Why Is the Manta Held in Such High Regard ?

[colemj]

Someone did buy the molds at auction and are moving them to China. I don't know his plans for them. 127 boats or so came out of those molds, which are a lot of boats for one mold. They could be pretty tired.

The boat is a small boat in today's world. It will be difficult to market them again. Manta never sold them as a large-run production model and were content to build about one per month and sell them factory direct to a specific market segment comprised of retired couples looking to explore for 4-5 years who wanted a well-outfitted boat and had the money. They were very focused and specific on this. The whole business plan relied on high quality components and build techniques and tight, interwoven supplier relationships. Any deviation from the above business plan and execution and the business would collapse immediately. Like it did after the owner's death. Before they went under, Manta was focusing on a powercat in the same manner.

I don't expect boats made in China by an inexperienced builder using deathbed molds and jury rigged ancillary tooling to make a good business of it.

All Manta's are solid glass below the waterline.

There is not an aluminum Manta. There is a sail catamaran designed by the same NA as the Manta powercat and managed and built and outfitted by one of Manta's original principals (and commissioned by a former Manta owner). It is a 52' custom aluminum build.

Mark

[webejammin]

Originally Posted by colemj

All Manta's are solid glass below the waterline.

There is not an aluminum Manta. There is a sail catamaran designed by the same NA as the Manta powercat and managed and built and outfitted by one of Manta's original principals (and commissioned by a former Manta owner). It is a 52' custom aluminum build.

Mark

I saw the artical in Lattitudes and Attitudes sailing magizine the latest issue and it was a sailing 52 footer made of alunimum.

[44'cruisingcat]

The ones I've seen have very low bridgedeck clearances.

[colemj]

Yes, by Aussie and NZ design standards they have low bridgedecks. By British standards, not so low.

The basic hull design is French - LaRouge, with modifications by Manta in lengthening the hull - and the bridgedeck height as delivered from the factory is 24" (610mm). The original design bridgedeck height was around 30" (760mm), but that is without any of the stuff that makes it a Manta (much of which, in my opinion is worth the weight).

This clearance goes down fast when weight is added by the owners, as the narrow hulls sink an inch for every 900 or so pounds added (just filling the diesel and water tanks adds 1500lbs and most have a 300# dinghy package on the davits - down 2" just leaving the fuel dock).

However, the bridgedeck is a continuous, arched, smooth structure with nothing sticking out of it like berth bumps, etc, and no flat surfaces at all. This mitigates pounding and wave pressure by a lot. The boat is surprisingly smooth in seas for the height of the bridgedeck. I have been on other boats with higher flat bridgedecks with bumps and ledges in them that slammed more and moved furniture around.

But it is a relatively low bridgedeck height.

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by webejammin

I saw the artical in Lattitudes and Attitudes sailing magizine the latest issue and it was a sailing 52 footer made of alunimum.

I haven't read the article, but it wasn't a Manta. I think it is the one I described earlier: Hy-Tech Marine, Inc. - FastWater 52 SailCat

Mark

[webejammin]

Originally Posted by colemj

I haven't read the article, but it wasn't a Manta. I think it is the one I described earlier: Hy-Tech Marine, Inc. - FastWater 52 SailCat

Mark

I would check but my wife took our copy of the magizine with her on a bussiness trip. I think it said they used the hull design or something like that.

[smj]

I agree with colemj. Our old Solaris Sunstar is a scaled down version of the Manta. The large radiuses bridgedeck would not pound just the occasional slap. I heard the Manta started out as a Jeffcat 42 and the people at Manta cut 4' of the stern to make the Manta 38.

[Sand crab]

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same boat but wasn't there 1 FG Manta 50 sailboat partially completed at the time of Mantas bellyupedness. I thought I saw pics of it. I also seem to remember something about the molds deteriorating outside. Or was this the power Manta? BOB

[smj]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same boat but wasn't there 1 FG Manta 50 sailboat partially completed at the time of Mantas bellyupedness. I thought I saw pics of it. I also seem to remember something about the molds deteriorating outside. Or was this the power Manta? BOB

The original Manta molds were lost in hurricane Andrew in 1992. They then splashed new molds of one of the original Canadian built Mantas.

[Sand crab]

I found this pic in this older thread. Is this a power or sail.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...n-15109-3.html

[colemj]

That is an uncompleted powercat.

Manta never built or designed any other boats outside of the sailcats and powercats they sold.

The Fastwater I linked to above started out as a 50' and was partially completed at the time of Manta's demise. It later grew to a 52' by the time it was completed.

Again, the Fastwater was designed by the same NA who designed Manta's powercat and the project was run by an ex-principal player/owner in Manta. But it is not associated with Manta in any way.

Mark

[Sand crab]

Thanks colemj for clearing that up. One last thing. I heard that the last few Mantas suffered issues. Any truth to that and do you know what production numbers they may be? Bob
PS I love CF

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Thanks colemj for clearing that up. One last thing. I heard that the last few Mantas suffered issues. Any truth to that and do you know what production numbers they may be? Bob
PS I love CF

Yes, the last few boats suffered from quality control problems and some bad build decisions. I don't know the exact production numbers. I believe hull #127 was the last built, so probably hulls #122-127. Most of the owners have solved these problems by now.

I know most of the problems and can honestly say that those "problem" boats were delivered out of the factory in better shape than most new production cats. It's just that no one had ever seen those types of quality issues out of Manta before.

Mark

[joda cancruise]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I found this pic in this older thread. Is this a power or sail.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...n-15109-3.html

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Dave/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]



I would bet my whole boat fund that that is Ice Wars II !

The steps in the topsides are the same, as is the placement of the portholes and the brow over the windows looks the same.

[Sand crab]

You are absolutely correct. Even the diagonal stanchion brace is in the same place. And it looks like there are tube steel lifelines forward with cables aft. Check it out. So was this at the Manta facility but being built by independents? BOB