Build Thread - Allied Boats 30’x10’ aluminum catamaran (Wildcat #2)

[wdlfbio]

In the spirit of @carpeweekend ‘s build thread, here’s my current build. I had Allied Boats build me Wildcat #1 in 2021. They delivered Feral in spring 2021 and I ran it through September. My buddy told me he wanted it, so I sold it to him in October ‘21. He kept the name (temporarily) and some of you saw her in Tofino in September. Once he and I agreed to the sale, we started working with Allied to build #2.

I will take delivery in February 2023, as she will be shown at the Seattle Boat Show. So, I’m further along than Carpe’s, but we still have time for changes.

-30’ x 10’ aluminum catamaran with walkaround pilothouse
-Extended cabin to allow for seating for 6. Helm chair is a Shockwave S2 with dropdown base. The other 5 are single buckets on Shockwave S5 bases with swivel and slides. T everybody will get to face forward while running in and out, but those 5 will also be able to swivel aft so that all 5 can watch the gear while on troll, or swivel inward so everyone can face each other while BSing. Well, everyone except me… someone has to watch where we’re going.
-SeaDek in the cabin, but not outside
-Cabin windows are sliders
-Captain’s side door
-Twin Suzuki DF350s with Seastar power assist
-No joystick, it’s a cat. I can do about everything with differential throttle control but crab 90°
-Raymarine electronics - 12” Axiom pro up front, 9” Axiom flush-mounted under the stbd ceiling at the aft of the cabin, and another 9” Axiom flush-mounted at the port transom. EV-400 autopilot and Type 3 pump (heavier duty to handle to torque of the Zuke 350s), FLIR MD625 camera, VHF73 with AIS receiver (no transmitter), SS175HW and SS175M (both thruhulls).
-Fish storage is using 2 Flexahopper 70 gallon, infloor, insulated 1/2 totes. They’re out of Alberta. I wanted them because they have a simple, yet awesome, shallow drain channel in the middle of their bottom. Means I won’t have 1-2” of water to clean out every trip… should hold 25-28 albies each side.
-2 transom tackle stations holding 3 Plano 3700 boxes each, one with a sink plumbed to 20 gallons of freshwater.
-2 more Plano tackle cabinets holding 3 3700 boxes in the back WP cabin seats.
-Cuddy has 2 sponson berths hat are 8’ long. The outer wall at the front of each of these will have a small access door opened from the bow. These doors will allow us the slide 8-10’ rods into each bed from the bow. Way easier than moving rods into the cabin and angling them across the cuddy. I hope…
-Dropdown curtain for the back of the cabin instead of a solid wall and sliding door, we did this on #1 and loved it. Basically, curtain was down at the dock and while running out in the morning, then removed once we hit the fishing grounds. Really opened up the cabin and makes it possible for guests to swivel heir seats aft-facing.
-Diesel heater
-50 gallon live bait tank (we get live bait down here
-Walkthrough transom with dive ladder (mostly used as a gangplank at the dock, as we back in)
-26 rod holders on the roof, 6 Burnewiin bases at the rear, 2 midship, and 2 more at the bow.
-6 scotty plugs for DRs and electric reels - 2 aft, 2 midship, 2 at the bow.
-Probably 4 6” and 2 8” Skar speakers with a Skar 1,000 watt amp (albacore like bass)

This is personally my 4th offshore boat and 4th build I’m intimately involved with. I think I have her pretty well dialed in. But, I’m always learning.

Here’s the most recent video update of her.

IG @localfissues

 

[Rain City]

In the spirit of @carpeweekend ‘s build thread, here’s my current build. I had Allied Boats build me Wildcat #1 in 2021. They delivered Feral in spring 2021 and I ran it through September. My buddy told me he wanted it, so I sold it to him in October ‘21. He kept the name (temporarily) and some of you saw her in Tofino in September. Once he and I agreed to the sale, we started working with Allied to build #2.

I will take delivery in February 2023, as she will be shown at the Seattle Boat Show. So, I’m further along than Carpe’s, but we still have time for changes.

