Peter Brady's powercats take on the world

A West Coaster 49 catamaran called Paradigm, the first of the Pathfinder "M" range built by Pacific Power Cats in Brisbane, has been launched with exceptionally long-range capabilities from modest 315hp Yanmar engines.

Inspired by the cray boat design from Western Australia, Paradigm is a Peter Brady design with forward raking windows for reduced glare and heat. Since her intended long-term cruising grounds are the Kimberley, the upper deck is set up as a comfortable viewing platform of the stunning scenery.

Well-known catamaran designer Brady, who operates the Pacific Power Cats boatbuilding yard, has for the last 10 years been a Yanmar engine fan. Paradigm is powered by twin Yanmar 6LPA-STP engines.

With Brady’s design emphasis on long-range cruising, the preference is for simple uncomplicated fuel injection and engine control systems for power plants wherever possible. Yanmar is quick to take-up the story here...

THE YANMAR 6LPA-STP ENGINES
The Yanmar 6LPA-STP engines are also said to have a greater tolerance to the "not-so-perfect" fuel and more rudimentary maintenance facilities often found in remote destinations.

"The high performance Yanmar 6LPA-STP2 315mhp engines have a mechanical fuel injection system that suits both mine and my clients' design philosophy perfectly," Brady says.

"When I design and build trans-ocean capable vessels, ‘strong, simple and reliable’ are the key requirements of both the boat itself and the mechanical components specified."

A proven engine, the Yanmar 6LPA-STP2 is direct injected with mechanical governor and is turbocharged and intercooled. This straight six-cylinder engine pumps out 315mhp at 3800rpm at the flywheel.

The four-valve per cylinder engine boasts a 4.2L displacement for sustained torque through the mid-rev range, while still offering an impressive power-to-weight advantage thanks to a dry weight of only 408kg (sans transmission).

FUEL EFFICIENCY
Matched to the 2.43:1 reduction Yanmar transmissions, the 6LPA-STP2 engine has the torque to swing big props slowly. This high reduction ratio with big props is part of Brady’s formula in consistently delivering high fuel efficiency.

On sea trials with a full load, Paradigm reportedly achieved a top speed of 23.2kts with an economical cruise speed of 15kts using 48-50lt/hr in total. Not bad for a 49-footer!

With 3300 litres of fuel, the West Coaster 49 a cruise range of 870nm at 15 knots or approximately 1160nm at 8 knots with a 10 per cent fuel residual for safety.

LIVEABOARD POWERCAT
A feature of Paradigm, and Brady's recent designs, is a huge covered back deck. This is where the owners spend most of their time relaxing at anchor or on long passages.

The interior is laid out for long range, self-sufficient cruising, yet has all the modern facilities of a beachfront apartment with a practical yet luxurious finish. There is sleeping for six adults, however, the boat will be mostly occupied by the owners as a cruising couple.

Paradigm has been custom built for her owners who live in WA and, as their business is in low voltage electrics, the vessel has a plethora of top end and cutting edge electrical equipment on board.

This includes two ultra-efficient 6kva variable speed DC gensets they have developed, lightweight 250A alternators driving off the front of each main engine, and a large solar panel array on the cabin top. All this power is stored in two large 24V battery banks and converted to 240V AC power by two heavy duty inverter-chargers.

Initially, the owners plan to take Paradigm north, using Magnetic Island as her base, while cruising the Barrier Reef. Longer trips around the Top End and through The Kimberley to her home in WA are planned for the future.

BRADY CAT HULL DESIGN
At the heart of Brady’s success is his ability to design a hull form which excels in high cruising speeds, economy and comfort for the fast trans-ocean powerboat cruising market. T

Brady's powercats prove that you can travel the Pacific or the most remote regions of the Australian coastline by luxury boat above the displacement speeds that most owners are accustomed to when long-range powerboating.

The so-called 'displaning' hull form has narrower sponsons, a higher tunnel clearance, and a wider tunnel width than most planing cats. These things are said to improve rough weather performance in combination with a unique Controlled Vapour Dampening (CVD) system to reduce spray.

Brady's displaning hulls are designed to be just as efficient at lower speeds as they are higher speeds, cutting through the water rather than trying to plane over it. This seamless transition between displacement and planing allows the skipper to choose the safest speed for the prevailing conditions.

"The pathway to achieve efficiency is quite simple… a slippery displaning powercat hull, constructed from composite materials and powered by fuel efficient Yanmar engines," Brady said.

MORE PACIFIC POWERCATS
While Paradigm prepares to cast the lines, construction is now underway at Pacific Power Cats of the next model in the Pathfinder “M” range.

This new cat is an Offshore 45 for charter operations and long-range coastal cruising from the owner’s home on Phillip Island in Victoria, up Australia’s eastern coast and beyond. The boat will be powered by a pair of Yanmar 4LHA-STP-240mhp engines.

Following that will be another new model in the “M” range, the Pathfinder Pilothouse 51, that will use many of the features developed on the 58ft Pathfinder Pilothouse named Rehab.

The Pilothouse 51 will be powered by a pair of 370hp Yanmar 6LYA-STP diesels running through Yanmar KMH 60A, 2.43:1 gearboxes for a top speed of 26 knots. The Pilothouse 51 will be fitted with a new bottom design with a carrying capacity suited to commercial operators.

BOATBUILDING PACKS
The variety of displaning power cat sizes and styles in the Pathfinder “M” range is said to perfectly demonstrate the ability of Brady’s variable dimension hull moulding system.

When applied in combination with the latest developments of his P.A.C.K. (Prefabricated Assembly Component Kit), the manufacturing system can bridge the economic gap between production and custom boatbuilding.

"To compete with European and Asian imports we not only have to be better built, better designed and more fuel efficient, but we have also had to develop new boat building techniques that keep us competitive on price," Brady says.

"We have proven that with the right combination of hull design and engines, we could save Australia importing millions of litres of diesel fuel a year if only a small percentage of the cray fishing fleet changed over to displaning power cats.

"This figure could be much higher again if other commercial operators followed suit," the visionary boat designer says.

More at pathfinderpowercats.com for this boat built by Pacific Power Cats, and at www.powerequipment.com.au for the Yanmar engine details.