In designing the new Flash Cat 67SC, Spain's Flash Catamarans has attempted to redefine the shape and packaging of the large, dual-hulled vessel. To do so, it's lifted the cabin space out from its stuffy confines below deck, offering an open, airy interior with big picture-window views out to sea. The wide, above-deck design also provides better accessibility for disabled passengers.
The dual hulls of the Flash Cat 67SC house only the two engines, equipment and, optionally, dual, single-person crew cabins/bathrooms. The cabin space is spread across the deck, while the single wheelhouse, living and dining areas are all built into the large, indoor/outdoor flybridge. Gone are the typical port and starboard aisles, allowing the deck-level cabin area to stretch across the bulk of the vessel's 27.9-ft (8.3-m) beam. The kitchen can be built on either the deck or flybridge level.
Flash splits the large, deck-level interior into up to six double cabins with individual bathrooms, separated by a wide, easily navigated aisle. The Shipowner layout includes a 64.6-sq ft (6-sq m) master suite with couch and tub, along with three standard double cabins and a kitchen on deck level. The aft section of the deck is furnished with an outdoor dining area.
While the cabins appear quite comfortable, passengers are likely to spend most of their waking hours upstairs on the flybridge. The large, spacious indoor portion offers a living area with multiple couches and a dining room sized to seat all 12 guests, not to mention the wheelhouse. The open-air section of the flybridge offers a solarium outfitted with lounge chairs and a whirlpool tub.
One of the major advantages of Flash's new design is that both the cabin and flybridge interiors enjoy sweeping views of the sea. Each level has a wraparound glasshouse that opens up picturesque sight lines in nearly every direction. In fact, certain windows on the flybridge stretch virtually floor to ceiling.
The Flash Cat 67SC looks like a smooth, sea-cruising ride for anyone, but Flash points out particular advantages for the disabled. The deck-level cabin scheme makes every cabin much easier to access than a below-deck design, and the wide-open aisles and spaces make getting around easier. An available elevator between the deck and flybridge provides an accessible means of traveling between the two levels.
Flash plans to offer Shipowner, Charter and Passenger versions of the 67.3-ft (20.5-m) Flash Cat 67SC. The boat will be powered by dual diesel engines, each engine ranging between 250 and 500 hp. Flash says the price will be "surprisingly low for a catamaran of this size," but judging from the €438,000 (US$546,000) base price of Flash's 46-ft (14-m) Flash Cat 47 and the "on request" designation for the 67SC, we think the price tag would give the average person a surprise quite opposite to the sort the company has in mind.
Source: Flash Catamarans