-30’ x 10’ aluminum catamaran with walkaround pilothouse
-Extended cabin to allow for seating for 6. Helm chair is a Shockwave S2 with dropdown base. The other 5 are single buckets on Shockwave S5 bases with swivel and slides. T everybody will get to face forward while running in and out, but those 5 will also be able to swivel aft so that all 5 can watch the gear while on troll, or swivel inward so everyone can face each other while BSing. Well, everyone except me… someone has to watch where we’re going.
-SeaDek in the cabin, but not outside
-Cabin windows are sliders
-Captain’s side door
-Twin Suzuki DF350s with Seastar power assist
-No joystick, it’s a cat. I can do about everything with differential throttle control but crab 90°
-Raymarine electronics - 12” Axiom pro up front, 9” Axiom flush-mounted under the stbd ceiling at the aft of the cabin, and another 9” Axiom flush-mounted at the port transom. EV-400 autopilot and Type 3 pump (heavier duty to handle to torque of the Zuke 350s), FLIR MD625 camera, VHF73 with AIS receiver (no transmitter), SS175HW and SS175M (both thruhulls).
-Fish storage is using 2 Flexahopper 70 gallon, infloor, insulated 1/2 totes. They’re out of Alberta. I wanted them because they have a simple, yet awesome, shallow drain channel in the middle of their bottom. Means I won’t have 1-2” of water to clean out every trip… should hold 25-28 albies each side.
-2 transom tackle stations holding 3 Plano 3700 boxes each, one with a sink plumbed to 20 gallons of freshwater.
-2 more Plano tackle cabinets holding 3 3700 boxes in the back WP cabin seats.
-Cuddy has 2 sponson berths hat are 8’ long. The outer wall at the front of each of these will have a small access door opened from the bow. These doors will allow us the slide 8-10’ rods into each bed from the bow. Way easier than moving rods into the cabin and angling them across the cuddy. I hope…
-Dropdown curtain for the back of the cabin instead of a solid wall and sliding door, we did this on #1 and loved it. Basically, curtain was down at the dock and while running out in the morning, then removed once we hit the fishing grounds. Really opened up the cabin and makes it possible for guests to swivel heir seats aft-facing.
-Diesel heater
-50 gallon live bait tank (we get live bait down here
-Walkthrough transom with dive ladder (mostly used as a gangplank at the dock, as we back in)
-26 rod holders on the roof, 6 Burnewiin bases at the rear, 2 midship, and 2 more at the bow.
-6 scotty plugs for DRs and electric reels - 2 aft, 2 midship, 2 at the bow.
-Probably 4 6” and 2 8” Skar speakers with a Skar 1,000 watt amp (albacore like bass)

This is personally my 4th offshore boat and 4th build I’m intimately involved with. I think I have her pretty well dialed in. But, I’m always learning.

Here’s the most recent video update of her.

Can I ask why you're going narrower? I realize there are lots of good reasons to, just wondering what yours were.

 

[wdlfbio]

Might be confusing mine with SlapShot. SlapShot isn’t mine. She’s owned by dear friends, and I did get to help out with that build. She’s also a full width cabin, Wildcat 1 (Feral) was 10’ wide, so is this one (she will keep the name Feral). Before that, I helped ACI boats with their 28’ Lumacat. She was 9’6”. One thing we agreed upon was that a 10’ beam would be notably superior in ride and efficiency. That’s why I went 10’ with Feral.

Honestly, 10’ is plenty. She’s easy to tow, though everything 8’6” to 11’ requires a simple permit and flags, and has lots of room. SlapShot is 12’, and while ridiculously stable, having something over 11’ that now pretty much requires a hoist to haul out and move around, is more of a pain than I want. A lesson I learned because I always try to help with her maintenance and whatnot. Plus, if it’s too sloppy to be out in a 30x10, it’s not going to be fun to fish in anything reasonably larger.

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

What’s the performance including fuel burn on this rig?

 

[Rain City]

Might be confusing mine with SlapShot. SlapShot isn’t mine. She’s owned by dear friends, and I did get to help out with that build. She’s also a full width cabin, Wildcat 1 (Feral) was 10’ wide, so is this one (she will keep the name Feral). Before that, I helped ACI boats with their 28’ Lumacat. She was 9’6”. One thing we agreed upon was that a 10’ beam would be notably superior in ride and efficiency. That’s why I went 10’ with Feral.

Honestly, 10’ is plenty. She’s easy to tow, though everything 8’6” to 11’ requires a simple permit and flags, and has lots of room. SlapShot is 12’, and while ridiculously stable, having something over 11’ that now pretty much requires a hoist to haul out and move around, is more of a pain than I want. A lesson I learned because I always try to help with her maintenance and whatnot. Plus, if it’s too sloppy to be out in a 30x10, it’s not going to be fun to fish in anything reasonably larger.

Aaah yes you're right. Thanks. My buddies cat is 13' wide and it feels like a ferry. Surprisingly fast and efficient though for a boat of it's size. Aledgedly he's only 12k lbs though.

 

[wdlfbio]

With the 300s, loaded for tuna (250 gallons of fuel, 40 gallons in the bait tank, 6-7 adults, and 400# of ice), we could see 1.1 to 1.3 mpg at 29-30mph. WOT (6,300 rpm) was 44-45mph getting 0.98 mpg. Lightly loaded we’ve seen 1.5 mpg at 29 mph.

