Looking for a long range expedition aluminum power catamaran design

Look into expedition-style catamarans from Circa Marine, McConaghy, or Bering Yachts. For custom designs, consider naval architects like Incat Crowther or Damen Yachting. Prioritize aluminum or steel construction for durability, and optimize solar and fuel efficiency for extended autonomy. If modifying an existing platform, check out FPB series or long-range power cats.

 

It could be, it would be worthwhile sending them an email and asking. You could reach out to the members already named, it sounds like you would benefit from a project manager.

 

I was going to comment on the rendering of the boat perfectly on its lines with a helicopter on deck, only to find that a Hughes MD530 weighs less than the 800kg submersible! You could cable launch a gyro while underway, like they used to on subs.

 

I have a small 10M powercat. I can’t really imagine running anything bigger than 20M without a crew of at least one more person. It is just pretty tricky maneuvering that boat in a harbor and amazing how easily to lose bearings with no visibility to the bow edges. Maybe some cameras could help, but running lines on an 80 footer is really a job for minimum 3, one helm and two to run poles and lines. Our boat is easy for 2, but I have a good feel for where it’d get hairy.

 

Cool thread, facing the complexity in real dialogue

Wouldn't this SOR match a workboat cat conversion ?
- They are made to be loaded, used and abused.
- Most are relatively simple builds, and user mods are expected/anticipated in professional use.
- Sometimes they get sold for cheap in bancrupcies or fishing, windpower or whatever other field's policy reversals. Or just because the engines reach end of life, and a repower exceeds the value of the boat.
- They will typically not be made for running efficiency out of the box, but as long as Silvard remains happy with hull speed, perhaps a downpowering swap and a modest stern mod could get him there. (Some might even be narrow enough to run reasonably well on one engine, using folding or feathering props - another relatively cheap update. And from there he'd almost halve his engine hours.)
- Many have a sizable open rear deck and a little crane already in place.

You'd need a Naval Architect though, not only for the mods but also for recertification into the (typically far less constraining) pleasure marine regs.

 

I think that if this is a boat to cruise for a couple of decades you should consider your physical capabilites in the future. A size that is manageable today will probably won't be in 15 years. We often forget our bodies are older than what we feel like mentally.

 

Hello friends!

Thanks again for all your input and help. We've been busy refining and fleshing out a SOR as well as adjusting our requirements and expectations based on your very helpful feedback. For instance we decided to eschew the idea of the submersible and will switch to much more convenient ROVs instead; we will still SCUBA anyway. We have also reached out to a naval architect (and even a potential shipyard) and plan to float the idea around to a few more once we have our detailed SOR.

We've considered it but they all seem to work at a scale way beyond what we are or are looking for.

Yeah! Gyros, like a lot of sports aircraft, are really lightweight.

This is a reasonable concern and one we have thought about quite a bit. Even if we're planning on minimizing docking or marina time or super tight inland waterways, we still want to leverage tech to help us with this, such as 360 camera views and thrusters and joystick control for low speed navigation. We also envision a future where crew, even if not professional per se, might be more ubiquitous.

We're still 38 and pretty confident in our current physical abilities, which is why we want to do this ASAP. If we can set figurative sail at 40 and travel for 20 years, we'd still be spry 60 year olds, hopefully.

This would be great if we could find the right platform, but we've had no such luck there.

On a separate note we've been curious about some things that've been trying to figure out as we work on our SOR, and we intend to keep asking about those here (thanks again in advance for all your help). We want to avoid big and heavy articulating cranes that seem common on boats and yachts and want to use some sort of collapsible or retractable or even rollable ramp and winches for the gyro and something like this:Loading Systems | EasyLoad - loading crane for vans and trailers - MAD Automotive for our aft deck in lieu of a crane or tender davits. What are the tradeoffs that we might be missing? Also does anyone know of a marine version of these solutions that aren't designed for superyachts? I'm not even sure what are the right technical terms for this type of crane on a boat.

 

If you are letting go the submersible, that opens up some lighter cat options for you, which is better all round in many ways.

I gave a link in a previous post to a supplier of similar crane/hoists. If you want simple, you just need an RSJ beam on a swivel and a chain hoist, no electrics or hydraulics to worry about, save yourself $20k.

 

Sorry I can't find that post, could you please post it again?

 

My bad..... I didnt not supply a link.

Deck cranes - Hydromar

Davits and Cranes Superyachts - Nautical Structures

 

Mph makes a duesy of a little long reach knuckle crane that works on these extreme beam fishing boats. Might be a good option for a cat. They have some small ones that are quite popular without being to massive.

38 is young enough to have the ability to learn efficient docking, and will be mobile for likely another 25 years. Its going to be interesting to see what the next 25 years brings.

Still remember installing the echotec green screen plotters with the furuno gps units. I was a kid at the time but still remember how much my grandfather raved about it's superiority to loran for accuracy. By time I was an adult, we had ecds charting and early gps compass. Now even my little boat has 3d bathy generation, fly by wire shifting and steering and a gps compass that can drive better than I can. Grandad started with cable shifting and chain to rope steering, now we have a station on deck for both shifting and steering and now the proportional control bowthruster....

Being short handed isn't what it used to be...

 

Your plans are based on the strength and stability of the US dollar - and the poorness of other countries - what may be not given facts tomorrow. The United States are no longer a safe haven for capital anymore, and more and more countries dissolve themselves from the dollar system. It's a time of Black Swans flying.

 

"Sails are expensive, daggerboards are expensive, I'm too old for dramas on the water"
This is not an exact quote from this forum, I hope I haven't lost the meaning. This is the most logical direction for OP.

 

So what happened here?? I created an account just to post this!

I have a very similar need. Working on quotes from some boat builders/designers. I have a couple quotes from Archipelago for a 52 and 63 aluminum cat. I don’t have as many toys that I need to haul around but I do have kids to haul safely. Also, budget for me is around $2m.

Anyone have an update!? I’m endlessly searching for brokerage yachts vs affordable new builds. My goal is to set sail on our first trip within about 18months.

 

Maybe look after much cheaper cats . Save your money for other pleasures . Mumby from Philippnes ? Chinese shipyards ?