270 King Cat

There are three types of catamaran fishing boats on the market these days: those with displacement hulls (low speed), those with semi-displacement hulls (with top speeds in the range of 20–25 knots), and finally, cats with high-speed planing hulls like the 270 King Cat. Introduced by Baha in 2000, the King Cat was the only production fishing cat in her size range offered with both outboard and sterndrive power. She rides on a pair of deep-V hulls, and her high tunnel clearance gives the King Cat a good deal of fore and aft freeboard. Aside from her exceptional rough-water performance—an attribute shared by nearly all catamaran designs—the most appealing features of the 270 are her large 75-square-foot cockpit and her rugged, no-glitz construction. Recessed walkarounds with molded steps make bow access easy, and a hardtop, livewell, transom fish box, two in-deck fish boxes, freshwater system, and a marine head are standard. Top speed with twin 225hp outboards is close to 40 knots, and twin 160hp Volvo sterndrive diesels cruise at 25–26 knots (lows 30s top).