Q:
Did
Power Cat really build the first commercially produced powered
catamaran
for
the general public?
A: Yes.
Power Cat Boats delivered the first
commercially produced wooden catamarans in 1951 under the
original
company name
of
Paramount Wood Products.
Q:
I see
it written "Power Cat" and "PowerCat." Which is correct?
A: It really is
two words, but we use it all the
time as one word
primarily
from usage on the internet
Q:
When was the first year of
production? When did the first fiberglass boat "roll" out of
the
factory?
A: The first of
the fiberglass Power Cat boats were
made in 1958 at the Bellflower facility in Southern
California, This is
about
25 miles
north of Disney Land. As stated above the first
wood
cats sold were in 1951.
Q:
What model was the first
Fiberglass boat in the Power Cat line, and does anyone know
where it is
today?
A: The first
model was the a 12 foot runabout in 1957,
very few were made and so far only a few have been found.
In 1958 the 14c and the 18c models were
produced and many of these survive to this day.
Q:
Who designed the first
hulls?
A: Power Cat
boats founder and President, Ray Leger
developed the first catamaran designs for commercial use.
Q:
Are PowerCat sailboats
made by the same company?
A: No!
Power Cat has now developed into a generic term that
includes
any and
all powered cat based hulls this includes Sail and Power
boats. Power Cat Boats as defined
here are as
produced by the corporations of Paramount Wood Products, Power
Cat Boat
Corporation, and Power Cat of Texas, Corp. as produced in
Bellflower
California
from 1951
through 1962 and in Victoria Texas from 1959 through the late
1970’s. We have not determined
the actual end of
production of the Power Cat of Texas Corp.
Q:
Can you determine the year
of a Power Cat boat based on the serial number?
A: We do have
a strong chronology based on
models and build plates, but we’re not really sure about the
S/N yet,
but we're
working on it.
Q:
When and why did Power Cat
move to Texas?
A: In an effort
to provide better service and
faster delivery to all it’s North American customers, all
production
was
centralized in Victoria, Texas in 1962.
The Texas plant was opened in 1959 and Power Cat
operated both
the
California and Texas facilities until 1962.
The corporation remained Power Cat Boat Corporation
until 1966
when a
fire destroyed the entire plant. The
company
reorganized under a new corporation as Power Cat of Texas
Corp.
and
built a new plant facility in Victoria, Texas
Q:
Where can I get more
information about my Power Cat Boat?
A: The best
place to get more information is to join
the PowerCat Group site at Yahoo Groups or our Facebook page!
Or check out these web sites for more information.
Q:
I noticed that some
PowerCat models are named like Hawaiian, Polynesian and
Samoan; while
others
are just denoted only by model numbers? How is that?
A: The
use of these model names was for the 1960 model year only.
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