Tom Lack felt the design was so stable and safe that years ago Lack authorized a £10,000 reward to anybody that could document a Catalac with one hull out of the water. To date, no one has claimed that reward. The reason the boats are so stable is that the relatively short rig combined with the Hard chine hull design allow the boat to unload the sail area by slipping the boat sideways in a sudden gust. It's very hard to turn turtle with this design and this along with the high build quality, is the reason most of these boats are still sailing today.

In addition, it should be noted that these boats have solid Fiberglass hulls which will carry heavy loads far better than many others due to a wider hull-beam ratio, deep rocker design, extreme deadrise hulls with hard chines, and big, powerboat- like transoms (this was written by the noted multihull author, Charles Kanter). They also handle extremely well. Unlike others of that generation, they tack securely without backwinding the jib and handle smartly around docks, easily turning in their own length.

10 meter: Sold as Catalac 10M or Catalac 34

10M "Felix"  this photo was taken April 2008

Catalac 10M Sales Brochure

12 meter: Sold as Catalac 12M or Catalac 41

(Of interest:  some early models were sold as a Catalac 40)

The 12M "Leeway" from Spearfish South Dakota

A quick editor's note: In October of 2005 Hurricane Wilma struck near Jupiter, FL with 125 mph winds. Jupiter is about 80 miles south of Melbourne, FL. Although we escaped the full fury of this storm, Melbourne, FL received more than a glancing blow. There was a Catalac 41 moored in a sheltered mooring field in Melbourne. As the winds increased to around 85 mph, she broke her mooring line. Cast adrift, the storm winds drove her upon a rocky causeway. For hours on end that boat was pounded on the large rocks on the north side of the causeway. The crew was not onboard, and there was absolutely nothing that could be done.  I heard about this boat on a local radio station, so... as the hurricane moved across Florida, and the winds abated, I grabbed my camera and headed for that boat. The Catalac 41 survived but with serious damage to her hulls. As of Oct 2007, she is being salvaged and I wish her new owner, Marty, a speedy refit for this fine vessel. -- Rick in Florida (click here for photos)

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The Newer boat section is below. Catalacs manufactured after the demise of  Catalac Catamarans LTD.

9 meter : Sold as Catalac 900

Manufactured by Blue Water Catalacs

The major revision in the Catalac 900 is the doghouse has been changed to become an integral part of the boat, complete with a wall and door separating it from the cockpit. Also unique to the 900 is the helm has been moved from the cockpit to an internal helm station in the rear of the saloon area.

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11 meter: Sold as Catalac 11M

This is the '95 reintroduction of the stretched Catalac 10M by Hythe Marine Services

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Additional Editor comments:

One of the advantages to buying an out of production boat is that all of the depreciation has already been wrung out of them. The boats current value is based on condition, equipment, time since last refit, and of course the boat model's perceived value in the marketplace. Catamarans in general have recently become very popular and the Catalac's current value has benefited immensely by this new interest in catamarans and by the US Dollars recent decline against the Euro. Here is a link to a search for Catalacs offered for sale on what is probably the most comprehensive boat marketplace. Yacht World .

Unfortunately, most of these boats are in Europe. As you can see in the model charts above, very few were sailed to the Americas. You'll find that the 8M's and 9M's have a wide range in pricing. This usually reflects the boat's condition and it's engine powering options. Boats built with an outboard gasoline/petrol engine are much less expensive than those which were built as true cruising Catamarans with twin diesel engines. All 10M's and 12M's were built with twin diesels.

Forgive me for offering a 2nd editorial comment here on engine powering options. People who automatically dismiss the concept of twin diesels in a catamaran are people who haven't sailed in one. Safety, redundancy, reliability, maneuverability (especially with high winds on the beam when docking), speed and cruising range, are all greatly increased with twin diesels and are well worth the additional investment. Consider that diesel engines can run for 10,000 to 15,000 hours before a rebuild and a gasoline outboard for 2500 to 3000 hours if you're lucky. In the long run, the cost differential is not as great as it would appear to be. If you plan on actually sailing your boat and it isn't destined to become a 'Dock Queen', I definitely recommend twin diesels in any catamaran you might consider.

Rick in Florida

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