>I think the fact that no one is voyaging in a power cat (or are they?) makes >quite a statement. Voyaging in power multihulls is just getting started but when one recalls how quickly sailing multihulls entered the mainstream, the future looks promising for them. To keep matters in perspective, let's not forget that when one considers how many monohulled powerboats there are in the world, the number of monohulls voyaging is quite a tiny percentage. Here are some of the pioneeers, according to long-time multihull designer Malcolm Tennant: >Georgs has asked that perhaps I could list the power cats of our design >that have crossed the Pacific:- To the best of my knowledge here is a list. >I supect there may be some more that I do not know about but here goes. > >Awesome 2000:- Sometime around 1996. From Long Beach, California to Hawaii. >This was the boat belonging to Jack O'Neill of wet suit fame. I believe the >average speed for the trip was around 20 knots. I do know if they made the >return trip. I also believe that a number of this particular design may have >made the same, or very similar, trips. > >Bluefin 60: This was "Superfun" that travelled from New Zealand to the >Philippines. Not sure when exactly but around 1988. Has since travelled from >the Philippines to Australia. > >14m Ferry: this was one of the ferries [14 in all] built for use when >building the Hong Kong airport.These are now scattered all over the world. >At least one travelled from Vanuatu to New Zealand in 2000.Is now operating >in the Marlborough Sounds. > >Ka Ipo Manutahi: One of our Barracuda design that went to Hawaii in 2002. > >Icebear: New Zealand to Hawaii in 2002. > >WildWind IV: Dennis Raedecke's now well travelled cruiser went from New >Zealand to Seattle in 2002. > >Pacific Harmony: From New Zealand to Fort Lauderdale in 2004. Although the trend in passagemakers is mainly in catamarans, the first trans-Pacific multihull under power was a trimaran. Yanmar/Baltek Endeavour was designed by Morrelli & Melvin for adventurer Steve Shidler of San Francisco. His design requirements included exceptional range--2,700 nautical miles powered with two 27-hp outboards--along with the ability to fit into a shipping container. Endeavour's mission, to make a record 4,443-nm run from San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii, to Sydney, Australia, was accomplished in 1989 with an average speed of 8.93 knots, burning only 1.86 gallons per hour. http://www.morrellimelvin.com/page73.html Steve Shidler has a new passagemaker under construction at Dencho Marine in Long Beach, California, a 50-foot power catamaran, also designed by Morrelli & Melvin. http://www.morrellimelvin.com/Shidler2000.html When the cat is launched in the next month or so, it will be named Water Wizard. Steve says it will be a 10-year boat for him, his wife and young son, so it's likely we'll be reading about their adventures for some time to come. (Steve is a friend whom I saw off on his trans-Pacific voyage in 1989. I was living on my engineless sailboat then and wondering why anyone would want to power across an ocean.) One cool feature of Water Wizard is that although it's an ocean-capable yacht, it's shallow draft will permit cruising on inland waters such as the Amazon River. --Georgs