French evolut T HAT THE FRENCHmanufacturerchose therecent Sydney InternationalBoat Show for its worldwidedebut of this model was mostrelevant also for it was a mark of respectnot only for the pulling ID: 222577
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French boat review : Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36 Evolution sailing cat evolut T HAT THE FRENCHmanufacturerchose therecent Sydney InternationalBoat Show for its worldwidedebut of this model was mostrelevant also, for it was a mark of respectnot only for the pulling power of theSydney show, but also for the buyingpower of our region. Obviated by thefact Fountaine Pajots (FP) founder andCEO, Jean-Francois Fountaine, was onhand for the launching of the model, thecompany obviously thought this was thebest stage in the world from whence tolaunch the first model of the nextgeneration of FP sailing catamarans.Having only recently celebrated its 30thanniversary this company, that to date hasbuilt in excess of 2200 boats over thoseyears, has seen fit to start at the lowerend of their scale, the entry level forsailing cats in fact, to present to thebuying public a model range unsurpassedin terms of a good wholesome practical,efficient and user-friendly and mostimportantly affordable, cruising catamaran.Joubert/Bernard Nivelt underhull shapeproviding the necessary handling andperformance characteristics and generalprowess, the other notable aspect of thisnew Evolution range was the fact this wasno once over lightly with a change ofdecals and interior colours, the old Mahereceived a genuine re-vamp from top tobottom, with new underhull design, araised helm station, a now rigid cockpitbimini, a better protected open-planentertainers cockpit, a cleaner and lesscluttered foredeck, a re-designed galley,more refrigeration provision, and a biggiefrom a cruisers perspective, improvedventilation. ULTIHULL by BARRYpics by BARRYOUNTAINEAJOT A practical user-friendly package for one or twocouples or the perfect family all-rounder. (top) The elevated helm position ensured you werecompletely in control. (above) Again with FPs user-friendly philosophyand commitment in mind I was certainlyvery easily either power or sail this boat,without ever leaving the comfort ofhis/her seat. Remote controls,instrumentation, the FP helm wheel, thegenerous Furuno electronics package andfor the sailors the winches, the jam cleatsand even the rope bag were allstrategically placed about and off to theside of, the upright dash. Another endearing aspect we were toestablish during the course of the actualtest, was the clear view of what wastraveller assembly which was sited acrossthe aft extremity of the overhang. All inall it was a simplistic yet deliberatelycomfortable, ergonomic, practical andfunctional operations area perfect forlong passages, whether under sail orpower!ULTIHULL The Mahe can be easily sailed from the confines ofthe helm station. (above) The tiny Volvo Sail-drive packages were dwarfed inwhat were most spacious engine rooms. (above right) The foredeck was approached in thesame fashion; uncluttered, virtually flushdeck hatches, concealed anchoringfeatures, a robust trampoline, and anequally robust front beam for the furlinghead-sail and optional extra screecherbowsprit. But there was one other minormy eye also, that being the short lengthfitting on the end) which appeared fromunder the windscreen overhang. bulkhead tops with a nice fiddle aroundthem (a great storage area for loosegear), the cutlery compartment secretedinto this front bulkhead, the generousstorage, and the nerve centre to the leftas you entered the saloon. Multifaceted,this module was home to thecommunications, the entertainment, thebar essentials, the galley fridge and inbetween times it also doubled as thechart table.while at first glance one could easilysuggest a certain ineptness, the realitywas this particular version was still morethan capable in an extended-staysituation. There was a three-burner gasstove with a convection microwave ovenabove that, plus there were twin sinks, aULTIHULL finish above the waistline, vinyl-protectedflooring and chocolate-flavoured bench-tops and U-shaped dining lounge. It allcontrasted well sure, but I have to say thechocolate look would not have been mynumber one colour choice. That aside, the room was certainly alight and bright setting with plenty ofcross-draft ventilation (important whenthere is no air-conditioning fitted)courtesy of a large saloon door, a slidingaft bulkhead window, front windscreenhatches and an overhead hatch. Therewere some very good ideas in this saloon,little things that made the difference;features such as the fixed bench-seat forthe fourth person at the dining table,servery, glass storage, open storagecompartments in the wall, and goodunder-bench cupboard storage also perfectly adequate for a family or twocouples away for a week or a month.Wow I thought to myself, as I learnedthe accommodation below was for twocouples in double accommodation intwo aft cabins! There is of courseanother three-cabin option availablewhich features two double cabins toportside and an exclusive owners suite inthe starboard hull, but in this instance ourowners had chosen the two-cabin, twobathroom configuration. The saloon verymuch adhered tothis Fountaine Pajotphilosophy of simple,practical and user-friendly Seemingly a little agricultural in thecontext of the well presented catamaranI had experienced thus far, none the lessit intrigued me. Down on my knees I gotand I soon discovered this hose wasattached to an outlet immediately belowa recessed gutter on the cabin top presumably designed specifically to catchwater and top up your water tanks whileyou were at sea. With a water capacityaboard, this was surely a simple yet mostproactive way of supplementing yourwater supply.Simple, practical, user-friendlyThe