Can anyone ID this 43 cat?

Does anyone have info on this cat? Looks damn fast! What would you say the accommodations would be like compared to a 40' mono prod boat?

http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-catamarans/43ft-catamaran/121860

 

This boat used to belong to Jo Djubal and her partner there were quite a few articles in Multihull World about the repairs and mods they carried out prior to it's sale. They carried the repairs out at Edgies boat yard if I recall correctly. It's a bit of a compromise not much (no?) accommodation in the hulls and a big bridgedeck I seem to recall the hulls are grainger designed. It could be good buying but you would need to look carefully at whether it fits your requirements.

 

Why does it 'look fast'?
There is no indication for it. (Also not for being slow, of course). But a bridge cabin indicates a design focus on anything but speed.
What I see: tiny windows (ok if you like submarine life-style) Sail-retainer (is it made for parking?) and a life ring whre it is well out of quick reach.
However - the canvas covers make it a good alternative to a mobile camping home.

 

Your standards must be high. I am classifying it as a cruising cat. It looks fast compared to most other cruising catamarans because almost all of the others this length have full standing headroom in large hulls and standing headroom in the bridge deck. Clearly this is one has hardly any room in the small and sleek hulls instead of 4 cabins, implying much lighter weight, better L/B ratio and less wind resistance. Sure the bimini covers and canvas after thought is in contrast to the rest of the theme, but the covers can be removed.

 

From what I have read it did have decent performance I don't have any independent corroboration of that assessment though. Jo and her partner lived aboard for quite a while so it is workable. What suits one couple though might be completely unacceptable and Spartan living to another.

 

We are coming off a 40 foot production mono. I certainly would not want to go backwards in comfort (but obviously much further forward in performance). The low volume hulls are OK by me, but the fact that it appears I will not be able to stand at the kitchen is pretty much a deal breaker.

 

I agree not being able to stand in the galley of a cruising boat is a downer. It's an important part of the boat that you want to be convenient. I'm personally a big fan of galley down on catamarans as it keeps the mess down below and normally you can have the refrigeration unit and storage cupboards nearby. A lot of the modern production cats have massive windage and freeboard which is how they achieve that feeling of space and quite fat hulls It gives space but takes a toll on performance.

 

I hate most production cats. I would prefer a production mono as they appear to have much more space and speed when you compare them on a dollar for dollar basis. (EG 40' lagoon vs 53ft Janneau).

Any cat I would be interested in would be nothing like a lagoon. I like designs from Oram, Pescott and Schoinning etc, but the 43' size range I am after is usually out of my budget. These designs seem to still have a lot of cruising space but they retain real multihull performance. This 43 seems to have sacrificed a lot of cruising comforts compared to other fast cruisers, which is why I think it was designed to out sail the aforementioned cruising cats at the expense of comfort. I'm not sure a galley would even fit in those hulls. There would probably not be standing headroom there anyway.

 

I don't know what your budget is but have you considered the Bob Oram "Mango" for sale on coastal passage? I'd say the fact it's a bit different is why it hasn't sold but front cockpits are great for sailing even though you lose a bit of saloon space.

http://thecoastalpassage.com/multihullmango.html