Part 1/2-The best cruising catamaran for live-aboards?! - Vision Yachts 444 Review

[@MrJhchrist]

One TINY point, 27:10 you don't need to run an HDMI cable through 30 feet of coaming and headliners. It's 2020, all modern streaming devices like chromecast, roku apple tv and fire plug in to the tv and let you connect wirelessly from any phone/laptop/tablet. It's even built in to most "smart" tv's.

[@OnANewTack]

That is a very valid point, however I have had terrible luck with WiFi direct on TVs in our business not staying connected. Different TVs and different PCs. There was also not many SSIDs there. BUT, new plan now. We are going to mount a projector to the ceiling, just behind the mast in the saloon. That will allow us to project to the wall above the Nav Station or a screen attached to the closed sliding doors or the back of the enclosure in the cockpit. Nothing big and clunky above our heads when at the Nav Station! Probably still need a cable from the chart plotter if we want to mirror that screen for trip planning, etc. since chart plotters need an HDMI connection (or tablet app).

[@MrJhchrist]

@@OnANewTack Totally agree. IMHO TVs are becoming a thing for the cheapest and most expensive applications. For most casual media consumption I'd much rather have a mid tier projector.

[@MichaelPail]

@@MrJhchrist Thanks for the comments!

[@sunchill]

What a ride this will be, thanks for the tour Sue and Mike!

[@OnANewTack]

Our pleasure, thanks for the comment!! - Sue and Mike

[@Degenhardt450]

I love all of the white all over the inside, nice and modern, with the best use of available light.

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks for the reply Andrew! We completely agree. We can choose those interior colors and did so when we were in South Africa, but we kept with the same theme. Mostly while with some off-white as accent so it doesn't look too sterile. We could have gone with a white-washed oak for the cabinets and wall paneling, but decided to see what you see in this video to add warmth without making it dark. We are also keen to pick a color palate that is less likely to go out of style in 5 years.

[@sc0ttmagoon]

That’s a very thorough tour. It’s impressive how open and spacious the galley area is and how easy to is to move around with the wider walkways. It looks like a lot of thought went into this design. The little touches in areas like the owner’s head and the wide doorways make it seem more like a house. All that would probably do a lot to improve the overall quality of life if you lived on it.

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks Scott, I'm glad that the scale of areas came through for you on the video!

[@jackchen5290]

Very nice interview with Thomas and Terri, they changes they made with the builder makes perfect sense. The only thing I didn’t quite understand is the addition of a generator. With 15kW-h of battery storage and nearly 3kW of solar, I cannot imagine the generator will be used very often. This Vision 444, along with the upcoming Balance 442 and Seawind 1370 will provide ample choices for a cruising couple interested in a cruising catamaran. Can’t wait to see all these boats in the boat show next year.

[@OnANewTack]

Hi Jack. That is a very good question. We are doing a KZbin Live Q&A today at 6:00pm and we will add that to the list. I’m curious to know how much they used it during their crossing and since. It is a high $ add-on so it would be interesting to know if it could be skipped. With 3KW of solar and a full day of sun, they can easily completely replenish the battery bank from empty and use some or that energy throughout the day. Thinking about it, the answer may be to enable AC overnight, but we’ll find out later today! There is an announcement video on our channel with a link to the live event in case you are interested.

[@robertfeliciano5723]

Great walkthrough of a beautiful boat. So much storage. One thing I don't like is the stovetop right next to stairs, but I'm sure they can customize that.

[@OnANewTack]

Hi Robert. Glad you liked the walk-through. I saw that comment a lot on another video review of this boat. I kind of understand the concern, but I’m also wondering how much of an issue it would be. I can’t imagine cooking with the stovetop underway regardless of location if the conditions are not safe to do so. It probably could be customized, but the oven would be really hard to get to if the two were moved anywhere else, unless on the outside of the peninsula near the sliding door, but I personally wouldn’t want it in that walkway.

[@BuzzSargent]

1st time finding and watching your channel. Did not know what to expect. I am guessing that this is an extremely expensive sailboat? Happy Trails from Central Florida

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks for watching. Everything is relative, but it is a lot of money in my mind. I think it is one of the best values in semi-custom catamarans out there, but still a lot of money. Prices have been increasing(like everything), but depending on options, I would guess that most will complete between $800k and $900k.

[@user-mk4xd9gt4z]

Really nice job describing everything. We were just in Annapolis and missed going aboard this one. Hadn’t really heard about it, but now see that was a mistake. A few questions. What is the head room especially in the hulls? I am 6 foot 3 and would hate to have to crouch! Also, how would you get on the coach roof to have access to the boom/sail bag? We were on the Balance 442 and this was not that apparent without some gymnastics. Again, this looks like a really very nice boat!

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks for the compliment and for reaching out. Sorry you missed seeing it at at the show. Headroom is listed as 2.1m ( 6'10.5") in the bridge deck and 1.9m (6' 3") in the hulls. Sounds like a tight fit, so I'd reach out to Sailaway if you are still in/near Annapolis and see if you can get on a boat to see for sure. Let me know if I can help. - Mike

[@user-mk4xd9gt4z]

@@OnANewTack Thanks Mike. I have reached out to Tommy and looks like we may be able to see Umbono when she is in the US. Great daily updates btw. Each time we think of a change we would like, you pop up the next day with that exact thing improved!

[@OnANewTack]

Great, glad to hear it. Umbono is a beautiful boat. The improvements made in the past year have been truly staggering. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about us having one very soon!

