Mulkari has been wanting a new larger sailing cat that will be an open bridge deck sailing cat of simple construction and a reasonable hull shape that will give better performance than a Wharram and reasonable accommodation. Mulkari has a 30 foot tube cat that sails well but it lacks accommodation and “enough stability” for the type of sailing he would like to do. I will talk about 2 designs, one expensive to give the idea of what is possible versus a cheaper option.
Maine Cat designer/builder Dick Vermeulen launched the Maine Cat 41 in 2004. The Maine Cat 41 is 41.5 x 23 foot with a weight of 12,200 lbs and a maximum displacement of19,200 lbs. The aluminium mast carries a working sail 996 square foot and with a gennaker 1,290 square foot. The draft ranges from 2.5 to 7 foot.
The accommodations within the hulls. A large functional galley occupies all of the aft end of the port hull, with a double berth on an offset inboard shelf amidships, followed by a head, then a single berth right up in the bow. The starboard hull features a head with a separate shower stall plus a small dressing area aft, followed by another double berth amidships, then a nav desk and another single berth right forward.
The manufacturer claims the nominal hull speed -Light ship 13.3 knots, and with maximum payload 11.6 knots peak speeds. Owners claim the 41 has excellent helm sensitivity and with its daggerboards it can tack through 90 degrees in flat water. Owners claim top speed of 18 knots and several owners report hitting average speeds between 11 and 14 knots.
The entire boat–hull, deck, hardtop, and interior components–is built of lightweight vacuum-bagged composite laminate cored with high-density Corecell foam. Expensive, not simple to build but good.
The next design is Richard Woods open bridge deck Mirage. The Mirage is a later design Richard did to replace his deep V Mira open bridge deck design. The Mirage is 36 x 19.5 foot with a weight of 7,000 lbs and a displacement of 9,800 lbs. The 45 foot aluminium mast carries a basic sail area of 600 square foot. The hull length to beam is 12.5 to 1. The draft is 3.2 foot over fixed low aspect ratio keels. Richard Wood often does round bilge versions of his chine designs and daggerboards are easy.
The accommodation is double berths aft then in one hull a galley mid hull and seating/table forward. In the other hull a nav area, toilet mid hull with a double berth forward. Practical accommodation that works for EG 4 people cruising.
The construction is plywood on timber plywood frames and bulkheads with stringers. This could be reengineered to foam glass (as many other Woods designs have been). Richard Woods has done many designs around this size and for hime to mix and match design components is relatively easy (not a freebie) but fairly easy.
The Mirage design has already gone transatlantic, can hold “a solid” 14 knots in the right conditions, can average 9 to 11 knots etc. In short it can sail well on all points of sail and with an upgraded rig and daggerboards probably sail better.
The reality is the Maine Cat 41 is a production boat that will cost twice the cost of a Mirage. But the Mirage can be built at home, can be configured to you preference EG daggerboards, slightly different internal layout etc. The performance and internal space may be down 10% but at half the price I would be willing to do the trade off.
This as about what is important to you. The first set of jpegs is the Maine Cat 41. The second jpegs are the Mirage.
Maine Cat designer/builder Dick Vermeulen launched the Maine Cat 41 in 2004. The Maine Cat 41 is 41.5 x 23 foot with a weight of 12,200 lbs and a maximum displacement of19,200 lbs. The aluminium mast carries a working sail 996 square foot and with a gennaker 1,290 square foot. The draft ranges from 2.5 to 7 foot.
The accommodations within the hulls. A large functional galley occupies all of the aft end of the port hull, with a double berth on an offset inboard shelf amidships, followed by a head, then a single berth right up in the bow. The starboard hull features a head with a separate shower stall plus a small dressing area aft, followed by another double berth amidships, then a nav desk and another single berth right forward.
The manufacturer claims the nominal hull speed -Light ship 13.3 knots, and with maximum payload 11.6 knots peak speeds. Owners claim the 41 has excellent helm sensitivity and with its daggerboards it can tack through 90 degrees in flat water. Owners claim top speed of 18 knots and several owners report hitting average speeds between 11 and 14 knots.
The entire boat–hull, deck, hardtop, and interior components–is built of lightweight vacuum-bagged composite laminate cored with high-density Corecell foam. Expensive, not simple to build but good.
The next design is Richard Woods open bridge deck Mirage. The Mirage is a later design Richard did to replace his deep V Mira open bridge deck design. The Mirage is 36 x 19.5 foot with a weight of 7,000 lbs and a displacement of 9,800 lbs. The 45 foot aluminium mast carries a basic sail area of 600 square foot. The hull length to beam is 12.5 to 1. The draft is 3.2 foot over fixed low aspect ratio keels. Richard Wood often does round bilge versions of his chine designs and daggerboards are easy.
The accommodation is double berths aft then in one hull a galley mid hull and seating/table forward. In the other hull a nav area, toilet mid hull with a double berth forward. Practical accommodation that works for EG 4 people cruising.
The construction is plywood on timber plywood frames and bulkheads with stringers. This could be reengineered to foam glass (as many other Woods designs have been). Richard Woods has done many designs around this size and for hime to mix and match design components is relatively easy (not a freebie) but fairly easy.
The Mirage design has already gone transatlantic, can hold “a solid” 14 knots in the right conditions, can average 9 to 11 knots etc. In short it can sail well on all points of sail and with an upgraded rig and daggerboards probably sail better.
The reality is the Maine Cat 41 is a production boat that will cost twice the cost of a Mirage. But the Mirage can be built at home, can be configured to you preference EG daggerboards, slightly different internal layout etc. The performance and internal space may be down 10% but at half the price I would be willing to do the trade off.
This as about what is important to you. The first set of jpegs is the Maine Cat 41. The second jpegs are the Mirage.
