DCB M44 Catamaran Completes First Test Sessions

Late yesterday afternoon and early this morning, the first DCB Performance Boats M44 Widebody catamaran hit the Pacific Ocean waters off San Diego for its first sea trials. The 44-footer, which is powered by Mercury Racing 1100 engines with M6 drives, is headed to longtime high-performance catamaran and V-bottom owners Mike and Kathie Stevenson of Sedona, Ariz.

DCB’s largest model to date hit the water for the first time late yesterday afternoon.

“We got it up to 140 mph without spending a lot of time on it,” said Jeff Johnston of the El Cajon, Calif.-based high-performance boat builder. “We think we can get it up to 148 to 150 mph and we’ll be happy with that. It’s definitely not the lightest layup on planet.”

The Stevenson’s M44 cat, which will be kept alongside their houseboat in Antelope Marina on Lake Powell, actually is the second 44-footer out of the molds. Owned by Craig and Kim Hargreaves, DCB M44 hull No. 1—dubbed Spooled Up II and painted by Visual Imagination to match their 52-foot MTI Spooled Up cat—is nearly completed.

Stevenson, who owned the well-known Mamba Outerlimits V-bottom. was not on hand for the catamaran’s first test session, but he’s eager to take delivery of the boat.

“I can’t wait until it gets up here to do some touring,” he said. “Lake Powell is such a big lake—it’s 200 miles long—and it’s going to be perfect for cruising at 80 to 95 mph and seeing the lake. I had a DCB M35 and it was one of the finest boats I’ve ever owned. But it also was the smallest boat I’ve owned.

“This one is for the grandkids,” he added. “I have three children and 13 grandkids.”

For a closer look at the Stevenson’s M44 catamaran from DCB Performance Boats, check out the slideshow above.

Johnston said he’s pleased with the finished product’s hull and deck lines, particularly its bustle area, which he saw in the water for the first time yesterday.

“It’s a pretty long bustle,” he said. “And it comes down to be four or five inches off the water, which is exactly where we wanted to it be.”

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