BWS's Annual Gallery of Great Cruising Multihulls

The new TomCat 9.7, the big sister to the original 6.2, is an entry-level performance cruising cat from Canada that combines fine sailing characteristics with an innovative interior plan. From the outset the builders envisioned a cruising cat that would be light, fast and fun to sail. But it also had to have reasonable living accommodations and the ability to make longer coastal or offshore passages.

The hull design shows hull shapes that are fine forward but given enough volume to prevent too much pitching. The builders have integrated a unique single daggerboard system that lowers into the water through the bridgedeck and provides lift on both tacks.

The Seldén rig comes standard with a large fullybattened main and a small working jib. As an option you can upgrade to a larger genoa with adjustable track and a spinnaker package that includes a snuffer.

The 9.7 uses two 9.9 outboards, one in each hull, to power the boat. This is a simple system that will make the engines easy to maintain. The accommodations plan offers a large owner's double berth forward and running athwartships; this can be made private with curtains at either end and darkened with shades over the forward windows.

Two guest cabins are tucked into the aft end of each hull. The head is in the port hull while the in-line galley runs fore and aft in the starboard hull.

The TomCat is built on a semi-custom basis so you can work with the builders to come up with the boat you want. An affordable way to get started in catamaran cruising, the new 9.7 offers a lot in a small package and has all the capability you will need for coastal cruising and voyages farther afield. For more information contact TomCat's sales representative in the U.S. at Aeroyacht, New York, 800-446-0010.

The Gemini 105Mc remains the most popular cruising catamaran built in North America and has undergone steady improvement over the long life of the design. At 33 feet, six inches and with a beam of 14 feet, the 105Mc is a compact and well thought out small cat that has proven to be both a great coastal cruiser and a capable passagemaker. The relatively narrow beam enables the boat to be moored in most standard marina berths instead of being relegated always to the end of a pier.

The 105Mc has shallow hulls designed in a teardrop shape that give the cat a soft ride and help to reduce pitching. The clearance under the forward end of the bridgedeck is 39 inches, which is enough to help prevent excessive wave slapping when you are sailing to windward in a chop.

Retractable centerboards in each hull add 18 inches of depth and greatly improve windward sailing abilities. The boards are raised and lowered from inside each hull and will kick up on their own should you sail onto a sandbank. The twin rudders also can be retracted from the helm.

Geminis come with solid but advanced cruising rigs with a large mainsail with plenty of roach, a roller-furling genoa and a choice of roller-furling downwind sails. The downwind sails are tacked on a curved track that allows you to crank the sail to windward while running or flatten it out when you want to close reach in light winds.

Down below the saloon is cozy and comfortable and will seat six around the dinette table. Altogether the 105 has sleeping accommodations for six but is really set up for a couple who will be inviting along another couple as guests.

The Gemini 105Mc is built by Tony Smith in Annapolis, Md. Tony has been developing and building cruising multihulls for 30 years and has learned a lot along the way from his own experience at sea and from input from the thousands of Gemini owners. The 105Mc is a pure cruising boat that will be comfortable and safe and will perform well in a wide range of conditions.

Smith is also a master builder who knows how to build it right without inflating costs. That is why the Gemini 105Mc is one of the best values (and thus most popular) cruising cats ever conceived.

For more information contact Performance Cruising, Annapolis, Md., at 410-626-2720.

Designed and built in Australia, the new Seawind 1160 is the sister ship to the highly successful Seawind 1000 and 1200. Conceived as a pure cruising boat with excellent performance characteristics, the 1160's builders set out to create a boat that was light but offshore worthy, simple to maintain yet elegant, easy to singlehand and modern and attractive for living aboard. A tall list of requirements, particularly in a 38-footer.

Yet, the 1160 goes a long way to achieving these goals and does so at a price to the end user that is attractive. The object of making the boats simple to sail led the builders to develop a rig that has a moderately large, high roach, fully-battened mainsail and a small self-tacking jib. For downwind sailing, owners can opt for a flat-cut reacher on a freestanding roller or a radial-cut cruising chute flown from a spinnaker snuffer.

The living accommodations are innovative and quite large, which is no mean feet in a smaller cruising cat. The afterdeck or back porch is wide and comfortable with a walk through to the stern sections. The mainsheet runs to a track on the Targa arch over the aft end of the cockpit, where it is out of the way; the arch also can support davits and a unique stowage system inside the arch for the folding saloon doors. The doors, which fold open when in use, can be hoisted into the Targa arch or make the afterdeck and the saloon one huge living space - talk about swinging a cat inside a cat.

