“Dream of a life time boat”

Apr 30th, 2019

In May 2018 Maurizio Pupi challenged Cheetah Marine to fulfil his dream boat specification. At first it wasn't possible but then Sean took up the challenge and offered him a whole new 8.9m x 3.3m as a walkaround configuration to meet the clients needs. Innovating the design and taking yet another step forward in the catamaran market.

We asked Maurizo for his feedback and hope this helps you in deciding to purchase one of our tailormade catamarans.

Why did you choose Cheetah Marine?

Bought a 6.9 used and loved her for a few years. The secure ride and sea capabilities made her the best boat I ever had but what I really wanted was a walkaround which I had before the 6.9 Cheetah and finally I decided to go for that dream of a life time boat and started the discussion with Sean and Keith…. 18 months later in the midst of January I visited Cheetah and spent a day with Barry and Keith and came away having committed to a new boat! Amazing they made me and my wife feel absolutely confident in Cheetah capabilities and ability to deliver my dream boat.

How did you find the process of your build and delivery?

As this is a leisure boat and the financial commitment is rather large. It was scary and exhilarating and at times confusing, I knew what I needed space wise and I was challenging the Cheetah Marine team and my request seemed simply not possible. Then they came up with a totally new hull design wider and better and suddenly it was all so easy. The visits on site to see progress were fundamental and so was the insistence that I went when the cabin was ready to be placed. I was given the opportunity to walk around the vessel and decide exactly where the cabin was to be positioned. The wait was longer because it was a totally new design and had to go through testing but the result is just perfect. The delivery was weather driven but it went really well and we sailed Catwalk home in perfect conditions. A wonderful 92 nm trip to get to know her.

What do you use your boat for? E.g. Work, Pleasure

We do a lot of wreck fishing in mid channel, mostly from September to June then short family trips in Summer. The boat is easy to clean and looks the part both as a summer family outing vessel or a serious fishing machine. The fishing is easy and the walk around allows for space and tangle free fishing. All my mates who regularly fish on chartered cats rate Catwalk as the best boat ever because of the walkaround. It is am pleasure to see experienced fishing mates truly appreciate her for all the right quality: space, speed, sea capabilities, stability in the swell and precision on the drift.

How have you found your new Cheetah?

She is very quick, spacious, precise in the drift easy to plough through big seas. The ride is quite dry and the walkaround cabin seats 6 comfortably. As a family boat its easy to entertain on the deck and non fishing people never would know they are on a fishing boat really. She sits very high on the water and this gives her a stable position even in heavy swells so fishing is never a problem or dangerous.

What sort of speeds have you been getting?

Top speed on almost empty tanks has been just over 40 knots. 35/38 knots fully loaded. We normally cruise around the 18 knots when dirty or 20 knots when clean and use about 2 litres per nautical mile.

Any issues or other comments?

The boat is exactly as specified and I am extremely happy, shame we cannot have a toilet on board which I would definitely say is a shame. With my experience now I think a twin 250hp would have been better than the 200 hp I got as they would have worked at lower revs.

Would you use Cheetah Marine again?

Definitely and if they were to manage a walk around with an on board toilet I would be on the list as soon as financially possible.

If you are thinking about this Cheetah following on from the clients comments please note there are weight and transom height considerations to take into account when choosing between 4 cylinder and the V6 four stroke outboard engine’s. The weight difference effects the longitudinal centre of gravity and the transom height effects the vertical centre of gravity.

Generally on the bigger 3.7m beam Cheetah’s the V6 engines with 30” transom are the best choice however the new 10m x 3.7m series is running well with the smaller 4 cylinder engines, particularly within the commercial fishing market.

The new 8.9m x 3.35m can take both types comfortably with a simple change in fuel tank position to compensate for the weight. The smaller 8.5m x 3m and the 7.9m x 2.7m are best suited to the 4 cylinder four stroke engines.