Fountaine Pajot MY44 Video Review
by John Curnow, Editor, Powerboat-World.com 12 Oct 2018 11:58 AEDT
Fountaine Pajot MY44 in Rushcutters Bay © John Curnow
There can be no doubt about the continued rise of the powercat scene. They offer a lot of benefits, particularly from space and fuel economy point of view. You do pay slightly more for berthing and hauling out, but many offset this against charter operations, and the gains in stability and dryness underway.
Fountaine Pajot’s MY44 is typical of the breed in that sense, but is exceptionally well made and very tastefully fitted out, which suits many, and stands in direct contrast to some of the more gaudy offerings going around.
At over AUD1.5m she is possibly not the cheapest member of the clan, and is available in just the one configuration, namely three cabins. Personally, I do feel many get locked in to thinking they need more sleeping accomodation than actually ends up being the case. Anyway, given her presence you could hardly say that she is a tardis, but the amount of usable areas to do whatever it is you want to do is quite monumental.
Fountaine Pajot MY44 Video Review
She is incredibly quiet in terms of ride, sea keeping and engine noise. Our test vessel was equipped with a pair of Volvo’s IPS 400s (300hp), which are in-line fours of 3.7l in capacity and equipped with both turbo and superchargers. These are no longer available, with 500s (370hp) now standard and the option to go to 600s (435hp) is also there. Both variants share the same block, being a 5.5l in-line six with common rail fuel delivery, combined with both turbo and supercharging to deliver almost instantaneous torque. The differences are achieved primarily through re-mapping and more fuel. I would seriously consider this latter option if your budget so allows.
For a nigh on 22metric tonne girl, our test vessel delivered 8 knots at around 22l/hr, with the optimal range setting of 14 knots yielding something more like the low 90s. Note that this was done into a genuine 30-knot headwind. This configuration will take her out to 18.5knots WOT for 115l/hr. You can expect the larger motors to launch you into the mid-20s, and having addressed the fuel figures for these motors over the 400s in another vessel, I can attest that the consumption/range equation does not alter that much at all.