Aspen Power Catamarans, Larry Graf's Second Act in Burlington

Twenty years at Glacier Bay, then a clean sheet

Larry Graf has spent most of his working life on power catamarans. He started Glacier Bay Catamarans in 1987 and stayed for two decades, proving its small twin-outboard cats on long runs to Bermuda, Midway Island and Alaska. He walked away in 2007 and, a year later, opened Aspen Power Catamarans in Burlington, Washington, in the Skagit Valley north of Seattle.

The new company was built around an idea Graf patented as the Power Proa (US Patent 8,109,221). Seen from the side, an Aspen's two hulls look the same. Seen from above, one is roughly 35 percent narrower than the other, a shape chosen so that the hulls cancel the pull of unequal power and the boat runs straight.

From single diesels to mismatched outboards

The first Aspens, including the C90 and C100, carried one inboard diesel in the broader hull, a radical choice for a catamaran. As outboards grew more capable the yard switched, starting with the C107 and then the C108, which pairs a large engine on one side with a smaller one on the other. Today's catalog stretches from the 32-foot C100 through the C108 and a newer 38-foot C110 up to the 40-foot C120 and 44-foot C128.

Construction is a vinylester and iso composite with Coosa bulkheads, and the bows are foam filled with Kevlar and carbon reinforcement. Graf's priority has always been efficient passagemaking at moderate speed rather than planing performance.

The C108 in context

In production since 2020, the C108 is the Aspen most shoppers ask about, largely because it can be towed behind a heavy-duty pickup to a new cruising ground. We test its numbers, layout and price trend on our dedicated Aspen C108 page. In short, it applies the Power Proa concept to an outboard boat a little under 38 feet long, and its sticker has risen sharply since launch.

Buying direct, servicing anywhere, reselling privately

Aspen has no dealer network. Boats are sold from the factory, every new owner gets two days of hands-on training at handover, and Graf himself is still the owner and CEO and answers customers. Away from the Northwest, routine work falls to outboard dealers and general boatyards, which is practical because the outboard models carry no shafts, struts or inboard running gear.

Secondhand Aspens rarely appear on public listings. Most change hands through the owners' network or the factory's own brokerage, and boats with low hours on both engines, the larger fuel tank, lithium house power and a trailer bring the best prices.

• The two outboards wear at different rates, so check hours and service on each.
• Make sure each engine still has the factory-matched propeller.
• Look over both bows and keels for grounding repairs.
• On trailer packages, inspect brakes, axles and bunks.