Pocket rockets: Blue Cat gears up for Australian launch

A spokesman for Blue Cat Australia told boatsales the first container of catamarans – four 5.2-metre Blue Cat 17s – was about four weeks away from landing here. Once they're on the ground, one will become an ambassador for the new brand, while the other three will fall into customers’ hands as soon as they’re rigged and ready to hit the water around mid-June.

According to the spokesman, a passion for fishing boats led the people behind the venture to the Abu Dhabi-built Blue Cats, a brand attracting a lot of attention and sales in the US since its launch there at the recent Miami boat show.

The boat’s big appeal is its stability compared with similar-sized monohull boats, as well as its ability to carve through the water at high speed.

The boats are built light and strong, featuring a reinforced double-bias mat sealed inside a vacuum-formed resin shell. As a sign of their strength, the hull on the 17 is rated for anywhere between 60hp to 140hp, depending on need. According to Blanch, there’s a lot of interest in the 115hp power rating.

The entire package also is light enough to sit on a single-axle trailer.

However, the 17 is not all. The spokesman said Blue Cat Australia could also soon have access to a Blue Cat 21, a model that’s still in development but considered an important size for the Australian market.

A larger model again, the 9.1-metre Blue Cat 30, has already had interested Australian buyers asking about its availability.

The Blue Cat 30 is a beast, capable of close to 90 knots of straight-line speed when fitted with up to four 500hp Mercury V10 Verado outboard engines. The default engine set-up for the 30 is dual 300hp V8 Mercury Verado outboard engines.

The 13.1-metre Blue Cat 43, A bigger model again potentially costing more than $1 million and weighing only 1100kg for the dry hull, is likely to be a niche model more suited to marine rescue services and commercial applications.

If asked, buyers can also have their Blue Cat boat built entirely from kevlar-reinforced carbonfibre, and include carbonfibre cupholders, steering wheel and seats. However, the high prices of the carbonfibre add-ons are likely to be a barrier to offering it to buyers here.

Pricing? We're told the Blue Cat 17 should sell for around $85,000 when fitted with a 90hp Mercury outboard engine and sitting on a trailer. 

The boats will be fitted with accessories when they arrive, including bait boards, live wells and even a T-top to offer sun protection.

Standard equipment on the Blue Cat 17 is expected to include a coloured hull; flush-mounted hatches; twin 90-litre aluminium fuel tanks; battery; stainless steel steering wheel; cockpit, navigation and anchor lights; a USB outlet; console-mounted windscreen; a pair of stainless steel cupholders; five pop-up cleats; a boarding ladder; basic helm seat with cushion – you can upgrade these to carbonfibre; a forward console seat, and a single-axle trailer.

The 2.59-metre-beam Blue Cat 21 is expected to come as either a fishing boat or a full-carbon race boat when it launches and is potentially light enough to sit on a single-axle trailer. It will have the option of either single or twin engines of up to – and this is no mistake – 1000hp in carbon Kevlar “Raptor R” trim. In fibreglass trim, the maximum engine rating is 800hp.

Model: Blue Cat 21
Length: TBA
Beam: 2.59m
Draft: TBA
Deadrise: TBA
Weight: TBA
Engines: 2x400hp (max)/2x500hp (max)
Fuel: TBA