' additional length (in terms of load carrying capacity and sailing speed)?

[colemj]

The specs on the earlier Manta models were wrong. No Manta ever came out of the factory at 13,000lbs in finished trim. Maybe the bare boat weighed that much lightship and without any standard equipment, but by the time the hardtop, standard equipment and optional equipment (genset, AC, extra batteries, inverter, isolation transformers, etc) was added, the weight was closer to 17,000lbs. Our boat (Manta 40), loaded with 100gal water and 100gal diesel and the 400lb dinghy on the davits has been weighed twice at 18,000lbs. I'm sure it weighs more now that we moved everything we own aboard.

There is no difference in weight between the 40 and 42 models. Any weight gained from the additional 18" stern extensions was removed through using lighter construction techniques such as foam cored furnishings, etc.

It is very common to find the 13,000lb displacement in brokerage ads and websites because that was the original brochure value and all subsequent ads just picked up what was used in the previous add.

Mark

[nettlesbe]

Ah. Thanks again Mark. Makes perfect sense now, and will definately help me evaluate whether to spend the extra $ for a 42.

[lagunaman26]

I just bought a 1994 Manta Catamaran, as a fixer upper. Both diesel engines are shot, but the saildrives are healthy. I've asked an american company to work to set me up with electric drives. So far, the whole design looks great for range and power. I've spent a solid 9 days from sun up to sun down working my butt off, but I've been fixing up the boat while flying back and forth from my land locked location. I really need to speed up the project, so I'm drivng down with an electrician family member with all the parts and tools needed. But here's the catch, I don't have the measurements of my saildrive output connection to provide the guy at Electric Yacht, so he's having trouble designing parts.

I need a diagram with measurements of the shaft and mating surface between the Volvo MD2030 engine and the Volvo 120S saildrive, 1994 vintage.

Any help could save me hundreds of dollars and lot's of time,,, not mention it would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

[drjay]

New owners of a Manta Mk IV. The quality of construction and the cumulative "Wisdom of Crowds" applied to the design make the Manta the best possible cruising cat bar none. You might look at the Admiral 38's for a boat of similar size but nothing near to the sophisticated design.

[RickyEM]

Originally Posted by colemj

Hi Sid,

We have owned our Manta 40 for 7 years now and have been cruising on it full time in the Bahamas and Caribbean for the past 2 years.

It is a wonderful live-aboard cruising boat that is designed and outfitted specifically for single handed sailing and live aboard for a couple or a couple with 1-2 kids. Manta did not build for the charter industry and marketed their boats directly to cruisers.

The electrical system is very well done - probably the best in the industry - and far better than the french cats for 110V use. All wiring is run in dedicated conduits throughout the boat, and no expense was spared in setting up the electrical systems.

The systems are professionally well-installed, but maintenance is like any other well-installed systems. Expect little to no maintenance from the solar panels (I wipe salt off mine after rough passages), and routine maintenance on watermaker, generator, air conditioning and other components. These components aren't really boat-specific other than the quality of the installation.

We love the Camberspar jib. It has a half-wishbone boom run through it with full battens. When raised, it is sprung tight like a windsurfer sail and is very efficient. It is self-vanging and self-tacking and runs wing and wing like a dream because it stays vanged tight and has a built-in whisker pole. It is a small sail for light airs, but it is far more efficient than a roller furled genoa, so this helps a bit. Instead for light air, Manta provided an asymmetric on a roller furl unit. This won't work on a beat, but we can carry ours to 60* apparent.

I don't know what you mean by the hull shape amidship causing bulldozing. The hulls are typical U-shaped - getting fine at the bows and moving to a slight rocker in the sterns. This is how most catamarans are designed.

The bridgedeck clearance could be greater. The boat was originally a 36' LaRouge design that was stretched to 38', then 40', then 42'. And a lot of systems were added (generator, larger engines, AC, watermaker, washer/dryer, 660AH batteries, inverter/charger, 300lb dinghy in the davits, etc), not to mention the large aluminum hardtop. We soda blasted our bottom this year back to gel coat and could see the originally designed water line that was lightly etched into the mold. The original waterline was 3" lower than the standard Manta waterline and 5" lower than our liveaboard waterline.

However, the shape of the bridgedeck is curved and smooth with no protrusions and starts 15' back from the bows, so this helps mitigate slamming by quite a lot as there is very little flat surface to put pressure against.

Ours sails well and we do 50% windspeed up to 8-9kts boat speed (20kt wind) and then we feel the need to reef to keep it in that range. We don't sail well below 10kts unless we are reaching with the spinnaker. Before moving aboard with everything we own, we were much lighter and would readily sail in 6-10kt windspeed and reach 9-10kts boat speed in 15-20kt winds. The boat points and tracks well - at least as well as most cruising monos and better than a lot of them.

As an aside, I have found that all the discussions and debate on multihull speeds are humorous. Offshore, we find ourselves almost always slowing the boat down purposefully to keep it around 6-7kts simply for comfort. Boats become very noising and jumpy when pushed hard at full speeds offshore. We match our speeds to the wind/wave comfort conditions, which usually means 6-7kts. Faster, and we find ourselves lurching off waves or getting slapped in the side of the hull.

I think the accommodations for a couple are fantastic. But keep in mind this is really a 36' boat designed in the early 90's. The gross interior volume will not be anywhere near that of one of the new charter designs from Lagoon, FP, etc for the given nominal length. The volume does compare with the Lagoon 38 and is a bit larger than the FP 36.

