The New Fastcat 405: Please Comment and Help Us Make the Perfect 40-41' Cat

[cchesley]

Looks like a pretty fair Weekender/Vacation boat. Fun sailing, but not a long term liveaboard/cruiser. I suspect that FastCat already knows and intends this. Great idea having only a head and bunk in each hull with a solid bulkhead to prevent 'migration of stuff into the end where it doesn't belong'. The galley is actually pretty sizeable but the settee doesn't really show much in the way of sitting headroom even under that sloping windshield.

Two beefs however. 1) Only having a dinette inside for lounging gets old pretty fast on those foul weather days. 2)The perennial wheel behind the bulkhead or 1,2,3 steps up to see over everything, probably hydraulic steering too, huh?.

Integrate the bridgedeck 'facilities' and the cockpit facilities to achieve an open and all one level space a la MaineCat but perhaps with windows forward and partway down the sides giving way to removable curtains.

Comment: why must every cat be designed with a hard top that looks like an afterthought that wasn't planned for???? (I see FP is learning but they haven't quite got it yet in the other departments.)

[mikereed100]

Fast,
I agree with your plan to convert to a squared settee. Round is OK for sitting but you can't lay down and read a book. Square will also give you some much needed counter space in the galley. Beautifull boat!
Mike

[scotte]

Originally Posted by Therapy

I think I would rather have more cabin and less tramp. I think the Privilege (is it?) is ugly but it has more cabin space.

Yep, that's how our Privilege 39 is set up. It may be ugly and outdated but it makes for a very strong and rigid boat by tying the crossbar into the bridge hull structure. Plus I can walk all the way to the bow without having to use the trampoline (and this puts the chain locker closer forward as well). Personally, I much prefer having usable boat and deck space than trampoline, but it does need to be designed to shed water well (the Privilege does).

[shadow]

Looks great!! When are you guys hoping to have the first production run out?? Would love to see one in person.. Good luck with this model! Cheers!

[vegas]

The boat looks really nice and should be a great sailor with the daggerboard option. With the hard top it seems like there are two ways to handle it. I think it is best to reduce the downward curve on the outside edge this way the hard top is not noticed by the eye. The other option is to blend it into the lines of the salon. I am sure some ot this stuff is preliminary but a bigger high tech wheel would help in the marketing. The mast top wind generator looks cool but how much weight aloft is it. Nice to see a new 40 foot performance cruiser.

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by Brandywine

Cost… cost... cost....

The market is dieing for a reasonably priced performance oriented cat, could there be provisions for double bunks in one hull.

Would a cat of this size and hull shape suffer with to much weight when it has been loaded for cursing? With my family of four I am planning on 5K to 6K lb of gear and provisions.

The 410 will have a payload of 2500 Kilo 5500 lbs for fast cruising and a maximum allowable payload of 3600 kilo 8000 lbs for world traveling.
We normally provide 1 separation for one king size bunk for kids or people not in love.

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by Seeratlas

Instead of the smooth rounded foredeck, I would propose that you mold in some sort of lounge area, (to fit fabric deck cushions which could be used aft and/or taken inside when the boat is locked up. This forward area is a great place to lounge when underway in good weather and presents a lucky captain with females worth gawking at, to so gawk to his heart's content hehehe

not that I personally would indulge in such a thing....
btw, that reminds me,

does EVERY female on an aussie boat go topless? or does it just seem that way? heheheh


seer

What you propose is not bad for a slow cat but on our type of cats it would cost to much performance, this cat is made to do long range cruises with average speeds in excess of 10 knots per hour and adding forward lounge area will cost payload and speed , it is not our concept.

[fastcat435]

We always use a solid walkway ( compression beam ) forward and for that reason we have produced a special aluminum extrusion with 11 inches wide walkway and a bottom that splits waves and build in trampoline tracks. we also use Dyneema Trampoline materila that is very strong and stiff and has very minimal stretch ( less than 1 % ) so it is almost as firm as a solid walk way
I cannot be in Miami this year. I will be in Durban with the final testing of the Green Motion Propulsion generation system and preparing for the move to our new Factory Where we will start to build the new 410 and the new 560.

[fastcat435]

cchesley

The idea behind this cat is that it can be used as a weekender or for long cruises
In my feeling this is about the minimum size to do Ocean crossings with
Smaller is possible but with a lot less comfort .
I have used this Dinette setup for a long time now on our 435 with standard leather interior and even after 4 years it is still like new.
The open space is a great idea but not fit for colder climates and this cat will cruise the world. The hard top as shown is only to show that it will have a hard top , the actual hard top will be a copy of the saloon roof and will standard carry 4 x 210 watt solar panels.

Yes am now doing what I have always wanted to do
I sold my Car Dealerships 7 years ago with the idea to retire and started looking for my Ideal Catamaran , I could not find it ( the gunboat was not out yet) and decided to start building it myself.
My biggest advantage was that I had no idea at all how to build a boat but I do have a technical back ground and was always interested in enrgy saving and lightweight construction.

[fastcat435]

The mast top wind generator has an added weight of 22 LBS but keep in mind that our mast is 8 feet shorter than normal because of the extreme lightweight of this cat.
This lowers the centre of gravity and we are still able to carry plenty of sail .
pointing around 90 squire meters or 1000 squire feet.
the advantages of having the wind generator in top are
1. a lot less noise
2. more than double the energy

[Seeratlas]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

The mast top wind generator has an added weight of 22 LBS but keep in mind that our mast is 8 feet shorter than normal because of the extreme lightweight of this cat.
This lowers the centre of gravity and we are still able to carry plenty of sail .
pointing around 90 squire meters or 1000 squire feet.
the advantages of having the wind generator in top are
1. a lot less noise
2. more than double the energy

Fast, how do you shut the wind gen down up there when you get into an unexpected 50 or 60 knot wind? If that thing stays turning, I can just imagine all the hell it would cause when it came loose...

seer

[shadow]

Is there an estimated time of release of the first production run to be sold??

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

at this moment we plan to put 4 x 210 wat solar panels on the hard top bimini and one masthead mounted wind generator like is seen in the attachement.

Having been onboard a boat that had it's wind gear blown off at 97 knot's, how does the wind Gen. cope?

Dave

[Seeratlas]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

What you propose is not bad for a slow cat but on our type of cats it would cost to much performance, this cat is made to do long range cruises with average speeds in excess of 10 knots per hour and adding forward lounge area will cost payload and speed , it is not our concept.

Fast, not sure you understand what i'm saying. I'm not talking about a foward cockpit, I'm talking about molding into your rounded foredeck a couple of indents to fit a couple of bodies, think something along the lines of those 2 people molded recliner jacuzzis. Just a shape that would eliminate the need for a couple of lounge chairs. I can't believe that would add much weight or cost much windage, certainly less than two people just sitting up there on the tramp.

seer

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by Seeratlas

Fast, how do you shut the wind gen down up there when you get into an unexpected 50 or 60 knot wind? If that thing stays turning, I can just imagine all the hell it would cause when it came loose...

seer

We can shut down the wind generator by remote switch and it shuts down automatically at wind speeds above 40 knots.
It is tested up to 100 Miles of wind speed without damage.