Newly transplanted Stuart resident and boating enthusiast Jon Perette is no stranger to the Florida boating lifestyle. Although he’s a fairly recent arrival to the Treasure Coast, Perette has extensive fishing and cruising experience in the Florida Keys. His boating career originated on the waters of Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bay, where he ran a string of charter fishing boats during the summer while operating a popular restaurant in the winter.
He found himself increasingly drawn to the Sunshine State, where he spent much time leisure-cruising aboard boats ranging from very sea-kindly Down East lobster-style vessels to inboard diesel sportfish models as well as faster, outboard-powered center consoles.
Having a turn at such varied hull designs gave Perette insight into what he liked and disliked about each model. Armed with this knowledge, a trip to the Palm Beach Boat Show last year provided a chance meeting with what would become a perfectly balanced platform to cruise and fish with his family.
What all of his experience on the water taught him was simple: He wanted both speed and comfort. The comfortable, dry ride of a lobster hull was ideal but lacked the speed he needed for distant water outings. The speed of his previously owned center consoles was convenient, but he was unsatisfied with ride performance on the various models from his past. In the twin hull HammerCat 35, he found the perfect combination of these
two traits.
Fort Lauderdale–based Hammer Yachts builds two models at its production facility in South Africa—the HammerCat 35 and the latest HammerCat 45. Each boat is a semi-custom build
utilizing the most modern construction methods, including resin- infused E-glass, epoxy, and carbon composite materials. The hull cavity spaces not used for storage are dry-sealed with XPS waterproof, closed-cell foam, making these boats unsinkable. The ride advantage of a twin hull boat is taken a step further on the HammerCat 35 by raising the deck height for better water clearance underfoot while underway. Multiple strakes aid in confident tracking and deflection of spray for a soft, dry ride.
Perette’s particular build was designed with an interior workspace that offers maximum fishability for his lifestyle, including a large custom tackle and rigging station behind the helm, carbon fiber outriggers, a 50-gallon live well, multiple insulated fish holds, and a pair of 16-inch Garmin MFD units. For family cruising days, a giant forward sun pad offers comfortable lounging for everyone, while a transom platform provides easy access to the water for swimming. A 10-by-12-foot hard top provides plenty of shade, and abundant dry storage is perfect for extended family getaways in the Bahamas.
Power File
Length: 35 feet
Beam: 12 feet, 1 inch
Draft: 17 inches
Weight: 9,000 pounds
Fuel: 400 gallons
Max HP: 850
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