WHAT'S THE BEST OUT THERE ROD?
Hi Rod,
Interesting comments!
A couple questions all about Cats in the 35 to 40 foot range:
1) Just curious about your view of what Cat(s) are the best out
there at this point in the 35 to 40 foot range?
2) What are the "new" ones you are talking about per your comment "
There are some really GOOD power cats (i.e., with smart, thoughtful,
sensible ergonomics) now on the horizon. It'll be interesting to see if
their
launchings, in another year or so, reveal that their designers have LISTENED
to what cruising power sailors actually WANT!?!)". Anywhere we can go to see
details?
3) From your customers point of view, in your experience thus far,
what are the Top 10 "Must Be" elements.
4) Similarly, what are the Top 10 No-No's!
Perhaps some of this will stir a bit of debate!!!!
Looking forward to your commentaries!
Mike
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 21:39:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: rodgibbons@mindspring.com
Subject: [PCW] H2X YACHTS: MCAT 88' power cat
To: power-catamaran@lists.samurai.com
Message-ID:
11740832.1188869966707.JavaMail.root@mswamui-blood.atl.sa.earthlink.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
READER ALERT -- THE FOLLOWING LETTER IS FROM (GASP!) A CATAMARAN DEALER.
[R.G.]
Dear Forum,
Well..."bold and virile" the MCAT 88' may be. (available for viewing at:
http://tinyurl.com/2ug5z7)
But new? No. And does its functionality appear to equal it's "hunk-iness"?
Alas, definitely not!
The MCAT 88's design's lines/exterior smack closely (albeit with perhaps
greater elan) of the "Sophie," a 60-plus cat project, whose drawings were
first presented to the public about 5 years ago. (And I believe the first
one
is launching -- or has just launched -- at an Asian yard.) This MCAT design
also appears to be but an aesthetic refinement of a design that Kurt Hughes
created a couple of years ago. (Who was actually first off the boards, I
don't
know.)
Not that that makes the MCAT 88 "bad"....but it's not a new
profile/configuration. (Having said that, I quite like its appearance.)
Unfortunately (and this is a MAJOR "unfortunately"), a hot exterior
sometimes
reveals a less than stellar layout. Such, alas, appears to be the case here.
And, as a cat dealer who is forever fielding the questions/complaints of
would-be buyers, as soon as I saw the interior photos of the MCAT I saw some
things that are considered by would-be-buyers as at LEAST a nuisance -- in
some instances, outright deal-breakers -- among smaller cats. So, if there's
deal-breakers in smaller, MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE cats, such items should NEVER
(IMHO) be present in so much larger-and-costly of a yacht. There's simply no
excuse for it.
In no particular order:
GALLEY -- whew...."where's the beef"? It seems so small. And accessing a hot
oven at a right angle like that? BAD ergonomics. (which is probably my
biggest
complaint about this boat ... of course that's based on simply my quick,
cursory 5-minute view of the various photos. The ergonomics may, in fact, be
better than these photos suggest....or worse!)
UNEVEN SALON SOLE .... PLEASE!, when underway, the presence of steps is a
major drawback in any yacht. (i.e., the nine (!!) steps separating the
galley
from the dinette on one of the Hood power cats...similarly, the multiple
staircases in most of the power cats currently being exhibited at Annapolis
and Miami powerboat shows, etc. BAD DESIGN!) These different "platform
heights" seem no problem in the calm setting of a boat show. But underway,
in
a seaway, they're a CONSTANT aggravation.
KNEE-&-SHIN-BUSTER bed frames. PLEASE!!! Nine-year-olds have no problem
climbing into or out of hard, wood-framed beds. But past about that age,
such
solid and unyielding perimeters are nothing but an aggravation. Oh sure,
they
LOOK great, with all that fine wood trim. But either have the mattress
overhang the bed's base by just a 1/2" or so...OR have well
padded/upholstered
frames around the mattresses. But these wood perimeters will elicit a
never-ending string of epithets during any entrance into, or exit from, said
wood-framed beds..especially during the dark of the night.
SINKS WITHOUT FIDDLES: Yeah, yeah, I know...cats are "stable." Nonetheless,
in my experience ANY counter that houses a sink on a boat should have
fiddles.
One need only spill a bit of water while washing ones hands or face, or
rinsing off the mornin's shaving cream...or whatever...and suddenly, that
ounce or two of fluid that's so innocuous on a stable, shoreside countertop,
becomes like unbridled mercury, flowing every which way, but INVARIABLY over
the exposed lip and onto the floor, AND the front of the clothing of
whoever's
standing at that counter lip. A small fiddle (raised lip) secured along the
counter's edge keeps the liquid on the countertop for just those few seconds
while you grab for a towel. And while attaching fiddles to a counter's edge,
PLEASE leave a 1" or 2" cut away somewhere along its length so crumbs or
particles one is trying to wipe from the counter top can be flitted into a
dust pan, open palm, whatever. Those who fully fiddle a countertop should
have
their own particular substrata in the acquatic version of Dante's levels of
hell.
MAJOR DEAL-BREAKER! What's with the windows waaaaayyyy above the site lines
of anyone sitting on the salon sofa or at the salon dining table??? YIKES!!
Sure, I see there's a boffo/humonguous fixed port along either side of the
salon....apparently just dandy for a second or two while someone's climbing
or
descending the open staircase. But I tell clients that any "small" cat (i.e.
35' to 60') that doesn't offer EASY, and UNIMPEDED visibility to the
surrounding sea and scenery from the sofa AND the dining table should be
considered a non-starter from the get go. So, to see that that apparently
NEITHER of those seating areas offers "an EASY and UNIMPEDED" view outside
of
the yacht....well, if that's the case, then this is a PRIME example of
creating a gorgeous yacht, which is nonetheless "bust" in terms of interior
ergonomics.
But again, I must stress: the above observations are offered as simply
random
comments about a design of which I have no first-hand experience, and only
these half-dozen or so photos from which to make any observations. However,
unless I'm mistaken on some of the aforementioned points, this (again!) is
just one more power cat for which the designers have listened to their
"inner
design voice" with great precision....but have seemingly disregarded the
all-important buying public's (seldom wrong) "purchase-voting" voice.
And until cat designers DO pay attention to that public, we will continue to
have the current crop of less-than-excellent power cat designs
(ergonomically
speaking) that currently leave that public -- and yours truly -- both
annoyed
and dismayed by the inherently BAD DESIGN CHOICES nearly all represent.
(Given
that I sell catamarans, that's a dismal reality to be faced with!) The good
news? There are some really GOOD power cats (i.e., with smart, thoughtful,
sensible ergonomics) now on the horizon. It'll be interesting to see if
their
launchings, in another year or so, reveal that their designers have LISTENED
to what cruising power sailors actually WANT!?!)
Cheers,
Rod ("the design curmudgeon") Gibbons
founder: Cruising Cats USA
Seattle - Portland - San Francisco - Hawaii