More Power in Caribbean Charter Fleets
Powercats in the Caribbean are on the rise in charter fleets. This trend mimics the popularity of sailing catamarans but breaks new ground in a market, both bareboat and crewed, that has been dominated since its inception more than a half-century ago by sail. The two big players in the Caribbean power catamaran charter business are MarineMax Vacations and The Moorings. MarineMax offers the custom Aquila line and The Moorings its Leopard brand.
Sizes, on average, range from 39- to 51-feet LOA. “These cats come with the features power boaters want, such as electric cooktops, electric barbecues, large generators, watermakers, walkaround beds, roomy flybridges, and more. There is no roughing it,” says Raul Bermudez, Vice President for Clearwater, Florida-based MarineMax Vacations. Powercats today are also fuel efficient, making power charters more affordable than in the past.
The B.V.I. offers the largest fleet of charter powercats in the Caribbean according to Ian Pedersen, marketing manager for The Moorings, also based in Clearwater. “Antigua, St. Lucia and Grenada are recent additions to our power portfolio, but currently offer much smaller fleets,” he says.
marinemaxvacations.com; moorings.com
By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating March 2018
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