The owner's stateroom in the port hull has an island double berth so you never have to climb over your bedmate to get in or out. Two guest cabins are in the starboard hull fore and aft with the in-line galley between. With the galley down three steps in the starboard hull, room is left in the saloon for a huge lounge and a small chart table.

The Seawind 1160 is a pleasant boat to be aboard since its interior spaces are open and inviting and its sailing characteristics are very good. The combined cockpit and saloon make the boat feel much larger than it is. For more information contact Seawind USA, in San Diego, Calif., at 619- 571-3513.

The Lavezzi 40, designed by noted French designers Joubert/Nivelt, is one of the smaller offshore cruising cats in the Fountaine Pajot line (from 36 to 60 feet), yet contains all of the elements you will need for extended living aboard, family cruising and passagemaking.

The hull forms are lean and slippery shapes with fairly full sections fore and aft to prevent pitching and to improve water flow. The fixed keel draws three feet, six inches and acts both to enhance windward sailing and as hull protection should you run aground.

The modern hull and deck are infusion molded under pressure so that the glass-to-resin-to-glass-fiber ratio can be optimized; this technique reduces weight in the laminates of the hull and deck, ensuring the optimal saturation of resin into the fiberglass rovings.

The rig is thoroughly modern with a high roach, fully-battened mainsail and a smaller overlapping genoa. Reaching sails can be flown from the bow of the windward hull when heading downwind or from the A-frame on the centerline when reaching. The Lavezzi is a slippery cat and will sail at double-digit speeds off the wind.

The helmsman's station and comfortable armchair are to starboard in the cockpit and well protected from spray peeling off the bows at higher speeds by a small windshield. The main sheet runs to a traveler in the cockpit, where it can be trimmed and shaped by one person. The genoa sheets run to cars and tracks on the cabin top and then to selftailing winches; the starboard sheet is within reach of the helmsman.

The saloon has a unique ergonomic design with the galley immediately to port as you enter, the nav station forward of and part of the galley, and the large, curved dinette to starboard. Seated in the dinette you have unobstructed views in all directions.

In the owner's version, the master stateroom, desk/vanity and large private head occupy the starboard hull, while the double guest cabins and second head fill the port hull. The finish work of the Fountaine Pajot line of cats is modern, simple and elegant.

Fountaine Pajot (a French company) has built hundreds of cruising cats and has earned a reputation for innovative designs, quality construction and loyal customers. For more information on the Lavezzi 40 contact Aeroyacht USA in New York at 800-446-0010.

The builders of Maine Cat catamarans have built 54 MC 30s and have started work on the 55th. The small, open-bridgedeck cruiser has proven incredibly popular, not the least because it was designed to be as fast as possible while still falling into the shorthanded cruising category.

The Maine Cat 41, like the 30- footer, has an open bridgedeck with a hard top that can be enclosed with sturdy Eisenglass and canvas enclosures. In all but storm conditions, this system works well and has the added benefit of providing excellent visibility for all on board in a 360-degree radius.

Also like the 30-footer, the 41 was conceived right out of the box to be a stellar performer under sail with the ability to sail with or by just about any monohull or multihull in this size range. That means you can expect to be sailing at double-digit speeds any time the apparent wind gets over 10 knots or so. With high-aspect daggerboards in each hull, efficient foil rudders and extremely lean hulls for a cruising cat, the 41 has solved the compromise involved in all yacht design by emphasizing speed and sailing qualities.

The accommodations on the 41 are simple if not Spartan. The open bridgedeck, enclosed in wet and cool weather or open in fair weather, is the main living space and offers a comfortable seating and lounging area around the central helm station.

The galley, one of the two double cabins and a head are in the port hull. The owner's cabin and a large head and living space are in the starboard hull. Two small berths have been tucked into each bow.

Maine Cats uses high-tech vacuum bag and CoreCell construction techniques that provide superior strength-to-weight ratios. To keep the boats light, all interior structures are cored panels as well. Yet these boats are built in Maine and, despite the modern designs and techniques, embrace all of the care and tradition Maine boatbuilders are known for.

