Which Power Catamaran ?

[Koum]

Btw does anyone know the difference between the Cumberland 44 and 46?

I have written to the manufacturer and one of their agents but am not sure how long it will take to get a response but the 44 looks pretty good in its own right.

[Sand crab]

This page shows all boats built by FP.
Fountaine Pajot / A Leading Company
Strange that I don't see a Cumberland 44 although they are on Yachtworld. There is one listing of a 44 but the specs page calls it a 46. I wonder if they just tweaked the boat because making all new moulds for a relatively new boat would have been very expensive. Usually they let a model run for 8 to 10 years.

[Koum]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

This page shows all boats built by FP.
Fountaine Pajot / A Leading Company
I don't see a Cumberland 44.

The 44 came out in 2004 and the 48 in 2008

The four years seems a little short to me for the launch of a newer boat so am assuming it was basically a 44 with any glitches ironed out or an improved/amended version that was slightly longer

http://www.fountaine-pajot.com/en/shipyard-history

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Koum,

Looks like the Cumberland 46 is in your price range. There are a few around 500k
2008 Fountaine Pajot Cumberland 46 Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Needing 620hp to push it it gets pitiful economy and range

Cumberland 46 catamaran specification | Fountaine Pajot | Multihull Solutions

FP 46
15lph @ 8 knots for 850nm

Vs

IMP 55
6.8lph @ 8 knots for 3500nm
IMP 55 power cat

[Koum]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Needing 620hp to push it it gets pitiful economy and range

Cumberland 46 catamaran specification | Fountaine Pajot | Multihull Solutions

I do understand that the faster you go the more fuel you consume exponentially but there is no rule that says I have to go flat out at a maximum speed and RPM for the engines.

Just nice to have the power in case of emergencies and if having to make sudden rapid moves otherwise I am confident that most of the time I will be doing the slower and much more economical speeds.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Koum

I do understand that the faster you go the more fuel you consume exponentially but there is no rule that says I have to go flat out at a maximum speed and RPM for the engines.

Did you miss the bit that even at 8 knots it uses more that twice the fuel of the fuel efficient cat I linked to?

Just nice to have the power in case of emergencies and if having to make sudden rapid moves otherwise I am confident that most of the time I will be doing the slower and much more economical speeds.

and the cat I linked with 2x97 perkins still does 16 knots on the fly
How much faster do you want to go?

Would you really ever need to do 24 to 26.5 knots
and would you want to burn the 132lph to do it?

add:
Looking at perkins specs it seems that they use 12lph x 2 at full noise, that's approx.:
24lph @ 16 knots for the imp 55
vs
72lph for the FP 46... 3 times more

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Koum

I do understand that the faster you go the more fuel you consume exponentially but there is no rule that says I have to go flat out at a maximum speed and RPM for the engines.

Just nice to have the power in case of emergencies and if having to make sudden rapid moves otherwise I am confident that most of the time I will be doing the slower and much more economical speeds.

Even going slow with the French cats you will still be pushing dead weight around (heavy motors and hull) no matter what you do meaning the range you seek is compromised.

Go back to the figures catmdo quoted
Cumberland 46 catamaran specification | Fountaine Pajot | Multihull Solutions

FP 46
15lph @ 8 knots for 850nm

Vs

IMP 55
6.8lph @ 8 knots for 3500nm
IMP 55 power cat

These will be correct. You need to be aiming for around 1litre per nautical mile to give you the range and that means you need relative light weight and more waterline lenght than 40ft (preferably 50ft+) to carry the fuel load and motors max 150HP. The right design has been proven to achieve this with cruising speeds around 8 knots and sprint speeds 16-20.

There are vessels that can do it but not the French cats. Yes they might be nice inside but will not meet your distance requirements. No way.

It is good you are chartering one.

cheers

[Koum]

Originally Posted by downunder

Even going slow with the French cats you will still be pushing dead weight around (heavy motors and hull) no matter what you do meaning the range you seek is compromised.

