The slender pair of hulls
cleave through a head sea
with consummate easeA primary benefi t of the MY44 being a
powercat is the amount of cabin space
set within the saloon glazing are installed
in the sections aft of the helm. Surely
moving them to be in line with the helm
would be more useful, so the skipper gets
the benefi t of their ventilation and can
use them to talk to the crew? That said,
it’s great to see blinds over the windows –
including the windscreen – for increased
privacy and to prevent harmful UV rays
from fading the interior.
A primary benefi t of the MY44 being a
powercat is the amount of cabin space for
a boat of 44ft (13.4m) and the privacy it
affords. Yes, your guests share one of the
hulls but they get their own bathrooms
and the owner, well, good luck to any
monohull of this length trying to match
the space and luxury of this boat’s portside
owner’s cabin. Walking forward from the
staircase, which enters the cabin just
forward of the cockpit doors, the owner’s
suite gets more impressive the further
towards the bow you get. There’s a
dedicated space for a washing machine
to starboard (shut off from the rest of
the cabin to keep noise down) and the
fi rst of fi ve hanging lockers. The generous
island berth is aligned athwartships to
make the most of the space and ensure that
natural light from the window opposite
pours over the bed. Forward of that is a
small walk-in dressing area fl anked by
hanging lockers and then, right forward
when you’re wondering how there could
be anything more squeezed in, there is
a spacious bathroom complete with a
separate shower. It’s a seriously impressive
cabin and one that totally justifi es the
decision to opt for a three-cabin layout
as the sole option.
In the starboard hull, the forward guest
cabin is a typical catamaran-style affair,
with a double berth that can be split into
two singles tucked into the point of the
bow. Though it’s not ensuite, this cabin
has easy access to the day heads and at
night, there’s no need to share with the
aft guest cabin as this gets its own ensuite.
This is a cracking cabin, almost a mini
version of the master in fact, with a side-
on double berth and plush ensuite.
Forward, between the two hulls, there
is the option to have yet another cabin,
albeit a very cosy one best suited as a
snug for kids to use. The bed, however,
is a decent size and would be comfortable
enough for part-time crew to use
occasionally. Or you can leave this area as
storage and save yourself nearly €16,000.CONTROLLING THE CAT
This is the fi rst powercat I have tested with
IPS and it interested me to see how the
system would work, especially at slow
speed, shifting a pair of hulls through
the water. Shaftdrive catamarans are
generally very easy to manoeuvre at slow
speeds so would joystick control be lost
in translation from a single hull to twins?
In practice it doesn’t seem so; in fact,
the joystick makes light work of one of
the more tricky moves on a cat, which is
to get it to move sideways off a pontoon
or quay. With shafts this would usually
require the use of a spring line but with
IPS, you simply push the joystick the
way you want to go and the boat obeys.
Our test boat had the largest IPS600
units fi tted and turns and sideways shifts
seemed to take slightly longer than they
do on monohulls, but the effect is just as
impressive. There are two smaller IPS
engine options (IPS350/400) but the 600s
provide a great balance of performance
and range with a top speed in the mid-20s
and a range of around 1,500nm at 6 knots.
The pods work well at speed, too.
Without even a hint of a hump, the MY44
slices its way up to a top speed of 25 knots,
where it feels refi ned and confi dent.
We had calm water for our sea trial but,
where some powercats with higher top
speeds can feel skittish, the MY44 settles
down well and reacts tidily to the nicely
weighted helm. Turns are as fl at and
unexciting as you would expect but,
to use a worn but apt phrase, the boat
goes about as if it were on rails.
A short head sea is when the boat feels
most confi dent, though some fellow
journalists who were out in rougher
conditions later in the day said that theytook some spray on board – even on the
fl ybridge – at times. There were occasions
too when at rest, the amount of rocking
we experienced from a small amount
of wash was surprising. Stabilisers for
monohulls have come so far in the last
few years that catamarans no longer hold
all the cards when it comes to stationary
stability, even if their natural surefootedness
is still superior.VERDICT
The catamaran market may will be
experiencing a boost but choosing a cat
will still feel like a leap of faith for some.BOAT REPORTmby.com/my44SEE THE VIDEO