without the usual drawbacks of pitching and burying, while the aft sections are wider and flatter than you might expect. The result is a boat with more longitudinal stability and thus a more comfortable motion, potentially more boatspeed and better load-carrying ability. A limited cruising payload is the Achilles’ heel of most offshore multihulls, but the Seaquest 46 can carry well over two tonnes.
Another thing that’s different about this boat is the helm position, which required Eaton and Carkeek to think outside the box – and eventually outside the cockpit. ‘We tried everything,’ Eaton says. ‘We didn’t want to put the wheels right at the back (which is the least comfortable position on board for the helmsman) and I didn’t want a helm up front, like some high- performance cats, because you don’t get a good view of the sails. I knew exactly where I wanted the helm but unfortunately there was a roof in the way. So Sean said: “Put it through the roof”. That wasn’t so easy. We’ve only just signed it off now after working on it for two years.’ It’s a novel solution. The helmsman and sailing crew sit or stand on raised plinths in the cockpit, facing forward with their heads and shoulders through hatches in the cockpit roof. All lines, sheets and halyards are led aft from the mast to a pair of winches and a bank of clutches on both sides. Owners can opt to have a wheel in each of these positions, or on one side only with a sail-trimming station on the other side. The self-tacking jib is sheeted to a track on the front of the saloon roof and the mainsail to a traveller mounted aft on the cockpit roof, with fully electric operation available if desired. With all sail controls up there, out of the way, the entire cockpit becomes a safe space for kids and non-sailing passengers. The boat can also be steered comfortably from inside the cockpit, with the helmsman looking forward through the saloon.
The mast is also stepped on the roof. ‘Initially I didn’t want that,’ Eaton explains. ‘I said let’s put it straight through the saloon. Sean
Above:
construction of the first Seaquest 46 started with these hull frames laid out on the factory floor Upper right: Carkeek’s design
combines a high
bridgedeck clearance for good offshore seakeeping with a very low centre of gravity. Lower right: the interior layout offers a huge open plan living space in the larger-than- average saloon and up to four
double cabins with queen size beds in the hulls
said no because of noise – having opted for the noiseless joy of fully electric engines we weren’t ready to risk our peace disturbed with halyards knocking inside the mast.’ Customers can choose an aluminium or carbon mast. Both options are fixed, rather than rotating, avoiding adding complexity and cost for minimal gain.
With the roof of the cabin and cockpit taking all of those loads, and no compression posts or poles in the saloon or cockpit, a lot of carbon fibre is needed to strengthen and stiffen the supporting structure. That does add a significant amount to the cost of the boat but Eaton says it’s well worth it. You have the confidence of knowing that the roof can withstand the full force of a careless crash gybe, and you get to enjoy two enormous and uncluttered, wide-open living spaces connected by four fully glazed, sliding doors. Eaton earned his reputation building boats that are light, strong and fast using good quality basic materials. That ethos carries through to the Seaquest 46. Very sensibly for a world cruiser, it’s built mainly in e-glass which can easily be repaired by a local boatyard in a remote part of the world, or indeed by an amateur
boat owner. Carbon fibre is used strategically, in places where it makes a significant difference to the boat’s performance, and where nothing else will do.
Ease of maintenance has been considered throughout – there’s no part of the steering system, for instance, that can’t be easily inspected, adjusted and fixed under way. ‘I’ve gone for Spectra rather than solid links where I could. If you put solid links in there, you couldn’t get to a lot of it. And I’m one of those guys who insist on being able to access every part of every system in every part of the boat.’ So what sort of passage speeds can we expect from the Seaquest 46? Carkeek’s VPP suggests that even when sailed very conservatively, with sails well reefed, more than 200 miles a day can be expected. With a bridgedeck clearance that’s higher than most plus a low centre of gravity, it shouldn’t be slowed down unduly by choppy seas or ocean swell. When fully powered up and actively sailed in performance mode, about 360 miles in a day should be easily achieved. You can’t do that in a 46ft cruising monohull. Or a regular cruising cat.
www.seaquestcatamarans.com q SEAHORSE 67
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