Manta 42' Catamaran

[DAA]

Does anyone have info or experience with the Manta 42ft Catamaran, I am interested in buying a 2005 to 2007 for a reasonable price.

[Tourmaline]

Laser posted this Manta 42 review last year on a different forum. Laser is 6' 3" (190 cm) tall:

The Manta is marketed specifically as a Blue Water capable liveaboard boat. They make about 11 or 12 of them each year and are willing to work closely with you to customize the boat to meet your requirements. Boarding the Manta was a much different experience than all the others at the show. The owner of the company was in the saloon area to answer any questions you might have, but instead of having sales people on board, he had a few owners there to greet you and answer your questions. These owners were mostly liveaboards who were willing to answer any question honestly from first hand experience. Some of them have been living aboard their boats for several years and have sailed them extensively in many cruising areas. For my requirements this was quite refreshing to get first hand knowledge from the source. They seemed very happy with the Manta company and their choice of boats. They all seemed to have gone through the same process many of us are going through in deciding what boat was right for them and were willing to share their notes just as I am doing here. The interior of the Manta offered standing headroom throughout for me. It was clear that a lot of thought was put into using this boat for the intended purpose of living aboard for extended periods. The fridge/freezer is very large and is top loading. Many reviews will point out that you want a front loading fridge/freezer at eye level, but being practical I would prefer to keep the cold in the box every time I opened it and have more room for items than easy access. The saloon area is well laid out. Because the doorway is smaller than some of the larger sliders the other boats have, the saloon area feels a bit smaller, but it is comfortable with lots of storage. The only issue I had with the interior was the headroom going down the stairs on each side into the hulls. I could not go straight down facing forward as in all the other boats. I have to do a little 180 degree spin and land facing up the stairs on the way down. Its not a show stopper, but just something I noticed. The hulls have sealed bulkhead crash compartments and plenty of strategically placed storage. The engines are located under the aft beds but the access is designed so that you can open not only the top bed panel, but even the front panel for unobstructed 3 sided access. Lots of little items are available included a diesel fuel polisher and electric oil change pumps. These are the things that you might not think of in advance but will make a big difference later on. Of all the cats I went on, the Manta had the most accessible and clean electric panel. This could prove to be quite a benefit when trying to trace out a problem in a remote location. On the deck, the first thing you notice is the rugged arch structure that holds the hard top bimini, solar panels, radar etc as well as the dinghy. I am not sure how much weight it adds but it does not look like it will break easily. The cockpit has a unique design with lots of storage compartments. There is a large hammock type of seat that sits above the aft section of the cockpit that can hold several people. All lines come back to the helm and because it has a self tacking jib, the Manta can be easily single handed. The Manta brings ALL lines back to the helm including the halyards and reefing lines so you can do almost everything including reefing from the helm. The helm is raised and provides good visibility around the boat. The self tacking jib is smaller than most and does not roller furl. Instead it has its own lazy jacks and is handled like a main with a sail cover. This does put the jib's "boom" in the way on the foredeck but the boat is designed so that crossing from hull to hull can be done both in front of as well as in back of the jib at anchor. The anchor is accessible from the bow and it also has a salt water wash available to spray it down. As I mentioned earlier, the Manta folks have designed this boat for liveaboard so the packaging and options are complete and selected carefully. Most all items are higher end and built to last as well as be easily serviced.

[Therapy]

I second everything Tourmaline says. I am 6'4" /220 and can manage just fine.

The boat comes with many standard items that one would have to add to any other boat. eg. six solar panels!

The Manta is my first choice.
BroadBlue is second.
Having a tough time with money, the house, the kids, the wife. Not necessarily in that order.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ing-13158.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...9-a-10637.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...hers-6033.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...t-11057-2.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ners-3534.html

There is more.

[pilot]

MANTA 2005 - 2007
are at the moment very rare on the market from waht I observed.
About 3 month ago, there was one on yachtworld.com for a "reasonable" price.
Was sold after about 6 weeks on the market.

[kevinmac]

There is a Manta 42 that is available for skippered only charter in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. It is also for sale. I have been aboard, it is a very nicely equipped and kept boat.

For more info, San Juan Island Sailing Charter San Juan Yacht Charters San Juan Islands Sailing School BareBoat Charters Pacific Northwest Sailing. Look on the contact page for how to reach them.

I have another boat in charter at SJS, that is my only connection with them or the owner of the Manta.

Kevin

P.S. Apparently this site takes the title from the web page or something and shows it, instead of just the plain link. I promise I did not type that long link title in. ;-)

[pilot]

That is the MANTA "NINJA".

But it is NOT a 2005-2007

Fair winds

[kevinmac]

Didn't say it was a 2005 - 2007. Just that is was available.

[pilot]

Heared about a new owner of the MANTA company!?
Anybody knows more about it?

[colemj]

Originally Posted by pilot

Heared about a new owner of the MANTA company!?
Anybody knows more about it?

The previous owner has some medical issues that prevented him from actively running the company. He sold the company to another person active in the business and he still remains associated with the business. Just not as the principle owner. The workforce and all else remains unchanged.

Mark

[Captainadam]

I own a 2008 Manta and may sell it.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Captainadam

I own a 2008 Manta and may sell it.

Why?
..........

[imagine2frolic]

Therapy,

He typed SELL. NOT GIVE AWAY......LOLOLOLOL

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Therapy,

He typed SELL. NOT GIVE AWAY......LOLOLOLOL

Yea, OK.

but.............

[Captainadam]

Good morning, one of several reasons would be to free up some $$. When we purchased the boat I had a condo sold for 441k net to us and we were going to use the funds to pay for most of the boat. The deal fell through and we ended up paying cash for the Manta. I would rather sell a Sunny Isles Florida ocean front condo than the Manta. My dream was to take her around the world but that doesn't look like it can happen now. We sailed our Manta from Florida to the Virgin Islands. We took about 3 months to do the trip hitting many islands on the way (NOT LITERALLY). We rent possibly the least expensive slip on island, I can transfer that with the boat so when would you like to take a look at her ;D. I may be able to take a credit card (Pay Pal) "Grin". She's equipped like no other Manta 900 gal a day water maker, solar panels output as much as 29 amps seen, spinnaker, generator, hard boston whaler dink with 15 hp yamaha, Garmin network plotter, depth, fish finder, digital radar, Raytheon autopilot, wind, data log w/depth, custom pull out flat screen tv, Icom m802 ssb, icom 604 vhf 3 stations, play station 3, clarion stereo with amp, bose speakers, cell phone repeater booster, lightening protection, laundry machine Wash & Dry, dual windless 400 feet of 3/4 rope and 40 feet of chain on one side, 200 feet of chain on the other. One anchor is a Manson, the other is a Delta, the storm anchor is a Fortress and there is a large sea anchor, exposure suites, upgraded refrigeration and on and on more info to share.

[Therapy]

Manta is one of top three on my list.
But, the wife would not let us sell the house 2.5 years ago so I am stuck with it for now, which is why I can't even look at used Gemini's right now.

Any build issues in the 08? I heard a 3rd hand story...............