Take One—On Board The First 38 Valor Catamaran

Here is the first cool thing about going for a ride in a prototype that hasn’t been painted and has just two temporary seats: You don’t have to take off your shoes before you get on board. That’s exactly what Julian Maldonado of Manatee Marine Unlimited in Palmetto, Fla., told me yesterday, then laughed, just after I took off mine and climbed into the first 38 Valor catamaran in existence.

Even with an unpainted hull, the new catamaran is a head-turner.

Valor catamarans are built in Dubai and Manatee Marine Unlimited, which Maldonado co-owns with Sara Langheim of Jackhammer team fame, is the boat company’s exclusive dealer in the United States. Rigged by Maldonado and his crew, the 38-footer’s 500-hp Mercury Racing engines had all of four hours on them when we idled from away from the launch ramp on the Manatee River.

Now those supercharged outboards have almost 4-1/2 hours of running time.

The second cool thing, much cooler than the first? The 38’3” catamaran with a 10’6” beam is an absolute blast. With 36”-pitch propellers and a 1.60:1 gear ratio, Maldonado had run the cat to 132 mph on the rev-limiters at 6,600 rpm during a test session earlier this week. Then he did it again yesterday with me on board.

An impressive result—but top speed is just one aspect of the 38-footer’s strong performance.

“The setup came out perfect,” he said. “I was expecting 134 mph and I have a 37”-pitch prop with a larger diameter coming and we’re going to do a little more work, but that’s really not what this boat is about. We wanted to produce a pleasure boat that is strong, handles well and rides well. I think we have it.”

At 4,900 rpm, the 6,100-pound boat—its completed interior from Jamie Borg at Cutting Edge Interiors will add an estimated 250 pounds—cruised effortless and gently over 1-foot chop at 93 mph with the engines at 4,900 rpm. And in sweeping turns at 85 mph, it felt nailed to the water.

Given its dry weight, the 38-footer could not be considered “light” and yet its acceleration was impressive. It took less than 10 seconds to run from 90 mph to 100. The pull was discernable throughout the powerband from idle to 126 mph. From that speed, reaching 132 mph took a bit more time, but that’s to be expected from the outboard-powered sport-cat breed.

The first new 38-footer has given Manatee Marine Unlimited co-owner Julian Maldonado plenty to smile about.

“It gets from 60 to 100 mph in respectable time,” said Maldonado in his typically understated manner.

That hardly constitutes an in-depth boat test. But a month-and-a half from now when the boat is completed with its interior installed and hull and deck painted by Kentucky’s Ray Brasher, John Tomlinson of TNT Custom Marine in Miami, Maldonado and I will give it a proper evaluation. (Speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden will be there to capture the action.)

Here’s a rendering of the new 38 Valor courtesy of Rob Rich Designs

So far, Manatee Marine Unlimited has sold five 38 Valor cats—hull No. 3 is going to Brasher, one of several painters including Doug Harrell that Maldonado and company plan to use for the 38 Valor. Maldonado and Jackhammer team owner/driver Reese Langheim, will campaign the first canopied, two-seat 38 Valor raceboat this season in offshore racing’s 500R Factory Stock class.

Based on today’s experience—and their formidable record in the Super Stock class—I’d say it’s a safe bet they’ll be a force to be reckoned in the 500R ranks.