Former Skiff star lauds his perfect Cat
by Ian Grant Sunday (Courier) Mail on 27 Oct 2008
Camera Cat IV SW
Former World 18 foot skiff champion Scott Ramsden is justifiably excited about the design and construction of his new 11.5-metre Camera Cat.
The plate aluminum high-speed power catamaran promises to revolutionise the hull technology required for high-power catamarans to perform with ultimate stability and economy.
'I have selected a semi-displacement design which should give the new catamaran a 20 per cent improvement in performance compared with my last Camera Cat,' Ramsden said.
He has proven knowledge to make this prediction, having skippered his purpose-built catamarans at events including the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and Skanda Geelong Week.
'This catamaran will be very smooth through the water while also providing incredible stability,' Ramsden said.
'Furthermore, I’m sure the design has the potential to lead the way in hull technology, which is an enormous credit to (designer) Stuart (Freizer) in creating a catamaran that meets my specific requirements.'
The catamaran, under construction at Sea Prowler Boats, Gilberton, will do her sea trials at the Gold Coast before 'going to work' as the official camera boat at the 2009 Skandia Geelong Week at Corio Bay in January, Ramsden said.
The custom-built catamaran would be powered by twin 250hp four-stroke Yamaha pod-mounted outboard engines. It’s expected to reach peak speeds in the low 50-knot range and will possess excellent maneuverability at low speed.
A super-strong plate aluminum construction built to quality for the Department of Transport 1E (18-passenger plus two crew) and 2C (10-passenger plus two crew) Survey certificates combined with a sea-calming bow has all the necessary requirements to qualify as a top rough and smooth-water catamaran.
In fact, the prototype principally developed to handle the special commission as a dedicated Camera Cat has a hull design that can be optimized for various uses as a high speed water taxi, offshore scuba –dive boat, and deep-sea charter fishing vessel or a personal family cabin cruiser.
For more information, call Scott Ramsden at Camera Cats on 0418 243 960, visit www.seaprowlerboats.com.au, or call (07) 5546 2676.
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