August 2, 2011.

We’ve got a brand new and very interesting catamaran that needs to be commissioned down at the marina. It’s here after arriving in Baltimore on a freighter from South Africa.

The thing is 44 feet long and will be the Belle of the Ball when it comes to hosting cocktail hours. But as with any “new” design there are a few things that at first glance make me say “what the hell were they thinking?”.

The first thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the helmsman is seated in a semi tuna tower up above the main bimini. Any type of running seas and the ride up there should be pretty active. I can’t wait to see what they come up for an enclosure. Once the mast is up it will be interesting to see just how high the boom is off the water.

A boat this big has an incredible amount of windage so good ground tackle is important. I was picturing a 60 or 70 pound anchor hanging from an all chain rode. That was until I saw the micro tiny anchor roller and realized that their vision must include tying up at a lot of marinas.

How can a manufacturer let a boat that big get out the door with such a skimpy roller. Well color me embarrassed. After I wrote this bit about the anchor roller I had the opportunity to explore the boat a bit and was relieved to find a normal sized anchor and roller in a locker aft of the trampoline. What the hell that tiny roller is for still eludes me.

For me the most astonishing design was the forward end of the salon. It’s a flat, vertical wall of glass and plastic with a door in it and a roof extending forward. The door leads to the forward cockpit. The what, you say? That’s right, the forward cockpit. You know the forward cockpit where you’d sit to do…..Well, I have no idea what you might do up forward in there.

It might make a good spot to stow your bicycles, I dunno.

All it would take was one boarding wave and the flaw in that design would be readily evident. A few years ago some friends we were traveling with on a Lagoon 41 buried both bows when just the right combination of current and wind hit us in the Cape Fear River, so it can happen.

This big ole’ cat will definitely be the Belle, but it will be interesting to see if it can make it to the ball.