The galley and full head are the best you will find in a boat this size. Full cupboards, large work areas, lots of storage, 6cf reefer and 4cf freezer with 9" of foam insulation, full walk-in shower, large medicine cabinet and mirror, large pantry. Two standard queen births that take off-the-self bedding with full hanging lockers and storage drawers in each stateroom.

The hardtop is the best feature bar none, and better designed and implemented than any other catamaran. It is my favorite part of the boat. After owning the boat for one year, I decided that the Manta was worth buying over any other boat on this feature alone. Acres of space for solar panels, complete cockpit sun shading, large rainwater collector, tons of mounting space for antennas, radar, etc, built-in optimal counterpoise for SSB, hoisting ability for up to a 13' 800lb dinghy package - the list just goes on. It does add 600lbs to the boat, though.

I would change nothing about the interior for living aboard. I don't think it can really be improved for our needs. I think the design would be improved with more bridgedeck clearance (wouldn't every boat?) and either fuller hulls, or a longer stern to help carry the load a bit better. Keep in mind that we are overloaded, and Manta did lengthen the boats 2' in the stern since ours was built. Fuller hulls would make for a slower boat. We could also always throw crap out, but we never seem to get around to it. Also, the saloon windows are slanted like a lot of cats and this lets in a lot of heat. We have white textaline covers over ours which blocks all of the heat and still provides some visibility outside, and Manta later added louvers, but I think the Lagoon vertical windows are really the way to go. Ugly as hell, but as practical and functional as you can get.

Lots of discussions with the company always came up with Manta owners, or people looking at Mantas, around "could you change it to have"...a flybridge, big sliding glass doors opening the whole inside to the outside, a wet bar, a big roller furler genoa, etc. I asked a lot of these questions to the factory myself. Manta always responded "live on it for a while and then ask questions". I can tell you that I wouldn't want any of those things after living aboard ours. It is a very well thought out boat.

Mark

My understanding is that the engines are under the two main beds in each hull and that access is by lifting up the bed. How do you feel about that? Do the beds get warm after the engines have been on?

[colemj]

Yes, the engines are under the berths in each cabin. The access is great - the berths are hinged in the rear and simply lift up in the front and are supported by gas struts. You walk into the engine area with full access and headroom and none of the bedding, etc is ever disturbed. It is kind of like opening up a top-loading fridge or chest freezer. The engine compartments are very well insulated. We have not had problems with warm beds, but I suppose they could heat up. The 6" mattress insulates us from that pretty well. If we have been motoring a long time, I usually run the blowers for a bit and clear out much of the heat.

Mark

[RickyEM]

Originally Posted by colemj

Yes, the engines are under the berths in each cabin. The access is great - the berths are hinged in the rear and simply lift up in the front and are supported by gas struts. You walk into the engine area with full access and headroom and none of the bedding, etc is ever disturbed. It is kind of like opening up a top-loading fridge or chest freezer. The engine compartments are very well insulated. We have not had problems with warm beds, but I suppose they could heat up. The 6" mattress insulates us from that pretty well. If we have been motoring a long time, I usually run the blowers for a bit and clear out much of the heat.

Mark

Any smells from engine? The manta makes a lot of sense to me except this detail, but as I say in another post I am inexperienced and also have not yet seen a manta in person.

[colemj]

No, no smells from the engine.

Modern diesel engines should not smell. Period. If it does smell, either the maintenance was performed sloppily and fluids were spilled, or the engine has oil, fuel or exhaust leaks. Both of these issues should be immediately addressed and rectified.

The stories of engine smells remain from the days of old diesel designs that leaked everywhere as normal operation, and the people who own(ed) them.

When I open the compartment after motoring, there is a "hot engine" smell, but not one of petroleum products, exhaust or antifreeze. This smell is not noticeable if the compartment is not open and quickly goes away as the engine cools.

Most every engine I have seen that has been outside the boat in a separate compartment is rusty, has spills and/or leaks and smells awful. The bilge in those areas are usually full of petroleum fluids. The reason is that the hatches leak, or there is not enough room to do proper maintenance and cleanup, or there is no incentive for doing proper engine work and cleanup because it is all contained outside the boat. None of those reasons are valid ones for having externally contained engines.

Attached is a picture of our starboard engine compartment. These are 13yr old engines with 2,600 hours on them. And I am most definitely not a anal-retentive clean freak (just look at that clutter!). It doesn't take much effort to clean up after yourself and fix problems when they occur. For example, note the couple of spray blasts of dark green and gray paint - this should be a routine procedure for early signs of rust and takes only a minute to do with a piece of emory and a $2 can of rustoleum.

One note - pretty much every single mono hull has internal engines, but this issue never comes up for debate there. It seems that the passion on this point lies solely in the multihull contingent.

Mark

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by RickyEM

Any smells from engine? The manta makes a lot of sense to me except this detail, but as I say in another post I am inexperienced and also have not yet seen a manta in person.

I really like my 'out of the living space' engine room. But, everything is a compromise. If you are looking at a boat under 45' with solid bulkheads between engine room and living space, on most models, you will sacrifice something, either rudder in front of prop or you can't have a folding prop. I can't have a folding prop - not enough room between saildrive and rudder. Rudder in front of prop is fine as long as both engines are running, try picking up the anchor on one engine - it'll take 1-1.5kts of speed to gain steerage. So, there are advantages to engines under the berths.

Yet, I can check oil in the engines before the rest of the crew is out of bed in the morning.