smallest gunboat catamaran

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After a string of designs by Morrelli and Melvin, Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone picked up the phone and dialed the number of British racing cat designer Nigel Irens, and a new series of Gunboats was born. First came the 60 (manufactured in China) and then the Gunboat 55 was launched in the US following a dispute with Hudson Marine in Xiamen.

The British designer has pulled off a design that manages to look muscly and elegant at the same time. You could describe it as a kind of luxurious (and yes, more expensive) Atlantic 57 catamaran for warmer climes. I am sure they won´t mind me making a comparison to the classic Chris White design.

The 55s were the first Gunboats to be made in the US, in North Carolina. Previous models had been manufactured in South Africa and China. There were disputes with manufacturing partners (principally Hudson Marine) and the production was moved to the States.

Interestingly, this migration spawned a whole ecosytem of performance multihull manufacturers in those countries such as HH and Kinetic. In terms of length, this boat seems to have hit the sweet spot for short-handed larger yachts, going for the same LOA as the Outremer 55 – the new performance cruising design from the French manufacturer.

Photo Credits: Biraceweek and Lyman-Morse

As with all Gunboats, weight saving is a key part of the design – these boats were built along the same lines as an ocean racer. Hulls and deck are a composite of carbon fiber, epoxy resin and Corecell foam. The hulls and bridge are part of a single mold producing a very stiff structure that doesn´t require a forward crossbeam. Having said that, she´s heavier than a Catana 53 but carries a more powerful sail plan.

• Along with the 48, the 55 is the Gunboat model best set up for short-handed sailing.
• The forward working cockpit has been moved inside, just in front of the helm, so no more soakings in rough weather! It´s very organised, and you can hop up to the front deck from here if you need to.
• The whole of the covered upper deck is one open space. There are galley up boats and galley down that have even more space up top.
• Those centreboards are arguably safer than fixed daggerboards. If they hit anything, they will just pivot up, and by the time the 55 had launched, Gunboat had ironed out the initial teething problems they had with the boards on the 60.
• With the large window ahead of the helm slid open and that open back, the ventilation in this boat is second to none.
• The big red emergency release button by the helm means it is is easy to dump the mainsheet in a gust or squall.
• She´s light, stiff and fast. You should be sailing close to wind speed on most points of sail.
• The Gunboat 55 is the only model that was designed and built in the US. Now that´s not to say that the production quality was inferior elsewhere, but quality control had to be easier when the factory was on the doorstep.
• All of the 55s had to be extended to 57 foot after they had been launched due to some instability at speed that owners were experiencing. They solved the problem, but still, there was an initial fault with the design.
• The salon is open at the back. You can close this off with covers if the weather turns cold, but essentially the 55 was designed for blasting around the Carribbean and other warm destinations.
• Gunboat 55s are expensive as they don´t come onto the market very often. For the same kind of money, there is plenty of choice in this market – it´s pretty competitive. Kinetic and HH come to mind. Having said that, Gunboats hold their value: that´s the power of their brand, so you might even save money in the long run.
• The maintenance cost of these yachts is high, as they didn´t build many of them. That´s probably not going to worry you if you can afford to buy one in the first place.

Carbon fiber was used for the Hall Spars mast and boom, and the interior furniture was built of carbon/Divynicell-foam composite panels. The Weight Police have been all over these boats, resulting in a weigh in of 12.5 tonnes unladen.

And instead of daggerboards, the 55 has centerboards that pivot flush into the hulls. You control them from the helm: a display indicates how deeply the boards are set. Gunboat 55s are actually 57´ long. 2 metres were added to the transoms as a retro fit to improve stability at speed.

The 55 was launched with some real innovations on the deck and living space areas. This performance cat was designed for warmer climes, and she comes with an integrated saloon/cockpit area: the ultimate Open catamaran.

The whole area is connected into one seamless area protected on three sides by panoramic windows and open to aft. The saloon can be closed off with soft covers if the weather turns. A big sliding window in front of the cockpit helm and sailing station keeps the wind in your hair on fair days, and you can hop up from here onto foredeck and the nets. Above the helm, a sliding moonroof gives you a good view of the sails.

The whole boat has been organised for shorthanded sailing, albeit with the assumption that the skipper and crew are experienced. All the lines lead neatly into the forward cockpit which is sheltered in the forward part of the saloon. A pair of Lewmar 58 hydraulic winches are there to help you with the muscle work, with cam cleats and Spinlock clutches for the halyards, sheets, reefing lines and furling lines. The Harken mainsheet traveler runs along the aft crossbeam with the lines led forward.

The self tacking solent runs along a curved Harken track and the sheets are fed back to the control centre. It all smacks of Gunboat efficiency and is well thought out.

Many of the 55s were built with just 2 luxury cabins- she´s targeted primarily at couples : the owner’s stateroom to port with a double berth athwartships so you can can look out of the window and another large double cabin in the starboard hull, with a heads/shower area and an aft cabin that can either be set up as a workshop, office or third stateroom.

Some of the boats built (such as Rainmaker) went for the galley down layout, set aft in the port hull. The other option was galley-up, replacing one of the sofas in the saloon/cockpit with an island with double sink.

The feel of these boats is luxurious but understated.

Like any Gunboat, this catamaran really comes to life when you get the sails up.

The lines are super organised with all of the controls fed to the  forward working cockpit at the base of the mast which has been moved inside, just forward of the central helm. From here, you can set, trim and reef the sails with the help of two electric Lewmar 58 winches. The self-tacking jib looks after itself once trimmed, and the mainsheet is trimmed and eased at the touch of a button. The main can be dumped at the touch of a red emergency button by the wheel.

Welcome to the GUNBOAT 55 Thirst from the US Virgin Islands to the Multihull fleet of Block Island Race Week. Full entry list: https://t.co/C8uoHlW7Rr #BlockIslandRaceWeek #BIRW #BlockIsland #Sailing #Regatta #StormTrysail pic.twitter.com/zIRxnAgFCR — BI Race Week (@BIRaceWeek) April 30, 2019

All of the gear on these boats is top quality. The mast is a carbon fibre T600 modulus made by Hall Spars. The boom, masthead and spreaders are also carbon. All the running rigging is low stretch Spectra or Dyneema.

This is a catamaran that requires careful handling. That square top main is big and powerful and you´ll need to ease the mainsheet quickly in gusts – but that´s easy to do with those hydraulic rams. If there is a time when you should reef early, it´s on a turbo cat like this one.

The aim is to fly the boat at speeds close to true wind speed and maintain double digit speeds consistently. You´ll become used to seeing rooster tails off the transoms in this boat.

Gunboat 55s – Where are They Now?

55-01 Rainmaker (dismasted in a 70 knot squall, abandoned & adrift, later salvaged). Rainmaker has been relaunched by Multimarine Manufacturing in the UK as a power cat.

55-02 Vandal

55-03 Toccata

55-04 Jammy

55-05 Vai Vai Became Gunboat 57, “Vai Vai”. She was finished off outside the Gunboat yard after the company went into administration and now calls herself Gunboat 57-01

55-09 Starr Finished in 2017 by Crosswait Composites. This company is still offering to finish off the remaining molds.

