Jaguar J32 (2018-)

Brief Summary

Racing legend Jack Clark and his son, John, have been designing, building, and racing power catamarans -- and winning competitions -- since 1985. From this experience, their company, Jaguar Marine, produces custom offshore boats that go fast. The J32 is a platform that owners can specify to a made-to-order buildout, whether they want a boat for fishing, diving, cruising, or whatever the owner asks of her. Our test boat was built for a specific buyer and was designed for sport fishing. Powered by twin Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O.s, the test boat proved to be quite fast, reaching speeds of nearly 70 mph. The Evinrude E-TEC G2 outboards, using advanced 2-stroke design, are an effective propulsion system on the J32, allowing anglers to get to the drop fast and efficiently.

Key Features

• Catamaran Racing Hull
• Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O. 2-stroke outboards
• Console and T-top with overhead electronics box
• Evinrude ICON engine-monitoring and control display
• Large forward open cockpit
• SeaDek non-skid throughout
• Isinglass and canvas console surround
• Well organized helm
• Lifetime warranty on hull and deck

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	32' / 9.75
Beam	9' 4'' 2.85 m
Dry Weight	3,200 lbs. 1,451 kg
Tested Weight	5,807 lbs. 2,634 kg
Draft	16'' 0.41 m
Deadrise/Transom	N/A
Max Headroom	open
Bridge Clearance	N/A
Fuel Capacity	170 gal. 644 L
Water Capacity	N/A
Total Weight	5,807 lbs. 2,634 kg

Acceleration Times & Conditions

Time to Plane	4.3 sec.
0 to 30	4.5 sec. (0to20)
Ratio	1.85:1
Props	15x24, 4 blade
Load	3 persons, 9/10 fuel, no water, 50 lbs. of gear
Climate	76 deg., 76 humid.; wind: 10-14 mph; seas: 2-3

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 250-hp Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O.
Std. Power	Not Available
Opt. Power	Not Available

Captain's Report

Contents of Report

• Mission

• Major Features

• Performance

• Handling

• Boat Inspection

• Bow

• Console

• Evinrude ICON Touch Display

• Cockpit

• Construction

• Warranty

• Options to Consider

• Observations

Mission

Jaguar Marine outfitted this J32 to her owner’s specifications. The test boat is designed to provide the owner with a platform for offshore fishing and to get to the fishing grounds quickly, safely, and efficiently. Jaguar Marine describes its hulls as race boats from the waterline down, and then designs to owner’s spec from the waterline up, for fishing, or diving, or pleasure boating. The catamaran racing hull design includes a 45” (114.3 cm) tunnel, pads, and steps in each hull to provide stability and lift as well as an anti-stuffing bow design. The twin 250-horsepower Evinrude E-TEC G2 H.O. outboards support the mission with good low- and midrange torque and efficient operation throughout the power curve.

Major Features

• • Catamaran Racing Hull Design. The design of the hull manages seas effectively to deliver a smooth, dry ride.
• • Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O. outboards. Equipped with digital steering with the system built into the outboard itself with no external pumps and reservoirs, the outboards offer clean rigging as well as excellent low- and midrange torque.
• • Large Open Foredeck. The area forward of the console offers a large amount of open deck for fish fighting.
• • Racing-Inspired Helm Seating. The dual helm seats are deep bucket seats with side supports and have flip-up bolsters.
• • Aft Casting Platform. The aft casting platform has SeaDek non-skid, a livewell in the center, and tackle drawers built into the riser.

• • Organized Helm. The helm is laid out logically and ergonomically.
• • Stainless Steel Hardware. The Jaguar J32 has stainless steel hardware throughout.
• • Ample Storage. There are four in-deck lockers as well as storage in the forward hull voids.
• • Adjustable Steering. The integrated steering built into the Evinrude outboards allow the operator to select the sensitivity of the steering. In this case, three turns lock-to-lock.
• • Individual Jack Plates. The outboards on the test boat each had an individual jackplate that lifts the engines up to 6’’ (15.2 cm) for shallow-water operation.
• • Lifetime Hull and Deck Warranty. Jaguar Marine offers a lifetime warranty on the deck and hulls of all of their boats. Contact Jaguar Marine for the details.

Performance

The Jaguar J32 has a length overall of 32’ (9.75 m) and a beam of 9’4” (2.84 m) with an estimated dry weight of 3,200 lbs. (1,452 kg). With three people onboard, test power, and 90-percent fuel capacity, the estimated test weight was 5,807 lbs. (2,634 kg). We reached planing speed in 4.3 seconds, and 20 mph in 4.5 seconds.

