Yacht Models

Launched Yachts

1480 No Worries

 

REVIEW OF POWERPLAY 1480 “No Worries” (Dated 2002)

Story and pictures by Bruce Hodgens

In 2002, Powerplay Catamarans were a Townsville company owned by James Dewing. Their second power catamaran, a PowerPlay™ 1480, was recently launched. Prior to being exported to the Caribbean for a charter company, I was invited for a cruise around Magnetic Island.

First some background information. The first boat produced by Powerplay Catamarans was a 12.5 metre boat aimed at the backpacker charter market. This boat is presently owned and chartered by Island Dive Adventures in The WhitSundays to do 2 and 3 day cruises and is constantly booked out in advance. It carries 12 –14 people comfortably. The design team at PowerPlay Catamarans then went on to design a Powerplay™ 1480 and a Powerplay™ 1650. Clients for these new designs were soon found and production began. Moulding for common components was undertaken to reduce costs and cut down on production time.

 

The vessels were been built using Duflex® planks (end grain balsa with unidirectional cloth) and knitted fabrics with epoxy resins. Furniture is constructed using Duflex® Honeycomb sheets to minimize weight and thus increase payload capacity. Customization of the designs is possible, especially the internal layout.

The owner of this new Powerplay™ 1480 is planning to put it in the luxury charter market in Dominica so the level of finish on this boat is very up-market. As I entered the saloon the initial impression is how huge this boat is inside. The saloon incorporates a large galley and settee with a table,

 

The things that really caught my eye were the cream leather upholstery, the dark Cherry wood timber veneer finish, and the Aztec (synthetic granite) bench tops. The effect was stunning. On the left as you entered was a large top of the range domestic double door fridge/freezer with icemaker. Obviously this boat wasn’t going to run short of cold beers. I guess there would also be plenty of room for food. Further forward on the port side is the large galley. This has a double stainless steel sink with plenty of cupboard space under, 2 burner electric stove, and a microwave oven.