mxCat-88 Volante
Volante means:
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Moving with light rapidity, flying
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To drive, to be in control
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mxCat88-Volante combines luxurious interior and all the creature comforts for the owner’s family and their guests with high speed (35 knots!) and simplicity of handling. All this has been achieved thanks to the advanced hull design, and use of hydrofoils and wing sails in bi-plane configuration, turning sailing into a process somewhat similar to flying a plane. All controls are concentrated in the wheelhouse and could be manned by a single person with a few buttons and joy-sticks.
mxCat88-Volante exterior is thoroughly modern with a hint of a stealth fighter or a spaceship thrown in. And yet there’s something classic in her proportions, her long, slender hulls, and her design details, a harmonious combination of gently curving surfaces and sharp creases.
And every curve and crease is hydrodynamicaly functional, serving to enhance performance, to cut effortlessly through the waves, to create lift, or cut the spray down. It goes without saying that her slim hulls combined with wave-piercing bows reduce pitching and slamming and greatly reduce the risk of pitch-pooling.
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For the first time in cruising multihull design mxCat88-Volante features wing sails in a bi-plane configuration. This allows lowering the center of efforts and improving stability while maintaining generous sail area. Several rig options were explored and simulated using CFD analysis performed by Tyler Doyle of Doyle CFD.
A free standing wing has no running rigging and simply pivots about two large bearings mounted in the hulls. Trim is accomplished by rotating the wings and power adjustments made by changing the shape of the wing through the use of control surfaces. All this can be done from the safety and comfort of the internal command post. Operation becomes similar to flying an airplane, with push-button and lever controls. If necessary it could be fully automated.”
Adding to the mxCat88-Volante performance are also advanced hydrofoils, main C-foils and rudder T-foils. We have decided that for a cruising offshore catamaran full foiling, while exciting, is still more of a liability and could prove dangerous. Instead we designed foils to offset up to 75% of the boat’s full displacement, significantly reducing drag and improving performance.
Several foil configurations were explored, one of them utilizing an articulating mechanism, which allows us the ability to place the main foil closer to vertical while sailing upwind to increase lateral resistance, and closer to horizontal for reaching legs to increase lift. We expect upwind speed of 15-20knts, depending on the sea state, and reaching speeds up to 35knts.
Shown above is a spacious and airy interior layout, fully customized to the client’s very specific requirements.
The entire port hull is one big owner’s suite, with plenty of storage and lavishly equipped head featuring double sinks, large shower and even an enormous bathtub.
There is a nicely appointed guest suite in the starboard hull aft and two smaller cabins forward that could be used for crew or occasional guests.
The bridge connecting two hulls is one large open area featuring a spacious galley, salon with an entertainment center and huge wheelhouse up forward, equipped with comfortable captains chairs. All boat’s functions can be controlled from this command center.
A vast lifting swim platform, essentially your own private “beach’” spans the entire width between the hulls, creating an ideal area for sunbathing, swimming and launching water toys.
