Mahal Ko was owned and sailed by a family and never chartered. She has sailed seas and oceans, along the Atlantic coast, several times to Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, around the Mediterranean and several Atlantic crossings. Mahal was the perfect boat for cruising the Caribbean with her layout for outdoor living and her 360° panorama to enjoy the views from sunrise to sunset.

 

Sailing from port to port, Mahal is nearly always the first at her destination, with later arrivals asking how she is so fast? So, what is her speed and sailing angles?

 

Mahal dispels the myth about catamarans ‘not sailing to wind’. With her 3m long hydraulically controlled daggerboards she will match the angle of any monohull upwind. She cruises at an easy 10-13kn on a reach, and with a wave behind her, will surf along at over 20 knots.  Flying the spinnaker or parasailer will achieve high speeds for hours on end, crossing oceans and eating up the miles. Even when pushed, reefed down sailing upwind in strong winds and big seas, she remains responsive and reassuringly stable.

Mahal was built with a lightweight construction and designed with a high bridge deck clearance to avoid ‘wave slap’ under the boat. Weight distribution of heavy items away from the bow and stern and positioned in the centre of the boat avoids pitching, which otherwise could slow the boat to a standstill at every wave. These factors maintain speed and momentum and make for a smooth ride.

 
Some comparable sized vessels have heavy hydraulic furlers at the foot of the headsail, adding weight on the foredeck. Mahal has conventional lightweight furlers (23kg) with the lighter hydraulic motors installed further back in the boat.

 

The mast is made of carbon and tapers towards the top. The V boom is also made of carbon.

The bow thruster is deployed only only when in use, and retracted back into the hull in normal sailing to eliminate drag.

 

Mahal’s hull is only 1m below the waterline, so less drag under the water.

 

Mahal is a boat to enjoy living on, but still to get pleasure and satisfaction from sailing.