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Cats have captured the imagination of Aussies boaties for years. We've liked them ever since we first saw those early shots of Sharking Harris cats leaping off the backs of Gold Coast bar surf.
The tough offshore capacity of the Sharkcats, in particular, has always given them serious respect everywhere. However the reputation never did translate into mass numbers. The problem was simply these cats were locked into the two-engine format, and that made them expensive.
Shark Cats is a name particularly linked with the commercial and serious offshore fishing markets and isn't a brand you normally associate with weekend, family boating.
However that's about to change.
In recent times Sharkcat has been absorbed into the highly successful Noosa Cat Australia operation at Noosaville, run by Wayne Hennig. The company builds a lot of the larger sized boats of 9m and upwards for organisations like the Australian Navy, Australian Army and various coast guard groups. They also built the 9.9m twin turbo diesel powered cruiser Nemesis for the TV drama series Water Rats.
Whilst they're not short of business, Wayne has always harboured a desire to "crack' the small boat market one day with a Noosa cat product. For some years now he's been working on several prototypes of cats around five metres. The main aim has been to get a cat which could run efficiently with just one engine, thereby cutting the price to a level which would appeal to weekend boaties.
Last year he let the cat out of the bag with a brand new boat which surprised everyone.
The 5.5m Noosa Cat not only runs superbly on a single Mercury 90hp but handles like a sports boat compared to most cats.
Personally I was blown-away by what the Noosa crew have produced. After all, cats of this size are usually very heavy and powered by two motors. They don't handle like this cat which is light and easy on its feet.
One can only imagine how much more sparkle could be got out of the boat with a bigger, more powerful 115 hp motor.
After taking the boat offshore in moderately big swells, I'm convinced this is going to be a big winner for Noosa Cat.
Quite frankly a lot of folks stay away from cats because they simply feel they look funny, but this new Noosa Cat should overcome this natural prejudice.
After all, it looks a lot less bulky than most cats, and has a real sporty look with the centre console layout.
The retail price of around $27,000 should also help to break buyer reluctance on cats. This matches monohull prices and should be the right psychological "trigger" to get 'em to commit to a cat.
To some extent the ground has already been laid by the Webster Twinfisher. The Twinfishers got single engine cats into the tinnies, now it's the turn of the Noosa Cat to make it happen in 'glass.
Fortunately we're also seeing a few other boats in the market which are helping to break the stereotype of the monohull. Boats such as the Aussie Whaler, Stessl Trihull and Predator RAV 1600 are all helping to break the ice of multi-hull acceptance.
Hopefully the Noosa Cat 5.5 will have an equally positive effect on buyer thinking. This particular design will obviously have a lot of appeal for the warmer climate areas of Australia. It's super highly stable hull and very good rough water ride will make it a great coastal fishing rig.
The roomy cockpit with moulded, self-draining floor will also win points with the family/recreational boatie especially those with an interest in scuba-diving.
Add in the extra grunt of 115hp motor and you could even add ski boat to that list!
At this stage Wayne has no plans for further models, but one imagines if the centre console model sells well he'll be doing other versions later on.
As with the other Noosa Cats this one is sold direct through the factory and you're best contacting them regarding more info.
Design:
The clinker patterned topside hull is reminiscent of some of the early Shark Cat hulls, but this is a totally new boat based upon a five metre hull with a half metre
centre pod extension.
The real secret of the design is the extended motor pod because it allows the water and air to exhaust from the tunnel easily and not "clog up" the speed. Having the pod starting almost at the end of the tunnel enables water and air to escape easier. As you'll see in the photos the pod has a sharp leading edge which divides the water/air flow and directs it around, and under the motor leg.
The pod has a flatten off bottom section which matches the bottom of the cavitation plate on the motor. There's also an added cav plate higher up to stop spray blowing up the leg.
Wayne and his chief designer, Steve Peak, worked hundreds of hours getting this pod and motor combination just right. They not only tested the boat with one motor brand, but several so they could be sure the pod would work with any brand.
The hulls themselves are relatively low sided than cats we've seen in the past and the reduction means less hull weight.
The bottom features sharp sponson entries quickly graduating to moderate 'vee sponson sections which have runner plank style keels. The combination of runner plank and down-deflected chine lips gives the cat quick get-up-and-go plane response.
A fully moulded upper deck includes a self-draining cockpit floor, moulded in bow seats and a moulded fibreglass driving console.
The whole boat weighs around 750kg in a dry hull state, and around 1150kg package on the road behind the car. As the specs show this is quite competitive package with other boats around this size. It certainly keeps the Noosa Cat 5.5 within car towing territory.
