the perfect ʻfusionʼ, - Gary Lidgard, - Matthew Morgan - Craig Loomes - Fusion Catamarans

EExxtteerrnnaallllyyBreathtaking, awesome, amazing, are just some of the comments made bythose viewing the Fusion for the first time.

Not only does she look great, she has performance to match. By bringing to-gether the specialist designers of Loomes/Lidgard/Morgan guaranteed some-thing special. The photos opposite show the vessel at a constant 22 knotsand the fine bow sections guarantee clean entry without the familiar powerboat pounding or the aft misting. The minimal stern wake looks afterthe environment and doesn’t interfere with your fellow boaters enjoyment

The vessels deck layout was designed to offer ease of mobility with wide sidedecks, flat foredecks and large comfortable nets for family relaxing. The cock-pit is designed to entertain a dozen or more at that special part of the daywhen the “sundowners” are poured.

With the long distance cruiser in mind, you have the choice of using smaller motors and economical cruising can easily be achieved, and even on one

motor the boat still performs beautifully.

High bridge deck clearance guarantees comfortable motoring at sea, andthe large transom steps ensure easy access from marina or dinghy.

The all weather flybridge affords perfect visibilty to all corners of the boat,making berthing and picking up moorings a cinch.

The cockpit itself can also be optioned as ‘all weather’, with full clear curtains and zippered entrances.

Photos by Barry Tyler

The Power Cat saloon offers an additional 6” headroom forward due to theflybridge configuration and together with the Cats massive beam, allows

for an impressive Saloon, complimented by a full galley, including full sizedstove/grill/oven, 2 bowl sink, marble counter tops, 4 drawer freezer fridges,

ice maker and wine cabinets.

Floors are laid timber, and the floor level lighting simply compliments thewonderful zone controlled, Fusion sound sytem.

This is cruising 5 star.

The interior of the Fusion Power cat has the same wonderful flexibilty asthe Fusion Sailboat, where you have full control over the layout, materialsand also the equipment being installed. Yes it is fully Customisable.

The standard layout provides for 3 Queen sized berths, an ensuite in theGuests cabin, (stbd forward), a second private cabin Aft with queen sizedberth and plenty of storage space in the hulls. The owner’s side, (port) haswalk-in wardrobe and complimented with a full sized bathroom toilet andshower. The hull can be equipped as an office or navigation centre

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S e -riously, . . . how often do you hear the words “its

Envonmentally Friendly”. Fusion Catamarans were the leaders inInfusion moulding processes, being one of the first companies in the world to

produce production catamarans by this process.

Fusion Catamarans are also working with leading companies in the diesel electric and fully electric propulsionsystems, as well as the US based Eplex and the Dutch based Capi2 electric sytems. These systems will reduce the

amount of electric cabling in the vessels by as much as 200lb

It is well known that hull shape determines drag and drag generates fuel consumption. by working with Craig Loomes, designer of “Earth-race” we believe we have now the most advanced underwater hull sections on any production power catamaran available today.

You only need to look at the gas guzzlers available, power cats using 220 to 450 hp to achieve 20 plus knots, with fuel consumtion between 90 and130 litres an

Seriously, . . . how often do you hear the words “its Envonmentally Friendly”. Fusion Catamarans can proudly make this statement as we were the leaders in Infusion moulding processes, beingone of the first companies in the world to produce production catamarans by this encapsulated, Eco friendly process, and the 1st in Australia to manufacture its moulds on a 5 Axis Router.

Resin infusion is a specialized advanced laminating technique that greatly improves the quality and strength of fiberglass parts versus conventional hand lay up. Applying laminate engineeringand resin infusion technology simultaneously allows for optimization of a part in terms of strength and weight. The use of resin infusion will become the standard in yacht construction andhas been in use since the 1960s.

The quality of an infused part is superior to a piece produced using conventional hand layups, because…1. The vacuum eliminates strength-robbing air voids in the laminate. The reliable high quality of resin infusion allows the laminate engineer to avoid additional layers of fiberglass that wouldnormally be required just to compensate for inevitable air voids and human error. 2. The part is about 25% lighter.

3. There are no inferior strength "secondary bonds" of laminations, stringers, core, etc. made after the various layers have cured. The entire part’s laminations, core, and attach-ments, etc. is one continuous piece. (A "secondary bond" is something that is attached with fiberglass, to an already cured fiberglass part. A secondary bond is inferior in strength

as the bond lacks the "chemical adhesion" that can only happen if the substrate has not reached full cure.) In conventional hand lay up typically 2 layers are applied at a time,wetted out with resin by rollers and brush, and left to cure, repeatedly building up the layers over several days.

