Hello, I'm a new member of this list. My name is Rod Gibbons. I was an avowed monohull boater (sail and power) for the first 30 years of my life. I've been a "bi-hull convert" for the past 25 years. It began when I singlehanded my new 32' sail-cruising cat from its UK builder for 9 months and 9,000 miles: in western European waters, then through the Caribbean's Windward and Leeward isles, then up through the Bahamas to New England, and back to Florida. This led me to begin importing that 32-footer into the U.S. And thus a new career evolved. For many years I've been a dealer for various cat sailing brands, and then, as some of those brands branched into power cats models, I became a power-cat dealer, too. As per your rules, though, I'm not here to sell. (I get MORE than enough of that in my daily, 9-to-5 boat-dealer role.) Rather, I'm simply a fan of cats in general, and have been so for a quarter-century now. As such, I'm always eager to learn more. I'm sure I'll be able to do that from the postings by you members. In return, I may be able to pass on a bit of helpful "insider info" now and then that you might otherwise have limited access to. For example, I attend most of the leading boat shows each year, and I'll be pleased to let you know the latest models that appear (and no, the great majority are NOT brands that I rep -- but I'll always identify my affiliation with any brand if that situation exists). If I ever seem to offer the slightest bias toward a brand or design, don't hesitate to call me on it. (Or, if my transgression seems to warrant it, evict me from this list.) But I think you'll discover I'm pretty evenhanded. (Several years ago I wrote the bestselling book on sailing cats, and, within its 300-plus pages determinedly refused to promote -- in fact, barely mentioned -- the brand I happened to represent at that time just so as to avoid any accusations of bias.) In answer to a thread I read here wondering about the CS-42: That's a design from Roger Hill, one of New Zealand's leading cat designers (power and sail). The first CS42 debuted at the October, '04 Annapolis powerboat show. During the recent Miami show the builder told me that the next revised version of that CS42 is to be launched next month (May). I've heard that they already have a few orders in hand. FYI: When I was last in New Zealand I was aboard a couple of Hill's designs, power and sail -- good looking yachts. (And no, I have no financial affiliation with him.) He's also responsibe for the gorgeous 57' ($1.7M) power cat on display at the '03 Annapolis power boat show. He also designed the NZ-37 and NZ-29 power cats that were imported (from New Zealand) by a California boater from about 2001 to early 2004. ( I believe the 37' was on the cover of "SEA" magazine and "Multihulls For Power" in the same month, about Oct. of '03, and on the cover of "California Yachting" in January of this year.) There's a great 45' Hill designed power cat up in the San Juan Islands (at Roche Harbor, I think), and an equally striking looking 47-footer here in Seattle. Meanwhile, a new Hill-designed 46' power cat was launched just last week in New Zealand, built for a Chesapeake-Bay resident. Smooth Seas, Rod Gibbons

>Rod Gibbons wrote: >a power-cat dealer, too. As per your rules, though, I'm not here to >sell. (I get MORE than enough of that in my daily, 9-to-5 boat-dealer >role.) Rather, I'm simply a fan of cats in general, and have been so for >a quarter-century now. As such, I'm always eager to learn more. I'm sure >I'll be able to do that from the postings by you members. In return, I >may be able to pass on a bit of helpful "insider info" now and then that >you might otherwise have limited access to. For example, I attend most >of the leading boat shows each year, and I'll be pleased to let you know >the latest models that appear (and no, the great majority are NOT brands >that I rep -- but I'll always identify my affiliation with any brand if >that situation exists). Thank you, Ron, for your commitment to helping keep this forum commercial-free. --Georgs -- Georgs Kolesnikovs Power Catamaran World http://www.powercatamaranworld.com