Last Updated Tuesday, April 01, 1997
Jay has been boating since he was five years old. He bought his first boat while in high school and has since bought more than his share of them (way more than his share). Anyway, boats have long been a passion for Jay. Fortunately for him, Cheryl enjoys boating nearly as much as he does.
Power catamarans are just beginning to make their presence felt here in the US. We learned a lot about them when shopping for what was to be the SeaBrat. After nearly nearly two years of research, shopping, looking and wishing we found a lot of hype, a little truth, enjoyed a few test rides and learned a big lesson (or two). If you've been thinking about buying a power catamaran, check out our SeaCat Page and learn from our experience!
We chose a 21' SeaCat SL1 (by North American Fiberglass) after nearly 2 years of research and at the time the field of power cats was extremely limited in terms of choices. Actually it's still pretty limited, but the field has grown a lot since then. The SeaCat line has also been expanded and improved with the addition of a 23' model and a 25' cuddy model. They are also starting to offer optional extended fuel capacities in the 23 and 25 foot models, something we think they should strongly consider doing for the 21' model as well. North American Fiberglass doesn't have a web page that we could find, but we did find a fairly small page at this location, a South Florida Dealer's SeaCat Catamaran Page
On a recent web surfing trip, we also found a Hawaiian SeaCat page. The boat is described (and looks like) as a modified North American Fiberglass boat which is being produced locally in Hawaii. Fact or Rumor? Who knows, but you can check out the site yourself at The Hawaiian SeaCat Page. What is interesting is the longer warranty (5 years as opposed to the 3 year warranty provided by North American Fiberglass). They are also recommending the 50-hp Honda engines, which North American Fiberglass no longer does (nor do we). Some of the performance claims made on the Hawaiian SeaCat Page are simply outrageous.
In addition to the SeaCat line of power catamarans, a number of other boat makers have begun to recognize the unique benefits of the catamaran style of powerboat. Grady-White has recently introduced their entry into the 'cat market with the 26' TigerCat. Like all Gradys, the boat commands a premium price at nearly $60,000 for the hull alone! You can see a few details on the TigerCat, along with the rest of the Grady-White line at The Grady-White Web Page.
Glacier Bay catamarans, a displacement design, differ from both the SeaCat and TigerCat which are planing hulls. We looked at a 20' Glacier Bay, but did not like the layout of the boat nearly as much as the SeaCat. The floor-to-gunwale height seemed very low for an offshore boat and we didn't care for the way the boat "felt", both of which are pretty subjective reasons. We also felt that the fuel capacity was a bit too limited for our use as well. You can see the Glacier Bay line of catamarans at Blue Water Yacht Sales.
Another new 'cat entry which was found in a small press release in Salt Water Sportsman is the 29' HydroCat 290X. This looks like a beast of a sportfishing catamaran with a 29' LOA and a 10' beam. The advertisement claims a top speed in excess of 50 mph (read our SeaCat Page concerning advertised claims...) when equipped with twin 225-hp outboards. It has a fuel capacity of 290 gallons, so it should have a decent range.
Ocean Star catamarans are manufactured in Sarasota, Florida. They look very similar to the SeaCat line of boats. Even though they are built in our area, we have seldom seen them and they aren't advertised as aggresively as the SeaCat, Glacier Bay and Grady-White catamarans.
Living near Clearwater, Florida, we normally go boating in the Gulf of Mexico via any of the Gulf passes in Pinellas County. Our favorite is Clearwater Pass and the Belleair boat ramp is only 10 minutes from our house. Other areas include Johns Pass and Bunces Pass. Bunces Pass is near the mouth of Tampa Bay and affords easy access to both the Bay and the Gulf. The intercoastal waterway connects all of these passes and is an enjoyable cruise, offering sheltered water during windy weather. Numerous spoil islands, the by-product of dredging operations to maintain a navigable channel, can be found north of Clearwater and many offer convenient camping and picnicing spots. Barrier islands to the north of Clearwater include Caladesi Island, Honeymoon Island, Three Rooker Bar and Anclote Key. All are used by sea turtles and birds for nesting. Anclote Key still has a lighthouse at its southern end.
For the fisherman, there are numerous artificial reefs, as well as ledges and hard patches of limestone bottom. Be aware that most of the Gulf in this area is essentially a great sand desert. Just running about and dropping your hook any old place will likely yield dissapointing results. A good quality fish finder and a loran or GPS unit are invaluable to the offshore fisherman. Inshore charts are available to help you find productive spots for species such as snook, trout and redfish.
A good source of information on boating in the Tampa area can be found at the Florida Suncoast Outdoors page.
Below are hotlinks to some of our favorite boating related web sites:
Click here to visit our SeaCat Page
Click here to visit our Home Page
Click here to visit our Fishing Page
Our SCUBA Page
Click here to visit our Pets Page