Y’all have the same ocean conditions as us, so you know we rarely get to run over 25-28 mph without launching off 4-5’ers. So, with the 350s, I’m expecting a reasonably better efficiency at 28-30 mph. But for those shotgun starts and general times when we feel like being little boys, I’m hoping for >50 mph, comfortably (especially with Shockwave bases under every seat), and still better than 1.0 mpg. Fingers crossed.

 

[kaelc]

Thanks for he video walk-through. What a platform for jigging!

 

[wdlfbio]

We’ll have 6 Scotty plugs on her too. Two electric reels aft, 2 midship, and 2 on the bow. Lots of deep drop choices

 

[carpeweekend]

Great boat and love that you have designed with tuna fishing as the first and foremost design priority. Looks awesome. And yes, your build is well ahead of mine. Mine is just getting started. Thanks for posting. You have given me a few ideas that I will definitely incorporate into my build. One question around the totes that fit into your floor storage locker - can you explain how they are loaded and removed to add ice? I assume that they just sit in the hold and you fill with ice while in place?

 

[wdlfbio]

We played with ideas on removable fish boxes a couple boats ago. It got too complex to be reasonable. These are built in and mounted in place. We either have the ice blown in or we load trash cans and cart them down to the boat. Blowing ice in is quick, and cool, but we like to have 1/3 or so of a tote left over of clean ice for the filets. Blowing extra ice into the boat meant hauling ice UP to the truck. I’d rather haul ice down.

Here’s a look at the finished product.
Flush hatches


Unless overfilled….

Filling


Full


The lip around the 1/2 tote drains overboard and each box has its own whale gulper pump to empty them.

 

[tannerc]

I love everything in this thread.
Unreal build @wdlfbio

 

[carpeweekend]

Awesome. My build will also have a large in floor fish box. Will talk to my builder about what the plan is and try to mimic. Love how yours is deep enough to stack them in nose down and tail up. Great for bleeding them out too.

 

[wdlfbio]

Got another build fix today.

Windows are in. 2 sliders port and 1 starboard (plus my door)


The Matson floor grip is done throughout.


Rocket launchers are complete. I don’t want anyone saying that homelessness isn’t important to me. . The aft radar arch is done, but sitting in the corner, waiting for the newest 3’ Cyclone array from Raymarine.


They were working on the transom walkthrough railing and dive ladder. My OCD was happy I played hooky from work and got to help position the safety latches. The rest of the railing is perfect for my needs. I wanted the open space so we don’t have to climb over the rails every time we flush the motors and do typical maintenance. Plus, it’ll nicely fit a kill bag across the area for those trips when 50-60 tuna just isn’t enough…



Lastly, we had a small, but awesome change in seating. Not only are we rolling full SHOCKWAVE suspension bases, but they’re also doing the seats and upholstery. The change is a bit late in the build, but they assured us they’d get them all done well before the Seattle boat show. The interior seat compartments and paint are done.

 

[kaelc]

Got another build fix today.

Windows are in. 2 sliders port and 1 starboard (plus my door)

The Matson floor grip is done throughout.

Rocket launchers are complete. I don’t want anyone saying that homelessness isn’t important to me. . The aft radar arch is done, but sitting in the corner, waiting for the newest 3’ Cyclone array from Raymarine.

They were working on the transom walkthrough railing and dive ladder. My OCD was happy I played hooky from work and got to help position the safety latches. The rest of the railing is perfect for my needs. I wanted the open space so we don’t have to climb over the rails every time we flush the motors and do typical maintenance. Plus, it’ll nicely fit a kill bag across the area for those trips when 50-60 tuna just isn’t enough…

Lastly, we had a small, but awesome change in seating. Not only are we rolling full SHOCKWAVE suspension bases, but they’re also doing the seats and upholstery. The change is a bit late in the build, but they assured us they’d get them all done well before the Seattle boat show. The interior seat compartments and paint are done.

It’s really coming together! It’ll be tight for the show but good to have that motivation for them. Last week we were really debating hitting the Seattle boat show and would have loved to somehow incorporate some filming of your boat but I think we shelved the idea

Pretty good coup by shockwave to get a showcase build for the show! It’s one thing to have a couple of bases, but all seats with suspension it will be classy.

 

[wdlfbio]

It’s really coming together! It’ll be tight for the show but good to have that motivation for them. Last week we were really debating hitting the Seattle boat show and would have loved to somehow incorporate some filming of your boat but I think we shelved the idea

Pretty good coup by shockwave to get a showcase build for the show! It’s one thing to have a couple of bases, but all seats with suspension it will be classy.

