Catfish Yacht Can Carry a 61-Foot Sportfisherman & Offload Her in Sloppy Seas

Shadow yachts are great for hosting extra guests and lots of toys as they accompany motherships on global travels. Most have engineering and design for operations in relatively calm seas, though. The twin-hulled Catfish yacht from Shadowcat allows launch and retrieval of massive tenders and toys in less-than-ideal conditions. The design team further pledges she’ll do so with minimal roll and pitch.

From projects like Hodor to Wayfinder, Shadowcat has earned a reputation for stalwart yachts and support yachts. With its design partner, Incat Crowther, the company tailors all aspects of design and engineering to owners’ requests. Several Shadowcats employ catamaran hulls, boasting far more toy-holding capacity and overall stowage compared to monohulls. Additionally, the stability afforded by twin hulls allows launching and lifting more weight (a.k.a. large toys) off the sides.

The Catfish yacht—a concept design, but capable of construction—brings all of these ideas together. LOA: 236’6” (72.8 meters), with an extraordinary beam of 51’0” (15.5 meters). Particularly appealing to owners who want to chase big fish globally, a custom 61-foot (18.6-meter) sportfisherman can sit on deck. Massive cranes certified for commercial offshore use can launch and retrieve her, along with other equally big tenders. In fact, Shadowcat says the design accommodates a 40-foot (12-meter) center console, 40- and 26-foot (8-meter) RIBs, a six-person Triton Submarines’ sub, five PWCs, and an EC135 helicopter. The helicopter has a certified helipad, as well as a hangar. The tenders, meanwhile, stow beneath foldable decks, illustrated in the video below.

The multitude of flexible operations makes the Catfish yacht akin to a Swiss army knife in the superyacht world. Suiting the adventurous nature of someone seeking a support yacht like this, Shadowcat pledges impressive stability figures. Specifically, it says that when the davits are in use, she’ll roll a maximum of just six degrees and pitch just three degrees while operating in nearly five-foot (1.5-meter) seas. Since the davits are commercial offshore units, they compensate for wave action. Furthermore, the yacht doesn’t need ballast transfer to stand up to these sloppy conditions.

With significant volume around 2,200 gross tons, the all-aluminum Catfish yacht can accommodate an owners’ party of 10, plus 19 crew. Fishing fanatics have bait and tackle stowage, fish freezers, and more, of course, but abundant relaxation amenities await, too. For example, the yacht can feature a spa, a gym, a sundeck, and a beach club. Furthermore, similar to car condos and private garages, Catfish can have a “mariner’s den.” A roll-up door opens up its lounge and bar area to the glass-walled submarine and toy garage spaces. Folding balconies open it up to the great outdoors, too.

Due to the catamaran configuration, Shadowcat and Incat Crowther pledge the 14-knot cruising speed should yield a 5,000-nautical-mile range. Maximum speed should be 20 knots, with engines equipped with controllable pitch props.

Shadowcat’s team will be available at the Monaco Yacht Show next week for further discussions.

Incat Crowther incatcrowther.com

Shadowcat theshadowcat.com