Power cats are intriguing for many reasons. They offer excellent stability, fine bow entries for a smooth ride, plenty of living space for a given length and high average cruising speeds with efficient fuel consumption.
If that sound like a winning formula, the designers behind the new Makai 37, the ERYD Design Group, heard you. The 37, designed in Italy and built in Croatia, has the look of a modern sport car and the handling of a thoroughbred performance cruiser and all the benefits of catamaran design.
The hulls developed for the 37 have what the designers call the Air-Glide System. As the boat powers forward, air is channeled between the asymmetrical hulls creating a low pressure area near the bows and high pressure area aft. This acts as a shock absorber, so the hulls don’t slam onto on-coming waves but, instead, rise and glide over them.
Driven by twin Yanmar 8LV 320 engines with a combined 740 horsepower, the 37 has a top end of 35 knots and a fast-cruising speed of 28 knots.
A 37 foot cat with a 15-foot beam has the living space of a much larger monohull. Makai has made good use of the square footage, too, with a large swim platform or beach-front aft, a dining table under the hard top that will sea tix or more, and an L-shaped dinette next to the helm.
In an interesting use of the cockpit space, the seat backs on the facing benches, with the table between them, fold forward and back. With the front seat back folded aft, the bench becomes a comfortable seat for guests while powering quicky thorugh the wave.
With the after seat back folded forward, it becomes a back rest for those relaxing on the large sun bed that is a part of the after seat.
The master suite is in the port hull and has a queen-size bed and a large head with a shower. The guest cabin the starboard hulls has a full-size bed and a single berth and it’s own head and shower. For a couple who like to cruise with family and friends, this layout wil work well.
The Makai 37 caught the attention of the awards judges in Europe. It was nominated for Multihull of the Year Aard, is a finalist in the Sleipner Motorboat 2025 Award and is nominated for th eprestigeous European powerboat of the Year 2025 Award.
Makai is new to the US market and is being represented by S & J Yachts with east coast offices from Maine to Florida. Read more here. https://sjyachts.com/new-yachts/makai-power-catamaran/m37/
