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least but important ones, serving as a reminder of the degree to which boat building continues to evolve. Cats have certainly not been exempt from this process. My most recent experience has been with a new breed of fishing cat that would be deemed in a league of its own - revolutionary would be stating it simply. It does however beg the question: Is South Africa ready for it?
This catamaran is a masterpiece, with every centimeter of the craft, from the hull through to every door hinge, given due consideration to compliment the overall vision - a rock solid, quality finished and intelligently designed fishing and family boat. “Our goal was to design an aesthetically pleasing craft that would serve both as pleasure craft to the family on a Saturday and for serious fishing with the pals on Sunday.”
He continues, “quality was high on the agenda and therefore 15 months of hard work went into all the tooling. We wanted to offer the people a craft they can be proud of and enjoy all the comforts of a 40-foot craft fitted into 30-feet.”
I met Steve, along with JC of Cape Power Boats at Hout Bay for a morning aboard the boat. Since I’d only heard about the new craft by name, I had no idea what I was in for. My first glimpse of the boat made a lasing impression, its stainless steel railings and
silky smooth, glassy bodywork glistening in the sunlight - it looked a classic act!
We powered out of the harbour, the silent twin Yamaha 225 four-stroke outboards providing a smooth and strong passage out of the bay towards the deep. On a day which offered enough swell for me to get a vague idea of her capabilities, I can honestly say that the longer I was out there, the more I was impressed. The boat is as tough and solid as nails, offering a soft, fast ride.
According to Steve, the hull is
the result of seven years of research and development between one of the country’s leading boatyards and highly regarded catamaran designer, Bob van Niekerk, designer of the Bobcat. The eventual outcome being the hull design originally called The Makaira. The hull was further developed by Prof. Gunter Hopper, who’s advice and enhancements gave birth to the Cat’s hull and a foil system that offered an even softer and faster ride.
The construction was carefully considered, based on the rigorous demands placed on fishing cat hulls, but also in light of the fact that the hull design justified going the “high tech” route. The laminate detail of every component was meticulously worked out and tested before initiating. Cored panels from imported PCC to the NIDA core have all been vacuum bagged under stringent contitions - approved by both designer and suppliers.
All voids and unneeded spaces have been foam-filled with polyurethane foam to obtain 75% buoyancy - exceeding the requirement by about 15%.
All the finishes have been carefully selected to complement quality with quality. One’s impression of a boat is initially judged by its outward appearance, such as colour, size and shape. The lasting impression is made though when one takes a closer look at the finer points and one recognizes the attention that has
Stern seats are upholstered with inhouse material and are retractable to create extra deck space. The twin 225 HP Yamaha 4-stroke outboards are silent and powerful.
The navigation centre is fully comprehensive including: autopilot, plotter, echo sounder to mention but a few specially selected instruments.
Fish hatches are enourmous and are built into both port and star board deck space.
