Olivier Poncin of Groupe Dufour brought us a new project: a 3- or 4-cabin power catamaran, equally attractive for private buyers and charter/owner fleets. Poncin understood the importance of powerboat markets for future growth, and the advantage of a catamaran hull. 

For our office, this ACM/Catana Powercat project was an extremely interesting challenge, especially in the area of naval architecture. Fortunately, the testing tank in Zagreb had a vast experience with catamaran hulls, mainly destined for the fast ferry markets. With the help of Brodarski institute experts Dr. Željko Dzigas and Mag. Gordana Semijalac, the new 13 m yacht with 5 m beam was tested in the Zagreb tank with very good results. The hulls, the tunnel between the two hulls and the propeller “pockets,” were carefully designed, and brought the ACM/Catana Powercat to 25 knots with only 2 x 240 HP power at full load. 

 The project was transferred to Catana Group of Olivier Poncin in Canet/Roussillon. The 43-foot Powercat did all it was expected to do—but like Olivier’s Atoll range or Groupe Beneteau’s sailing catamaran, she was born too early, by a decade or so …

Even so, the ACM/Catana Powercat experience helped our office to understand the power catamaran theme—and design the full range of models of largest power catamaran builder worldwide—and we would work with Olivier Poncin on similar projects again twenty-three years later.