Big Cats IV
by John Curnow, Global Editor, Powerboat.World 2 Dec 16:00 UTC
Striking and elegant stance - Power 80 © Fountaine Pajot
Thank you. You have made this series oh-so-popular. Additionally, you have oft requested more instalments, which is also greatly appreciated. So, we started all this back in September of 2021 with Big Cats I. Big Cats II followed, and then there was Big Cats III.
One of the brands highlighted first was ILIAD Catamarans, who had just moved into a new facility at the time. Interestingly, they now occupy some 25,000m2 at that same yard, which highlights how successful they have been since kicking off in 2016, and actually launching in 2019. Talk about exclamation mark!
In short, who better to go back to and check in with than one of our first 'victims', especially as they are soon to get into their first hull of the new ILIAD 75 model. The yard at Zuhai has 15,000m2 dedicated to the delivery of the distinctly super-popular 53 Series, and an additional 10,000m2 crafting the larger 62 and 75 offerings.
ILIAD Catamarans may be a 'new' brand as such, but it delivers boats designed by boaties. In addition to that, offering semi-custom fitouts (just about bespoke actually) as one of its cornerstones sets them apart for clear market differentiation, almost as much as their angular and purposeful styling, and the fact that they only produce powercats.
Now when it comes to explaining their glorious success, you'd be hard pressed to surpass the words of the General Manager of ILIAD Catamarans, Michael 'Nod' Crook. "We've been in the industry for a long time now, so we really understand what clients are looking for in a boat and making sure our designs respond to this."
The visualisation of what Crook is referring to is evident in wider companionways, and doors that you do not have to enter through sideways, so as not to scrape your shoulders. Just as there are no spiral staircases that are the bane of anyone who may be of advanced years, or have knees that delivered their best some time ago.
"People come on board our models, they look around, they disembark, and it's very rare they can find anything they disliked about it," added Crook who had just attended the recent show at Fort Lauderdale.
Indeed, all of this is definitely why the brand that started in Australia and enjoyed immediate success throughout Asia Pacific, now has strong order pipelines from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Europe.
In-built stylish practicality with high quality materials, as well as exceptional levels of fit and finish, genuine long-range capability (2,500nm plus and 4,000 in the case of the 75), enough sprint speed combined with either low speed cursing or brisk pace for shorter hauls like Florida to the Bahamas, have added to the appeal, which is why you tend to think of a grass fire when reflecting on ILIAD's triumphant march onto the world stage. The price and mass of an ILIAD Catamaran may be higher than some alternatives, but quality of design and build reign supreme.
The matter at hand
All of that is lovely and nice, but we have a 75 to talk about, and it is no ordinary 75-footer. LOA always allows for grace and style, even when you are straight and adroit, as such. The interior spaces have a lovely, modern aesthetic, and of course you have options, like galley up, galley down, Master for'ard, Master on the bridge deck to be anything from three to five Staterooms.
It is more than a Portuguese Bridge with cruising lounge, sunken foredeck with recliner lounges, and optional fully covered bridge deck with additional solar array, or various engine options to select from. 725 to 1,000hp a side and inline the preference, but not essential, where the upper installation would mean the WOT mark could be as much as 23 or 24 knots, with a fast cruise of maybe 19, even when real world laden.
That of course makes the maximum range cruise velocity more in the 8-9 knots bracket. Notably, all of this is still the original ILIAD mantra from what seems like way back when, and is key to the crucial differentiation in a competitive space. Riccardo Bulgarelli is the man responsible for the hull forms and ensuring an ILIAD remains an ILIAD, if you get my drift.
The other element to take in is that the areas can usually be used in different ways to the main task, and added functionality reduces speedhumps in the signing up process.
I was more intent on ascertaining who is looking at the ILIAD 75 in earnest, and just as crucially, why.
For sure there is the multi-generational aspect, and here space is king, especially the ability to have genuine private time. There are those that have made their own money and are coming into boating, often with this type of craft as their launching point. They need space for entertaining, and lots of it. It could even be a large dayboat, and space below gets converted from accommodation to karaoke or cigar bar, for instance.
Next is charter, where the owner is keen to offset a portion of the running costs against shared usage. Many a vessel in this bracket is booked solid, and for good reason, as the crew to guest ratio is about spot on. At this size, crew can be housed more efficiently, and this helps with being present when required, and not seen or heard when not. In the case of the ILIAD 75, the crew have direct deck access from both the for'ard lounge and under the aft flybridge stairs.
Non-guest space can be configured to workshop/mess/accom/engineering/laundry in a myriad of ways to suit the mission parameters, and it is a mission at this level. A mission of peace and luxurious pampering, wrapped up in exploration and freedom and space. In pondering all of this, the ability for an ILIAD 75 to offer a seven-star South Pacific experience, where range and autonomy are definitely needed, stood out just about as well as Balls' Pyramid near Lord Howe Island, which is clearly a place you are going to go if you bring your ILIAD 75 into this part of the world (APAC).
Additionally, the buying process and timeline is very different in this segment. The arrangement goes from more of dealer/client model, to one incorporating many players from yard to designers, agents to lawyers, engineers to charter agent. It is important to note this, for it is the experience and reliability of people like Crook and the brand's Asia Pacific dealer, The Yacht Sales Co, that will make this process simpler, finer, more navigable, and less restrictive.
In going down this path it is a relationship that is not merely the build, it is the lifetime of this vessel, and the one after it.
And now for something completely different
Well, mostly...
Beam. When you use a sailing cat as your base, you get this in bucket loads, and the main deck can appear more as a football field. The other item inherent in this style of vessel is that the hull forms are slippery. This is so that the sailing experience is as enjoyable as possible for more of the time.
