[DISCLAIMER: This letter written by a boat dealer.] One of the major cat builders in the world will be debuting an approximately 41' "power-sailer" model at the beginning of 2008. (This is info, not an ad, so I won't mention brand names.) It has hulls designed specifically to accommodate heavy loads aft (i.e. large diesels), including 7-foot-long, flattened sections under the aft end of each hull, so it won't exhibit the "cat squat" common to most sailing cats when "over-powered." (Anyone else ever see that Prout 37 sailing cat that, back in the '80s, was equipped with twin Volkswagen engines! Yeah, it WAS silly...but could it scoot! Wow! Unfortunately, the downside was that it did so with its bows angled about 35-degrees above the horizon, and while pulling a wave/wake that would give pause to a Black Diamond snow skier!! Anyway, the initial engines in this new 41' "power sailer" will be 2 x 75 HP diesels, purportedly offering 11-12 knots under power, but the cat also will be fitted with a full sailing rig with up to 15-16 knots attainable under sail. (Although realistically, as with most sailing cats in this size range, such a cat should be assumed to usually be a 7-to-12-knot sailing vessel: 15 knots is OPTIMUM. But, having said that, 40 to 45 cruising cats on the heavy-wind conditions of San Francisco Bay are able to attain 13 to 15 knots under sail -- and those are non-surfing conditions.) The sailing version of this new 41' "power sailer" model, WITHOUT the 2 x 75 HP diesels installed, is already launched and sailing. Could be an interesting alternative, given that so MUCH of North America is a "dead sea" during much of the summer sailing season, including: Long Island Sound, the Chesapeake, Biscayne Bay, Santa Monica Bay, Puget Sound...and on and on. Here in Seattle, sailboat owners automatically accept that during the summer months about 80% of their time underway will be spent....powering. So, to be able to power at 11 or 12 knots, compared to the usual 40' sailboat's 6-to-8 knots...well, that increases one's cruising range 50% to 100%, EVERY DAY! Rod Gibbons Cruising Cats USA Seattle - Portland - SF Bay - Hawaii