saloon very much adhered to thisFountaine Pajot philosophy of simple,practical and user-friendly before it wasflashy, with the modular layout specificallydesigned to accommodate one or twocouples (or a family) in an extended-staysituation. I say extended stay for thecentral dining setting for instance wouldseat six people if need be, but with fouryou spread out in comfort, you have yourown space. Décor was predominantly(cherrywood) wood finish, with gelcoat Two aft cabins in a catamaran; how wasthat going to work I thought to myself?But I neednt have worried though for intrue Fountaine Pajot innovative fashion itdid work and in fact it worked very well,courtesy of the afore-mentioned volumeof the hull and the more upright boardingsteps which allowed engines andperipherals to be moved further aft, inturn providing more internal space. Down the steps from the saloon levelthen I found two aft cabins, near identicalin layout and specification and nicelyprivatised by way of a door to each.Again presented predominantly in themodulated wood and gelcoat look, therewas an open-front clothes storage facility,a wardrobe, plenty of light, opening walland overhead hatches, wall lights, vinylflooring and a generous double berthcomplete with under-mattress storage. In the portside example this under-berth void was sensibly utilised foradditional refrigeration capacity; in thisinstance it was a Waeco portableexample.Each cabin had its own bathroom,albeit once removed but none the lesstheir own large bathroom with a showerother. Features included a vanity, a mostcontemporary sink, an extractor fan,overhead cupboards (away from theshower water), a secreted toilet-rollholder and even an opening wall hatchjust above water level, which provided aunique perspective on proceedings, whilstunderway. Best of both worldsAs any sailing protagonist will gladlyattest to, the beauty of a sailing cat is youhave two power sources; one you pay for,the other you dont! In this case theexpensive option if you could describe itas that, was a miserly pair of three-cylinder, 1130cc, 30hp D1-30 Volvo PentaSail-drive diesel engines that ran throughthe S-drive 130S drive train, to the S-drive propellers. Speeds of course arent as important ina sailing catamaran situation so the topspeed of 11kts and the cruise speed ofULTIHULL Saloon space was utilised well; presentation plus (top left) Dining for seven, at a most congenial setting. (top centre) Sure the galley was compact, but look at the big-boat features! Clever use of typically-wasted space on the frontbulkhead. (above left) Unusual to find this much volume in the aft cabin (above centre) Each aft cabin had its own ensuite, forward in thebow section of each hull. (above right) deck winches back at the helm. Withbimini structure, going about when youwere into the wind or reaching slightly, waseffortless and without the typical swingingboom scenario associated with longIt really was very easy to sail, but moreimportantly as I discovered during thecourse of our sail, it was a lot of fun toofor the Mahe 36 performed exceptionallywell. Susceptible/responsive to theslightest change in wind speed, where itinstantaneously, it really was quiteexhilarating to be sailing along at 10-12kts for an hour or two at least, without acare in the world!I certainly dont want to appearderogatory towards the Fountaine PajotMahe 36 Evolution, but it definitely wasnot one of your flashy, glitzy, glamorous,pretentious, precocious sort of a boat,merely it was a practical, user-friendly,dependable, well priced example of agood honest boat. And that is just theway Fountaine Pajot seemingly intended itfor they have quite obviously attended tothe house-keeping matters, before theyworried about the over the top stuff thatso often is surplus to requirements inthe context of a user-friendly boat. over the helm station, the screecher,bowsprit and rigging for that screecher,television, holding tanks, and engineupgrade, it was interestingly to note thatthe owners of this boat #1 of the newFountain Pajot Evolution range wouldchange absolutely nothing, so practicaland convenient have they found this boat.Was it affordable as per FPs claims youbetcha, when you compare apples with33-45 Parkyn Pde, Mooloolaba,Qld 4557p: +61 (0)7 5452 5164e: info@multihullsolutions.com.auw: www.multihullsolutions.com.auULTIHULL Mahe 36 Evolution Year launched Joubert-Nivelt Coste & Partners Fountaine Pajot Catamarans LOA LWL Beam5.9m Draft1.1m Displacement5000kg 11kts Cruise speed7-8kts ConstructionResin-infused GRP and PVC Foam Composite Fuel cap Water cap Engines make2 x 30 hp D1-30 Volvo Penta Sail-drives Drive trainVolvo Penta S-drive 130S PropellersVolvo Penta Sail-drive Inverter / chargerMastervolt 2500W / 100A 24V Lofrans 1000 AnchorsManson Plough 35 lbs Cable (Spectra & chain) Engine controlsVolvo Penta Electronic LightingGeneico Halogen Paint (topsidesWhite Gelcoat Paint (antifouling)International Micron Windscreens/windows by Fountaine Pajot Catamarans Porthole hatches Jabsco Electric Veneer/plywoodCherrywood Veneers TenderCaribe 3.1 RIB / 9hp Yamaha 4-stroke Fountaine Pajot Catamarans Fountaine Pajot Catamarans Fountaine Pajot CatamaransBatteries House3 x 100Ah AGM2 x 100Ah AGMUpholstery by Fountaine Pajot Catamarans Electronics Furuno NavPilot Furuno GP-37 Furuno GP7000 Furuno FI-50 VHFIcom IC-304 Furuno M-171S 2.2kW 24-NM Entertainment systemsPanasonic / Clarion Volvo Penta Furuno FI-50 Software systemFuruno / Navico Fountaine Pajot Catamarans Onboard systems management Sailing equipment Harken Harken Keel designJoubert Nivelt (sacrificial) Rudder designJoubert Nivelt (spade) Z-Spars Spar manufacturerZ-Spars Spectra / Double Braid Sail wardrobe Sail designerIncidences Sail maker Main area Fore-sail area Spinnaker area Gennaker area Screecher area Base price of boat$395,000Price as tested$447,000 SPECIFICATIONS