Meridian 45' Power Catamaran
Design Brief
This design was developed following our visit to the US Power Boat Show in Annapolis. The design is now going into limited production at "Meridian Power and Sail" on the Queensland Gold Coast as the Meridian 45 with the first vessel now sold to a Florida based client. This boat will be displayed at the major US East Coast shows in 2000.
The Meridian 45 further advances the concept of long range cruising at real world sustainable speeds. At 14 knots the vessel will be able to travel over 1800 nm while at 20 knots the range will be an astounding 1100 nm. This is achieved with twin 170 hp engines and a total fuel capacity of only 750 gallons. Hull development was done in the towing tank of the Australian Maritime College, arguably the most experienced facility in the world when it comes to power cats.
The layout of the vessel follows the tradition of the express cruiser with a fully enclosed helm station integrated into the main living area. The steerage deck is fully air conditioned, comfortable, and spacious making for the ideal place to be during a passage. A fold down pilot berth is available for use during longer voyages or when you have a guest overflow. The main deck sports a modern gourmet galley and a generous settee. A built-in entertainment area faces the settee. The in-hull accomodation is based on a single hull for the owner with guest accomodatiuon in the other hull. Both have easily convertible bunks that can be two singles or a queen as required. Both cabins have large bathrooms with fully enclosed showers.
This is an ideal vessel for long range live aboard cruising easily supplanting the traditional trawler yacht in terms of comfort, speed and effeciency as well as offering reduced operating costs and easy handling due to the twin hull configuration.