55-10 to 12 Laid up?

Rainmaker (55-01) Relaunched as a Power Cat

Once again, Gunboat moved the bar with this design. She´s the last of the Peter Johnstone era, British designed and American made. Surely, still one of the most desirable Gunboats on the water.

How much do Gunboat 55s cost? Toccata (the #3 hull) came onto the market for just under $1.9 million. That should give you an idea of the ball park price. At least they are cheaper than Gunboat 68s! Given that they initially went on the market for around $2.4 million, you can see that they hold their value.

Who Designed and Manufactured the Gunboat 55? The 55 was designed by Nigel Irens and manufactured in the US in Wanchese, on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

What Happened to Rainmaker, Gunboat 55-01? The first 55, Rainmaker, was dismasted in a 70-knot squall about 200 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras on the 30th January 2015. The crew, including owner Brian Cohen and his son, abandoned the boat and Rainmaker was salvaged later near Bermuda. It ended up at MultiMarine in the UK where they are relaunching her.

Specs & Gunboat 55 Vai Vai Video

Technical specification.

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6 Best Performance Cruising Catamarans (Buyer’s Guide)

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Performance cruising catamarans are impressive-looking vessels that focus on speed above comfort. These fast boats are ideal for racing and long cruising vacations. But with the numerous brands and models on the market, how do you know which is the best one?  

The best high-speed performance cruising catamarans are the Outremer 4x, McConaghy MC50, Nautitech 44, Gunboat 62, Balance 526, and Marsaudon Composites ORC50. All these boats deliver outstanding speeds and are light in weight, relatively comfortable, and incredibly safe.  

This article will explore the brands and models that I believe have the best combination of performance and comfort . We’ll look at their speeds and what makes them cruise so fast. We’ll also examine the factors to consider when shopping for a performance cruising cat.  

Table of Contents

How Fast Are Performance Cruising Catamarans? 

Cruising catamarans are generally faster than monohulls of similar lengths. This means most well-built and well-balanced cats will arrive at their destination much sooner, and the cruise is much more comfortable. Performance cruising cats like the Nautitech include deep daggerboards and rudders, narrow waterline beams, hull chines, and big sail plans that allow for faster sailing than a standard cruising cat.

Outremer 4X

Outremer Catamarans are well-known for their high speeds. These exciting cats sport brilliant designs, narrow bows, and large rigs. Built in Southern France, the vessels are strong and long-lasting since their structures feature materials such as carbon, glass, and vinyl ester. 

The Outremer 4x is a stable and comfortable high-speeding cruising catamaran that performs ocean crossings and confronts any weather with remarkable ease. Named the European Boat of the Year in 2017, this 48-foot (14.6 m) bluewater cruiser sails faster than wind speed and attains maximum cruising speeds of 20 knots.

The 4x is an upgrade of the extremely popular Outremer 45, thus retaining Outremer’s core values of speed, safety, and comfort. It’s built for maximum performance and enjoyment, with the lightweight, carbon fiber structure allowing for additional speed under sail . 

Featuring comfort typical of much larger vessels, the Outremer 4X features 4 double cabins, hot water showers, a full kitchen, spacious storage, and excellent ventilation. There’s also an expansive deck, an unobstructed cockpit, and large trampoline areas. Most importantly, your safety is assured through the cat’s unique features including a robust structure, offshore design, stability, and unrivaled speed potential.

The 4x’s cutting-edge design makes it ideal for competitive racing or blue water cruising, and it does both without compromising your comfort, safety, or onboard livability. However, to sail at maximum speed, the boat must remain lightweight, requiring your interior to be fitted out quite minimally. The other downside is the high price tag; the Outremer 4X commands a price between $912,322 and $1,202,945 .

McConaghy MC52

The McConaghy MC52 is a performance luxury cruising cat reflective of McConaghy’s 50 years of experience in building high-tech composite projects. The luxurious boat features a flybridge, retracting centerboards, optimized hulls, and an open space bridgedeck combining the salon with the cockpit. You can also customize the boat to your specifications.

This hi-tech cat comes with sizeable sliding salon windows and frameless doors that provide fantastic views. Its wave-piercing bows can cut through waves, thus helping to increase performance by minimizing pitch resistance, while still retaining a smooth ride. Also, the saloon offers spacious dining space for up to 8 people, and the galley area is more like a penthouse.

The manufacturer’s background in building high-end racing yachts has resulted in an incredibly strong and lightweight vessel capable of reaching 22 knots (40.7 km/h or 25.29 mph). The main downside to this boat is the boom placement on the mast, which is much higher than other high-performance cats. This makes accessing the mainsail somewhat challenging. It also increases the MC50’s center of gravity and center of effort.

You can get the MC52 for about $1.6 million.

Nautitech 44

The Nautitech 44 easily blends comfort and fun to deliver an impressive sailing performance, whether you take short trips or long ocean crossings. The boat offers a good balance under sail, and it features helming stations on each hull. Plus, there’s an integrated hardtop bimini complete with sunroof opening. Slim hulls translate to higher speeds, with the vessel reaching up to 17 knots (31.4 km/h or 19.51 mph).

The well-laid-out interior boasts a functional design, ample storage space, plus all the equipment you require for ocean cruising, such as a fridge, watermaker, and solar. 

Nautitech 44’s twin helms give you the real sailing experience with a fantastic view of the sails and great visibility when maneuvering into port. However, you might not appreciate being stuck in the aft helm position without protection in lousy weather or during hot days.

Nevertheless, the boat’s responsiveness makes sailing more pleasurable. Plus, it’s affordable; the price is between $236,000 and $334,000.

Marsaudon Composites ORC50

Marsaudon Composites vessels are ideal for both racing and cruising. The sporty-looking ORC 50 comes with large inverted bows, an angular coachroof, a high freeboard, and a sturdy rotating carbon mast. In addition, the vessel is light which allows it to accelerate quickly, while the angular coachroof offers lots of space and excellent visibility. 

The ORC50 can attain 23+ knots (42.5+ km/h or 26.41+ mph) and is among the fastest high-performance livable multihulls. It’s capable of doing more than 350 miles (563.27 km) per day.   

The downside to the ORC50 is it’s a bit technical to sail, thus requiring a skilled sailor. Furthermore, its immense power and speed can be intimidating to less experienced sailors. Solely designed for speed, the ORC50’s interior is simple, less roomy, and somewhat spartan; hence the boat might not be all that comfy. Still, it’ll get you where you want to go pretty fast, and it’s an excellent value for money at approximately $787,751.25.

Gunboat 62 

The Gunboat 62 is a true high-speed catamaran capable of sailing at 20 knots (37 km/h or 23 mph) over true wind speeds and known to notch up speeds of 36+ knots (66.7+ km/h or 41.45 mph) on a surf. The initial 3 Gunboat 62 boats featured epoxy, E-glass, and carbon fiber construction, but the fourth vessel was all carbon, sported a taller rig and a more expansive sail area. 