The 41's rig is tall and powerful with a high roach, fully-battened main that sheets to a traveler on the aft end of the bridgedeck. The working jib, a 7/8ths configuration, is self-tacking so a lone sailor will not have trouble handling the boat by himself. For downwind running, a large asymmetric chute can be flown from the retractable bowsprit, and a flat-cut screecher on its own roller can be flown for close reaching in light airs. For a cruising boat with a real difference and one that will appeal to sailors who want performance, the Maine Cat 41 should be on your short list. For more information contact Maine Cat, in Bremen, Maine, at 207-529-6500.

The Manta 42 Mk II has become one of the most popular cruising cats in this size range built in North America. With more than 80 boats out there cruising the world, the design and the firm behind the construction have proven durable, fast and seaworthy.

Built in Florida in a new production facility, the Manta cat offers a lot of cruising amenities and sailing performance at a very fair value. The fractional rig flies a high-roach fully-battened main, and the headsail is a fully-battened self-tacking jib on a Camberspar.

Roller-furling headsails can also be specified as well as asymmetrical downwind sails. The main boom is controlled by a Dutchman Boombrake and a rigid vang. The big main has a custom boom, lazy jacks and a trademarked BoomBasket. The rig has been set up to offer plenty of power in the light stuff and can be easily handled by a single watchstander when cruising offshore.

The cockpit is huge and comfortable. The builders provide the option to mount a stainless steel arch aft, which can carry the mainsheet traveler and also will be home to radar and other antennas; the arch doubles as davits for the dinghy. A hard top comes as an option that provides sun protection in the tropics and can be enclosed with curtains for wet sailing in the northern climes. This is the perfect platform for a large array of solar panels. You rarely see a Manta 42 without these two add-ons.

The saloon has a large Lshaped dinette to starboard and the galley and nav station to port. The windows on the forward side of the saloon wrap around the living area and come with horizontal louvers that keep direct sunlight out of the interior; this feature will greatly aid in keeping the boat cool in the tropics. The port hull hosts the master cabin and a large head. The starboard hull offers two guest cabins with a large head in between. The interior design and styling is a mixture of old and new, with attractive louvered wood doors on the cabinets and fine wood detailing throughout.

The 42 under power is driven by two 27-horsepower diesels. With 125 gallons in the fuel tanks, the boat will have a cruising range of about 500 miles and in a pinch at low revs will be able to motor farther. The water tanks hold 100 gallons, which will be ample for coastal cruising. For offshore work, a water-maker will be a valued optional extra.

The Manta 42 Mk II is a proven design built by a reputable American builder. The owners tend to be sailors who travel far and wide and expect their boats to stand up to heavy weather as well as the wear and tear of longterm cruising. Even better, Mantas tend to hold their value. For more information contact Manta Inc., in Sarasota, Fla., at 866-28MANTA.

Lagoon Catamarans, a member of the giant Group Beneteau, has become one of the world's leading catamaran builders. The company has built hundreds of boats for charter fleets around the world and even more for cruisers looking for solid, well-built cruising boats that are never short on quality or innovative design characteristics.

The new Lagoon 420 Hybrid, which was developed in league with the large Jeanneau deal in Florida, The Catamaran Company, is nothing short of a real innovative leap; the 420 is the only production boat on the market today that comes with a true hybrid diesel-electric auxiliary power system.

The power system runs off a high-capacity generator that shares two battery banks via a highoutput charger/converter. Power from the battery banks flows to two eight-kilowatt electric engines that in turn drive the propellers. As the engines draw down battery capacity, the generator automatically starts to replenish the charge and will remain on only as long as needed. A generator running at constant loads and speeds is much more efficient than two diesels that are run at variable speeds and will be much longer lasting. If you are looking for a boat with a real difference and one that may help in the fight against global warming, then you should have a look at this hybrid drive system.

The 420 is also a huge, liveabord cruising boat that packs more space and accommodations into 42 feet than you would imagine. The hulls are full sections that carry their beams quite far forward and a long way aft. Below the water you will find stub keels on both hulls and large balanced rudders.

With a light displacement of 24,492 pounds, the 420 is not a lightweight cat but, instead, a fairly solid and stable cruising platform that benefits from both the easy sailing and motoring qualities of a cruising cat and the huge volume inside the saloon and hulls for living accommodations.

The cockpit aft is huge and covered with a rigid Bimini. The saloon has the galley placed immediately to port and a large oval dinette that will seat eight to starboard. The chart table and nav station are positioned to port and forward next to the dinette so you can sit inside during bad weather and still see out while controlling the boat with the autopilot.

