California Builder Launches New Catamaran Design

Many of the catamarans being launched in North America are built to imported designs, but a California builder is taking a home grown approach. Working with a team of skilled aluminium builders in his custom built shop north of San Francisco, Moose Boats. owner Roger Fleck has built his prototype. The firm will be hauling the boat to the New Orleans Work Boat show and they are looking for orders for this or either of the two other models available. The prototype is 32 ft. over all, excluding swim grids, and 28.2-ft. on the waterline. The full beam is 11.2 ft. with a 22-in. maximum draft. Dead rise aft is 15 degrees and dry displacement is 13,800 lbs. This model is powered by a pair of Cummins six-cylinder 6BTA5.9 M3 engines with a recreational rating of 330 hp at 2800 rpm. Driving Hamilton 274 waterjets through Z-F 88C reversing gears with a 1:1 ratio, the boat achieved its 34-knot design speed on sea trials. The boat will also be available with the same engines in their commercial ratings of 280 and 315 hp.