These structural features made the Gunboat 62s extremely light, and they formed the original luxury high-performance cruising cats.

This multihull sailboat boasts a carbon mast, round hull sections for a minimized wetted surface area, high-aspect rudders, and retractable daggerboards. The steering station offers 360-degree visibility and sports overhead hatches that you can use to monitor the mainsail trim. The boat also contains 3 private cabins with queen berths, 2 spacious heads with showers, an aft cockpit, galley, and lounge.

On the downside, Gunboats are pricey cats; hence they’re also expensive to maintain. The Gunboat 62 isn’t that spacious either as it’s more focused on speed, but it’s extremely comfortable, plus there’s plenty of space for hanging out. You can buy this catamaran starting from $2 million .

Balance 526

Built with a combination of carbon fiber, E-glass, epoxy, closed-cell foam, and composite bulkheads, this boat is strong, light, and can withstand terrible weather. The retractable daggerboards allow for good upwind performance. All high load areas contain carbon fiber, while furniture and cabinets feature cored sandwich construction, producing the lightest yet most robust catamaran. 

A Balance 526 will reach speeds of up to 20knots without stressing the rig too much.

The boat is available in various layouts and comfortably accommodates 6 people. The spacious aft cockpit and saloon provide panoramic visibility. And since Balance 526 can handle the extra weight, you get performance plus all the creature comforts you desire.

Still, Balance 526’s pricing is on the higher end, beginning at $1,440,000 . Also, the slender hulls result in less space down below. Nevertheless, the boat lives up to its name, achieving the perfect balance between superb performance and comfort.

What Makes Performance Cruising Catamarans So Fast? 

Performance Cruising Catamarans Have Narrow Hulls 

Performance catamarans contain two small narrow hulls, which cause them to have less water resistance. Smaller hulls mean the vessels have much smaller bow waves to fight, allowing them to move extremely fast. In addition, the less hull area is underwater, the faster the boat is capable of moving since there’s less drag.

Having said that, it’s important to note that a narrow hull is more prone to burying its bows in rough seas. The wider the hull, the more buoyancy it offers, but only up to a given point. After which, the excessive width becomes unmanageable and performance suffers. The key lies in finding the right balance.

Performance Cruising Catamarans Have Considerable Length

The longer a cruising cat is, the faster it’ll move. While each vessel bears a maximum hull speed, in most cases, the lengthier the boat, the higher the speed it can reach. The length of the hull (length on the waterline) also has a significant impact on the speed performance. Thus, the cat attains maximum speeds when the wavelength is equal to the length on the waterline (hull speed).

Therefore, the longer the length of the hull, the better the performance of a high-speed cruising cat. You can also compare two cruising cats’ speeds based on this measure. 

Performance Cruising Catamarans Have Quality Builds

Modern cat manufacturers continue designing more innovative high-performance cruising cats that deliver a new blend of performance and cruising features. They achieve this by using advanced construction materials, better daggerboard designs, and creative weight allocation. They also keep a keener focus on onboard amenities. For instance, asymmetrical daggerboards placed midships in each hull can help achieve proper balance and hull trim.

The overall goal is to design cruising cats that offer high speeds, outstanding performance, and enough offshore comfort. 

Here’s an article if you are wondering what daggerboards and centerboards are and why they impact performance so much.

Performance Cruising Catamarans Are Light-weight

The lighter a cruising catamaran, the greater its performance. And some of the most popular high-performance catamarans find an optimal balance between performance and comfort. As a result, modern performance-based cruising cats have embraced the use of carbon composite construction for hulls, daggerboards, and rigging, instead of the somewhat heavier glass fiber materials.

A weighed-down cat produces less speed, which means excess immersion of the hulls renders the boat sluggish . The hull submersion also reduces the bridge deck clearance, promoting uncomfortable hull slamming.

You won’t find much difference in top speed between performance catamarans bearing similar lengths because they all have displacement hulls and mostly sail to hull speed with occasional surfing. This means that under skilled hands, these cats should exhibit roughly the same performance. A cruising cat’s performance is also highly dependent on the state of the sea, wind direction, and speed, amongst many other factors.

What To Consider When Choosing a Performance Cruising Catamaran

Speed is the number one consideration when choosing a high-speed cruising cat. Yet there are other factors just as important since they contribute to the overall cruising performance, including:

•  What you’ll use the vessel for and where. Are you planning on doing coastal cruising or serious offshore cruising? Consider the number of people that you’ll be sailing with and the activities you’ll engage in. This also helps determine the size catamaran you’ll need.  
• Comfort. While some racing enthusiasts might prefer spartan accommodation plans, most enjoy relative comfort on the high seas. In any case, modern high-speed cruising cats are designed to provide a certain level of creature comforts. And since most performance cats are custom-made, new boat owners may decide precisely which features to include in their cats. 
• Quality. To produce light boats, builders employ the use of fine resins, carbon, epoxies, foam cores, and fiberglass. They build using a combination of vacuum-bagged techniques, foam cores, foam composite bulkheads, and make furniture and cabinetry with cored sandwich construction . 
• Livability. One cannot underrate the appeal of sailing in a vessel with no heeling, not to mention the high privacy attained from separate living and sleeping areas. Panoramic views and exceptional deck space for lounging and entertaining are also essential in ensuring maximum cruising comfort. Fortunately, most high-speed cruising cats offer all these features and more.
• Equipment. Sailing upwind is a challenge for cruising cats since they tend to make lots of leeway. To make things easier, high-speed cruising cats come equipped with bigger rigs and either daggerboards or centerboards. However, this also means skilled sailors are required to operate them. 
• Cost. Catamarans are generally expensive, but a cat built with longer, leaner hulls and less costly materials can still give an outstanding performance. Such materials include foam cores, epoxy bulkheads, and epoxy resins. Furthermore, it’s not necessary to use only carbon to build a lightweight boat. 

Final Thoughts

Performance cruising catamarans are built using exotic, high-tech, lightweight materials to deliver an electrifying sailing experience. And as we’ve seen from the above list, these boats deliver performance plus much more. They’re not only speed cruisers, but they also provide a smooth, comfortable, and enjoyable cruising experience. 

So, whichever option you go for – from the luxurious Gunboat 62 to the much more affordable Nautitech 44 – you’re sure to get a boat that suits your needs. 

• Wikipedia: Spinnaker
• Wikipedia: High-Performance Sailing  
• Yachting World: Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 Review
• Aeroyacht: Catamaran Speed
• Cruiser’s Forum: Nautitech 44…
• Nautitech Catamarans: Nautitech
• Katamarans: Marsaudon Composites ORC50 (TS5) Review
• Outremer USA: New Outremer 4x Performance Catamaran
• Dutoit Yacht Design: Balance 526 Review
• Go Downsize: How Fast Do Catamarans Go?
• Catamaran Guru: The Cruising Catamaran Performance Debate
• The Boat App: The Fastest Cruising Catamarans of 2020
• Sail Magazine: Performance Cruising Cats Set New Standards in Sailing Speed
• Cruisers Forum: Fast Cruising Catamarans – How Fast?
• Lagoon – Inside: The Secrets of a Catamaran’s Performance
• Sail Magazine: 10 Great Cruising Cats
• Cruising World: 40 Best Sailing Catamarans and Trimarans, Cruising Catamarans…

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

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Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

Gunboat is back.

