Design and Construction
Johnson's catamaran centers on a center pod section that the designer describes as a Deltapod, a feature intended to sit submerged at all times so it breaks up waves passing between the two main hulls. The wake thrown by that pod, Johnson notes, lets the bridgedeck sit higher above the water while still keeping wave-impact discomfort down. Beyond taming the motion, the pod lets the main cabin sole drop below what a flat bridgedeck would allow without sacrificing headroom, which is a real space gain below. The boat carries two small keels for a draft of just 2 feet 6 inches, and with a displacement around 11,000 to 12,500 pounds and a beam of 15 feet, the Packet Cat 35 is a beamy, shallow-draft platform whose D/L ratio of 165 marks it as a heavy, volume-driven cruiser rather than a light flyer.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a masthead-sloop derivative that pushes the mast aft to enlarge the foretriangle and shrink the mainsail, keeping the big area forward where a bowsprit-mounted genoa tack lives on a platform extension. The foretriangle itself is not masthead in the classic sense, and the mainsail carries a roach that overlaps the backstay, a detail that complicates lazy-jacking but favors sail area. All control lines run aft to the cockpit along the housetop, and the sheet winches line the aft coaming so a short crew can work the boat from under cover. Under power, the twin 27-horsepower freshwater-cooled diesels led boats.com's reviewer to estimate a top speed near nine knots and possibly ten. The SA/D ratio of 19.1 is modest, confirming that this is a steady cruiser, not a light-air sprinter.
Accommodations
Comfort and space are the stated priorities, and the layout delivers two nearly equal staterooms for two couples. The port stateroom is set off from its head for privacy, while the starboard cabin adjoins its own head, and both heads carry shower stalls. The galley is roomy with a large refrigeration box and a serving window to pass meals out to the cockpit, and the dining table folds against the starboard bulkhead to clear the saloon. Outside, the very large cockpit is reached from stern boarding platforms on each hull up to a veranda level and through an open coaming, while the flush foredeck makes a broad sun-lounging space.
The Verdict
The Packet Cat 35 is a thoughtfully engineered cruising cat that trades outright performance for volume, shallow draft, and a soft motion in a seaway. The Deltapod is a genuine design response to bridgedeck slap, and the twin-keel, 2-foot-6-inch draft opens gunkholing grounds closed to deeper cats. Accommodations are balanced for two couples, and the deck plan keeps sailing manageable from the cockpit. The mast-aft rig with overlapping roach and non-masthead foretriangle is unusual and demands careful sail handling, and the modest SA/D means light-air progress will be slow.
Pros
- Deltapod reduces wave impact and frees interior volume
- Shallow 2'6" twin-keel draft for easy anchoring
- Balanced two-couple accommodations with private and adjoining heads
- Twin 27 hp diesels for strong auxiliary speed
Cons
- Low SA/D ratio limits light-air sailing performance
- Mainsail roach overlapping backstay complicates rig handling
