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19 Articles

Multihull Dreaming

Sailboats and sailing have long been the stuff of dreams. Obviously, they are not unique in this. However, I would argue they are unusual in the way they are both experiential and grounded in the physical, i.e., in the sailboats themselves. On the one hand, a sailboat is in many ways not really a sailboat until you cast of lines. On the other, it’s damn hard calling yourself a sailor without a sailboat. I remember years ago being aboard a large power cruiser for a brief sail trial. Another couple of sailors were also aboard, and one of them made the observation (as we were hanging on for dear life while pounding through a bit of chop) that, “Sailboats come to life underway. Powerboats come to life when they stop moving.”…

Multihull Dreaming

“Our experience tells us that people ignore a design that ignores people. That’s why we wanted to draw a beautiful boat that would be immediately identifiable as being a Lagoon,” says designer Patrick le Quément. And indeed, the new Lagoon 55 is a boat with an unmistakable profile. A hardtop shields the flybridge and its helm station from the weather, making for a tall, triple-stacked silhouette. NautaDesign, which was responsible for the interior, was also tasked with bringing the same sense of light and space found aboard Lagoon’s other even larger cats belowdecks. To that end, extra-large windows and skylights were added to bring the outdoors in. Construction is in polyester with anti-osmotic resin to ward off blistering. The hulls, deck and coachroof are all infused, with a balsa core…

The HH44 Open was designed in collaboration with the Disabled Sailors Association (DSA) of the UK. From getting on, off and around the boat to having space to turn a chair around on board, accessibility has been at the forefront of the design. The expansive saloon is 334ft2 and has the standard HH finishing and style. A weather-protected internal helm station makes full control of the helm and sails possible from a wheelchair. Large windows and a sunroof allow the breeze to wash through the boat and give it an open, airy feeling. The galley is aft-facing. With a 62ft carbon mast and square-topped mainsail, this is very much a performance-oriented boat that will undoubtedly make the best of a wide range of conditions. Curved C-shaped daggerboards provide lift sailing…

It seems there’s always something in the works at Balance Catamarans, with the latest example being this impressive-looking 58-footer. The latest in a long line of well-crafted performance cruisers, the boat has all the trademarks of a Balance cat with its sleek lines, powerful rig and high-aspect daggerboards. Hull #1 will be constructed entirely in epoxy, carbon and Corecell M foam, but the boat is also available in E-glass with some carbon reinforcements in high-load areas. Hulls and deck are vacuum-bagged, and the mast, boom, forward crossbeam and spreaders are carbon with Kevlar standing rigging. (Aluminum spars are also an option.) Stacking doors separate the saloon and aft cockpit and also allow the two to be combined into a single, large free-flowing space. The boat’s trademark VersaHelm allows you to…

Xquisite X5 Plus and Sixty Solar

Following up on its SAIL magazine “Best Boats” winning X5, South Africa-based has been busy of late working on no less than three new projects. The first of these, the X5 Plus represents an evolution of the already outstanding X5. Chief among the changes relative to its predecessor are lighter displacement and a more powerful rig in the interest of speed. Other upgrades, based on feedback from existing customers, include everything from a state-of-the-art electrical system to more handholds—all with an eye toward the best sailing experience possible. Also in the works are a pair of 60ft Bill Dixon-designed “Sixty Solar” models, which will be available in both power and sail variants. The latter, in particular, is being expressly designed for singlehanded sailing with all electric sail controls and the…

Xquisite X5 Plus and Sixty Solar

A truly impressive effort on the part of Den-marks’ Quorning Boats, the company’s recently launched Dragonfly 40 offers an outstanding combination of speed and comfort afloat. Available in either a “Touring” version with a self-tacking jib, or a turbocharged “Ultimate” version, with an overlapping headsail, the boat features a carbon mast, a batten-car system for the main, the option of a fixed sprit and twin helms aft. The amas include a pair of deck hatches providing easy access to a wealth of storage space, and the accommodation space belowdecks in the main hull (long a Quorning specialty) looks to be both well-thought-out and comfortable, with an L-shaped galley to port and a private double cabin aft. Finally, there’s Quorning’s proprietary “Dragonfly Swing Wing” system, which allows you to deploy and…