By Dan Spurr , Jan 18, 2020

The Gunboat 68 (21m) is the first model launched by the new ownership of the company. Two boats are in the water, and two more are in build at the facility in France.

Actually, this builder of high-performance luxury cruising-catamaran sailing yachts has been back since 2016, the year Grand Large Yachts (parent of Allures, Garcia, and Outremer) bought the assets of Gunboat and relocated them from North Carolina to La Grande-Motte, France, where it commenced construction in a new 38,736-sq-ft (3,600m²) assembly facility. Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone, son of Bob Johnstone (J Boats, MJM powerboats), had declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May of that year. Production had originated in South Africa, moved to Xiamen, China, briefly to Hudson Yachts in an attempt to economize, and then to North Carolina (see “Building the Big Guns,” Professional BoatBuilder No. 144) before succumbing to financial woes after 14 years.

During the period between bankruptcy and purchase, the owner of an incomplete Gunboat 55 (16.8m) retained designer Nigel Irens to modify the boat, Vai Vai , to 57 ‘ (17.4m).

Johnstone created a boat that could cruise the world in safety, and with performance bettering that of the catamarans designed for the charter trade. Most are intentionally underrigged for safety, generally operating at 8–10 knots; Johnstone sought and routinely achieved faster double-digit speeds. The first South African boats were designed by the California firm Morrelli & Melvin Design and Engineering (see “M&M,” PBB No. 72).

Today, with managing partner Benoit Lebizay at the helm, Gunboat designs, engineers, and builds new models with cutting-edge technology. In January 2019, the company launched its first new boat, the 68 ‘ (20.7m) Condor , which has a removable interior for racing. Next was #6802, Dash , in July 2019. Two additional yachts, #6803 and #6804, are in build.

Gunboat now has French DNA

Design and engineering are by the French company VPLP (see “Flying Machines, Part Two,” PBB No. 91), one of the premier designers of high-performance multihulls for racing and cruising. Those include the Macif , the 100 ‘ (30m) Ultime class trimaran that set a solo singlehanded round-the-world speed record of 42 days, average speed 27.2 knots (see PBB No. 181 , page 18). Styling, of course, was extremely important to attract the kind of buyers Gunboat wants, so Patrick le Quément, a multiple design-award winner and former designer at Ford and Renault, and Christophe Chedal Anglay were enlisted to develop the look. Marc Van Peteghem (the VP of VPLP), based in Paris, performed the weight studies and systems planning, while Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (the LP), in the Vannes office, executed the lines, structure, and sail plan.

While the first Gunboats were laminated with vacuum-bagged polyester and E-glass, advances in materials and processes compelled the company to turn to carbon fiber for reinforcements. Major parts—hulls and decks—are infused in-house. According to the Gunboat website: “If you take a cursory glance at the material choices, prepreg offers about a 15% weight saving on a composite structure. While it’s easy to get excited about that at face value, the devil is always in the details. On a typical Gunboat, the composite structure only makes up about 30% of the total displacement. A percentage of a percentage gets pretty small pretty quickly, to the point that building in full prepreg carbon did not justify the additional costs and complexity involved.”

European Supply Chain

William Jelbert, who manages construction, elaborates: “All tools are female molds, E-glass monolithic—same technology used to build 100+ boats out of. It was the technology available to us in Europe, and we wanted really fair molds to reduce fairing, and the big gelcoat-type boats around here need really fair tools because they are doing gray gelcoat boats. Our plugs were 5-axis foam machined, filler machined, then final faired by hand. We made the entire hull mold off of a one-piece plug for best fitting—always outsourced, as tooling is not our specialty. In Europe you have a great supply chain with a lot of specialization. We used a tooling company in western France.

“Everything structural is carbon. Anything that can fit on a truck is made by Fibre Mechanics and is prepreg. Why? Because they are best at prepreg, and this was an opportunity to save weight in a value-for-money way. Doing the hull and deck in prepreg would have meant very expensive infrastructure, tooling, and skills. We stuck with what we were good at: infusion in-house, prepreg outsourced to the best we could find.

“For a little partition panel that separates a compartment and is not structural, we use E-glass; it is more affordable and flexible, so tends to go along for the ride better. It is the same weight as a carbon panel would be.

“Corecell is used in everything that needs core in the structure—hull, deck, bulkheads. We use some PVC core for nonstructural partitions and Nomex honeycomb for the furniture, which is outsourced.

“All the structure is NDT’d [non-destructive tested] by a U.K. tester who works for small teams like Ineos Team UK and Hugo Boss.”

The interior structure, including these massive bulkheads, is made by Fibre Mechanics of prepreg carbon, much of it cored with Corecell and with North Thin Ply Technology robotically placed tape.

Stringers, bulkheads, and other flat panels are made by Fibre Mechanics utilizing North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT), described in this column in PBB No. 169. To summarize, the Swiss company first developed the product for making sails, specifically the black carbon sails for the America’s Cup yacht Alinghi , which won the 2007 event. It then made parts for F1 racecars, and found a partner in U.K.-based Fibre Mechanics, founded by former Green Marine employees, to move into yacht building. NTPT employs an Automated Tape Laying machine to “lay down” super-thin 12 “ -wide (300mm) tapes of prepreg carbon on a table to form computer-designed panels with the fibers oriented to the load paths. The panels are cured in Fibre Mechanics’ two autoclaves at 230°F (110°C). In fact, the entire interior structure is outsourced to Fibre Mechanics.

Fibre Mechanics’ founder and managing director, Geoff Stock, who has compiled an impressive résumé first with Jeremy Rogers and then Green Marine and SP Systems, says, “We make all the structural panels, 73 in all, plus some solid-carbon monolithic structures. Also very lightweight interior cladding panels, mainly Corecell but some Nomex. Everything is machine-cut prepreg, and, yes, we use significant amounts of NTPT material.”

To install these parts, Gunboat uses Spabond structural adhesive. Gelbert says, “Some glue joints are pure glue but mostly glued and taped. All major structural bulkheads are glued and taped using vacuum.”

The Gunboat 68 is offered with options, including asymmetric or symmetric daggerboards, long or short longeron/bowsprit, choice of boom length, and a fixed spar or rotating wing mast.

Gunboat, 1 Washington St., Newport, RI 02840 USA.

Fibre Mechanics, Waterloo Rd., Lymington, Hampshire SO41 9DB, U.K., tel. + 44 (0) 1590 427007.

NTPT, Chemin du Closel 3, 1020 Renens, Switzerland, tel. +44 21 811 08 88

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Best Cruising Catamarans

• By Cruising World Editors
• Updated: July 1, 2021

Cruising catamarans have been around for decades, but early models—often plywood and fiberglass vessels built by their owners from plans and kits, kept the boats on the fringes of mainstream sailing. That all changed, though, as big roomy cats were discovered by sailors who went off to charter in the Caribbean, where the multihulls proved their worth as comfortable liveaboard and party boats.