Go back to the figures catmdo quoted
Cumberland 46 catamaran specification | Fountaine Pajot | Multihull Solutions

FP 46
15lph @ 8 knots for 850nm

Vs

IMP 55
6.8lph @ 8 knots for 3500nm
IMP 55 power cat

These will be correct. You need to be aiming for around 1litre per nautical mile to give you the range and that means you need relative light weight and more waterline lenght than 40ft (preferably 50ft+) to carry the fuel load and motors max 150HP. The right design has been proven to achieve this with cruising speeds around 8 knots and sprint speeds 16-20.

There are vessels that can do it but not the French cats. Yes they might be nice inside but will not meet your distance requirements. No way.

It is good you are chartering one.

cheers

Have to say that being able to do 1000 miles or just under at 8 knots is probably as far as I am ever likely to go in one hop and I am currently awaiting further info about the difference between the 44 and 46 and stuff on specific boats from agents but it obviously isnt going to be cheap in a Cumberland. I am not going to say that fuel costs are not going to be a consideration but I think the luxury nterior has a higher priority for me than fuel economy and the high consumption may not really be that important if I dont do much mileage and engine hours which is quite likely considering the boat will not be going between The Med and Asia.

Most likely I will stay in one place until bored and then move on to another nearby location as basically this boat is my retirement home and I just intend to potter around catching up with friends all over the location where I plan to locate it be it Asia or The Med. Most likely it will be Asia though as I know more people around that part of the world.

I have found a charter place in Thailand that has Leopards and Cumberlands and I will be there sometime in late April so will check them out personally when there.

I also have a friend in the South of France and another in Portugal/Southern Spain regin who are boat knowledgeable and am getting them to check a few boats out too on my behalf

My main problem however is that I havent slept properly for 4 days now as I have developed this obsessionn with reading everything I can about all these boats on the nternet and now I desperately need some sleep which will be followed by visits to the Marinas around Melbourne and Morninbgton penninsular uring the next two weeks as and when I find the time.

here are a zillion videos on You Tube and elsewhere on the internet and I am only just beginning to scratch the surface and this is going to prove to be a long and complex procedure that I willd efinitely not rush.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Koum

I think the luxury nterior has a higher priority for me than fuel economy and the high consumption may not really be that important if I dont do much mileage and engine hours which is quite likely considering the boat will not be going between The Med and Asia.

Most likely I will stay in one place until bored and then move on to another nearby location as basically this boat is my retirement home and I just intend to potter around

If you now plan to do bugger all miles and want a luxury interior a house boat will be a far better option.

[downunder]

You should try and talk to Robin Chamberlain in Victoria as his designs do walk the talk.

I do note your plans/wants are changing however the cost of fuel will not ever go away particually in the Med.

cheers

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by downunder

You should try and talk to Robin Chamberlain in Victoria as his designs do walk the talk.

I do note your plans/wants are changing however the cost of fuel will not ever go away particually in the Med.

cheers

I agree, but do you really think he will get a new custom build with the all important luxury interior done in Oz for the budget required?

Chamberlin Marine - Quality Yachts and Marine Design

[Sand crab]

When gas went way up a couple of years ago powerboat values sank along with most of the world economies. They say it's going to reach RECORD highs this summer. That's something to consider.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by cat man do

I agree, but do you really think he will get a new custom build with the all important luxury interior done in Oz for the budget required?

Chamberlin Marine - Quality Yachts and Marine Design

No he won't but he will get good information of vessel capabilities/fuel use.

He could also consider a design built in wants a lower cost country although I don't think he will he go down that route.

My build although Australian design will not be in Australia but somewhere else.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

When gas went way up a couple of years ago powerboat values sank along with most of the world economies. They say it's going to reach RECORD highs this summer. That's something to consider.

There are not a lot of truely efficient power cats on the market at present as the design concept is relatively new and numbers built not high. Most that have been built are custom vessels.

From memory apart from the Aus/NZ designers, Chris White designed some efficient displacement power cats.

Power Catamaran by Chris White Designs high performance economical

Not a big enough vessell though.

[Thanna5]

Consider also what certifications a production power cat has.CE A is much more stringent than CE B, which is the certification on most cats discussed here. Consider also new offerings from CruiserCats in Capetown SA. Much more efficent, lighter ,higher bridge deck clearance and designed and built as a powercat, not a converted sailcat design