Cat out of bag for launch fans

The new Prowler 10.4 is powered by 60hp Yamaha four-stroke outboards. Photo / Supplied

Although not widely popular, power catamarans do have a number of advantages over more conventional pleasure cruisers.

For a start, they tend to be more easily driven, meaning less up-front costs and more economical cruising. They offer more useable space (although, as this is generally gained by their greater beam, it can come at a cost in marina space). They also, if the designers do their job right, produce a smooth ride through the water.

However, despite these advantages, power catamarans - especially GRP power catamarans designed for all-round family boating - have never really caught on. This is probably due to Kiwi boaties' innate conservatism. We prefer monos to multis, diesel to petrol, conventional drives to stern, jet or surface alternatives.

Consequently, there have been few manufacturers prepared to invest in production power cats.

One that has is Hobsonville-based Formula Cruisers. Better known for its range of luxurious Icon monohulls, the company has recently invested in producing the Prowler 10.4, a GRP catamaran powered by a pair of 60hp or 70hp outboards.

The Prowler has an interesting past. Originally designed by well-known cat designer Jeff Schionning as a 9m vessel, it was then developed into a 10.4m model by Whangarei designer and builder Eric Knight.

Two years ago, the team at Formula decided the 10.4 would complement their Icon range and entered into an agreement to build them. Now they have modified the design, adding a further 200mm to the aft extremities of the hulls and raising the sheerline by 250mm along the length of each hull.

This, according to Formula's marketing manager, Troy Woods, has brought the lines of the boat into a better aesthetic balance. It has also allowed Formula's design team to relocate the 500-litre fuel tanks and 400-litre water tanks amidships, improving the boat's handling.

This redistribution of weight has eliminated the catamaran's tendency to pitch (a common drawback of multihull designs). The higher topsides have delivered another benefit: the correspondingly higher bridge-deck or tunnel clearance prevents pounding on the wing deck in all but the roughest of seas.

Where the Prowler differs most from other power cats is at its aft end. Instead of anything like a traditional transom, the 10.4 features a pair of elongated pods most often seen on large catamaran ferries. At the far end of each pod is an outboard and, above that, a baitboard mounted on a sort of pushpit pedestal. There is no denying that it is an unusual-looking configuration, but it seems to work.

Using outboards to power the Prowler was an integral part of the designer's plan to create an affordable and efficient family cruiser. In its standard configuration, the 10.4 comes with a brace of 60hp Yamaha four-stroke outboards. These weigh in at 125kg less per side than an equivalent diesel inboard, require less space, cost considerably less, are easier to maintain, quieter and possibly more economical.

The first of the redesigned Prowlers has slightly more power than the usual; it has been fitted with a pair of Yamaha's new 996cc 70hp four-stroke high-thrust outboards. These power the cat to a maximum speed of 21.4 knots and cruise, at 4500rpm, at around 15 knots.

Woods believes this is the ideal power match for the Prowler.

"The boat was designed around outboard power ... You can of course run the standard twin 60hp configuration and for charter application it would be quite acceptable to go even smaller again, but for a cruising situation we think this mode ticks all the boxes," he says.

Pacific Powerboat's Barry Tyler, who also reviewed this model's predecessor, agrees.

"I was suitably impressed with the handling capabilities," he reports. "The boat was quiet through the water ... but it was the Prowler's ability through the slop that especially impressed."

Tyler says the new weight distribution works. "Not once did the tunnel bang and, even better, there was a distinct lack of pitching."

He says the Prowler exhibits all the attributes of a displacement-style hull: ironing out the bumps while still maintaining momentum.

With no engine rooms to squeeze in, the designers have been able to focus on providing large, comfortable living areas and lots of stowage.

With a beam of 4.8m, there is no shortage of space in the cockpit, which boasts two large settees, protected from the weather by an overhang and clears.

With its large windows on all sides, the saloon feels just as spacious, although, given that the vessel's LOA is just 10.7m, it's not huge. Nevertheless, there is room for an L-shaped settee and dinette in one corner and galley in the other.

Accommodation is likewise appropriate for a vessel of this size. Each pontoon features a single double cabin with spare single berth and a head/shower bathroom.

One of the disadvantages of an outboard-powered vessel of this size can be lack of on-board power (of the electrical kind). However, Formula has installed a four-panel solar array on the roof of the cabin to complement the power produced by the outboards' 17-amp alternators. It has also ensured that energy-hungry appliances are gas-powered.

Once a mainstay of our boating industry, 10m launches are now a rarity. And that's a shame, because they provide a good stepping stone from a trailer boat to a moored one. They also allow families to own a boat with which they can cruise our beautiful coasts for a week or so at a time.

With the Prowler 10.4, Formula Cruisers is again offering Kiwis that chance - and, at $362,000 as described here, at a price considerably below anything else on the market.

Prowler 10.4

LOA: 10.7m

LWL: 10.5m

Beam: 4.8m

Draft: 400mm

Displacement: 4000kg

Construction: Hand-laid multi-axial cloths, foam core GRP composite

Engines: 2 x 70 hp Yamaha FT70-AETX four-stroke outboards

Maximum speed: 21.4 knots

Cruising speed: 15-17 knots (4500rpm at 17 knots)

Fuel capacity: 500 litres

Water capacity: 400 litres

Want to know more?
Check out Barry Tyler's boat review on the Prowler 10.4 in the July/August issue of Pacific Powerboat magazine.