Top Speed. With the twin 250-horsepower Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O. outboards turning 15 x 24 Rev 4 propellers at 5850 rpm, the test boat reached a top speed of 69.8 mph.

Best Cruise. The best cruise came in at 3000 rpm and 30.6 mph. At that speed the 13.5 gph fuel burn translated to 2.3 mpg and a range of 347 miles, while keeping 10-percent fuel reserve of the 170-gallon (643.5 L) total fuel capacity. However, the test boat at 4000 rpm reached a speed of 45.3 mph with a fuel burn of 20.7 gph with a slight less 2.2 mpg than running at 3000 rpm. This converts to a 335-mile range with 10% fuel in reserve. This is close to the range that can be achieved at 3000 rpm, but arrives at the destination considerably faster, which is more in tune with what this boat is about.

Evinrude E-TEC G2 Advanced Technology. The Jaguar J32 is available with the remarkable fuel economy of the Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O. There are several reasons why these outboards are so economical while providing exceptional torque throughout the rpm range, and particularly in the low- and midrange sections. The reasons mostly have to do with the design of the E-TEC G2 outboard. Among these attributes are an efficient combustion-chamber design, a state-of-the-art direct-injection system, placement of the injectors near the spark plugs, and many other elements, all of which make the Evinrude E-TEC G2 engines some of the most fuel-efficient outboard engines, whether they’re compared to other 2-stroke or 4-stroke outboards on the market.

2-Stroke Technology. The E-TEC 2-stroke technology allows for a power stroke on every turn of the crank shaft, while 4-stroke engines have only one power stroke out of four strokes and two turns of the crankshaft. Since every other stroke is a power stroke, roughly twice as much power is applied to the prop shaft than with 4-stroke engines with the same horsepower in the low- and mid-rpm ranges.

Handling

The Jaguar J32 was designed with a hull developed from racing catamarans. It handles best when running fast, even in chop slowing down is not necessarily the correct choice. With the 45’’ (114.3 cm) tunnel in the catamaran hull, she turns tightly while remaining virtually flat. It’s a planing hull with twin steps aft for air assist – the boat skims over the top. The sponsons have straight sides rather than serving as twin V-hulls, and the tunnel entraps the air, which prevents her from stuffing the bows. The team at Jaguar Marine tells us the boat can also carry a load well, including up to 12 passengers, but we didn’t test that aspect of the boat.

Boat Inspection

The Jaguar J32 is built upon a race-boat running surface from the waterline down. From the waterline up, the builder customizes the boat for fishing, diving, or pleasure. The platform has an interior that can be customized to suit the needs of the owner. Since the client wanted to focus on fishing, this J32 has many prominent fishing features. Since this boat is a power catamaran, it has sponsons that extend beyond the forward deck. The foredeck has an elevated casting platform covered in SeaDek but it slopes down as we move forward between the sponsons.

Bow

The foredeck area is wide-open deck space with a 24” (60.9 cm) step up to a forward casting platform. Though it’s covered in grippy SeaDek, we would like to see a toerail on this area to prevent an angler in the heat of the fight from losing focus on where he is on the forward-sloping surface. There were lockers in the foredeck for storing gear. Our test boat had four moveable beanbag chairs arrayed on the foredeck.

All Boats Should Have Anchors. While the mission of this boat model can be for pleasure boating or fishing, owners should not forget that all boats must have at least one anchor suitable for holding securely in wind and sea state. The type of bottom – mud, grass, sand, or rock – requires different styles of anchors. Some anchoring situations also call for more than one anchor to be used simultaneously.

Console

Console. The console on the test boat was a third-party stock console bolted to the deck with the T-top supports fully supported by the console. This causes tremendous stress at the deck-console joint. It would be better if the T-top supports were attached at the deck. The console is non-opening and the top is 44’’ (1.12 m) above the deck. Jaguar Marine offers its own custom console and T-top.

Evinrude ICON Touch Display

This versatile engine data and management touchscreen display can be set to give a wealth of information at a glance and also allows the user to tune the power steering and trim assist functions. The J32 had its steering set to complete three turns from lock to lock in this case.

