Where do we start? Sea keeping and comfort at sea - The hull section shape of this design is much finer in the fwd area than a planing hull cat and extremely finer than any equivalent mono hull semi displacement or planing hull, not as fine as a pure displacement power cat but there is a good reason for that. Common sense will tell you that any reduction in frontal area will decrease the impact of the boat from an incoming wave, it won’t slam or hit as hard and the reaction will be smoother and slower than the wider hulls. As the boat is immersed it’s volume increases and the bow will rise and ride over the wave, finer displacement cats tend to go through the wave with very little reaction and slam on the underside of the bridge deck and then rear up or pitch dramatically, these hull forms are probably more efficient in smoother water than the semi displacement hull but once the wave height becomes significant they then can have serious problems. The high freeboard fwd is another good feature as it creates a large amount of reserve buoyancy and a drier ride in rough conditions.The beam of this design is not excessive and some would say moderate for a catamaran, there are some good reasons for this. If a cat is too wide in proportion to its length it can become very difficult to ride on in rough beam or quartering sea conditions producing a motion that is too quick and violent which is very uncomfortable, each hull is in a different wave pattern and are reacting independently. A moderate beam cat such as the CS 42 will have a slower, less jerky motion and because the water plane area per hull is small compared to a similar size mono hull when it does have to react to a wave it does so in a less exaggerated way, dampening down the roll.

Efficiency
As this is a semi displacement hull and not a full planing shape, the main difference being the waterline beam to length ration and the underwater profile (deeper forefoot, rise of keel aft), it is designed to operate in a lower speed band than the planing cat. This produces very good fuel economy at a moderate speed with relatively small horse power. Engines can be sized to operate at a maximum speed in the low teens up to the mid twenties. The optimum cruising speed in my opinion would be approx. 15 knots with a top speed of 23. The semi displacement design has no perceptible ‘hump’ when operating from the idle speed up to maximum and unless you are specifically watching you will not notice the bow drop slightly when moving through the upper speed range through to the designed maximum. The hull form will generate a certain amount of lift as a planing hull does but the bow will not rise and expose the flatter bottom sections like a planing hull and therefore will not slam in this area.

Cruising at say 8 to 10 knots will optimize long range ability and not be a physical endurance test in more exposed open water conditions. Coastal cruising and open water passages will present no special challenges to your average yachtsman and as would be the case with any type of vessel, a modicum of common sense would be applicable though it would be fair to say that the CS42 would present a far greater range of possibilities in these situations than your average ‘trawler/passage maker’ style yacht of comparable size.

Live aboard ability
One of the most outstanding features of modern catamarans is the comfort level they can offer for a living aboard and cruising lifestyle. The port and starboard division of the hulls creates a high degree of privacy and quiet, unlike the all-in-one tube effect that your average mono hull has. The CS42 offers a variety of lower deck layout options, single cabin with queen size double, twin double, and triple double berth cabins with generous size washrooms with separate stall showers accessible from both ends of the accommodation.

The main deck has a large galley with full height refrigeration and freezer, separate dining and lounging areas with a raised forward helm station with excellent visibility. The flybridge with a second helm station and seating around it is accessible from the aft cockpit and from the lower helm station via sliding side doors in the pilothouse and steps up the outside coamings.

Safety
Probably the single most outstanding feature of a catamaran like the CS42 is the amazing amount of safety it can offer. From the engine room bulkhead forward there is in effect a double bottom with numerous watertight compartments. The engine room bulkhead is watertight as is the bulkhead at the forward end of the forward cabin. Even if one of the hulls is penetrated above the cabin sole area and completely floods the boat will still have enough reserve stability to safely find a sheltered harbor. If there is an engine fire or an engine compartment is flooded the boat can still get along quite safely on the other unit as they are completely separate with individual fuel tanks and support systems. The drive line runs through a tunnel on the hull centerline thus reducing draft and in front of the prop tunnel there is a skeg that will further protect the propeller and also allow the boat to take the ground safely should there be a requirement to work on the running gear or bottom or simply for storing the boat on the hard stand, no cradle or props supports required.

Summary
We have briefly highlighted 4 of the most obvious points of advantage that CS42 cruising power cat has over other similar sized motor yachts. Living and cruising on one of these cats will only emphasize these and other less obvious features it offers to the yachtsman ready for an enlightened and improved lifestyle afloat.