The owner's cabin lies in the port hull and includes a large queen bed, a sitting area and a large head with a separate shower stall. The guest cabin and two smaller heads, with a shower stall between, are in the starboard hull.

The 420, like all Lagoon cats, is finished with an attractive honeycolored veneer on all wood surfaces and well made fiberglass/ gelcoated moldings. The boat will be easy to maintain belowdecks but still looks elegant and airy.

If you want to go cruising and do your part for the environment at the same time, then the 420 Hybrid offers an attractive and innovative solution. For more information contact Lagoon USA, in Annapolis, Md., at 410-280- 2368 or The Catamaran Company at 954-727-0016.

English builders Broadblue evolved out of the venerable builder Prout several years ago and launched a much improved and revised line of cruising cats - the 385, 42 and now the 435.

The 435 offers a high level of cruising comfort and elegance in a hull and rig combination that is suitable for extended cruising and living aboard. At 20,000 pounds displacement, the 435 is a moderately heavy cruising cat. Her hulls are solid glass below the waterline (cored above) and have a thickness of a half an inch or more.

The hull designs are thoroughly modern, however, with quite fine entries and broader sterns. The forward end of the bridgedeck is high off the water to reduce slamming in head seas. The beam of each hull carries well aft, which will help reduce the pitching moment; the narrow bows will tend to slice through head seas instead of bounding over them. The 435's ride is comfortable in a wide range of conditions and will excel, comparatively, close reaching in short chop.

The 435's rig features a high roach mainsail with slab reefing and an overlapping genoa on a roller furler. A freestanding rolling reacher or an asymmetrical chute will add knots and lots of fun sailing downwind.

The cockpit is quite deep and well protected so the crew will feel secure at sea. The steering well and seat are set high enough on the port side to allow the helmsman to see ahead and make docking maneuvers without feeling blindfolded.

Down below, the interior can be configured with a number of variations. The three-cabin layout, which seems sensible for a couple, has the master cabin in the port hull with a double berth, huge amount of storage and a large head forward. The guest cabins are laid out in the starboard hulls.

The saloon is huge for a boat of this size and features a Vshaped galley and a dinette that will seat eight in a pinch. The builders used American oak for joinery which gives the interior a pleasant honey color that offsets the vinyl headliners and gelcoat moldings. The saloon has an airy feel and will make for great entertaining and general living aboard.

Broadblue boats have a wellearned reputation for quality and longevity. For more information on the Broadblue 435 contact Broadblue USA at 877-695-0358.

The Dolphin 460, built in Brazil by a veteran French builder and his Brazilian partner, is the result of more than 25 years of cruising catamaran design and construction.

The 460 is designed to be a performance ocean cruising catamaran that is capable of good windward performance. The hull shapes are modern and efficient with fine bows to cut through chop and enhance surfing down waves and broader transoms that carry most of the boat's load. Fitted with daggerboards, the 460 will draw seven feet, five inches when sailing to windward; the boards offer a lot of lift and will help the boat chew to windward.

The fractional carbon fiber rig is tall, light and efficient and was created to give the boat good bursts of speed in the right conditions while being simple for a shorthanded crew to manage. All working lines lead aft, so you can hoist, trim and douse sail from the cockpit.

The cockpit is commodious and fitted with a simple but elegant Bimini top. The helmsman sits to starboard and has a good and full view of the sails for trimming and of the bows for docking.

The interior can be had in three variations - with three, four or five cabins. The three-cabin owner's version makes the most sense for a couple who is heading out for a while. In the three-cabin version the whole starboard hull is the master suite with a double berth aft, plenty of storage nearby, a large study and a huge head.

The port hull will offer guest accommodations with a double cabin aft, a smaller single and a head with a shower in between.

The saloon features an oval dinette and a good seagoing galley that faces forward and is narrow enough to allow the chef to work both counters at the same time. A desk that doubles as the nav station is next to the door to the cockpit.

A boat to live aboard and to take across the ocean at a good clip, the Dolphin 460 offers a lot of cruising quality and excellent boatbuilding value in a design that is eye catching. For more information contact The Multihull Company at 610-617-0500.

The new Leopard 46, which is marketed in the U.S. by The Moorings, takes many of the new design ideas introduced last year in the Leopard 40 and expands them dramatically. Designed by Mevlin & Morrelli, the 46 establishes a whole new look for the Leopard fleet, and by association with The Moorings charter fleets since the boats will also go into charter service as a Moorings 46.

