New owners Gilly and Roger Dixon Spain will be attending sea trials of Merlin on the south of the Isle of Wight before sailing the Cheetah back to Lismore during early June. It had been hoped that timing might allow this boat to be on the floating pontoon at Seawork 2006 but another 7.9m Cheetah will be there in its place.

The Cheetah is MCA coded to category 3 and is able to carry eight passengers up to 20 miles from a safe haven. Cheetah have designed and fitted a stainless steel swinging davit to the aft bulkhead. The davit is set up to swing the supplied 2m Honda tender and 2.3hp Honda outboard through the side door. When not in use, the dingy will be stored on the aft deck, as during the delivery voyage.

Storage of equipment was a priority for the 700 mile journey north. The long wheelhouse is fitted out with port and starboard bench seats, both with easily accessible storage below. Helm and navigator's seats are fitted on the forward end of each of these benches. The seats are designed to slide out of their base and an insert is placed between the bench seats, creating a base for a double bed. The seats can then be stored forward of the dash. A chart table has been fitted above the port bench seat which can be neatly folded down when not in use. Forward of the dash is a fully flushing Jabsco Marine Toilet and additional storage space.

Merlin is powered by two of the new Honda fourstroke 135hp outboards. Offering better fuel economy and also quieter than conventional two stroke outboards, Honda power and Cheetah technology deliver an outstanding package.

An extensive Raymarine C Series electronics package has been fitted to the vessel, which includes radar, chartplotter, VHF and echo sounder, all integrated and viewable on the 12.1in multifunction display.

It has been a busy year at Cheetah. With well over 140 Cheetah Catamarans already supplied to the commercial sector, Cheetah have expanded into a much larger unit. The company now have three main workshops on site, the GRP Moulding Department, the Metalwork Fabrication and Fit Out Unit and the Special Materials and Cut Out Shop. Boats currently on order include two commercial fishing 9.95m Cheetahs, 7.9m hydrographic survey and leisure Cheetahs, and several of the original 6m series for commercial fishing and harbour patrol.

MJInformation No: 21978