• • Supports up to four engines
• • Mode control for adjustments to power steering, trim assist, as well as switching between hand and foot throttle operation, where applicable
• • Fuel tank levels, for up to four tanks
• • Engine-oil level and accessory oil tank levels
• • Water tank levels up to three tanks and three water types
• • Accessory display of engine water pressure, depth, SOW and water temperatures of seawater, livewell, and baitwell
• • Multi-language – English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish
• • Descriptive text for fault codes and procedures

Evinrude ICON Engine Controls. The Evinrude ICON II Premium EST engine control binnacle allows for a host of features, including cruise assist speed control, single-lever operation, and engine sync, which matches the speed of all the engines. Also, there is a neutral detent and the neutral indicator lights add additional feedback.

Helm Seat and Leaning Post

A double-wide helm seat is mounted to a leaning post abaft the console. The seats are upholstered and resemble individual seats thanks to contrasting upholstery sections on the cushion and seatback. Folding armrests on each end help keep the crew in position at blistering speeds, while flip-up bolsters hint at a more likely position for those speed runs – standing, bracing hips against the bolster, and feet against the angled footrest on the console, and holding on to the T-top support.

The leaning post has a large slide-out drawer in the starboard side that can accept a cooler and keep tackle and gear handy in a tray at the top. The port side has a lean-out trash receptacle. There’s an aft-facing bench on the leaning post as well. Additional seating on our test boat consisted of four beanbag chairs, which are ideal for sleepy crew on those early morning runs offshore.

Cockpit

Abaft the leaning post we find the cockpit, the chief workspace for any fishing platform. This one measures 2’11” by 8’9” (.89 m by 2.67 m) wide, with in-deck lockers that were used to hold ballast sacks on our test day. Tackle lockers are built into the risers of an aft casting platform, measuring 7’3” (2.21 m) by 2’5” (.74 m), and with a hatch concealing a 30-gallon (114 L) locker.

Integrated Steering. With the steering integrated into the engine, there are no hydraulic cylinders, rams or lines to clutter up the stern. Just four bolts mount the outboards to jackplates to vary the draft for working in shallow water. Built-in steering, trim, and tilt simplify rigging and eliminate hydraulic lines and extraneous equipment, while electronic throttle and shift control simplifies rigging as well.

The lower unit is more streamlined, but also incorporates larger gears, made possible through a simplified electronic control system that uses a small solenoid to actuate the shift function. These and other elements help make the Evinrude E-TEC G2 engines some of the most fuel-efficient outboard engines whether compared to other 2-stroke or 4-stroke outboards on the market.

Color-Matching Cowls. The cowls are color matched to the boat and Evinrude makes this an easy thing to do. These Evinrude model engines come with the ability to choose separate colors for the top panel, side panels, and even the trademark Evinrude swoosh.

Boarding Ladder. ABYC standards call for all boats to have a re-boarding ladder deployable by someone in the water. It must reach a minimum of 22” (55.8 cm) below the waterline.

Construction

Materials

Jaguar Marine uses a proven laminate schedule and claim to never skimp on materials using yacht grade Vinylester resin which has more give, absorbs less water, and is less likely to blister than traditional polyester resins. They also use strong Core-Cell which, similarly, only absorbs 1% of its weight in water over the lifetime of the boat, meaning your boat stays light. Another benefit to Core-Cell is that it can be produced in different densities for different applications or sections of the boat to add strength. Jaguar Marine employs a sandwich construction process in which fiberglass is infused on either side of the core to produce a more structurally sound unit.

In addition, Jaguar Marine utilizes a catalyzation process that ensures the effectiveness, durability, and overall quality of the resin.

Throughout the construction process, Jaguar Marine follows industry best practices, including employing a rotating mold system and vacuum bagging techniques to ensure quality.

Warranty

Jaguar Marine offers a lifetime warranty on the hull and deck. Contact Jaguar Marine for details.

Options to Consider

All Jaguar J32s are built to order. Essentially, other than the hull and deck everything is custom.

Observations

It is exhilarating to travel at nearly 70 mph on the water. It is even more exciting to do it knowing that the boat was designed and built by professional power catamaran racing champions who understand how to do it safely. The spacious Jaguar J32 is just such a boat. Add the advanced 2-stroke technology of the Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O. outboards and it is accomplished effectively and efficiently. As a fishing platform, the speed comes in handy when getting to the bite ahead of the crowd and staying on the bite longer, knowing the boat will be able to pass the others on the way back. The open decks, along with forward and aft casting platforms make the Jaguar J32 a very capable pelagic predator.