Attention: Marine grey nomads

At this time of year every caravan park north of Perth or Brisbane is packed with hordes of retired "grey nomads" either setting off to do a lap of the continent or just heading north to escape winter's chill.

Now boat designer Roger Hill has come up with a vessel that could see more nautical grey nomads heading north to tropical waters and escaping not just the cold of southern climes but also camp-ground fees, officious council rangers and thundering B-double and road train trucks.

Hill's Argus E35 is a cruising catamaran with a full displacement hull design that should prove easy to handle and economical to run. Powered by two 90hp Suzuki four-stroke outboards, the Argus E35 doesn't lose any interior hull space to inboard engines and the operators don't have to worry about masts, sails and the wind conditions.

The vessel is built by Outback Marine, a Gold Coast company founded in 1998 to supply marine systems equipment. As company director Gary Pacey says: “The Argus E35 is a boat for our times: economical to run and affordable to buy.”

With an overall length of 10.65 metres (35 feet) and a beam of 4.7 metres (15 feet), the Argus E35 is easily berthed while still offering generous living space for a short holiday or long-time living aboard. The twin Suzuki outboards will push the boat to more than 20 knots if required but offer economical cruising at 16 knots, using just two litres of fuel per nautical mile. Throttling back to a quiet eight knots sees the fuel consumption drop by half to give a 600nm cruising range.

The saloon has a spacious and airy feel that is aided by frameless glass doors opening to the cockpit and large windows all around. The central forward helm position has a commanding view and ample room for navigation electronics, radio and radar.

An L-shaped settee and fixed table are located on the starboard side and another settee to port. Ventilation is via an opening windscreen, two overhead hatches, two large rear windows and a central companionway door.

Two queen-sized berths are located forward, one in each hull, and they have overhead hatches, side portlights and electric fans. Air conditioning is an optional extra.

The master cabin, in the starboard hull leads aft to the head which is fitted with a shower and toilet.

The galley is located in the aft section of the port hull but it escapes the “dungeon” feel of some downstairs galleys by being connected to the saloon via large open space above the back of the port settee. The work bench in the galley is nearly three metres long and solid surface bench top materials are used throughout.

The cockpit is designed for casual outdoor living with a protective overhead brow providing shelter from the sun and rain and there being no fixed furniture. The boat is designed to be fitted with camping-style folding outside furniture that can be rearranged according to the needs of the occasion.

The Argus E35 comes ready to cruise with an extensive factory systems fit-out. The helm features electronic engine controls, a 30cm colour chart plotter, fish-finder, radar, autopilot, VHF radio, LCD TV and a stereo/DVD player.

The vessel’s systems are all electric with solar panels fitted to assist with the charging of the large house battery bank. An inverter is fitted to supply power for cooking and other energy sapping operations.

With 400 litres of fresh water in twin tanks and the ability to carry 600 litres of fuel in two tanks, the Argus E35 can operate in remote locations in peace and safety. As the hulls draw only 0.6 metres (less than two feet), the vessel can be navigated in shallow tropical waters unavailable to most cruising boats. Bridge clearance is just 2.9 metres, so getting under bridges on coastal rivers is also no problem.

The Argus E35 will retail from $438,000.