At first glance, the Hope 40 looks like another Down East picnic boat, but with a slightly broken sheer line. But then take a look under the hull. It’s a state-of-the-art power catamaran with hydrofoil technology.
The new Hope 40 is the brainchild of McCullough Yachts in Newport, Rhode Island, and it’s going to be built at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine. On its website, McCullough says, “For years customers have asked us why existing power catamarans look like futuristic alien spacecraft.” They say their reply is the Hope 40, “an attractive vessel that still utilizes the smooth riding characteristics of a foil-assisted power catamaran.”
The main foil on the Hope 40 has an adjustable angle of attack and is fully retractable at the push of a button. The boat has two options for propulsion: twin 600-hp Mercury outboards, or twin 550-hp Yanmar diesels linked to Hamilton jet drives. The outboards offer high performance, while the inboard/jet drive offers reliability and safety, according to McCullough.
For accommodations, there’s a queen-sized berth in the bow, and a guest cabin with two berths a bit aft. The new cat has two heads, one with a separate shower. The galley is up on the bridge deck.
We don’t have more details yet, but we’ll be following the progress of this interesting new boat.
Specs.: LOA: 43’; Beam: 16’5”; Draft: 1’9”; Disp.: 18,000 lbs. Fuel: NA; Water: NA; Power: 2×600-hp Mercury outboards or 2/550-hp Yanmar diesels with Hamilton water jet drives. Read more:
http://frontstreetshipyard.com