Today’s bluewater catamarans roam the globe, carrying families to exotic destinations across the Pacific and beyond. Just as with their monohull cousins, there is no best catamaran. Instead there is a wide variety of designs, ranging from small catamarans that offer the ease of maintenance a couple might enjoy to performance catamarans capable of easily knocking off 250-mile days. Today, the best catamaran brands offer a range of size models and layouts that can be optimized for an owner sailing with family and friends, or for the charter market, where there’s a demand for four, five and even six cabins worth of accommodations.

The most prolific catamaran manufacturers are in France and South Africa where yards include both large-run production builders and niche companies building fewer than 10 boats a year.

The best cruising catamarans offer good load-carrying ability and respectable performance. As with any sailboat , a modern catamaran’s design is a result of compromises. Daggerboards or keels? Galley up or galley down? Spacious owner’s cabin or extra bunks? There are lots of options to choose from—and that’s what makes looking at these sailboats fun!

Here, then is an eclectic A to Z list of some of the best catamarans that have helped shaped the evolution of how we live and sail on two hulls.

Antares 44i

Now built in Argentina as a full-fledged, bluewater catamaran and cruiser that can be safely operated by a shorthanded couple or family crew, the Antares 44i features a fully covered cockpit with a quartet of big, standard solar panels recessed within the hardtop, one example of a yacht capable of long-range passagemaking.

Atlantic 42

Almost 30 years ago, yacht designer Chris White revolutionized catamaran design with the first in his series of Atlantic cats, the primary feature of which was the innovative mid-ship sailing cockpit forward of the main cabin. The smallest in the Atlantic line, the 42 remains White’s most popular design ever.

Fountaine-Pajot has built so many outstanding cruising catamarans that it’s difficult to narrow down any single boat, but we’ve always been fans of the good-looking, well-thought-out Bahia 46. At 46 feet, the boat is large enough for offshore forays and has plenty of volume; with its simple but powerful sail plan, it’s also an excellent performer.

Beginning around 1996, the French builder Catana was one of the first companies to manufacture fully found cruising cats for private ownership, and this Christophe Barreau design, which enjoyed a nearly 10-year production run from 1997-2006, was emblematic of this first generation of safe, fun, long-legged offshore voyagers.

Click here to see more cats from Catana.

When it comes to speed, light boats are fast ones. And if you wish to save weight, that means exotic modern materials like carbon. Catana now infuses the laminates of their entire production line with carbon fiber, and for this list, we’ve chosen the Catana 50 Carbon, one of the zippiest cats now crossing oceans.

Click here to read about a couple’s charter aboard a Catana 50.

Gemini 105M

Pioneering catamaran sailor, builder and designer Tony Smith launched the first of his 33-foot Gemini 105M’s (10.5 meters = 33′) in 1993, and soon after found a ready and willing stream of sailors enamored of the boat’s compact size, affordable price tag, and such innovations as the nifty lifting rudder and transom steps.

Click here to read about the Gemini Legacy 35.

Built between 2000-2005, the Gunboat 62 firmly established the Gunboat brand: go-anywhere cats that applied race-boat technology to a world-cruising platform. Hull no. 1, Tribe, was built for company founder Peter Johnstone, who then spent a year-and-a-half cruising with his family, smiling all the way.

French builder Henri Wauquiez is best known for his long career building monohulls, but the Kronos 45 cat, which he launched in 1992, was ahead of her time. Classic lines, the aft “targa bar” over the cockpit, the louvered coach roof windows, even the distinctive stripes on her hull: the Kronos 45 remains timeless.

No roundup of cruising cats would be complete without several Lagoon entries, and the best of that impressive bunch might well be the Lagoon 380. Originally launched in 1999, and revered for its combination of quality, volume and performance, with over 740 boats built the 380 is still going strong.

Launched five years after the breakthrough 380, the Lagoon 440 was an evolutionary design that featured a raised flybridge helm station, a unique “gullwing” configuration below the bridge deck, expanded windows in the hull and much more. With 400 boats built in a 6-year production run, the 440 was an unqualified success.

How big can a production cat, still operable by a short-handed crew, really be? The builders at Lagoon discovered that 62-feet hit a sweet spot in the marketplace, and have sold over 70 boats since its introduction in 2010. The centerpiece of this design is the sensational steering station atop the flybridge, with expansive views of the sea and sky.

Click here to see more cats from Lagoon.

With an unmatched pedigree – designed by premier multihull naval architects Gino Morelli and Pete Melvin, built by the prestigious Robertson & Caine boatyard in South Africa, and commissioned by chartering giant The Moorings – the Leopard 40 was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Cruising World ’s Import Boat of the Year in 2005.

Louisiane 37

Based on the famous French racing cat Charente-Maritime, the Louisiane 37, designed by Joubert/Nivelt and launched by builder Fountaine-Pajot in 1983, was a light, fast liveaboard cruiser with full accommodations that represented a radical departure from the hefty British cats that preceded it.

Maine Cat 30

One of the more versatile and clever cats ever created, the central feature of the cool Maine Cat 30 is the open bridge deck/living room sandwiched between the hulls and canopied by a rigid, permanent hard top (the comfortable accommodations/ staterooms are stationed in the hulls). Ideal for a winter in the Bahamas but with the ability to sail offshore, it’s a boat for all seasons and reasons.

Built in Florida and beloved by the owners of the over 120 boats built during the company’s existence from 1993 to 2009, the Manta Catamarans range included 38-, 40- and 44-foot cats. For this exercise, however, we’re heralding the original Manta 42, which won the Best Value Overall prize in CW’s 2001 Boat of the Year contest.

Moorings 4800/Leopard 48

Another Leopard/Moorings collaboration built by the wizards at Robertson & Caine (though this boat was designed by fellow South African Alex Simonis), the Leopard 48 was another CW Boat of the Year winner with all the contemporary bells and whistles: forward cockpit, flybridge helm station and solid hardtop dodger, just to name a few.

Click here to read more about the Leopard 48, and click here to see more images.

Nautitech 441

The Best Multihull Under 45 Feet: So said the CW judging panel in the 2013 Boat of the Year competition, regarding the Nautitech 441. But what makes this versatile platform so intriguing are the different helm set-ups. The 441 employs a single wheel, to starboard, ideal for solo sailors, while the 442 has a pair of helm stations aft.

Click here to see more Nautitech Catamarans.

Outremer 5X

A state-of-the-art all-oceans cat that exemplifies how far multihull design has come, the 59-foot Outremer 5X was a winner on both sides of the Atlantic, taking top honors in the European Boat of the Year competition in 2013, and following up as the Best Full-Size Multihull in CW ’s contest a year later.

Click here to see more cats from Outremer.

St. Francis 50

The flagship of the proud St. Francis line – built in South Africa since 1990 to designs by local legends Lavranos Marine Design – the St. Francis 50 is another “luxury cat” that shares much in common with an earlier 48-foot sister-ship, but packs even more payload into its roomier lines.

