American Product Review: Maine Cat Catamarans
Maine Cat Catamarans, a family run business on the coast of Maine, has been building high performance composite sailing and power catamarans since 1993. This is a most impressive feat considering that most American boat builders have failed in this very competitive industry. With owner Dick Vermeulen at the helm and some dedicated and talented craftsman who have been with the company for over 15 years, Maine Cat has cemented its place in the performance catamaran category. Their pride and dedication to excellence is evident in every phase of the production process. Dick says: “We build strong, well-engineered boats and in the past 20 years we have spent less than $19k on warranty claims”; yet another feat in catamaran manufacturing!
Their unique “open design” catamaran was thought to be revolutionary nearly two decades ago. It is now widely emulated by some of the biggest names in catamarans, like Catana and Nautitech. This signature characteristic makes these catamarans appear a lot bigger than it actually is. The layout on the bridgedeck is open with 360-degree visibility from a centralized helm and a hardtop bimini overhead. It is surrounded with roll-down soft sides (acrylic windows) that can instantly transform the bridgedeck from an open patio to an enclosed room, or what Vermuelen calls the “great room.” In 2005 their new Maine Cat 41 was awarded “Boat of the Year” by a panel of judges from Cruising World Magazine, a very proud moment for the company.
New MC 38 Catamaran (Featured Here)
In 2014, Dick Vermuelen designed a brand-new sailing cat, the MC 38, an evolution of his previous designs. In this case the roll-up sides are replaced with a more protected pilothouse, permanent sides, high-aspect daggerboards and retracting rudders. Maine Cat is the only boat builder in the world that is thermoforming the Core-Cell coring to the exact shape of the parts prior to infusing. It makes the boat as strong and light as a carbon built boat but without the expense. It has all the features of a successful catamaran; high performance, great visiblity, outstanding construction detail and backed by a US company that has been building and servicing great boats for 22 years. It is set to be another hit with catamaran fans and we are thrilled to feature their latest design in Catamaran Guru’s Proudly American section. The introductory price for the MCC 38 is $337,000.
Maine Cat’s dedication to quality, good design and sound engineering have helped them become an American icon with a very dedicated following, including us here at Catamaran Guru.
Layout, Specifications and Renderings
HULL
Exterior premium ISO-NPG gelcoat
Composite thermoformed VIC Core Cell SAN closed cell coring
Resin infused vinyl ester resin with quadraxial E-glass knit fabrics
Built to ABS and IOS scantlings
Hull to deck joint bonded with Plexus structural adhesive and thru-bolted
H/D joint glassed on the interior with 1708 biaxial tapes multiple layers
PVC rub rail with stainless steel insert cap exterior
Three (3) coats of SeaHawk bottom epoxy barrier system, two (2) coats BioCopTF
DECK
Exterior premium ISO-NPG gelcoat with light gray non-skid two tone
Composite thermoformed VIC Core Cell SAN closed cell coring
Resin infused vinyl ester resin with quadraxial E-glass knit fabrics
Composite hardtop roof with two horizontal sliding windows forward sections
316 L stainless horses fore and aft linked to 26” double wire lifeline system
Large flush scuppers aft cockpit for self-bailing bridgedeck drainage
Bridgedeck flooring to be MarineDeck 2000 9 mm thick composite cork
Two (2) large self-draining storage lockers in forward beam
Six (6) ten-inch stainless steel mooring cleats and four (4) chocks at bows
Total two (2) flush hatches and four (4) portlights, all opening and with screens
Two (2) large inboard facing companionway hatches with lockable boards
Custom stainless steel stern rail incorporating davits and inboard side rails
Two (2) vinyl coated polyester trampolines forward with centerline plank
Stainless steel anchor roller, chain tensioner, Rocna 20 kg and 200’ of nylon rode
DAGGERBOARDS AND RUDDERS
High aspect ratio 12 % NACA composite foils, both rudders and boards fully retract
Balanced daggerboard style rudders in custom drum bearing system
Center Console mounted wheel steering with 360 degree visibility
SPARS & RIGGING
48’ Selden anodized aluminum mast fractionally rigged with double spreaders Includes spinnaker and screacher halyards and single line reefs at two points
Gull Striker “A”-frame with compression beam and screacher pole
Self-tacking headsail furling system, curved track and car with controls
Block and tackle 4:1 cap shroud tensioners included port and starboard
Three (3) Harken Radial 46.2 STA two speed self-tailing winches, Spinlock clutches
One (1) Harken Radial 46.2 STEA electric self-tailing winch for main halyard
Nine (9) foot mainsail traveler track, car and controls mounted on the aft beam
Outboard hull mounted chain plates, 316L standing rigging, all running rigging std.
