Built by Aaron Beatie and his crew at Lifestyle Yachts (near Thames) to NZ survey standards, the Roger Hill 16m powercat Omahu (Breath) was launched recently. She is berthed in Westhaven, Auckland.
Omahu’s structure is entirely foam-cored composite with fibreglass skins and epoxy resin built from an ATL Composites pre-made, pre-cut panel system and engineered using the DnVGL standard to ensure that it is a very tough and robust structure.
The design brief was for a cat capable of long-range adventures around the bottom of the South Island in summer and cruising the Pacific Islands in winter. An emphasis on comfort rather than speed was important with plenty of space for two couples to live aboard, along with the equipment and storage required for long trips to remote places with no easy access to fuel, water and food.
Fitted with 400hp 6LY Yanmars, Omahu’s displacement hull form is very efficient with a top speed of 26 knots fully loaded. The cat is a bit overpowered, but Hill says the engines will be very lightly loaded through the cruising speed range (15 to 20 knots) and will last a very long time.
The boat is fitted out with the equipment and appliances necessary for a live aboard lifestyle and long-range cruising: genset, dive compressor, water maker, washer/drier, air conditioning, solar panels, lithium batteries, etc. Fuel capacity is 4,700 litres in two tanks, plus 800 litres of water.
www.powercatsnz.com www.lifestyle-yachts.co.nz