Click here to read more about the St. Francis 50

Seawind 1000

Founded by Aussie surfer and sailor Richard Ward in 1982, the 33-foot Seawind 1000 is easily the most popular cruising cat ever built in Australia (the company has since moved its manufacturing and management operations to Vietnam). Roomy and airy, these cats dot the coastline of eastern Oz.

Seawind 1160

If the Seawind 1000 was a minimalist approach to cruising cats, the 38-foot Seawind 1160 is the flip side of the coin, a full-fledged long-range voyager. Among the reasons it was named CW ’s Most Innovative boat for 2007 is the unique “tri-folding” door that stashes overhead to open up the saloon and cockpit into a spacious living area.

Click here to read more about the Seawind 1160.

Sunsail 384

Every sailboat is a compromise, and in the case of the Sunsail 384 (also sold privately as the Leopard 38) that’s a good thing, because designers Morrelli & Melvin and builder Robertson and Caine got the balance just right with this relatively small catamaran. With four cabins, the 384 can carry the same size bareboat charter crowd as her larger siblings, but does so with a decided bounce in her step. Named CW’s Import Boat of the Year in 2010, you can gauge the success of the design by the grins on the crew as they barrel down Sir Francis Drake channel in the British Virgin Islands.

Victoria 67

The French design office of Berret Racoupeau drafted the lines of Fountaine-Pajot’s new flagship, introduced in 2013, a magnificent world-girdling voyaging catamaran. Like other giant cats launched in recent years, the boat features a sensational upper deck with all sail controls, helm and lounging stations.

Click here to see more images of the Victoria 67.

Wharram Tanaroa

No list of influential multihulls would be complete without the work of James Wharram, and while Tangaroa wasn’t a production cat by any means, it showcases the British designer’s respect for ancient Polynesian craft. Wharram sailed this 23-foot-6-inch “double-hulled canoe” across the Atlantic in the 1950s, and sold countless plans for similar boats for decades afterwards.

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Gunboat 48 MALOLO

A c lassic Gunboat, exceptionally reimagined.  

We’re pleased to present the opportunity to acquire a meticulously  upgraded Gunboat 48! T he “TRIBE” of the Gunboat 48’s, Hull #1 is the iconic yacht that established the Gunboat dream of safe, fast, fun cruising in an owner-operated size catamaran.

Malolo underwent a complete refit in 2022 with plans for a big sabbatical sailing adventure, and the owners sailed from Newport Rhode Island to Puerto Rico, through the Panama Canal, to Galapagos, Marquesas, Tuamotus, and most of French Polynesia. Reluctantly, it’s time to pass the torch, and Malolo is uniquely turnkey-ready to continue cruising the world!

Launched in 2004, reborn in 2022  

MALOLO was purchased in “original” condition and sailed by the owner from the Caribbean to Newport RI for a comprehensive, high-end makeover – structural, functional, and aesthetic. MALOLO was reinvented, making the most of the strong platform and proven design elements incorporating the latest Gunboat experience and technology. She was relaunched in 2022 with performance, comfort and style that set a new bar for the Gunboat 48s!

At home at sea  

Modern class, with a splash of fun! This beautiful interior is meant to be lived in and enjoyed. The owner renovated the interior to enhance every aspect of boatlife, with high-quality equipment and particular attention to the smart, functional use of space. The light and airy salon and aft cockpit make the perfect setting for life at sea, with 360 degree views and convertible spaces for leisure, dining, and lounging. Cabins feature upgraded comforts and well placed amenities such as storage, lighting and power. Designed for family sabbatical cruising in comfort and style.

Beyond the need for speed  

Performance.

Access the world! The real benefits of performance sailing are in full effect o n Malo lo . The ability to sail well in a wide range of conditions, and to reach destinations efficiently , opens up incredible possibilities. Enhanced cruising plans are the result of many features including:  

• – Gunboat 48 performance design and lightweight construction
• – Carbon fiber T-rudders with titanium cassettes for a smooth stable ride
• – Deck layout and sails designed for comfortable, shorthanded operation
• – Full suit of Doyle Sails (2022)
• – Shallow draft and access to skinny waters with r etractable boards and rudders

Specifications

01. general specifications.

• LOA 14.74 M 48.36 FT
• LWL 14.00 M 45.11 FT
• BOA 7.39 M 24.3 FT
• DRAFT BOARD DOWN 2.25 M 7.38 FT
• DRAFT BOARD UP 0.6 M 1.97 FT
• MAST LENGTH 19.6 M 64.4 FT
• DISPLACEMENT 11 T 2000 LBS
• FUEL CAPACITY 2 x 230 L 2 x 60 GAL
• WATER CAPACITY 2 x 230 L 2 x 60 GAL

02. Upgrade Highlights include:

A very important refit was carried out 2021 – 2022

– New Rudders – New Daggerboards and daggerboard cases – New solar panels – Deck Non-skid new – New deck hatches, deck house windows and portlights – New Interior cushions – New Paint for: Boom, Mast and Longeron (all white) – New interior varnish – New Deck hardware (winches and jammers) – New sails (Main, Jib, Screecher and A2) – New Engines and fuel lines – New bilge pumps – New watermaker – New freshwater pumps and Grey water pumps – New Tecma heads – New fridge/freezer X2 – Electrical system and wiring replaced – Navigation and electronics are all new – Windlass, chain and anchor are new – New tender (Highfield UL 340)

EXCLUSIVE BROKERAGE

Gunboat 48 MALOLO Gunboat 48 MALOLO

VISIT US AT THE PALMA BOAT SHOW FROM APRIL 25 th  to 28 TH !

BOOK YOUR VISIT HERE

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

The best bluewater multihulls of all time: a complete guide

• Toby Hodges
• October 6, 2021

Toby Hodges and François Tregouet consider the best bluewater multihulls and look at the options for sailing the oceans in spacious comfort

What are the best bluewater multihulls for long term cruising? The one you own, or the one you can afford is the simple answer.

There is a wealth of proven designs to suit bluewater sailing and a variety of budgets. While we have focussed here on the best bluewater multihulls in production, we’ve also included some cracking pedigree multihulls which tour the planet and might occasionally pop up on the brokerage market.

If you can afford to, then pushing towards the 45-50ft length will buy you space, pace and that extra payload capacity needed to take all the items you’d want on your home afloat.

When looking at the best bluewater multihulls, the choice will come down to that perennial balance between comfort/space and speed/weight. Choosing a lighter weight performance design will obviously help you cover distance voyages more rapidly and potentially allow you to outrun weather systems. It means you can sail faster, with less sail up and less load and stress. But you’ll have to sacrifice some luxuries and need to be quite scrupulous about keeping weight down and centralised in order to maintain high average speeds.

For the majority of cruisers, however, it is the amount of space multihulls offer once you’ve reached your destination that really appeals. As well as the non-heeling living area and real estate they provide, they’re well suited to typical tradewind sailing .

If you’re considering your first or next multihull, we hope the following will serve as a taster.