Come down to Westport this summer (Aug-Sept is best). We will get you out for some live bait and slow pitch tuna action. You can film yourselves chasing your fish around the boat .

 

[ship happens]

We played with ideas on removable fish boxes a couple boats ago. It got too complex to be reasonable. These are built in and mounted in place. We either have the ice blown in or we load trash cans and cart them down to the boat. Blowing ice in is quick, and cool, but we like to have 1/3 or so of a tote left over of clean ice for the filets. Blowing extra ice into the boat meant hauling ice UP to the truck. I’d rather haul ice down.

Here’s a look at the finished product.
Flush hatches
View attachment 86889

Unless overfilled….View attachment 86893

Filling
View attachment 86890

Full
View attachment 86891View attachment 86892

The lip around the 1/2 tote drains overboard and each box has its own whale gulper pump to empty them.
View attachment 86895

Just wondering, I see what looks like 10/32 fasteners and lock nuts on that inner hatch lip. Did you guys basically load aluminum boxes in and bolt them in all around with number 10 bolts?


Also is there drainage in that hatch cover trough?

 

[kaelc]

Come down to Westport this summer (Aug-Sept is best). We will get you out for some live bait and slow pitch tuna action. You can film yourselves chasing your fish around the boat .

When do ling cod and hali open? I can even jump in and film you fighting the fish in the water. I saw the announcement, I think for Halibut in WA in 2023 but didn't click on it.

 

[wdlfbio]

Just wondering, I see what looks like 10/32 fasteners and lock nuts on that inner hatch lip. Did you guys basically load aluminum boxes in and bolt them in all around with number 10 bolts?


Also is there drainage in that hatch cover trough?

We use commercial 1/2 totes for fish boxes. The old boats got SMAK 1/2 totes

Fish Boxes - SmaK Fish Boxes

smakplastics.com

The new build is getting Flexahopper 1/2 totes.

Insultainer 12 without feet - Flexahopper Plastics Ltd

Largest capacity half – tote in industry Full Length 2 – Position UHMW Wear strips Custom Color Name plates Food grade government approved polyethylene

flexahopper.com

Significantly better insulation properties than aluminum and cheaper to buy commercially built versus trying to build and insulate an aluminum one. A base plate is welded into the bottom of each sponson. Corner braces mounted to help keep the bottom of the totes in place. And yes, there is a lip welded to the cockpit floor. Then set the tote in place. There’s a couple inches of wiggle room until the rest of the lip is bolted into place So, yes, bolt the inner lip into the welded section and the 1/2 tote upper lip. This also helps “push” the tote downward. These areas also get sealed (I’m not sure which sealant is used). And yes, the lip does drain (gravity) overboard.

These pics may give a better idea…


The black are pieces welded in place. The orange are where it’s bolted to the 1/2 tote.

 

[ship happens]

We use commercial 1/2 totes for fish boxes. The old boats got SMAK 1/2 totes

Fish Boxes - SmaK Fish Boxes

smakplastics.com

The new build is getting Flexahopper 1/2 totes.

Insultainer 12 without feet - Flexahopper Plastics Ltd

Largest capacity half – tote in industry Full Length 2 – Position UHMW Wear strips Custom Color Name plates Food grade government approved polyethylene

flexahopper.com

Significantly better insulation properties than aluminum and cheaper to buy commercially built versus trying to build and insulate an aluminum one. A base plate is welded into the bottom of each sponson. Corner braces mounted to help keep the bottom of the totes in place. And yes, there is a lip welded to the cockpit floor. Then set the tote in place. There’s a couple inches of wiggle room until the rest of the lip is bolted into place So, yes, bolt the inner lip into the welded section and the 1/2 tote upper lip. This also helps “push” the tote downward. These areas also get sealed (I’m not sure which sealant is used). And yes, the lip does drain (gravity) overboard.

These pics may give a better idea…
View attachment 87178
View attachment 87179
The black are pieces welded in place. The orange are where it’s bolted to the 1/2 tote.
View attachment 87181

Ohh wow. Yeah that better explains it. That's brilliant. I think you just help me with a solution to a very similar hatch setup.

I second the Gulper pump. Bit slow but whatever gets into it gets blown right out. Pretty slick setup

 

[wdlfbio]

When do ling cod and hali open? I can even jump in and film you fighting the fish in the water. I saw the announcement, I think for Halibut in WA in 2023 but didn't click on it.

Halibut opens in May, but the state has a very screwy system. It’s only open Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday…. The weather is too cruddy to run about 1/2 the time, so we end up with them pushing out dates into June and even Aug. It’s a productive fishery, but not particularly fun. 500-750 feet of water. Thank goodness for electric reels. Here’s me struggling with a 40#er…I actually had to stand up and crank the last 15’.