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craig.stanfill · 15-03-2016, 11:36

We are continuing our quest for the 'right' performance cruising catamaran in the 45' range.

Here are the boats that seem like they might be reasonable at this point. Some of them are by small-volume builders and its hard to figure out things like build quality etc.

Catana 471 (or a new C47). We understand this boat pretty well; we've chartered one and liked it. But - big blind spots from the helm station make it very nerve-wracking to maneuver in close quarters. 471 has great reputation... but some say its a bit heavy by contemporary standards.

Outremer. The 45 seems a bit too tight on space. The 49/51 don't fit under the bridge at the mouth of the Severn River (my dock is near the head of the Severn).

Balance 451. I've talked with Phil a good bit. He makes a good case for the boat. But, I'm not 100% sold on it in terms of the interior arrangement. Specifically, on the default 3-cabin version it appears that port stern cabin doesn't have good access to the head - you have to either go through the port forward cabin or into the starboard stern.

Matrix "Vision 450 Signature". Supposedly they've redesigned it: lighter construction etc. The older Vision 450 had a reputation for slamming; they say the new boat doesn't have that problem. What's their reputation like in terms of build quality and sailing characteristics?

Fastcat. Don't know much about Fastcat; very small builder. Builders talk a good game but hard to get concrete info.

Voyage. Another small-ish builder. Their mid-sized boats seem at least plausible on paper.

Right now I'm torn between Catana and Balance but I want to make sure I don't overlook other boats that might be suitable. My basic goal is a reasonably fast boat with decent upwind performance that is comfortable with 3 couples.

No interest at all in a 'condomaran'.

multihullsailor6 · 15-03-2016, 12:35

Have you checked out the Freydis cat designed by Eric Lerouge? Built by Tournier Marine in France they are semi-custom so you might find an interior you like. I don't have any knowledge though of their mastheight.

craig.stanfill · 15-03-2016, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by multihullsailor6

Have you checked out the Freydis cat designed by Eric Lerouge? Built by Tournier Marine in France they are semi-custom so you might find an interior you like. I don't have any knowledge though of their mastheight.

I've heard of the Freydis. My impression is that they're tighter space-wise than Outremer. I could easily be wrong.

jdazey · 15-03-2016, 13:14

Schionning
Chris White

Grover3g · 15-03-2016, 15:34

Have you checked out Kurt Hughes newly designed 45

craig.stanfill · 15-03-2016, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grover3g

Have you checked out Kurt Hughes newly designed 45

Not familiar with that one... do you have a web link with good info on it?

Factor · 15-03-2016, 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.stanfill

Outremer. The 45 seems a bit too tight on space. The 49/51 don't fit under the bridge at the mouth of the Severn River (my dock is near the head of the Severn).

By how much? If its only a foot or two then I am sure Outremer would be able to trim the mast size and with a square top main you wouldn't loose much?

Quote:

Balance 451. I've talked with Phil a good bit. He makes a good case for the boat. But, I'm not 100% sold on it in terms of the interior arrangement. Specifically, on the default 3-cabin version it appears that port stern cabin doesn't have good access to the head - you have to either go through the port forward cabin or into the starboard stern.

Heavily based on the Montebello 1250 first built in Australia (they bought the montebello molds) silly reverse bows (nothing against reverse bows on a really fast boat, just on cruising cats), my suggestion regarding real performance would be to ask Roger Hill the designer.

The Chris White 47 Mast foil, would be worth a look. Talk with Alex at Alwoplast, he and his team do beautiful work

Grover3g · 15-03-2016, 16:16

Kurt Hughes Multihull Design - Catamarans and Trimarans for Cruising and Charter is Kurt's website. He just updated the 45.
I built a 40 ft version of this 13 years ago

boneboy · 15-03-2016, 16:31

The new Voyage 480 is a decent compromise. Certainly with keels and rudders instead of true performance oriented foils it is not to be considered a performance multihull, but they have done a good job of keeping the weight down, and after having just spent a week on the boat I will say she does sail nicely and is very comfortable. The basic package comes with nice systems throughout and it is a well thought out boat with a decent balance of sailability and charterabiliy (yeah, prob aint a real word). They offer a fair amount of flexibility in build (owner's version, etc.) as well

The new Slyder 47(?) looks iteresting

Grover3g · 15-03-2016, 16:41

If your requirements are for a decent upwind cat you can narrow your field to those cats with dagger boards.

yeloya · 15-03-2016, 17:22

The only boat that is was not mentioned yet is Swisscat. I've seen their 55 and recently launched the new 45. catamaran de grande croisière

They are coming with dagger boards, are a bit pricey (probably parity to Catana C47) but have many accesories which are extra are standard.
The only down side could be the second hand value, Catana's seem to be unbeatable in this respect..

Cheers

Yeloya

boneboy · 15-03-2016, 19:19

I guess "decent" is always relative. Certainly boards make a big difference but I will say that the Voyage 480 can at least sail her way off a lee shore. My wife and I sailed the boat around Jost just for fun and at times we were seeing 8-9 knts with a TWA of 45 degrees. Sustained wind about 12-15 knts. It was just the two of us without much gear (two small carry on bags total), so the boat was pretty light. Had the standard charter gear with full tanks.
The good side was there was no one around except some dolphins and flying fish that wanted to play, something you don't see much in the VI anymore

https://vimeo.com/159154892