The owner's version, with three sleeping cabins and three heads, is a large and commodious cruising platform that is designed to sail well and be as comfortable as possible. The boats are built by Robertson & Caine in South Africa and are notable for their strength, durability and attention to detail.

The 46 has better performing hulls than we have seen in earlier Leopards, with a fine entry forward, a chine above the waterline and fuller sterns. The net effect is a design that will sail closer to the wind, achieve better speeds and will be able to carry loads required both in the charter trade and for extended cruising.

The big innovation in the new 46 is the raised flying bridge steering station that is up a few steps from the cockpit and protected by its own Bimini top. The visibility from the flying bridge is fantastic, which will make docking and maneuvering the boat easier.

The 46 has a powerful rig with an aft-raked fractional spar that carries a high-roach fully-battened mainsail and a smaller overlapping genoa. With the addition of a genniker and an asymmetrical spinnaker, the boat will make good tracks downwind and reaching.

The owner's accommodation plan turns the starboard hull into a master suite with a large berth aft, a study amidships and a head forward. The guest cabins are in the port hull and each has its own head.

The saloon and cockpit combine to form a huge indoor-outdoor living space with an L-shaped galley to starboard. The dinette will seat eight and offers great vistas of the harbor around you. The new 46 has a lot to offer and will make a luxurious and capable cruising home. For more information contact Leopard Catamarans at 877-795-4389.

While most cruising cats are conceived to maintain a fairly even balance between performance and comfort, the Gunboat 48, like the 62 before it, was designed from the keel up to be a screaming high-tech performance boat that also has a fine and comfortable interior. Designed by Melvin & Morrelli, the 48 is more a Lamborghini than a minivan.

The 48 is built in South Africa and endowed with an ultralight cored hull, reinforced with carbon fiber stringers. The rig is all carbon and set up in the manner of offshore racing cats, with Kevlar shrouds and massive amounts of sail area.

Under sail, the 48 sails about as fast as any cruising boat ever built and will maintain high average speeds over the long haul. The 48's sailing characteristics are not for the faint hearted since the boat will fly a hull when reaching in a good breeze.

The accommodations plan offers two large double cabins amidships, a double cabin aft in the port hull and a single cabin in the starboard hull. The saloon is open, comfortable and useful. The main steering station is at the forward end of the saloon so you can steer the boat from inside. The working cockpit is forward of the saloon so all sail trim is handled there instead of from the back porch. This is convenient and enables a lone watchstander to manage the boat quite easily.

The quality of the finish in the new 48 is excellent and the systems installed are of top quality. Not a boat for every cruiser, the Gunboat 48 will appeal to those who love to sail fast and who want the latest thinking on true performance cruising. For more information contact Gunboat at 401-662-7991.

Another South African–built boat from a builder that has earned a worldwide reputation for blue-water catamarans, the St. Francis 50 was created by noted yacht designer Angelo Lavranos to be a pure cruising passagemaker and a luxury home afloat.

The 50's hulls are long and lean, yet have enough volume to carry all the weight that a cruising family will add for living aboard. The bridgedeck sits 32 inches off the water, which is high enough to reduce wave slapping when sailing to windward.

The fractional rig flies a large high-roach mainsail and a combination of headsails on three headstays, so you can configure the sail plan to meet the wind and wave conditions you find out there. With roller furling on the genoa and staysail, the rig can be powered up or down from the cockpit. The mainsheet runs to a track mounted on the cockpit arch aft so it is out of the way but readily accessible.

The cockpit is large and comfortable with plenty of seating and easy access to the stern steps. A rigid Bimini runs from the arch to the cabintop.

The living spaces aboard the 50 are large and comfortable. The boats are built on a semi-custom basis so owners can choose between either a galley up (in the saloon) or a galley down (in the port hull) configuration. With the galley up, the port side of the saloon becomes the cooking area next to the large dinette; in the galley down arrangement the port side of the saloon becomes the nav station from which you can run the boat in bad weather.

Four sleeping cabins, each with its own head, provide ample room for a large family or a cruising crowd of four couples.

A large and ocean capable cruising boat, the St. Francis 50 offers innovation, quality and customization. The company also owns a resort in the Exuma chain of the Bahamas where North Americans can test the boat. For more information contact St. Francis Marine's U.S. agent, Aeroyacht, at 800-446-0010.