Hydrofield - 6.6 to 7.3m

[CCDrifter]

OK i disagree 100% with the hydro's needing 1/2 the power of a cat for good preformance. I have had a hydro with a reccomended HP engine and it preforms no way NEAR as good as what one does with a max horse power. (been there and done that and never again) They are very similar to the cat in many ways but have a centre hull which is obvious. However u still need to get the hulls up and working for a good ride, the more air under me the better i go. if u wanna do 12 or 15knots in a hydro and just cruise i hope u have good clears as u will get alot of water over the nose when u are travelling slow in a rough sea. I now have a 6.8 which was a 5.6 with a 225 and it goes great, i wouldnt and dont reccomend anyone to go just the rec horsepower on one of these boats, go max it will be alot better. these are just my thoughts - 6years experence owning and fishing out of one, extending and re designing one, boat builder bye trade and been in boating and fishing industry for last 10 years

The Multihull designs are great, they have there pros and cons, i dont know much about cats however i just finished fishing out of a 2400 Kevla cat with twin 140hp Zukes and the ride was aweome even in some crap weather, we come home when a front blowing i guess maybe 20knts with some good size swells here and there, doing i think lowest speed was 40ish km's and for the last 20km home we had it at around the 55 to 65km mark and it was a great ride, ive always wanted to see how the Kevla cat compares to the 6.6 in ride and it did not dissapoint one bit. The deeper tunnels in the KC makes it ride fantastic and stability is similar to the hydro but both boats are fantastic and since ive had a multi hull i would not go back to a mono in the same size.

Regards,
Mat

2 is better than three Matty...

[business class]

[quote=CCDrifter;1202358]2 is better than three Matty...[/quote

At least my boat knows it a tri hull, ur boat is wanting to become a trihull, its even growing that 3rd hull inbetween the 2 . Maybe urs is a cross breed Kevlafield

[trueblue]

definitely maximum power is required. hydrofields that are underpowered (ie with less than maximum HP ) are dogs.

[Wet Work]

I certainly will not dispute hydofields with max power are better than ones with mid range power. I was making the point that my 5.6 with 2x50hp had similar performance to my 18' sharkie with 2x90. It was good performance but It would have been heaps better if i had the 2x90 on the hydro in the same way that my cat was much better with 2x135 on it.

If i was repowering any boat with outboards i would always go for max power.

[QF3 MROCP]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for information / comments on Hydrofield boats, I am considering purchasing a minimum 6.6m but more inclined to go for something over 7m. I'm chasing, website, reports, weights boat test etc. I am currnetly running a 6.35m haines, and was wondering what comparisons to a tri hull.

I know they are built in NSW, but a bit far to travel, to veiw. I have checked there website, but not alot of photos available.

Does any one own a 7 plus meter Hydrofeild, and do they tackle the open ocean. What sort of weights loaded on a trailer, and what sort of donks are required. Happy to have comments from any Hyg owners, on performance.

I'm in the brissy area, and would aprreciate veiwing a 7 metere Hydrofield, if any one has one!!!!!!!!!

Thanks

QF3 has one on the water as a rescue vessel..

2 X 150 Hp Yamaha Outboard
Equipment - GPS, Sounder, VHF & 27 MHz. Marine Radio


If you are wanting a look at it, give the base a call and ask for the Commander - Col Ward to give you a call. He may even sell it to you so we can fund another replacement upgrade..


I'll send him a link to this thread.

[burkeandwills]

Hi Guys,

I have been looking at the Hydrofield too like the one below it is a 24ft and cheap

http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-fo...-results-stock

As I am based in Fiji with seas frequently 2-3m so a Catamaran is a better choice, I go out with a Mate on his 2670 Glacier bay with F150, initially I hated it though once I got used to the rock and started driving it hard I have learnt to love it. The Down side is my family hate how it rocks side to side. When I move back to Melbourne next year I plan to buy a Hydrofield as I expect all cats will rock (maybe a planning Cat will not rock as much) and I don't expect to go out in 2-3m seas all the time. Cats are also typically more expensive to run the 2670 at 30mph cruise uses 63lph.

I am thinking with either a 6.6m or 7.25m Hydro you will find below

1. Comfort in 1-2m seas (Yes the Cats can go faster in 2-4m seas)
2. Stable at rest and ride (Might have to Zig Zag a big head sea)
3. Crusie at 30mph with Economy sub 50lph
4. Easy Trailer launching
5. Sub 50k in total cost with 4 strokes
6. Less rock and roll at rest or on the way compared to a Cat
7. Heavy to tow around 3.5 ton inc Trailer (6.6m will be closer to 3 ton)
8. Very Rough inside finish compared to Monos or USA Cats

If I was going to buy this 24ft I would be re-powering with a single 300HP Suzuki (you can source from USA cheaply and I love the drive by wire option and their lean burn technology) prop it with a 4 blade Pro Tech (Love their Props) add a SE Sport/Permatrim (I Love Foils) and add a small Aux for safety factor. I would also cut away the side hulls as per later design to improve turns.

You could even leave the Yamaha 140 two strokes on (really only 130HP even Yamaha had to de-rate them due to under power issue) though cruise will be lower and fuel usage higher than I would like. I am a rev head and would probably try and put a single 350hp on it!

Just my 2 cents worth anyway!

Regards

David