Being a cat means there's still quite a bit of bulk on the trailer, but compared to the conventional 5.2m Noosa Cat this one is a baby. Most boaties shouldn't have trouble towing it behind their car, or for that matter, parking it at home.
Performance:
The rain clouds were hanging low in the grey tropical skies as we zoomed up the Noosa River to meet the shallow bar entrance to the sea.
There seemed to be hardly any water below us as we shot between the seal-like board-riders paddling around us.
Just one short, and one high jump and we were in deep water powering along easy at 26 knots with the motor humming at 4500 rpm.
The immediate thing I noted was how nice and light the steering was, and how this cat turned quite easy by most cat standards. In fact, the 5.5 is fitted with a Seastar hydraulic system so it's no wonder it's so light on the helm.
The other attractive feature of this cat is the way it sits more on top of the water and doesn't bog-in like twin rig cats. Admittedly it bounces around more in the water than the heavier Noosa cats, but it is a sporty sort of performance and the double-skin construction reduces hull noise quite a lot.
In a hard turn you've got to watch the bows digging and causing a outward back, but keep the bows up and you come around quite quickly and easily. In fact, almost as fast as a monohull boat.
I really enjoyed the ride in this boat and came away very impressed with this little package. Correction - not so small package, 'cause its go a ton of interior room compared to any other boats this size. Also it's all useable and very stable. The inside measurements of the cockpit are 3.09m long by 1.8m.
The console sits smack in the middle of this cockpit and gives space and protection for two people. The console also gives quick access to either the bow, or stem so it's an excellent boat for anglers working on their own.
As with most consoles you find the stand-up driving position is the best for comfort as well as a view of the water and waves ahead. In all it adds to the sporty spirit of this cat.
At rest the Noosa Cat sat pretty stable in the water, even when we were laying side on to big Pacific swells rolling in around the Noosa headland. We had
two guys over on one side and didn't even look like lifting the other hull.
Performance figures with the loop-charged, three cylinder 90hp motor were as follows:
3500 rpm 19 knots
4500 rpm 26 knots
5100 rpm 31 knots
With a Hi-Five stainless steel five-blade prop fitted we got terrific out of the hole acceleration and never ever looked liked getting prop ventilation.
However, it did stop the motor developing full rpms. For this reason I'd say we could have done with a bit less pitch than the 20 inches we had on this prop. However, whether you'd change the pitch is a moot point. I certainly appreciated the great low down acceleration and control it gave us at the river bar.
Other motor options are the new V-4s of OMC or Yamaha, or maybe even one of the new 4-stroke 90hp from Honda.
I was pretty pleased with the performance with the Mercury 90hp so I'd be inclined to go straight to Merc's 115hp four-cylinder model. This would give just that bit of extra speed and/power for longer trips and heavier loads.
The boat as standard doesn't come with fuel tanks, but the factory does offer an optional 140 litre under-deck tank if you require it. Otherwise they supply the boat with two portable 25 litre plastic tanks.
Deck Layout:
Up for'ard there's the wide square bow with a short anchor roller set on the fibreglass bow sprit. You also get a solid stainless steel Tee bollard, anchor locker and optional stainless steel bow rail.
The cockpit is moulded in one piece with a very roomy seat for'ard with space for three adult folk - easy. This seat has stowage hatches under and also acts as a convenient step into the boat itself.
The cockpit area is huge for a five metre long hull and provides heaps of room to walk around from bow to stern. The boat would be easily capable of fishing four keen anglers, no sweat.
The Noosa Cat layout is flexible too and could take a fighting chair, kill tank, live bait tank, or left completely bare depending on your requirements.
All the traditional Shark Cat features have been retained including fully sealed, self-draining cockpit floor. Two separate hulls, both divided into separate compartments, providing more than adequate buoyancy and the end result is a boat which is truly unsinkable.
Summary:
This is a welcoming fresh approach to the catamaran concept and deserves plenty of consideration from weekend fishos - especially those fishing warm coastal waters.
This cat could also work equally well as a fun recreational platform for the family boater who does more than just go fishing. You could use it to carry the camping gear to a remote beach, as well as play the role of scuba or ski boat.
Whilst it doesn't have quite the glamour finish of the US Whalers there's undoubtedly a comparison to be made here. Where it's going to win though is in price, and much better rough water ride.
Fitted with a 90hp Mercury and stainless steel High-Five propeller and including the engine installation, pre-delivery, hydraulic steering, 27 MHz radio, full length bow/cockpit rails, two 25 litre fuel tanks and a trailer.
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