Best bluewater multihulls for performance cruising

Outremer 51/55.

When you think of multihulls designed for bluewater cruising, Outremer will likely be one of the first names that comes to mind. Its heritage lies in building catamarans that can sail fast and are built strong enough to do laps of the globe.

The 51, the current version of which launched three years ago, is an archetypal example of what to look for in terms of blending speed and space is a dream design for a family circumnavigation.

The French yard’s new 55ft VPLP design may look boldly different from its past models, but the philosophy behind it remains the same. It is designed to match windspeed up to 12 knots and Outremer reasons that its ability to sail in 5 knots of breeze will allow it to sail for 95% of the time on a circumnavigation.

Read more about the Outremer 51 and Outremer 55.

Photo: Diego Yriarte

Seawind 1600/1370

For nearly four decades the Australian Seawind brand and its founder Richard Ward have been gearing catamarans around safe bluewater sailing, including performance, protection and ease of handling. Its Reichel Pugh-designed 1600, which launched three years ago, is an elegant looking cat with relatively low, long lines and some smart solutions for fast bluewater sailing.

Seawind also launches its new 1370 later this year, a staggering 60 of which have sold on plans alone.

This first 50 is built from a composite sandwich of basalt fibre, a cloth made from volcanic rock, and PET foam from recycled plastic bottles, which helps to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 50% when compared with traditional glassfibre methods.

This new 50 footer is perhaps a more appealing and practical prospect than Rapido’s previous 60 (with its significant fixed beam), particularly as the amas on this new model can fold to reduce beam to 18ft.

Infused carbon foam sandwich construction is used, along with beams, daggerboards and rudder in pre-preg carbon to keep displacement to 8,200kg.

Read more about the Rapido 50

This OC50 is designed as a more affordable cruising alternative, than the HH models which have preceeded it. This model targets ocean sailing.

It’s still stiffened and strengthened by carbon, but built in vinylester composites with a gelcoat finish. This adds an additional 300kg or so over a full carbon HH50, but cost savings are in the region of $400,000.

Read more about the HH OC50

Balance 526

The 526 launched four years ago, designed to suit short-handed sailors and families looking to sail long distances, hence it can carry large payloads and promises easy maintenance. It looks good too.

Berman’s Versahelm design is a key feature. The wheel cantilevers, allowing the helmsman to steer from outboard with clear sightlines or from the hardtop protection of the aft cockpit.

Photo: Christopher White

Atlantic 47

The A47 suits short-handed fast ocean sailing at an approachable size. Lengthening it to 49ft allowed for an aft cockpit. It is available as a sloop or with White’s patented MastFoil ketch rig – rotating aerofoil masts designed for easy short-handed cruising without sacrificing performance.

Read more about the Atlantic 47

A combination of sharp design from François Perus and high build quality brings plenty of appeal to this sporty Italian-built cat. The first example launched three years ago with a light displacement of 10.5 tonnes, thanks to an E-glass epoxy-infused build with carbon strengthening. The yard offers semi-custom construction and full hybrid packages.

Catana 53/Ocean class 50

Catana’s performance model from 2017, sports twin aft helms (which may not suit ocean sailors), reverse bows and carbon daggerboards. The high topsides help create good bridgedeck clearance and plenty of accommodation. Its new Ocean Class 50 seems more in the shipyard’s bluewater DNA. The light weight, and dynamic and modern shape with slim hulls and a relatively short nacelle suggests a seaworthy nature and high speeds.

Read more about the Catana 53

Best bluewater multihulls for pedigree performance

Veteran multihull designers Morrelli & Melvin designed this smaller model for the Gunboat range. It was built to be more manageable for an owner-driver yet still capable of up to 300-400 mile days.

The Gunboat 48 is something of a rare breed, just six 48s were built between 2004 and 2009. Oh, to have a spare €1.3m right now… one of them is actually on the market.

Read more about the Gunboat 48

At the start of the Millennium, Catana offered fully equipped boats as standard for long distance cruising. The Catana 471 or 472 (one or two helms respectively), represented at the time the optimum in ocean-going catamarans.

Chincogan/Lightwave

Tony Grainger has been drawing fast multihulls for 35 years, including racing trimarans and the Lightwave and Chincogan cruisers. The popular Lightwave 38 has admirable performance and comfort, and the Chincogan 52 (pictured) has the length to clock high average speeds.

Outremer 45 G. Danson

With its characteristic roof, narrow hulls and daggerboards, the Outremer 45 is a standout design which has become somewhat iconic. Despite a rather spartan interior, it has been a great success with fast cruising enthusiasts. On board, family ocean crossings at an average of 10 knots are the norm.

Best bluewater multihulls for family cruising

Photo: Nicolas Claris

The Lagoon 450 remains the most popular model in Lagoons already popular range. It exemplifies the VPLP/Nauta design partnership which has made these the very definition of modern mid-size cruising catamarans which can appeal to families and charterers alike.

Indeed the 450 marked the modern look of Lagoon and was the first with interior styling from Nauta. It originally launched over a decade ago as a flybridge design with central helming position (450F), before this ‘sport top’ option (450S) was offered with a starboard helm station and lower boom.

Read more about the Lagoon 450

Photo: Guilain Grenier

Fountaine Pajot Saona 47

The 47 has a modern shape, with straight bows and a reverse sheer line. It incorporates significant volume in the hulls below the bridgedeck to create room for the optional athwartships cabins. Cabin space is a prime selling point, particularly the owner’s suite to port, where there is also abundant natural light and headroom.

Photo: Tui Marine

Leopard Catamarans, together with designer Simonis Voogd and builder Robertson and Caine, produce the archetypal dual-purpose owner-operator or charter boat in their modern catamaran range.

Key features of the 45 are the amount of light in the saloon and the incredible volume and space on offer in the cabins above the relatively narrow waterlines. Vast social living areas include the flybridge, saloon and dual cockpits.

Read more about the Leopard 45

Photo: www.jfromero.fr

Nautitech Open/Fly 46

During the 1990s and noughties Nautitech earned a good reputation for its elegant catamarans. The 441 is a timeless example and the 44 can be credited with the ongoing trend in hardtop biminis. While its acquisition by Bavaria seven years ago helped Nautitech implement industrial build techniques, the French brand has retained its DNA at its Rochefort sur Mer yard.

The modern Marc Lombard designs have tall rigs with generous square-top mainsails. Twin wheels in the aft quarters of the Open 46 offer a direct feel on the helm, however those spending long periods in the tropics may prefer the shade of the bimini-equipped flybridge option. The layout is also open, with a saloon more outside than in. Styling is clean, modern and simple, and the standard of build and finish are good.

Photo: Olivier Blanchet

First impressions of the Neel 51 are sure to centre on its sheer size and space inside. But as you’ll see from our review of the Neel 43 on page 83, when you sail one overriding impressions quickly centre on its performance.

These trimarans are becoming a popular mass production-built option.

