Argus Boats Builds New Coastal Cruising Catamaran

by Market Focus on 17 Aug 2009 Argus Boats, a newly-formed division of Outback Marine Australia Pty Ltd has begun production of the Argus E35, a new design from highly acclaimed naval architect, Roger Hill.

Company founder, Gary Pacey describes the new power catamaran as ‘a coastal cruising boat that makes sense for our times’.

He believes an expanding sector of the new boat market is ready for a cruising boat that redefines industry norms for configuration, performance, price point and value for money.

'Our aim was to assist families to enjoy the boating lifestyle, whether that may be coastal cruising or simply enjoying time on the water during weekends and holidays,' he said. 'The Argus 35 was conceived to comfortably and safely explore coastal regions of Australia. It’s an affordable vessel offering generous accommodation for four people cruising on a limited budget.

Hill’s brief for the E35 was to combine cruising ability for the voyage with outstanding comfort at anchor. The displacement hull measures 10.65 metres in length. Even with outboard legs raised the L.O.A. is less than 12 metres to improve marina berth flexibility.

The boat boasts a generous beam of 4.7metres with a 14:1 length to beam ratio. Relatively narrow hulls create less drag, so less engine power is required to drive the boat forward and less wake is generated. 'It's good for the fellow boaters, the foreshore doesn’t get beaten up and the environment benefits by using the minimum amount of fuel to get the job done,' Pacey said.

With only 0.6 metres draft and 2.9 metres overall height, the boat can negotiate the Eastern seaboard’s often shallow river systems and pass beneath the plethora of road and rail bridges that often preclude other boats from exploring the coast’s otherwise picturesque waterways.

Rather than cramming in more sleeping cabins and heads, the emphasis is on comfort and live aboard facilities for just a few. Two generous queen size sleeping cabins feature airy European slat bedding, while the single head to starboard is roomy.

A large portside galley, boasting over two metres of bench space, is complete with gas cook top, convection microwave oven and generous refrigerator. The saloon offers great separation for 3 or 4 but can seat up to 8 people for drinks at sundown. The aft deck will accommodate a table and chairs for up to 8.'

The E35 is designed to be powered by two outboard engines of 60 to 90 horsepower. These will provide a sprint speed of over 20 knots, for safe bar crossings, while the cruising speed of 12 to 16 knots will deliver an economical fuel consumption of between 1.0 and 1.5 litres per nautical mile. The high tunnel clearance of 0.7 metres is designed to avoid wave slapping throughout the entire speed range, including the often forgotten trolling speed of 6 to 8 knots.

Pacey has drawn on his extensive cruising experience and background at Outback Marine to engineer some innovative system solutions.

'Cruising people generally don’t want to shut themselves inside and run a generator all day for air conditioning. So we asked Roger to see what he could do to keep things cooler.

The forward glazing has been kept more vertical while an extended brow reduces solar heat loads. Additional all weather ventilation is provided under the brow.

A generous house battery bank charged by a solar panel with over 500 watts capacity makes the vessel virtually self reliant for electrical power. This dispenses with the need for a heavy, space consuming on-board generator while an efficient inverter takes care of 240 volt appliances.

'With energy efficient refrigeration and provision for a desalination system the boat can stay quietly at anchor indefinitely, provided the food holds out,' Pacey quipped.

Tooling and construction has been contracted to Chincogan Catamarans in Murwillumbah, NSW. 'We needed an accomplished construction team experienced with relatively low volume production and cutting edge quality,' he said. 'This group has an excellent reputation and is passionate about the boats they build.'

Peter Coram of Chincogan commented: 'We’re excited to be involved with this project and I’m looking forward to the challenges it presents. The structure uses a resin infusion process over a foam core to reduce weight and increase strength.'

Survey compliant sedan and fly bridge versions are planned for the self drive charter and owner syndication market and pending market demand, inboard diesel powered versions will be made available.

Pacey believes the Argus E 35’s relatively low entry level price the will appeal to those who would like to take advantage of the current 50% tax bonus scheme. 'We’re aiming to launch the boat at a base price of around $325,000. The main issue will be satisfying demand for delivery before December 2010,' he concluded.

More at http://www.argusboats.com