When it comes to boating in rough water, catamarans have been taking a lot of the limelight away from their monohull counterparts lately. And for good reason. The dual-sponson design of the cat has proven to be more stable than the typical V-bottom, which tends to pitch and roll more when water conditions get a little dicey.

However, not all cats are created equal. Glacier Bay takes a different approach than most catamaran builders by designing its boats to be 100 percent displacement hulls rather than the more common planing type. The basic difference is that a displacement hull stays in the water, while a planing hull rides on top when enough throttle is applied. The Glacier Bay design, which is patented, uses sharper and narrower sponsons than planing cats so that it slices through waves even when running at full throttle.

I had an opportunity to test Glacier Bay's 220 Center Console along a breakwater on Seattle's Lake Washington. Waves slamming into the breakwater rebounded back to create truly sloppy conditions. Yet the 220 sliced and diced its way through the slop with ease and the ride felt cushioned as we rose and fell with the waves instead of bouncing across them. Occasionally we would launch off an unusually steep wave, but the reentry was surprisingly smooth and painless. Through it all we never took any spray into the cockpit.

The test boat was powered by twin Yamaha 90s, which are purposely installed at a 3-degree outward angle to enhance tracking. They're also mounted far apart (5 feet between them), permitting you to spin the boat in tight quarters, which is especially helpful when docking.

In addition to riding smooth, the Glacier Bay is built tough. Kevlar, the bullet-proof material used in flak jackets, is used on the stem of the boat and tunnel bottom. Knitted fiberglass material, noted for its outstanding strength-to-weight ratio, is used throughout the hull and deck, along with layers of woven roving, mat and coring material. Lifetime-guaranteed XL plywood is used for bulkheads, cross beams, the transom and the boat's sole.

The 220 makes a good, buoyant fishing platform with plenty of unobstructed room for anglers to operate, including a wide foredeck not found on V-bottoms. A built-in head compartment with 4 feet 3 inches of headroom blocks you from walking around the port side of the center console, but it's a sacrifice you'll appreciate on long days offshore. For successful anglers there are two 5' by 1'4" by 1' insulated fish boxes with pump outs built into the aft sole. The 220 also sports two composite rod racks and two stainless-steel rod holders for trolling.

Presently, 22-foot center-console catamarans are pretty rare. However, Pro Sports is bringing a little competition to the market by adding one to its 1999 model lineup. It's a semi-displacement hull that will retail for approximately $20,000 without engines. Seagull has a 20-foot Nautico available in either single or twin-engine applications for $14,300 and World Cat offers a 24-foot cat for $28,150. Both are planing hulls and the price doesn't include engines. Of course, once you test drive the Glacier Bay 220 and experience the riding comfort this displacement hull offers, you may not want to shop around.