While browsing through a recent copy of Yacht Trader magazine I came across an advertisement for the GCat36 power cat. I have not seen this boat before. It is an outboard-powered catamaran with very thin hulls and a somewhat ungainly, boxy cabin. You can see the boat and a video on the company's web site, www.gcat36.com. I gather the GCat 36 is made in Florida, and the founder made sailing cats for many years before starting this power cat company. The hulls are so thin that I wonder if the well-padded among us could squeeze between the sink and the wall in the head area. The cabins in the hull seemed awfully claustrophobic at first glance, but perhaps they are bigger than they look on the web site. What is the impression among the readers of this blog? I also noted in the same issue an advertisement for Prout Catamarans. I remember an interesting 64-foot Prout power catamaran I saw at a boat show many years ago, but I hadn't realized the company was either still in business or had been resurrected. The web site is www.proutinternational.com. Does anyone know these boats? The first complete Maine Cat 47 powerboat should be near completion. I look forward to magazine reviews with interest. The boat seems to be one of the best thought-out designs in several years, and I hope the company will make a go of it. I was sad when PDQ folded, since their boats were so well designed and well built. J. Schieffelin Jamestown, RI

The original G-Cat, a 16' beach-launched daysailing catamaran, had an uneven reputation for construction quality. It was pitched as an alternative to the ubiquitous Hobie 16. The company concentrated on marketing, rather than on design and construction. To be fair, the same may be said of many yacht builders who got their start in the 1970s, but whose practices improved since. Hunter Marine is one example. Maybe G-Cat can make the same leap. Mr. Scheiffelin seems correct - the spaces aboard this 36' power cat appear extremely cozy, and hard to cool in the summer. At the same time, 30" of draft isn't exactly skinny for a boat that weighs only 7600#. Overall, it's what a Stiletto sailing catamaran would look like if it were stretched out, then had a Disney monorail car bolted to the cross-members. It's innovative, but I'm not sure what kind of boating it's suited for. Alan Bliss On Jul 18, 2009, at 10:52 AM, John Schieffelin wrote: > While browsing through a recent copy of Yacht Trader magazine I came > across > an advertisement for the GCat36 power cat. I have not seen this boat > before. > > > > It is an outboard-powered catamaran with very thin hulls and a > somewhat > ungainly, boxy cabin. You can see the boat and a video on the > company's web > site, > > > > www.gcat36.com. > > > > I gather the GCat 36 is made in Florida, and the founder made > sailing cats > for many years before starting this power cat company. The hulls are > so thin > that I wonder if the well-padded among us could squeeze between the > sink and > the wall in the head area. The cabins in the hull seemed awfully > claustrophobic at first glance, but perhaps they are bigger than > they look > on the web site. > > > > What is the impression among the readers of this blog? > > > > I also noted in the same issue an advertisement for Prout > Catamarans. I > remember an interesting 64-foot Prout power catamaran I saw at a > boat show > many years ago, but I hadn't realized the company was either still in > business or had been resurrected. The web site is > www.proutinternational.com. > > > > Does anyone know these boats? > > > > The first complete Maine Cat 47 powerboat should be near completion. > I look > forward to magazine reviews with interest. The boat seems to be one > of the > best thought-out designs in several years, and I hope the company > will make > a go of it. I was sad when PDQ folded, since their boats were so well > designed and well built. > > > > J. Schieffelin > > Jamestown, RI > _______________________________________________ > Power-Catamaran Mailing List

While it won't win any beauty contests, I like it. You can see that they got their design ideas from here: http://www.goldcoastyachts.com/47wp.htm One of the things I find elegant about their design is its simplicity. They have one small, manageable mold for the two symmetrical hulls, and another mold or two for the cabin pod. The cross-bars are simple industrial aluminum tubes. Makes construction simple, and simple should equal inexpensive. Any pricing data? Can't tell from the website, but the glass layup looks pretty basic. No exotic materials. Doesn't even look cored. But a 36' boat with a dry weight of 7,500 lbs...how exotic do you need to be? How much lighter could you get? Basic, simple materials equals lower cost. The separate hulls and the main pod and the outboards kind of compartmentalize the various boat functions into discreet elements. Ugly, but elegant. The fuel efficiency numbers are excellent. I wonder how it handles snotty conditions - my guess is 'well'. An intriguing design - this looks like a good home-build candidate using stitch & glue. Bob Deering Juneau, Alaska On 7/18/09 6:52 AM, "John Schieffelin" <jsschieff@cox.net> wrote: > While browsing through a recent copy of Yacht Trader magazine I came across > an advertisement for the GCat36 power cat. I have not seen this boat before. > www.gcat36.com.