ROCKPORT — When catamaran boats first came on the scene in the early 1960s, they must have looked as strange as recumbent bicycles did a decade ago. But now, few people look twice at the vessels that have become commonly used as high-speed ferries, sailboats and even whale-watching boats.
So if the design, in which just two cylindrical parts of the hull touch the water, works in these other boats, why not for a lobster boat?
At the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in February, Michel Pachiaudo showed off the design his Montreal-based firm Magipati International hopes to build. A British firm has built about 40 of the boats, Pachiaudo said, and at his booth at the forum, a video showed the vessels working as fishing boats in the North Sea.
The British company has licensed Pachiaudo to build the boats in North America. Two versions, at 27-foot and 32-foot, are planned.
The vessels probably won’t inspire artists to sketch their lines, but Pachiaudo claims they are highly efficient for work because the decks on both are 16-feet wide and the wheelhouse is closer to the bow than on conventional boats.
Some 80 lobster traps can be stacked on the deck of the 27-foot version, he said.
Not only are the cats stable on rough seas, he said, but their hulls’ minimal contact with water means the boats move efficiently, consuming very little fuel. The videos show the boats powered by a pair of 25 horsepower outboards achieving speeds of 10 knots, Pachiaudo said. Inboard engine versions also are available.
The Fiberglas boats are built with a single mold, he said. The 27-footer will sell for under $80,000 and the 32-footer will sell for under $100,000.
Pachiaudo plans to conduct trials of his versions of the vessel on Lake Champlain in September. For more information, he can be contacted at: magipati@yahoo.ca
