SCAPE 51: New Performance Catamaran from Cape Town

Kevin Knight at Scape Yachts in South Africa just dropped me a line to let me know they've recently launched their biggest boat yet, a new 51-footer. This is a big sister to their Scape 39, a boat I delivered across the South Atlantic a few years back. Like most boats built by Scape, hull number 1 of this new design, dubbed Quality Time, will be used for day-charter work. It can also, however, be tricked out as a performance cruising boat.

Construction, as with the smaller boat, is pretty high-tech--epoxy resin, vaccum-bagged foam-cored laminate, carbon-fiber reinforcements--all for a relatively reasonable price (about $620K base, so Kevin tells me). With such a light hull, a nice high bridgedeck, and deep twin daggerboards this puppy should be fast and weatherly.

Quality Time is currently en route from Cape Town to St. Maarten. She'll be based in Philipsburg and will be competing in both the Heineken Regatta next month and at Antigua Sailing Week in April, in case you're down there and want to check her out.

Specifications

LOA: 51'3"

LWL: 51'0"

Beam: 26'0"

Draft: 3'6"

Displacement (light ship): 18,187 lbs.

Sail area (main & solent): 1,621 sq.ft.

D/L Ratio: 61.2

SA/D Ratio: 37.4

Engine: 54hp x 2

Fuel: 111 gal. x 2

PS: Meanwhile, Doubletime, the 39-footer I sailed, is still for sale in Florida and the asking price has come down a bit. Not quite where I'd want to see it, but it's getting there.