After hanging fire for a couple of seasons, the first Vision 444 has finally arrived in North America. Built in South Africa, the boat is a handsome, well-built cruiser that has all the attributes of a good performer under sail. Designed by James Turner, the boat is infused in E-glass with a foam core. It has an aluminum rig carrying a square-headed mainsail, a roomy cockpit and a clean deck plan. The cockpit layout looks to be very good. The bridgedeck saloon features a galley and nav station aft and a dining table forward, while an owner’s suite takes up the starboard hull and there are two spacious guest cabins to port. LOA 44ft 4in BEAM 24ft 11in DRAFT 3ft 9in DISPLACEMENT 20,160lb (light ship) SAIL AREA 1,032ft2, Vision Catamarans, visionyachts.com…

Where once all we had was renderings, now we have the boat. Designed by VPLP of America’s Cup and Vendée Globe fame, the Outremer 55 represents the latest iteration of what longtime multihull builder Outremer feels a high-performance bluewater cruising cat should look like. The boat’s narrow hulls and daggerboards will ensure fast passage times, while all sail controls are led aft to the boat’s twin helm stations to ensure ease of use. In a new feature for Outremer, the helms can be tilted either inboard or outboard, providing an unobstructed view forward and of the rig when the weather is good, and the ability to get in under the boat’s hardtop when it’s not. The hull and deck layup are comprised of fiberglass, carbon fiber and multiple core materials,…

For those feeling the need for speed, there are few ways of making knots that look more fun than doing so aboard the new Marlin 33 tri. Available in both “cruise” and “race” versions, the boats are infused in carbon fiber and epoxy, then post-cured for maximum rigidity. The amas fold in for easier transport, and bulkheads are fabricated with foam cores in the interest of stiffness and weight savings. Both versions of the boat boast carbon-fiber booms, sprits and rotating wing masts, with the race version having the greater air draft and more sail area. Belowdecks, the Marlin 33 offers standing headroom in the saloon and no less than six berths, two of which are in the main cabin. See, this really is a cruiser! The manufacturer would like…

Fountaine Pajot 51

Fountaine Pajot teamed up with Olivier Racoupeau Design to reimagine sustainable cruising aboard the Fountaine Pajot 51. The deck has been retooled to create more space, not just for sunbathing, but power as well. The Fountaine Pajot 51 comes standard with 30ft2 of flush solar panels, which under perfect conditions can provide an output of up to 2,000 watts. The large flybridge provides additional living space topsides and allows guest to keep the skipper company, albeit from a slight downward angle, as the steering pedestal is located on a split-level platform to starboard. There are four layouts, including a “Maestro” cabin version with four guest cabins; two Maestro cabins with two guests; one Maestro and three guests; or six guest cabins (the latter likely to be seen in the charter…

Fountaine Pajot 51

Designed by François Perus, the C-Cat 48 is a variation on the theme of the company’s smaller C-Cat 37. The large, bimini-protected cockpit can be fully enclosed and is on the same level as the dinette, forming one a single living space. All controls are led to the cockpit, and in combination with the double-stern helm stations, makes it possible to singlehand the boat, even when mooring. An optional internal helm station is also available. Two customizable interior options bear the sobriquets “Antigua” and “S. Barth,” the latter being the more luxurious of the two. Layouts can include up to four cabins. With respect to materials, options abound, but the base is a laminated sandwich structure infused with multiaxial fabrics and an epoxy-vinyl matrix. Daggerboards ensure sparkling performance under sail. LOA…

A Cat For All Seasons and Reasons

Navel gazing doesn’t get much better than from the deck of a sailboat anchored somewhere exotic. You can think great thoughts staring up at the stars from a South Seas anchorage. It’s also better doing so on a catamaran. Full confession: I’m a cat convert, a cat evangelist if you will—of both the furry four-legged kind and the fiberglass twohulled type. If you corner me at a cocktail party, you may soon hear me proselytizing. I’m not ashamed. I mean, it’s not like I’ve gone to the dark side that is powerboating… And I’m not alone. Cats are the fastest-growing segment in sailing and can now be found in all four corners of the globe as more sailors come out of the shadows to embrace them. There are lots of reasons…

A Cat For All Seasons and Reasons

Wharram: In the Beginning

More than just a sailor and designer, James Wharram, originally of Manchester, England, is also both a free-thinker and an individual clearly dedicated to getting as much out of this life as possible. Although he made his mark as a multihull designer, builder and voyager who drew inspiration from the ancient catamarans and proas of Polynesia, such a distinction only scratches the surface of his story—as is evident in the tale of how he came to build his very first catamaran. Looking back in time, my “I want to” [build and sail a double canoe across the Atlantic] seems ridiculous, a juvenile fantasy. I was 25-years-old, I had no inherited money, no trade, no profession; I was a dreamer. Ruth [Wharram’s then girlfriend and future wife, who passed away in 2013]…

