Brava 42

Custom-built power catamarans are becoming more common on waterways up and down the east coast these days. The price of properties along these waterways has gotten completely out of control. So, wanting to be near the water in comfort, people are turning more and more to spacious, floating 'homes' that in many cases can only be offered by the beam of a catamaran.

Designed by Peter Brady, the Brava 42 has this market sector right in it sights and, while Brava Marine has been a company for only 18 months, Brady's boatbuilding experience goes back to custom 1170 and 1270 Leopards, as well as other earlier power catamaran designs.

The forward sections of the 42's hulls have vee-shaped entries with raked bows and multiple water-deflecting chines, while the aft keel line flattens out for planing. Under the forward part of the wing deck is a central, prominent deep-vee pod that increases the slamming strength of the wing deck but forms part of a design that Brady has applied to patent.

This is a complex design of the shape, angles, and chines of the inner sides of the hulls combined with the ratio of the height and beam of the void under the wing deck. It results in greatly reduced drag through rough water while sound levels associated with water gushing between the hulls is reduced dramatically.

Brady refers to this design as 'displaning', a cross between a high-speed displacement hull and one that is also capable of planing.

 And the results aimed for have definitely been achieved, with the design producing a soft ride with hulls capable of piercing chop but with a silence that makes high-speed travel a pleasure.

HULLS AND HATCHES
The hulls have full-length keels that protect the stern gear and allow for beaching if you need to carry out maintenance or inspections. Heavy equipment such as engines and tanks are positioned amidships to minimise pitching in a rough sea and reduce the need for constant trimming.

Access to engine compartments is via a large hatch in the rear cockpit deck and a hatch in the galley floor under a bench. A soundproof blanket zips into place at the aft end of each engine compartment, deadening any diesel noise coming up through the back deck.

The rear hatch in the starboard side also accesses the hot water service and stand alone water strainer for the fire pump, the hoses for which are stowed in the work station at the rear of the cockpit. This fire pump is part of the equipment for the 2C marine survey this boat is certified for.

Also located in this station are a stainless steel cooker and its gas bottles and shorepower leads, other empty compartments for the stowage of rubbish or wet gear, and a plumbed sink. Both aft corners at the end of the structure featured an extra-wide hinged door that swings onto a full-beam platform with a swimout ladder installed port side.

A large eutectic freezer was built against the aft end of the saloon and opposite the door to the saloon, another led into a very large bathroom featuring a full shower, hand basin, and toilet.

A wide set of steps lead onto the gunwales on both sides, allowing access to the front of the boat, where there are a couple of bench seats behind bowrails either side of the Muir winch.

 Bridge access is via steps up through a hinged hatch in the bridge floor. This can be padlocked shut for security and, when open, it is large enough to pass through any equipment or supplies.

This bridge is the outdoor entertainment area. It has enough space for at least 15 people both in front and aft of the wide midships helm station. The front of the helm console featured a fenced table with stowage for glasses and bottles for those lounging on the wraparound seating. The three central panels of the windscreen were hardened glass to comply with survey and the centre screen featured a wide sweep wiper. Clears ran from the rear of the perspex part of the screens to the back of the bridge deck, where a 200kg electric davit could hold a tender on the wide ledge behind. While this section for the tender shielded the inside of the cockpit below from view, a camera trained on that area delivers the action to a monitor at the helm.

HELM AND SALOON
There's Seastar hydraulic steering and the Furuno NavNet system was connected to two flat screens. A small FCV-620 colour sounder, the new model from Furuno, worked exceptionally well at all speeds.

To the port side of the console, a stainless steel isotherm refrigerator is installed in the face of a module that also has a plumbed bar sink in the top.

A couple of portholes in the screen offered sufficient ventilation, as did the sliding windows in the side perspex screens. A full hardtop shaded the entire area.

 The saloon will please the most fastidious boaters, and while plush it is not overdone. Its aft corner is an open space, but it's in here that the switchboard is installed. The front of the starboard engine is accessed through a floor hatch here and each engine has twin, switchable fuel water separators with alarms attached. The water strainers are also within easy reach.

Inside the starboard engine bay are 600 amp hours of house batteries balancing the weight of the genset installed in the opposite hull.

The dining table was situated on a raised platform.

The user-friendly kitchen (much bigger than a conventional galley) has an island bench making up a large servery. A separate fridge and freezer is installed on the inner side. A gas cooker is installed at the forward end. Against the portside wall, under full-width windows, there's more bench space, a sink, and heaps of cupboard space below. The aft end of this area is another bench, under which is the access hatch to the front of the portside engine. A double door pantry sits above a neat stainless steel dishwasher.

The forward end of the saloon has a companionway running abeam below the front windscreen. The steps lead down into the sleeping quarters. The starboard-side berth featured a small double bed. The forward cabin has twin single bunks. Short wardrobes and draws are in both.

The larger double bed is on the port side. Another head is situated forward and opposite the passage.

FLAT-WATER CRUISING
Moreton Bay was very flat. Fortunately, a couple of high-speed small ships were sea trialling out the front and they put up wakes of 1.5m. The Brava sliced through these at 20kts at an angle, and it really was a non-event! There was no spray, no banging, and very little water noise.

 For its tonnage, the engines on this boat are relatively small, yet they punch this boat forward very efficiently. While this type of hull produces no hole shot, its acceleration from dead in the water is enough to tip you off your feet if you're not hanging on.

Top speed on this rig is 22kts with a half load of fuel and water, but it is designed for fuel-efficient cruising at 15 to 18kts. This gives the rig a range of 800 to 900 nautical miles. It is said to have a consumption of 45lt/h for both motors at 18kts in ideal conditions.

With flat water and no static objects to reference the hull speed to, at 19kts one felt like getting out and walking; the silence of this hull is that obvious. It was direct enough at the helm to be manoeuvrable at all speeds without getting itself into aggressive, uncomfortable turns. There was minimal leaning out on hard turns. Using the twin throttle levers, docking proved to be an easy affair, so this rig doesn't need bowthrusters for tight docking situations.

This boat really is like an apartment. While called Therapy, it could also be aptly named Home Sweet Home.

HIGHS