ENGINE AND CONTROLS
Single 50 hp, 4-cycle, outboard engine on centerline nacelle, high thrust, 25” extra-long shaft, power trim and tilt lifts clear of the water
Kobelt single-lever engine controls and “zero” friction control cables.
Single 50-gallon fuel tank with filter/separator mounted
2.2 kW electric bow thruster in starboard hull to assist in maneuvering
Edson custom cable steering system with solid drag link in aft beam
ELECTRICAL
Electrical distribution panel with sixteen DC circuit breakers and four AC breakers.
Two (2) 8D Absorbed Glass Mat maintenance-free deep cycle marine batteries
Navigational lights including foredeck, anchor, steaming and mast top tricolor.
All interior and bridgedeck 12 volt lighting is LED, total ten (10) fixtures;
Protected 120-volt inlet shore power plug and three (3) 120-volt outlets.
Two (2) 12-volt receptacles and ventilation fans at all berths
Solar array of two (2) premium 150-watt solar panels with charge controller
Output from engine alternator run to the house battery bank
ELECTRONICS, VHF AND STEREO
Garmin GPS MAP 1040xs chartplotter preloaded with BlueChart g2 coastal maps
Garmin GMI 20 display with gWind and depth transducers, all NEMA 2000 network
Garmin VHF 200 radio with Metz masthead antenna
Garmin GHP Reactor autopilot with class “B” drive protected in aft beam
Garmin Metero stereo system, two (2) speaker, remote and iPod dock
STOVE AND REFRIGERATION
10 lb. Aluminum propane tank with leak test gauge, regulator and electric solenoid
Three (3) burner Seaward 3276 stove with sea rail kit and two pair of pot holders
Vitrofrigo 12-volt remote condenser upright refrigerator/freezer, 2.7 cubic feet.
PLUMBING
Lavac marine vacuum toilet with 20-gallon gravity waste holding tank
Two (2) polyethylene fresh water tanks each 31 gallons
Four (4) electric automatic bilge pumps with float switches
Whale Gulper gray water pump for shower sump pan in head.
Hot and cold pressure water at vanity, shower, galley sink and stern shower
Precision Temp ShowerMate stainless steel propane fired hot water heater
Salt water wash down thru-hull, pump and spigot in forward beam
INTERIOR ACCOMODATIONS AND FINISH
Headroom minimum 6’-3” to maximum of 6’-8”, painted headliners
Berths for up to five (5), two (2) very larger doubles aft in each hull, 57” by 6’-8” Large single in port hull forward is 49” wide at the head by 6’-8” long
All cushions below decks (total 3 pieces) are 5” thick high-density foam
All interior bulkheads are resin infused Core-Cell foam cored painted finish.
Cherry-veneered Tricel cored plywood lockers and cabinets per plan March 1, 2014
Solid surface counter tops in galley ½” thick with back splash
Amtico-Wood synthetic no-maintenance cabin flooring each hull
Large (16’ long) tinted acrylic fixed portlights outboard each hull in cabin topsides
Two (2) large sealed air chambers forward each hull accessible from interior cabins
Huge fully enclosed molded head on starboard with vanity cabinet, sink, shower, shower sump pump, Lavac marine head and storage cabinet
USCG safety package including: 6 PFD’s, horn, 2 fire extinguishers, flares, four dock lines, Life Sling, and 3 fenders.
