Anyone who’s been aboard a powercat already knows that twin hulls smooth out the ride in a way a monohull just can’t match. This is especially true when considering small boats, since diminutive monohulls tend to have less V in their hulls than larger ones. And while there were lots of choices for small powercats on the market years ago, today they’re few and far between. A new option recently hit the water for powercat fans, the ArrowCat 20CC, which is built down south in Clearwater, FL, but made an appearance at the Annapolis Powerboat Show last fall when it was introduced.
The smallest offering in ArrowCat’s lineup, the 20CC is built much like the builder’s larger boats. Construction is all-composite with a vinylester barrier coat, bow area keels get reinforced with Kevlar, the transom and mounting points are beefed up with fiberglass-reinforced high density polyurethane Coosa panel, and floors and bulkheads are bi- and tri-directional fiberglass over PVC foam core.
The boat’s layout is straightforward and simple, designed without a bunch of cost-adding and complexity-adding niceties, which will prove ideal for anglers and day-cruisers who appreciate a boat that’s easy to run and easy to maintain. There’s an anchor locker in the bow and an elevated bowdeck with a stowage/fishbox underneath and a hatch that lifts up on a spring-strut, a center console with a forward console seat, a leaning post with a backrest and room for a cooler underneath, and a transom with stowage compartments in either side. In the center of the transom, you’ll find a door leading to a walk-through to a swim platform between the motors.
Despite the boat’s apparent simplicity, when we poked around the Arrowcat 20CC, we discovered a few unexpected perks. The bow compartment has molded-in recesses to hold a pair of five-gallon buckets. Anglers will appreciate the four flush-mount rodholders plus rocket launchers in the back of the leaning post (a folding T-top with additional rocket launchers is an option). But the biggest surprise is without question found at the console itself—or rather, inside the console. The front is hinged at the base and flips down to access a large console compartment which could be used for stowage but is also large enough to house a portable MSD. That makes this the only 20-foot powercat with a head compartment on the market today that we’re aware of.
Another big surprise lies in store when you step aboard. Place a foot on the gunwale, swing your other up over and step onto the deck and… nothing happens. Then scoot back and forth from side to side and see what happens. The 20CC barely moves, displaying static stability that’s virtually unmatched among boats of this size. If you, your friends, or family hate it when a boat starts rocking and rolling, they’ll love this attribute.
The ArrowCat is offered with a pair of 90-hp or 60-hp Mercury Four Strokes or Suzuki outboards, and while we all love going fast and going faster, considering fuel economy, the smaller powerplants hold plenty of appeal. With the 60s you can look for a top-end around 38 mph and a 4000-rpm cruise in the low 20s while getting an eye-opening 5.37 mpg (according to the manufacturer’s published numbers). Jump up to the 90s and top end just breaks 42 mph while cruising in the low 20s nets you 3.86 mpg or cruising in the upper 20s, 3.5 mpg.
You say you love cats, but you want one that’s small enough to easily trailer and simple enough to easily maintain? There’s a good chance that you just haven’t been able to find one built today that hits the bullseye—up until discovering the ArrowCat 20CC.
ArrowCat 20CC Specifications:
LOA: 19’4”
Beam: 8’4”
Draft: 10”
Displacement (approx.): 2900 lbs.
Fuel Capacity: 46 gal. (70 gal. optional)
Max HP: 180
Learn more: arrowcat.com
By Lenny Rudow