I agree with the antiquated look. I owned an Antares and lived aboard with my family of four. Dave, I don’t know your experience level. Take the Oyster concept you mentioned about the interior of quality and take that to the design and safety…when (not if) you hit a log, fishing net, reef, etc…the mini keels, full skeg hung rudders, and protected shaft drive and your wife will thank you. Have a look at the bottom of the known world cruising monohulls and you’ll see the same set up for exactly that reason.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Antares interior finish. If they could keep that but produce a modern 48-50 it would be wonderful: vinylester, forward cockpit with through-saloon access, upper fly lounge of some sort, aft cockpit with a more spacious layout. Single, mid bulkhead mounted versa helm with lower position in full shelter, athwartship master birth with full three side access. Then throw in the drop aft swim decks off each hull (Ala HH44). Oh. And a bow thruster and DockMate OEM option for good measure.
@@PondoSinatra680 they don’t cause they have two engines and you can manipulate them to do the same. Not really sure David has a good grip on function and form.
@@PondoSinatra680 Hi. Yes,. it is becoming more common. Kinetic offer it and Balance offer it on the new 580. Now, if they would include a factory integrated DockMate wireless joystick it would be perfect!
@@regel303 Sorry...I didn't catch that. The HH44 actually made it to the top three boats that I may be able to afford to buy for the big adventure, and that Sylvia might get onboard with . the other two were the Balance 442 and the 2005 Catana 582. Which is your preference?
Checkout the steering and autopilot parts and you will never go wrong with the Antares. You pay for it, but the design and quality sure seems worth it if you have the money.
Hey Kingsily! Thanks for watching. I think it will be a while before we see ant 44 Hybrids on the market. Having said that, you really don't see a lot of Antares on the used market. Probably a testament to their owner satisfaction. Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Nice well build boat but very old design coming from the PDQ 42. They stretch the sugar scoop to get to 44. They improve performance a bit but still a small boat inside. I would look for something a bit newer and father for the asking price of this one, especially at $1.3 million.
Ohhh come now JHK. lol! She is not pretty, but also not completely ugly. Also, keep in mind that this is a full hybrid boat with 40 kWhs of lithium onboard. Tag on an additional $100k to the others for a fair comparison. Happy New Year!!
Comical that the main comments are about the look instead of the actual function, safety, and fact that it’s a completely built cat for live aboard world cruising. The price reflects quality and capability.
I really like the Antares, but she's dated and in need of modernization aesthetically. They definitely have a cult following though and would be an excellent choice for those who like the layout and old school styling. Where they lost credibility for me though is when they put out manipulative videos like the one last year "Are performance catamarans safe". That video purposefully misleads people with cherry picking data that superficially support their claims and purposely omitted counter points and factual information to the contrary. There is a lot to like about these cats, and they should sell to their strong suit.
Hey Kirk. Yes, the title was unfortunate and doesn’t reflect the credibility of the folks I have met there. Having said that, they are battling a marketing current that tends to go to the extreme the other way. Also, their numbers are actually quite good, all things considered. I do think that Balance has the most balanced marketing approach. You don’t hear Phil talking about “outrunning weather”. lol.
@@navalgazingatcampdavid Hi David, it's not unfortunate and in my opinion does reflect credibility to not discuss/provide counterpoints. He's trying to sell antiquated boats presenting 1/3 of the story, to novice's who don't have a clue. How about provide the real reasons to consider a more performance-oriented boat: 1) The ability to sail well in light wind. Just because the boat is capable of 20kts, doesn't mean that is the reason people are buying them, and most people are slowing them down when they see 14-16kts especially when cruisin 2) He uses ARC data to back up his point, which is where the wheels fall of the wagon. It's a downwind rally by amateurs not a race, where engine hours are allowed and self-reported. There is zero upwind component to any data provided, which is because they will be motor sailing, or just motoring, or finishing in 3X the time. I know firsthand of charter brand boats that have "finished well" in the ARC, where they just flat out lied about engine hours. The only data you should ever believe are those in sanctioned races, and those have up-wind components. 3) What about not needing as much sail area up in higher winds to move the boat. What's safer, a boat double reefed, and a stay sail that's still moving at 1-2 knots faster than an Antares that has a full main and jib up as the wind builds? 4) What about less exposure to the weather on longer passages because you'll get there 4 days quicker with using 50% less fuel on a major crossing. (most people are coastal cruisers to doesn't necessarily apply to lot of people). 5) On a circumnavigation the faster passage times would mean roughly 2 extra months at your destinations vs. exposed out at sea. 6) This boat was designed 30+ years ago before the advent of modern weather routing and easy and (relatively) inexpensive access to satellite data and communications. I 100% concur that Antares design choices were the correct way to go for the first couple of decades of her existence, technology has changed dramatically. I say these things more for you as food for thought when you are evaluating these boats and listening to the pitch of different people. There are plenty of con's I can rattle off on most boats, including the one we are building. That's why it is great what you are doing to talk to a wide swath of people and then decide what's important to you before making a choice. Okay rant over lol. 🤣
The design works. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I hear you. But there comes a time for an update regardless. It IS a great boat overall. D
PS Antares is shaft drive a major bonus- not a fan of sail drives
Really good point. Thanks.
I agree with the antiquated look. I owned an Antares and lived aboard with my family of four. Dave, I don’t know your experience level. Take the Oyster concept you mentioned about the interior of quality and take that to the design and safety…when (not if) you hit a log, fishing net, reef, etc…the mini keels, full skeg hung rudders, and protected shaft drive and your wife will thank you. Have a look at the bottom of the known world cruising monohulls and you’ll see the same set up for exactly that reason.