Wharram: In the Beginning

Welcome to the Big Leagues

This year the M32 celebrates its 10th birthday. Swedish Olympic bronze medalist Göran Marström and Kåre Ljung designed the M32 in 2011 as the latest addition to an already impressive portfolio that includes the Tornado, M5 A-Class, M20 catamaran and the Extreme 40. Two years later, sailor and businessman Håkan Svensson acquired the design and production rights for Aston Harald AB, a company already intimately connected with the cutting-edge racing scene, having sponsored the Green Dragon and Puma Volvo Ocean Race teams. That same year, regattas in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland comprised the first M32 Scandinavian Series. Since then, the class has continued to grow. Today there are two main fleets, one on each side of the Atlantic, and the teams do a lot of traveling within their respective regions.…

Welcome to the Big Leagues

It’s a Multi World

It’s a given that boatbuilding these days is a global industry, with sailboats going down the ways everywhere from the icy waters of Scandinavia to the South China sea. This includes the manufacture of multihulls—no surprise given their birthplace in the farflung islands of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. What follows is a brief survey of some of the multihull world’s leading brands, as well as where they are located and what their production facilities are like. SEAWIND AND CORSAIR MARINE INTERNATIONAL Seawind and Corsair Marine, which joined forces in 2010, offer a case study in flexible boatbuilding, if for no other reason than the company’s widely varied range of products—which include both the Seawind line of performance bluewater cruising cats (seawindcats.com) and the Corsair line of high-performance and performance-cruising folding…

It’s a Multi World

The Multihull Electric

Witnessing the proliferation of Tesla automobiles you would have no doubt that the revolution in electromobility is well under way. Turn your gaze to the cruising world, though, and you might well wonder what went wrong. Where are all the electric boats? And as for electric multihulls… Well, as ever in the world of sailing, the electric revolution is taking a little bit longer to filter down. “We are so far behind Europe in this technology,” says Sally Reuther of Annapolis Hybrid Marine. “But we’ve seen a change in [recent] months. At boat shows, people come up to us with questions, and they’ve already done their research.” Indeed, there are a growing crop of system suppliers, among whom the best known for leisure sailors are Torqeedo, Oceanvolt, Bell Marine and Elco. Volvo…

The Multihull Electric

Sticking with its proven design formula, but also cherry-picking popular features from its recent models, Leopard Catamarans has launched a “best of” package with this new boat that sold nearly 30 units before hull #1 even touched water. Like a greatest hits album, the Leopard 42 combines the best of its 40ft and 50ft sailing siblings, even grabbing some of the interior styling from the Leopard 53 powercat. The result has been rolling off the production line in unprecedented numbers. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Naval architects Simonis Voogd and South African builder Robertson and Caine created a boat that cruising couples as well as full charter groups will love. The construction consists of a foam-cored vacuum infusion topped by a one-piece cabinhouse—a departure from the three-section tops on the boat’s predecessors. The sailplan…

Groupe Beneteau, builder of Lagoon Catamarans, debuted its new Excess multihull line called at the Dusseldorf boat show in Germany in 2018. At the time they held a press conference where I may have been a bit of a pain as I asked what I thought were appropriate questions about the target market and what the difference was between these new boats and Lagoon. In fact, the first two models launched were based on a pair of existing Lagoon designs: the Excess (or XCS) 12 and 15 representing sportier versions of the Lagoon 40 and 50 respectively. I confess I had my doubts—but then I sailed them. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Construction of the Excess line is a vacuum-infusion with balsa coring in the deck and hulls above the waterline. Built in three…

Happy Cat Hurricane

I’m not sure what I expected from my daysail on the Happy Cat Hurricane. One thing I do know is that the day didn’t go as planned. The SAIL staff was invited by Alex Caslow from Redbeard Sailing to Gunpowder State Park on Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore. We were to test several models of inflatable catamarans, so I figured I’d get wet, maybe even go for a swim. I also figured the experience would be resonant of the various resort craft I’ve sailed in the past: slow, timid and possibly uncomfortable. I was wrong on all counts. The 16ft Hurricane is the flagship of the Happy Cat line built by Grabner of Austria. She’s the Cadillac of the three-boat series, and as I checked her out on the beach, it became…

Happy Cat Hurricane

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