Now whereas the ILIAD 75 is powercat from the keel up (with a 9.57m beam), the Fountaine Pajot Power 80 shares a lot of its form with the Thira 80 sailing cat designed by the renowned Berret Racoupeau, which is why it has an 11.09m beam for form stability. The key differences are in the aft sections of the hulls, which amount to about a third of the underwater profile, where separate, new, and unique components are placed into the mould. These have different engine bearers and stern gland housings to account for the power increase from a standard 175hp in the sailing version a side to 450hp a side, and you can opt to go through to 925hp a side, should you wish.
The latter will take the 78-tonne girl (wetship) through to say 21 knots and offer a miserly 12 litres per nautical mile combined at 15 knots. They could well be the pick of the bunch, for the economic cruise is eight and a bit knots, which is well quicker than the lower spec 450 and 640hp offerings for what is essentially the same fuel burn of just 3l/nm.
One of the reasons for wanting to look at the Fountaine Pajot Power 80 immediately after the ILIAD 75 is that they are the same sort of size, have the same sorts of layouts, and yet are oh-so-different. For instance, the Fountaine Pajot only comes with an open bridge, yet they both have a foredeck lounge.
Another interesting element to review was the very different take on style, and just how much shaking and moving Fountaine Pajot is doing in the marine space, with firstly the acquisition of monohull brand, Dufour, then Alternative Energies in the electrification space, which was followed by well-respected dealers/brokers in key markets.
Lastly (but certainly not finally it would seem) a new, soon-to-be-launched dedicated powercat range (Code 07) in collaboration with Couach, who apart from building the current MY series of vessels for Fountaine Pajot have an incredibly esteemed history in building express monohulls.
Finally, and not merely as some adjunct, a point not discussed is that if you go to 80 feet, then it is a fair chance you will crack the ton sometime soon. I would place a bet that this is nigh upon us, and it is not like you will be heading into unchartered waters. We will see...
To start with an assessment of the Fountaine Pajot Power 80, you really need to go to the profile. They wanted it sleek, and they got it. It is also open, and they got that too. The secret definitely lies in the coachhouse roof, and the lid on the flybridge, which both benefit from Resin Transfer Moulding that provides for the components to be more compact, without giving the 11 secret herbs and spices totally away...
At any rate, without these being as slender as they are, the modern and low-slung aesthetic would be lost, and there is no reduction in strength. On the contrary, you will notice there is but the one column in the centre of the expanse that is the main deck.
Equally, the semi-transparent, retractable eaves add to the al fresco notions of the side and aft decks, that only get enhanced by the deployment of the folding bulwarks. Making it one level from the aft settee to the door through to the foredeck, and also around the side decks to the steps up adjacent to the front of the pilothouse delivers a sense of lightness.
Now defining each and every locale with furniture and other structures is really quite beguiling at first. Later on, it becomes a little mesmerising. This is a boat for great, fun times in lovely weather, for groups from 2 to 40 (the latter obviously dayboating only).
The first Power 80 will be in service from Spring of 2025, and it is the fifth hull out of the moulds, which historically has been the sort of ratio for sail to power cats that share a common form, albeit that not every brand has interchangeable sections. It is to a Mediterranean client, so it is certainly going to the right home.
To look at the Fontaine Pajot Power 80 some more, it's probably a good time to bring in Greg Boller, General Manager of New Yacht Sales at The Yacht Sales Co, who now span Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, Tahiti, Fiji, Nouméa, Malaysia, and most recently, Panama and the Mediterranean. The reason for mentioning all of that is simply, service. A boat like this is meant for travel, and isn't it good to know you're covered in a whole lot of places?
"The galley up version of the Fontaine Pajot Power 80 is my favourite, as nothing rises above the sill height of the expansive windows around the main saloon. It makes for a relaxing breakfast bar to oppose the long galley and then sumptuous lounging to the right. The galley down version is more applicable for a traditional crewed operation, and includes separate access to their quarters and mess. Depending on the variation selected (four, five or six Staterooms that can include a gargantuan private access Master) you can have up to five crew to look after you and your guests. That's a lot on an 80-footer," said Boller.
"One of the versions, Maestro, has the forward two thirds of the right hull, with a VIP Stateroom immediately aft of it. Yet it is the aft cockpit and side decks with balconies that define the relaxed nature of living aboard, and there is also the flybridge to enjoy. Right out aft and the beam also affords for a 4.6m tender (including outboard) at up to an optional 2000kg on the swim platform, as well as stowage for toys inside the aft console. It is from anywhere here that you will comprehend the massive 250m2 of entertaining space that is on offer."
"In amassing all the area aft, inside, and then the cruising lounge up for'ard, you'd have to think it is the equivalent of a 120-foot monohull. Being able to have a solid foredeck is a real bonus and a sign of the reduction in (air) pressure that being a displacement craft affords, to say nothing of maintaining LWL, which makes propulsion more efficient."
"Once you step onto a boat like this, the enjoyment and the experience is 100 percent starting from the moment you get on because you're on such a big platform. It is now about the journey, just as much as the destination. And when you want to journey far and wide that needs autonomy, which low fuel burn provides for. Having 4800 litres with an optional 2400 litres more makes for very expansive exploring, indeed."
"If you take the notion of a boat for cruising the Pacific, there is 4kW of solar on the flybridge lid and another 4kW on the leading edge of the coachhouse. So you use your main engines and your fuel to get from A to B, but once you're at B, you can unplug all your diesel power plant and just sit there and live off the house through your solar generation and up to 45kW, 24V Victron 3x200Ah lithium pack. You could live there for quite a while without running the genset depending on how intensely you run the AC," said Boller as the final item to ponder.
So, how do you want to cruise? Two really good ideas here, and they are so vastly different, yet both so equally appealing.
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Finally. Please look after yourselves,
John Curnow
Global Editor, Powerboat.World