Hey BG! Great points! Thanks for the input!! D
When you say a new mold, I’d like to understand what you mean? If they change the mold what would they do to keep the safety but make it pop?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Antares interior finish. If they could keep that but produce a modern 48-50 it would be wonderful: vinylester, forward cockpit with through-saloon access, upper fly lounge of some sort, aft cockpit with a more spacious layout. Single, mid bulkhead mounted versa helm with lower position in full shelter, athwartship master birth with full three side access. Then throw in the drop aft swim decks off each hull (Ala HH44). Oh. And a bow thruster and DockMate OEM option for good measure.
A bow thruster on a catamaran? I didn’t know that people did that.
@@PondoSinatra680 they don’t cause they have two engines and you can manipulate them to do the same. Not really sure David has a good grip on function and form.
@@PondoSinatra680 Hi. Yes,. it is becoming more common. Kinetic offer it and Balance offer it on the new 580. Now, if they would include a factory integrated DockMate wireless joystick it would be perfect!
HH44?
Hi Mark. Not sure what you are unclear about. Let me know and I'll try to help. D
@@navalgazingatcampdavid With that reply to an obvious suggestion, to be on the safe side, my thumb is on Sylvia's side of the scale.
@@regel303 Sorry...I didn't catch that. The HH44 actually made it to the top three boats that I may be able to afford to buy for the big adventure, and that Sylvia might get onboard with . the other two were the Balance 442 and the 2005 Catana 582. Which is your preference?
@@navalgazingatcampdavid Antares.
Checkout the steering and autopilot parts and you will never go wrong with the Antares. You pay for it, but the design and quality sure seems worth it if you have the money.
Agreed. I just need a little more room on the inside and a little more style on the outside.
Look for a used Antares
Hey Kingsily! Thanks for watching. I think it will be a while before we see ant 44 Hybrids on the market. Having said that, you really don't see a lot of Antares on the used market. Probably a testament to their owner satisfaction. Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Nice well build boat but very old design coming from the PDQ 42. They stretch the sugar scoop to get to 44. They improve performance a bit but still a small boat inside. I would look for something a bit newer and father for the asking price of this one, especially at $1.3 million.
Hey Sergest! Thanks for watching! I would agree with all your points! D
Happy New Year Dave!
Happy New Year to you as well Constantine!!
What ??? The ugliest, oldest and "has been" cat is the most expensive !!!!
Forget the Antares 😱...
Ohhh come now JHK. lol! She is not pretty, but also not completely ugly. Also, keep in mind that this is a full hybrid boat with 40 kWhs of lithium onboard. Tag on an additional $100k to the others for a fair comparison. Happy New Year!!
Comical that the main comments are about the look instead of the actual function, safety, and fact that it’s a completely built cat for live aboard world cruising. The price reflects quality and capability.
@@bg5760 Spot on.
@@bg5760Comments like his tell you all you need to know about today's market. Looks sell, not quality. Sad.
Style over substance.
I really like the Antares, but she's dated and in need of modernization aesthetically. They definitely have a cult following though and would be an excellent choice for those who like the layout and old school styling. Where they lost credibility for me though is when they put out manipulative videos like the one last year "Are performance catamarans safe". That video purposefully misleads people with cherry picking data that superficially support their claims and purposely omitted counter points and factual information to the contrary. There is a lot to like about these cats, and they should sell to their strong suit.
Hey Kirk. Yes, the title was unfortunate and doesn’t reflect the credibility of the folks I have met there. Having said that, they are battling a marketing current that tends to go to the extreme the other way. Also, their numbers are actually quite good, all things considered. I do think that Balance has the most balanced marketing approach. You don’t hear Phil talking about “outrunning weather”. lol.
@@navalgazingatcampdavid Hi David, it's not unfortunate and in my opinion does reflect credibility to not discuss/provide counterpoints. He's trying to sell antiquated boats presenting 1/3 of the story, to novice's who don't have a clue. How about provide the real reasons to consider a more performance-oriented boat:
1) The ability to sail well in light wind. Just because the boat is capable of 20kts, doesn't mean that is the reason people are buying them, and most people are slowing them down when they see 14-16kts especially when cruisin
2) He uses ARC data to back up his point, which is where the wheels fall of the wagon. It's a downwind rally by amateurs not a race, where engine hours are allowed and self-reported. There is zero upwind component to any data provided, which is because they will be motor sailing, or just motoring, or finishing in 3X the time. I know firsthand of charter brand boats that have "finished well" in the ARC, where they just flat out lied about engine hours. The only data you should ever believe are those in sanctioned races, and those have up-wind components.
3) What about not needing as much sail area up in higher winds to move the boat. What's safer, a boat double reefed, and a stay sail that's still moving at 1-2 knots faster than an Antares that has a full main and jib up as the wind builds?
4) What about less exposure to the weather on longer passages because you'll get there 4 days quicker with using 50% less fuel on a major crossing. (most people are coastal cruisers to doesn't necessarily apply to lot of people).
5) On a circumnavigation the faster passage times would mean roughly 2 extra months at your destinations vs. exposed out at sea.
6) This boat was designed 30+ years ago before the advent of modern weather routing and easy and (relatively) inexpensive access to satellite data and communications. I 100% concur that Antares design choices were the correct way to go for the first couple of decades of her existence, technology has changed dramatically.
I say these things more for you as food for thought when you are evaluating these boats and listening to the pitch of different people. There are plenty of con's I can rattle off on most boats, including the one we are building. That's why it is great what you are doing to talk to a wide swath of people and then decide what's important to you before making a choice.
Okay rant over lol. 🤣