POWERPLAY CATAMARANS was established by Award winning boat builder and designer James Dewing in 2000 in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia. With more than 40 years of boat building, James has won numerous awards for his designs and boat building skills. James started building power catamarans of a type unique in the commercial and recreational segment of the power boat market. The beautiful lines and blend of curves made his designs unique, modern and up to date.
Foremost, POWERPLAY Catamarans deliver customized interiors to the size and arrangement to meet your requirements. I believe the customer with years of experience knows the boat they want and contribute to the best possible design with involvement in every detail. The normal progression to arrive at the decision to build (move up) to the boat you want is from sailing and powerboat experience. When sailing catamarans one will soon realize how often you are motoring withpower to head upwind or even in no wind. How often have you been sailing and your destination is right on the nose? So why not with a little extra power get there faster and in more comfort! You may also consider in a power cat, of around 50 to 60 feet, the huge cost of the rig and sails alone will buy a life time of fuel. You spend a lot of time motoring. It really makes sense to enjoy your boating life style in a power cat which delivers incredible performance and economic value, not forgetting that you always have 2 motors for peace of mind.
Economic value for more range and higher speeds for your dollar. Low prime build cost. The clear features and must haves are:
Number one, a good looking boat.
Interiors designed with the owner's involvement.
Unbeatable performance from slender low drag hull design.
High bridge deck clearance and V sections forward for comfort.
Fine entry and full bows for recovery in head seas.
Weight centred for reduced pitching.
Good side decks and handrails.
Safe dinghy access from inside hulls and easy boarding from dockside or for swimmers.
Jacuzzi, a super cool item especially at sunset and when the sea is not that inviting.
Separate fishing deck to keep the blood and guts out of the cockpit.
Master cabin on main deck with walk around bed.
Good vision from helm with view of the extremities when docking.
Trampolines as standard build, solid foredeck as an option.
Beaching keels for protection of running gear and grounding.
Plenty of storage.
Engine options: Volvo IPS vs. Cummins Zeus saga
In my opinion, the performance is the same and both deliver the incredible features manoeuvrability fuel savings. The joystick is a super cool feature and eliminates the need for bow thrusters. If you have ever tried to compare yourself from the information on the web you will find the tabulated specifications are almost impossible to compare. Volvo has the weight advantage of 384kgs Up to 435hp above that the V2 pod is required which is much larger and heavier. Forward facing props are protected by keels
At 480hp the Cummins pod has the weight advantage Up to 750hp. However, I do recommend that there is local dealer service available. Yanmar engines suit Power play under 56' or larger if the delivery is remote and service is not available.
A Yanmar engine has the advantage of being able to be repaired by a local truck mechanic if the unlikely ever arises.
The pod drives tend to require the extra clever guys which usually inhabit the areas around big cities.
Electrical systems:
By far my preferred system is Mastervolt /BEP and Panda generators. Lithium ion batteries are upfront in the specification.
Czone Can buss is an option. A bit tricky to set up, but once established is set and forget with many system configurations it can make your boat very smart. Having said that, if you ever do have problems you need to find someone smarter than me to solve it. That can be expensive!
Construction:
Power catamarans need to be light for every Kg saved in construction is another kg fuel you can carry, more fuel more range more speed - simple physics! In today's fiberglass boatbuilding industry, composite construction is recognized by all certifying bodies. Vacuum infusion and vacuum moulding is a standard practice, and every factory is improving weight saving and strength. We are pretty good at it. I have adopted CE class one offshore certification as standard.
James has now developed the next Generation 4 (G4): POWERPLAY 62 and 72 (19m and 22m). This beautiful, new boat offers the owners a greater range and load carrying capability, powerful Cummins Zeus pod drives capable of speeds reaching 30 knots and allowing long haul high cruise speeds in comfort. The slender deep hulls developed through 10 years of experience are behihind. Now producing charter boat versions along with the new 65 and 75 designs.