Zapcat! The new affordable Powerboat racer -Coming to a beach near you

by Bob Wonders on 1 Jul 2009 They’ve been hailed as 'a phenomenon' and they’re the lightest, tightest-turning and fastest inflatable boat ever to hit the Thundercat (powerboat) racing scene.

What’s more, owning and campaigning a Zapcat is guaranteed not to break the bank.

Inflatable boat specialist Sirocco Marine is now distributing the Zapcat breed through its Australia-wide dealer network and director Neil Webster believes their introduction will create a new and highly-affordable form of powerboat racing.

Beach goers will have noticed various surf rescue craft similar to the Zapcat utilised by clubs of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia (SLSA), but the Zapcat is bred purely for racing rather than rescue.

Produced in China, the Zapcat is a catamaran-style inflatable, 4.1-metres in length with a 2.5-metre beam, its tubes or sponsons made from rugged PVC fabric with a ‘glass and Kevlar floor and aluminium transom to support its outboard power.

Zapcats race under the rules of the Thundercat Racing Club Australia and with all boats virtually identical, including their 50hp Tohatsu outboard, winning comes down to driver skill rather than bank balance.

Paul Degan, president of the Thundercat Racing Club, said there were no more than 60 members within the club, with anywhere from eight to fifteen regular competitors at race meetings.

'Most of our racing offshore from beaches is done in the winter when the beaches naturally are quieter,' he explained.

'We run numerous social events through the summer months, but we’re also looking at expanding the racing program where possible during the warmer weather.

'To go racing, a fully-equipped Zapcat ready to go will cost somewhere in the region of $14,000 to $16,000 and that adds up to truly affordable racing,' he added.

Some races demand maximum skill (and ‘ticker’!) as the Zapcats race over 110 kilometre courses, a typical one being a regular race over four laps from Kurnell, in Sydney’s Botany Bay, to Wedding Cake Island, off Coogee Beach.

At maximum speed, a Zapcat can exert forces in excess of 2G through tight turning manoeuvres and nothing turns as tight as a Zapcat.

Those who qualify as 'genuine revheads' have pulled 3G and a Zapcat has been timed to hit 80km/hr from a standing start in an eye-watering three seconds flat!

Racing involves a crew of two and with a 25-litre fuel tank running costs are economical even at full throttle.

Zapcat not only offers affordable racing, it can also lay claim to convenient racing.

A Zapcat hull weighs in at 75kg; it can be deflated and carried easily in the back of a utility or the boot of the family sedan.

It takes only 30 minutes or so to inflate and rig ready for the race course.

The Zapcat breed is but one string to the bow of Sirocco Marine, a company formed in 2003 to specialise in inflatable craft.

Headquartered in Alexandria and with modern showrooms also at Coomera, on the Queensland Gold Coast, Sirocco Marine services an Australia-wide 60-plus dealer network.

The company is also the national distributor for the dominant ‘Brig’ range of inflatables from the Ukraine and the South African-manufactured Gemini line up.All its craft are outboard-powered and range up to 8.5-metres in length.

According to Neil Webster, the extensive range on offer from the Brig marque has seen the Ukraine-built range dominate the European market, even outselling the legendary Zodiac inflatables.

'There’s quite a story involved with Brig, which was originally a company involved in the USSR aerospace industry,' he explained. 'When the USSR collapsed the company found it was then within the borders of the Ukraine and had a factory and equipment previously involved solely with the space race.

'It had produced hypalon tubes to assist in the landing of spacecraft and one thing led to another and they began making inflatable boats from the same material using the same manufacturing equipment.

'There’s even a former Russian astronaut still working for the company,' he added.

To give some idea of the market dominance Brig has achieved, consider this; in 2008 the Ukranian company produced a staggering 44,000 boats! 'The Brig range could probably be termed ‘up market’ as far as our inflatable range goes,' Neil Webster added.

'These are the craft spotted on the foredecks of the megayachts and are widely used by the ‘A listers’ who do their boating on the Mediterranean and Caribbean.'

Sirocco Marine also handles a range of smaller inflatables, Chinese-built and marketed under its own name and is the Australian distributor of the popular Gemini inflatables out of South Africa.

'Gemini inflatables have been around for more than 25-years and could well claim to be among the originators of inflatable boat appeal,' Neil pointed out.

'As far as Sirocco Marine is concerned, we’re in the enviable position of being able to offer an inflatable boat to meet any application, from ship’s tender to runabout, from fun boat to serious racer.

'The introduction of the Zapcat makes for an exciting addition to the Sirocco name,' he added.

For further information visit the website, www.siroccomarine.com.au