Quick Take—Rolling On Lake Winnipesaukee In A 32 Victory Pleasure Cat

Just two open-cockpit, 32 Victory pleasure catamarans were built before the Victory 34 pleasure-cat was released in 2018/2019 and took over the pleasure segment for the famed Dubai-based raceboat builder. And both “32-footers” are owned by current Super Stock-class offshore racers.

One belongs to veteran throttleman Gary Ballough, who runs the canopied Raymarine 32 Victory catamaran with Canadian owner/driver Cole Leibel. The other is the property of Chris Hopgood, who campaigns a canopied 32 Doug Wright cat dubbed CELSIUS for its energy-drink sponsor alongside veteran throttleman Jay Muller.

Sitting pretty on Lake Winnipesaukee, this rare 32 Victory pleasure-cat has belonged to Hopgood for about one week. Photos by Matt Trulio/Speedonthewater.com.

Until a week ago, Hopgood’s 2018 model-year 32 Victory powered by six-cylinder Mercury Racing 400R outboard engines was the property of Manatee Marine Unlimited in Palmetto, Fla. Now the cat, which measures closer to 34 feet long than 32 feet long—the 34-footer also measures larger at 36 feet—is on a boat-lift at Hopgood’s home on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

Last Saturday, Hopgood ran his new prize with girlfriend Danielle Champagne and friends Nick Morrison and Bethany Landry in the 24th annual HK Motorsports Land and Lake Poker Run. The following evening after a fine Sunday Fun Day on the beach, Hopgood and his neighbor Doug Hamel used the cat to return me to my waterfront digs for the weekend.

Having logged 20-plus hours in a 34 Victory pleasure-cat courtesy of owner Devin Wozencraft, I was curious to see how the smaller version compared.

The capped windshield is among Hopgood’s favorite features of his new ride.

Viewed from the docks, the 32 looks smaller than the 34 because—go figure—it is. I didn’t measure it, but I it also appears slightly lower to the water. Both cockpits have generous space between the four-seat rear bench and the bucket seats for the driver and co-pilot.

“It has a huge cockpit,” Hopgood said. “I appreciate the space and how open it is.”

The 32 felt more nimble than the 34 in flat water, which was the only water we had to play with that evening. Julian Maldonado of Manatee Marine Unlimited agreed when I ran that assessment by him yesterday during a telephone interview.

“The 32 is a little more sporty than the 34, but it still has that really soft, ‘Cadillac’ ride,'” he said.

Maldonado’s take is better-informed than most. He throttled the Jackhammer team’s 32 Victory catamaran, which became dominant in the Super Stock class, for several seasons.

“And with those 400s, it goes a little better than our 32 did with the 300s,” he added, then chuckled.

Hopgood described the catamaran, which was painted by Doug Harrell a few years back, as “huge for its size,” inside and out.

Longtime friends and neighbors, Doug Hamel (left) and Chris Hopgood struck a pose in the catamaran.

“It handles great and it’s very docile in rough water,” he said. “I am still messing around with propellers and getting used to the C-Zone switching system, but I love it. And I really like the capped windshield.’

The cat will remain in New Hampshire for the summer. Once the offshore racing season ends in November, Hopgood will bring it to his second home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

He also plans to repower the boat in the near future.

“New power is coming,” he said with a smile and a laugh.

He declined to supply specifics.

Though the details are being kept under wraps, the catamaran will be repowered in the near future.

Said Maldonado, “Chris was a pleasure to work with and we are glad to have him join the Manatee Marine family. When he bought the 32, I told him, ‘Unfortunately, now you are going to get roped into buying a 32 Victory raceboat for Super Stock’ because you’re going to love the 32 pleasure-cat so much.”

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