Yate a motor catamarán a motor PP56

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Townsville-based designer James Dewing has been creating innovative, good-looking, ocean-capable catamarans for the past 15 years. In that time, a dozen of his distinctive Powerplay cats have been launched. They range from 12-20 metres and are currently cruising happily in the various waters around Australia, the US and the Caribbean. Initially built in Australia, where they won a number of export awards, they now take shape in a special OEM factory in Lanhe Town, in the Panyu area of Guangzhou, China. “This allows us to streamline production and offer fully customised, cost effective interiors with the clients involved at every step along the way,” he says. James’ latest creation was in Auckland in early October, undergoing sea trials and final commissioning before heading off to its new home in Fiji. Ayahausea (pronounced I-O-Wash Ka) and named after a spiritual vine from the Amazon, is a distinctive-looking Powerplay 56 with triple oval portholes in each hull and pronounced spray chines, picked out in white under the hull’s blue topsides. A full displacement catamaran, it has been designed, says James, for soft riding with little or no pounding and enough buoyancy to avoid hobby-horsing. Power is provided by twin 435hp IPS 600s. These give a top speed of 28 knots (lightship) but, more importantly, allow Ayahausea to cruise fully laden at 20 knots in good conditions and at a morethan-respectable 15 knots in two-metre seas. “Speed and comfort are important parts of the design,” says James. “Our motto is ‘Further, faster with power to play’.” With a massive 6500-litre fuel tank, Ayahausea can,