Photo: Christophe Launay

The Excess 11 packs plenty of potential as the smallest yacht offered by the big production yards. A little like the Lagoon 380 of old, it presents a good value new entry-level boat for genuine cruising in a more sporty, modern and enticing design. Some may argue against aft helms for ocean sailing, but those coming from monohulls will appreciate the more direct steering they offer.

Broadblue 385S

Broadblue is a UK brand which offers a distinct line of cruising and Rapier performance catamarans. Its staple 385 packs a lot of cruising comfort into its length, including generous tankage, and has been sailed all over the world. Broadblue built its first electric drive catamaran 12 years ago and offers the only all-electric production sailing catamaran under 40ft in Europe.

Photo: Christophe Breschi

Bali Catspace

For those looking for maximum volume within 40ft, it’ll be hard to beat the Catspace – although it is more of a holiday apartment than a traditional bluewater cruiser. Bali’s garage style sliding aft door does help offer an enormous amount of enclosed (or open) living space.

Best bluewater multihulls for luxury cruising

Photo: Nico Krauss

Privilège 510 Signature

The 510 is designed to take a serious amount of cruising gear – up to six tonnes of it in fact. The excellent helm station now has a fixed windscreen and all lines lead to hand. Finish quality including the electrical installation is first class and Privilege’s trademark, an admirable full beam (26ft) forward cabin, is sumptuous.

Photo: Jérôme Houyvet

Garcia Explocat 52

Garcia Yachts has cornered the market for series-built aluminium monohulls and multihulls in the last decade and this new Explocat 52 is sparking real interest. We ran a full test report in our February issue, describing it as a go-anywhere cat with an enticing combination of space, pace and rugged construction.

Read our review of the Garcia Explocat 52

Built in Argentina, the Antares 44 is the ultimate evolution of a model launched 21 years ago. Entirely dedicated to bluewater cruising, it is the yard’s only model and is constantly being improved according to owner feedback.

Time seems to have no hold on this boatyard and, against the trend, the standard equipment of the Antares 44 is extremely complete

Photo: Richard Langdon

Discovery Bluewater 50

This luxury Bill Dixon design may be a decade old now and into its third iteration, but the concept behind its original appeal remains. For those used to sailing high-end thoroughbred monohulls, here is an option to consider for a comparative level of build quality and fit out when moving to a multihull.

Read more about the Discovery Bluewater 50

St Francis 50 MKII

With this latest version of its original model, this experienced South African builder has optimised a catamaran cut out for the unforgiving seas of the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic. The MKII allows for an increased load capacity, an important point in long distance cruising.

Xsquisite X5

Intelligent features on the X5 include the protected helm station with glass windscreen, integrated rainwater catcher, UV-protective glass and generous tankage.

Best bluewater multihulls for size & speed

Mcconaghy mc52.

The MC50 (now MC52) was the first and promises some high speed sailing, but it’s the open plan main living deck which will attract the majority. It incorporates an intelligent centreboard system, which hardly affects interior space, but arguably its exposed helms at the aft end of the flybridge will not suit serious ocean cruising.

Photo: Florian H. Talles

HH in Xiamen is building some really impressive large, luxury fast cats up to 90ft. This was its second model to launch, a high-end, high performance Morelli & Melvin design capable of rapid passagemaking speeds and enjoyable regatta sailing. Features include C-shaped boards and central or aft helms.

Photo: Mike Jones/Waterline Media

Ocean Explorer 60

If Nautor’s Swan made catamarans, they may look like this… The Ocean Explorer 60 uses the same designer in German Frers and some of the same builders who worked at the famous Finnish yard to produce this world cruiser. The resultant quality shines through. A new OE72 is due soon.

Kinetic KC54

A young company with plenty of experience, Kinetic produces custom fast ocean cruisers, which can occasionally race. Its 62 is a serious performance vessel with carbon hulls, rigs and rigging, daggerboards or centreboards. With fast bluewater cruising the goal, carbon is used to minimise weight so features/toys can still be added. The swim platform and hardware on the newly launched 54 weighs just 90kg, and the generous sized tanks are all in carbon too. Views from the saloon and forward cockpit also look special.

Best bluewater multihulls for ultimate performance

Marsaudon ts4/orc 42.

Few catamaran builders produce genuine performance cruisers at this ‘smaller’ size: this one is kept minimalist and light weight (around 6 tonnes) – the yard’s philosophy is ‘simplicity, then add lightness.’ The 42 is a cruiser-racer with the ability to outpace most yachts across the Atlantic, win a regatta and still offer some space for island hopping. Standard tankage is minimal however. Marsaudon recently rebranded its TS range to Ocean Rider Catamarans (ORCs) and has an ORC 57 in build.

Dazcat 1495

Dazcat builds fast, seaworthy cats from its Multihull Centre in Cornwall. The 1495 is a true ocean cruiser-racer, which is stiff and rewarding to sail, with direct steering linked to carbon rudders. The 1495 can hit 20+ knot speeds with relative ease, but it is the consistent high average speeds which will attract those looking to cover serious miles. Weight is centralised including engines, tanks, and systems all located amidships to help reduce pitching. Dazcat has a semi-custom build approach and creates all sorts of weird and wonderful craft for all abilities.

Dragonfly 40

Dragonfly trimarans are known for their high quality construction and ability to delight sailors with their ease of planing speeds. For those who can live without the space of similar length cats, the new flagship 40 is large enough to offer cruising space, while folding outriggers and retractable appendages mean you can dry out where others wouldn’t dare.

Looping 45/Freydis 48

These two designs by Erik Lerouge both offer a high-performance vision of ocean cruising. The Loopings were built individually and the Freydis in small series, and on both you can sail as fast as the wind in complete safety. Interior quality depends on whether finished by an amateur or by a shipyard.

Swisscat 48

An attractive combination of luxury, comfort and performance, the S48 is a stiff, go-anywhere premium cat that is easy to manage single-handed. The lightweight build (11t) is in epoxy infusion with carbon reinforcement.

Schionning Designs

Jeff Schionning has catamaran design in his blood. His designs exude performance and seaworthiness with flowing, even aerodynamic lines. On all tradewind routes you’ll find a G-Force (models from 12m to 23m) or an Arrow (12m to 15m) sailing more quickly than the rest. His latest venture is with Current Marine in Knysna, South Africa.

Best bluewater multihulls for pedigree cruising

The long-time best-seller from the world leader in catamarans, with more than 1,000 produced over almost 20 years from 1999. With its characteristic vertical windows, the 380 and its big brother the 410 made the purists scream when they were presented. But the 380 proved a pioneer of its kind. Safe bow volumes and light displacement (7,260 kg) helped its seaworthy behaviour. The high number of boats on the market makes this the most affordable bluewater cruising multihull for its size, even if price range is as wide as condition is variable.

Casamance 44/46

Between 44ft and 46ft depending on the year of construction and the length of its transoms, the Casamance was an impressive catamaran on launch in 1985. The design by Joubert/Nivelt offered good volume and load capacity. Of the 490 units produced, many joined the charter fleets. The exterior of the Casamance is dated, but the interior in grey ceruse oak has retained plenty of charm.

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