4. Infusion eliminates the "Artistic Element" of hand lay up. This is the reliance on the level of skill and experience of laminating personnel for a high quality job. Underatmospheric pressure due to the natural loft of the fabric even a skilled lay up person is limited as to how many air bubbles can be worked out of the

laminate. Under the vacuum, fabric becomes compressed and tiny air spaces around individual fibers are replaced with resin. Compared to hand layup this reduces the resin content by approximately 30%, which contributes to the over all strength and stiffness by improving the resin to fiber ratio

and also reducing weight and cost. 5. No environment polluting vapors are released. Emission of vapors and pollutants is greatly reduced, because these stay in the bag. 6. The enemy of conventional glassing, ‘Humidity’ can be controlled with resin Infusion, as the top picture shows

Fusion Catamarans are also working with leading companies in the diesel electric and fully electric propulsion systems, as wellas the US based Eplex and the Dutch based Capi2 electric sytems. These systems will reduce the amount of electric

cabling in the vessels by as much as 200lb, again reducing energy and materials.

It is well known that hull shape determines drag and drag generates fuel consumption. byworking with Craig Loomes, designer of “Earthrace” we believe we have now the

most advanced underwater hull sections on any production powercatamaran available today another energy and

fuel reduction.

ControllingHumidity

Earthrace, designed by Craig Loomes,

Hull Rendering

Resin Infusion

Power Cat Hulls

‘Performance’, ‘Economy’, a contradiction in terms . . . never with Fusion

You only need to look at all the gas guzzlers currently on the market. Power cats using 220 to 450 hp, and equivalent monohulls using at least an-other 50% to achieve 20 plus knots, with fuel consumtion between 90 and 130 litres an hour.

By looking at the power v performance curve you can choose the engine to suit your personal situation, The left column gives the combined horse-power and the figures across the bottom give the speed in Knots. if you are simply looking for coastal cruising then 75hp to 100 hp will be fine, ifyou want speeds up to 20 knots then choose the 150hp and speeds to 30 knots will be achieved with the 280hp.

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The following words were by Barry Tyler, well known AUS/NZ boating Test journalist. The full story is downloadable from the web site.

“Performance PersonifiedThe performance attributes of the Fusion 40 really were quite staggering – in every aspect. Granted, the hull which was constructed of a compos-ite of multi-axial cloths, foam cores and epoxy or vinylester resin-infusion, weighed in at a modest 9,000kg in a ‘heavy ships’ state. But to enjoy atop speed of 22 knots at the maximum 3950rpm, courtesy of a pair of 180hp BMW-based, 4-cyl, 1995cc, 4BY180A Yanmar turbocharged dieselengines, surely spoke volumes for the complete package of hull, power and the engineering features. Emphasising the fact it was a planing hull, albeit importantly with energy-efficient displacement characteristics at the lower speeds, when up andrunning at full speed the hull adopted the typical planing-hull characteristic of a very slight nose-upattitude. Even with the Meagre 180hp power plantsthe hull rose to plane effortlessly but perhaps more importantly it glided to a halt when decelerating. Slowing therefore rather than instantaneouslyhalting momentum and digging its backside in!

ConclusionThe Fusion 40 Powercat I believe was one of the cleverest compromises between space provision and futuristic styling, it has been my pleasure towitness. Trade-off was the operative word, for it was the designers’ decisions made within these two parameters which made this vessel such a com-mendably-acceptable all-round proposition. It addressed well each and every facet of long-range cruising, it handled and performed well, and it wasindecently miserly where fuel consumption was concerned. “

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Power v Performance Curve

Yanmar 4BY150 Diesels Performance Curves

Yanmar 4BY180 Diesels Performance Curves

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‘Get the Power’ www.fusioncats.com

Standard 3 Berth Layout.Island Berths available also.There are many options available for the interior of the Power Cat as with the Sailversion. If you have special desires, let uswork with you to develop the perfectInterior

LOA 12.2mts / 40ft

BOA 7.2 mts / 23’4”

Draft 800mm / 35.43”

Bridgedeck 900mm / 32”

Fuel 940lts / 248 gals

Water 600lts / 158 gals

Accommodations: Can sleep up to 10 people

Engines 2 x (150/180/220/260)hp Yanmars

Shipping 3 x 40ft containers

Accommodations: Can sleep up to 10 people

FUSION POWER

Please contact your local Agent for specific information as models andequipment vary between the different countries.

Brochure and contents, copyright, JIM GARD