The Boat
About Popao:
Popao is a 2006 Peter Snell designed Easy 37ft (11.3m) catamaran, equiped with mini keels and two outboard Yamaha 9.9hp high thrust engines we have the advantage of getting into the shallowest of anchorages and also beaching her when required.
Easys are a popular coastal cruiser in Australia and have proven themselves on longer blue water passages with previous owners travelling to the South Pacific, Indonesia and Tasmania in the Southern Ocean. This boat, at 4000kg, will actually outperform the larger boats in under 12knots of wind. Once the wind increases the bigger boats go faster, which is to be expected.
The construction of these boats is kept as simple as possible, they are usually home built (some are built by professional boat builders) and is made of marine sheet ply over frames and stringers. Most of the boat is 9mm ply, and this form of construction is still one of the lightest for it’s strength. All outside surfaces are covered with epoxy and fibreglass.
The biggest advantage of a ply wood boat is that it is very simple to do your own repairs, we decided to go with this catamaran as it is a very EASY boat to learn in terms of repairs, electronics and plumbing. They are a great first Catamaran and we look forward to exploring remote corners of the Pacific on her.
Stats:
Year: 2006
Length: 11.3m - 37ft
Beam: 5.8m - 19ft
Draft: 750mm
Mast Height: 12m
Displacement: 4000kg
Construction: Glass over Ply
Upgrades:
Highfield Aluminium Inflatable: 2020 Classic 340 Highfield – Dark Grey
Probably our favourite upgrade, we absolutely LOVE this tender. It is so comfortable and gets up on the plane with no issues with our 2018 15hp/2 Stroke Mercury Supa.
V60-B VHF Marine Radio, DSC, AIS Transmitter/Receiver.
2 x Zeus3s 9″ Chart Plotters – One setup as a fish finder, the other, a chart plotter.
2 x Triton 2 – Speed/Depth/Wind Pack.
WS310 Wind Sensor
Goosehill SUP Board:
20% OFF for Goosehill Sup Boards
Discount code : popao20
We couldn’t be happier with the abuse this board takes daily and is still in amazing condition. It’s been strapped on our deck, fully inflated for the last six months in the harsh Australian sun and is still perfect. We use it for daily exercise and is an absolute must on the boat to keep us sane.
Watermaker:
Watermaker Man Desalinator TWM 80
Runs on the generator and produce 80lph, while it would’ve been great to have one that runs off 12V we don’t have the power setup to support this and the price of a 12V water maker is crazy expensive! This setup cost about $3500 + a generator which we had anyway.
Solar:
Trina SplitMaxx 330 Watt Solar Panels x 2
Victron 100/50 MPPT Solar Controller
On a sunny day the batteries are usually full by 11am so this is when I plug everything in to be charged.
Rocna Anchor:
Rocna 20 anchor so we can sleep easily at night, this has held us in 40+ knots with no issue. We have dragged once but that was totally user error by not putting out enough chain and a 180degree wind change.
Refit 2019:
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Kitchen Benches removed and painted with kitchen laminate paint & protective coating
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Marine Carpet replaced with faux wooden vinyl flooring from Bunnings
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Bathroom Floor replaced due to rot
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Anchor Winch serviced, motor and deck plate replaced
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LED Lighting throughout
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Wiring upgrade – removed a lot of extra wiring and replaced with fuse hubs
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Window resealed without screws
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Starboard Transducer Installed
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Victron Battery Monitor & Solar Controller Installed
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Rigging Replaced for Insurance Purposes (Every 10 Years)