[@emberbaker7798]

You guys have done a really good job of introducing this boat to the You Tube audience. Several detailed walk-through type tours, sowing various aspects, as well as a couple of interesting in-depth interviews. That kind of exploration of a particular model is unusual, and should be valuable to potential buyers, and to brokers & builders. I predict this boat will give the Seawind 1370 a run for its money in the next several years. I've heard the wait for a 1370 is 5 years. What is the wait time for a Vision 444? So, are the two of you going to purchase a Vision 444 in the near future?

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks Ember for the kinds words. I agree in that I think it will give the Seawind 1370 as well as the Balance 442 a run for their money. Having seen it in person, I also wouldn't be surprised if it really holds its value, kind of like the Antares 44, which I think this boat far exceeds in value. Tommy from Sail Away Catamarans represents Seawind and Vision and he was commenting on the similarity in lead time and mentioned to us in Annapolis that in January, someone could get a Vision by June of 2021. The next available hull now is something like March of 2024. Fortunately, there are talks to expand the production capabilities at Vision, as the molds sit unused for 40 weeks a year and they are space constrained. As for us, if we were in the market, this would be at or near the top of our list.

[@dominicdixon1263]

Thanks for the virtual tour. This is not my first view of this boat. I do have interest, but something maybe someone can answer, looks like the doors for the storage in the hulls are not flush. Seems strange to me. Most boats I have seen have flush doors which to me makes sense. Why not here??

[@OnANewTack]

Hi Dominic. Thanks for watching. Are you asking about the storage in the forward part of the boat, behind the trampoline? I can not think of any doors or hatches on the boat anywhere that we’re not flush. Sue and I will be doing a KZbin live video from the Annapolis Spring show. If you connect, you can ask us anything and we’ll take you to “see” the answer to your question. Details on day/time to come, so please subscribe and hit the notification bell to be made aware when we post the announcement video.

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

Those hulls are wide and provide space and comfort . Unfortunately they seem to violate the crucial 12/1 length to beam ratio that is necessary for a true performance cat . You can't have both at that limited 44 ft length

[@OnANewTack]

Hi Gerrit. Yes, that is an interesting point. The LOW is 13.1 meters and with a 12/1 ratio that gives, 1090mm or just under 43". While the living space in each hull is certainly wider than that, I would imagine that ratio only matters at the wetted surface. That dimension I don't know and would be a question for the boat maker and would obviously depend on payload. You may be interested in the polar diagram, which I have published in a blog article: onanewtack.com/2021/04/vision-444-key-west-boat-show.html Every boat is a sum of design choices and compromises. The polar indicates a max speed of 14 kts in 20kts of wind and 3kts in as low as 4 kts of wind. It would be good enough for my purposes, but it's not going to win any races against a 50' Outremer or other true performance cat, but it would be a lot more comfortable to live in.

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

@@OnANewTack Quote "I would imagine that ratio only matters at the wetted surface." Yes , absolutely . The reason why you want that 12/1 ratio or higher at the waterline (14 , 15 and even higher are seen on true perf cats) is that the barrier of max hull speed fades away drastically at and above 12 . Wave drag becomes marginal for really slim hulls . That is the secret sauce that makes a true performance cat sail faster than the wind , sometimes significantly faster . I do disagree that the current batch of Outremers are still true performance cats however as they have gained a lot weight (wetted surface area) compared to the more spartan previous generations . Gunboats are true performance cats(but very expensive) , DazCat too (bit less pricey) , but affordable performance cats surely are the Marsaudon Composites TS42 and TS5 , now renamed Ocean Rider Catamarans 42 and 50 . An ORC 57 is scheduled for July . The TS42 won the ARC rally in 2020 in a record time of 10 days (4 days faster than the fastest Outremer I know off) while the TS5 won the 2019 edition before a Volvo racing boat ! . TS42 also won the most recent Rolex FastNet . Granted , these boats have a minimalistic interior , while still maintaining all the stuff you need for cruising : full galley , 2 heads and showers etc... Like you said , every boat is a compromise and it may or may not suit you.

[@eddieohearn17]

You really don’t show the boat very well. But I’ve seen the boat, and there really outstanding.

[@OnANewTack]

Glad you like the boat. Sorry you don't think we cover the boat well. We still need to do a walkthrough of our actual Vision 444, "Mira". Any suggestions that would make the video better in your opinion?

[@koninakonan1078]

What caught my attention is your gorgeous warm hearted wife

[@OnANewTack]

Yes, she is very special and I am very lucky!

[@albertdaquis7871]

Boringnpresentation

[@OnANewTack]

Thanks for watching and for the comment. We will be sure to add pyrotechnics and strobe lights to our next review

[@rogermoar736]

Terrible sound and only mumbling and general waffling about

[@OnANewTack]

Sorry to hear you felt that way, but thank you for the feedback. Would you be able to provide more information on what you mean by "general waffling about", that is not a familiar expression to me. Also, we try very hard to have good sound and were struggling with wind (outside) and planes overhead; were there other specific examples of where the sounds quality was lacking?

[@OnANewTack]

​@sailing Gremlin Thank you so much for the constructive feedback. We used the same microphone for each, but it was very windy that day, gusty into the 15kts and Sue was speaking more softly, her volume was turned down and the microphone may have been further from her mouth. The sound quality was quite bad on her audio and I actually played with the EQ for hers to make it as "good" as what you heard. Definitely a learning experience and we will try to do much better on subsequent videos. Thanks for putting up with the audio quality; we know that can really detract from the experience! Thanks for subscribing; please let us know if you come across other things that can make the experience better. Also, couldn't agree more with the boat! We are the owners-to-be of hull #11 and will be sharing more of the build progress which is supposed to begin any day now! - Mike and Sue