Boating USA — February 2018

FAST ACTION:

SPEED VS. EFFICIENCY

With 960 hp from twin Cummins diesels, the Sea

Ray easily wins in top speed at nearly 34.5 mph

compared to the Leopard (27.6 mph), but at a

serious cost in fuel. At 20 mph, the Leopard is using

just 20 gph, for an even 1 mpg. At the same speed,

the Sea Ray is using 32.6 gph, netting 0.5 mpg.

“A strength of the catamaran is that it has

such low drag,” says Gino Morelli, the catamaran

designer, whose credits range from America’s

Cup contenders and Olympic-class cats through

power cats for charter use up to a record-setting

round-the-world 125-foot cat. “It’s just basic

hydrodynamics: Two slim hulls have very low

resistance. They push much less water than one

wider hull and therefore require smaller engines

for increased effi ciency.”

The Sea Ray is faster; the Leopard is more

effi cient. It’s nice to have speed when you

want to outrun an approaching squall or get

to an anchorage fi rst. On the other hand, you’ll

probably spend most of your cruising time at the

lower speed more comfortable to your guests.

Our take: Both are winners. It’s your choice.

PAIN AND GAIN:

RIDE VS. HANDLING

“Two sharp hulls pound less in a seaway too,”

says Morelli. Monohulls, especially cruising

monohulls like the Sea Ray, tend to experience

bow rise when accelerating, while catamarans

remain fl at throughout their speed range. It’s

generally agreed that catamarans provide a softer

ride in a seaway because their knifelike hulls slice

the waves rather than crush them, and the motion

of a catamaran in waves is more like a cantering

horse, which some people like and others don’t.

At low speeds in a beam sea, some power cats can

have a sharp roll as swells pass under each hull

separately, but monohulls also roll considerably,

which is why gyrostabilizers and stabilizer fi ns

have become popular aboard monohulls. But the PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY LEOPARD CATAMARANS, COURTESY SEA RAY BOATS

“A strength of the

catamaran is that

it has such low

drag. It’s just basic

hydrodynamics:

Two slim hulls have

very low resistance.

They push much

less water than

one wider hull and

therefore require

smaller engines for

increased effi ciency.”

92 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018