POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Our review of the 7700 Powercat was one that nearly got away. We followed the build and planned a test run on Moreton Bay, Qld, when it was complete, but travel arrangements fell over, and the boat shipped to its new home in the Whitsundays. But, I ended up with an opportunity to catch up with the new owner when other commitments saw me in Airlie Beach for a week, so we went for a run through the islands it now calls home.
POPULAR CATS
For a reason that’s hard to define, most of our power catamaran builders come from Queensland — even the alloy Sailfish brand hails from just south of the border, so there is a clear interest in twin hull construction in our warmer climates. Maybe the love of multihulls harks back to the almost mythological Bruce Harris Shark Cats out of the Gold Coast over 50 years ago.
The cats’ design earns its chops from the soft ride generated by the tunnel effect under the hull, as the mix of air and spray is compressed
