| Hello Galstaf. I read your post about catamaran drive and maneuvering systems and thought I may put in my two cents. I work for a charter boat company called Adventure Cat in San Francisco Bay which operates sailing catamarans in the size range you are contemplating (www.adventurecat.com). On a normal day we take the boats on and off the dock at least three times in most any conditions. The boats have conventional inboards with spade rudders. I also sail my own boat, an electric auxiliary 32 foot full keel pearson vanguard sailboat. The interesting thing is, I can honestly say that with some basic twin screw operation skills, it is probably easier for me to dock the 65 foot cat than my own 32 foot monohull. This is because of the tremendous maneuverability afforded by twin screws so far apart. With a little practice you can pretty much walk the boat sideways if you want. You can spin around on a dime by employing contrary port and starboard thrust. If the screws are counter rotating you can pretty much ignore the effects of prop walk. If I were to build an electric cat myself (which I would love to do) I would not ever bother with the extra cost, complexity, or weight of articulating drives because you just don't seem to have that much to gain. Catamarans with hulls spread so far apart with twin screws are already spoiled for maneuverability. I can see the advantage of articulating drives on a single screw boat which does not have the luxury of the twin screws. I have seen installations with trolling motor pods mounted on transom hung rudders. I think that looks like a pretty cool and effective concept. All things considered though, if that is the system you want, and you can afford it then go for it. You are in the position to build your dream boat (something I have always wanted to do) and you should do it however you want. Good luck, Hans K. --- On Sat, 11/6/10, Galstaf <richard@atlrent.com> wrote:
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