A definite eye-catcher, Invincible’s new 46 Cat boasts a new hull design that combines a superb ride and top handling characteristics with impressive speed and acceleration, plus a smart layout affording ample room and a host of fishing features for the demanding offshore angler and amenities for the entire family. For construction, Invincible stuck with the premium components and materials, and vacuum-bagged-infusion process used on its deep-V boats, incorporating a grid stringer system on each hull for maximum strength and integrity.
We put the boatbuilder’s new flagship through its paces and experienced its fishability while targeting sailfish out of Miami on a December day with a northerly wind blowing at 15 knots, perfect conditions for the mission at hand.
An obvious benefit of catamarans is the amount of deck space they afford. That was true of the latest Invincible. Despite having seven on board, it was easy to move about the boat—or gather in groups—without feeling crowded. The inherent design of the cat offers a lot of room forward, where a large, cushioned lounge attached to the front of the console also provides cavernous, coffin-box-type storage underneath. There’s extra in-deck stowage to both sides of the lounge, a dedicated anchor locker—with optional windlass—on the foredeck centerline, plus two deep compartments to port and starboard.
The spacious cockpit, abundant rod holders, and location of the livewells made setting out the kites and deploying a spread of six baits a breeze. We caught three sails during the half-day outing, confirming that hooked fish can easily be followed around the boat without minding any obstacles or squeezing past the console, which houses a head compartment with access to the main breaker panel, battery switches and the back of the electronics panel. The business end of the console is well laid out, with everything at arm’s reach of the helmsman, and the center-mounted helm allows for steering adjustments from either side of the boat, if fishing short-handed.
The binnacle and joystick controls are to the right of the wheel; a Mercury digital gauge, tuna-tube and anchor-lift controls, and autopilot interface are to the port of the wheel on the helm surface. Our test boat had a full complement of Garmin gear, including two large 24-inch screens on the dash. There are two drink holders, and all equipment switches are under the helm on a beveled face with a Plexiglas cover to keep them dry and easy to see.
Our test boat had a total of 75 rod holders. There were seven vertical holders on each side of the console, eight bookending the forward console lounge, 13 on the hardtop, another eight on the transom, plus 32 flush-mounted on the gunwales. Meanwhile, four deep, in-deck fish boxes, two on each side of the console and seating area, offer 1,334 gallons of capacity, ideal for extended trips.
The dual-row seating features three large helm chairs in each row. Three mezzanine-style seats butt against the back side of the second row and feature a huge, molded cooler underneath, complete with chill plates. There’s also a tackle organizer and storage lockers on each side of the aft seating row, with a drawer and slots for 3700-size tackle boxes. A molded hardtop with aluminum frame shelters the console and surrounding seating.
Our test boat also had a portside dive door, with the locking latch and large hinges typically seen on the tuna doors of large sport-fishers, two in-deck livewells offering 72 gallons of bait capacity each, four tuna tubes, and dual 60-gallon livewells on the transom.
The folks at Invincible hang their hat on the success of the company’s relentless pursuit of speed, and the 46 Cat is another great example. With seven adults with fishing and camera gear on board, 500 gallons of fuel, nearly a full tank of water, and two full 60-gallon livewells, the quad Mercury 450 hp racing motors on the transom had the Invincible skipping along at 50 mph at 4,000 rpm while burning 62.5 gph. On the way home, we hit a blistering 78 mph at wide-open throttle in the bay, with a fuel burn of 177 gph.
The stability and high performance of its dual hull, roomy platform, numerous comforts, and excellent fishability make the Invincible 46 Cat a fun boat to fish on and, in the right hands, a menace on the tournament circuit.
Specifications
Length: 45′11″ | Beam: 12′ | Draft: 24″ | Fuel: 1,000 gal. | Weight: 20,000 lb. | Max HP: 1,800 | Price: $811,000 | Invincible Boats: invincibleboats.com
Test Conditions
Weather: Sunny, 72 degrees | Location: Miami | Wind: North 15 knots | Sea State: 2- to 4-foot chop | Test Load: Seven adults, 500 gallons of fuel, 80 gallons of water
