Being based on Tortola, BVI, I have need of a power boat to get around the different islands, when I'm not using the trawler on which I live, both for my business, a sail loft, and for personal pleasure. For the last nine years I have been using a 23' Seacraft, center console, with a 200 Yamaha; great riding boat for a monohull, but the milage isn't great and with gas now at around $4.00 a gallon, a might expensive to run. A small boat builder in St. Thomas, Morgan Avery, has a Prindle 19 sailing cat that he decked over, bolted a couple of legless plastic lawn chairs to, hung a 12 hp outboard, and takes it almost everywhere, including St. Maarten, almost regardless of the weather. It goes about 25 knots on about 1 gallon an hour. One of my sidelines is managing racing sailboats and I happened to be sitting on one of my projects with the engineer / boat designer I use, OH Rodgers from Tampa, when Morgan cruised by in about a four foot chop. I mentioned to Oh that I would like something simple like that, but a bit bigger, capable of carrying six people. What he came back with is: http://www.doylecaribbean.com/rodgers26/index.html I am having a set of hulls built in Trinidad by Jeffrey Chen at CISL Marine. Jeffrey is just finishing up a 75' power cat, having built a 62' previously. While the drawings show molded fiberglass cross beams with integral storage, which they will be when the boat goes into production, my boat will have aluminum mast section beams. Building the first one as a one off will allow us to make any changes we think are needed, such as adding splash rails or changing the buoyancy. I will use twin 50 hp Tohatsu TLDI outboards as they have a pretty good ratio of power to weight and fuel economy. Four strokes may be slightly more fuel efficient, but the extra weight and cost are considerable. The expectation is for 25 knots with six people in one meter waves getting four miles to the gallon, five mpg with two people at 25 knots. There is almost 36" of clearance on centerline between the hulls so unlikely to be slapping waves in normal conditions. 1" aluminum pipe rails for security and lightness, with the same used for the combination top and windshield frame. Clear vinyl side panels will enclose the helm and seating area making the boat usable in practically any weather. Simple, economical, no frills, and inexpensive relative to what else is available on the market. Bob Phillips, Another Asylum, Tortola, BVI