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Jeanneau 51 Sogno di Mare

Aktio – Preveza 2022 15.38m 6 3

Oceanis 51.1 - 5 + 1 cab. Tsuki

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 15.94m 12 3

Lagoon 52 - 5 cab. Kepi

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2014 15.84m 12 5 5,00

Hanse 508 - 5 cab. Phaedra

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 15.55m 10 4

Oceanis 46.1 Okiroi

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 14.6m 10 3

Sun Odyssey 490 - 5 + 1 cab. Aqua Fun

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 14.42m 11 3

Dufour 460 GL Nearchos

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2019 14.15m 10 4

Hanse 458 Melusine

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 14.04m 10 2

Lagoon 46 OW - 3 + 2 cab. Free Bird II

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2022 13.99m 8 3

Lagoon 450 F - 4 + 2 cab. Lalouche

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2019 13.96m 10 4

Lagoon 450 F - 4 + 2 cab. SoulMate

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2018 13.96m 10 4

Lagoon 42 - 4 + 2 cab. Niki

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2020 12.8m 11 4

Lagoon 42 - 4 + 2 cab. Chamotte

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2017 12.8m 11 4

Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 - 4 + 2 cab. Princess Kiara

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2019 12.58m 12 4

Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 - 4 + 2 cab. Wild Baleine

Hanse 418 - 3 cab. heNA

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2021 12.4m 8 2

Bavaria Cruiser 41 - 3 cab. Calamari

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2015 12.35m 7 2

Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 - 4 cab. Joy

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2022 11.93m 10 4

Lagoon 55 Adel

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2023 16.56m 11 4

Lagoon 560 Daddy’s Hobby

Lavrion - Olympic Marine 2014 17.07m 8 4

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Hanse 418 heNA

Bavaria Cruiser 41 Calamari

Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 Joy

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Multihull anchoring and mooring buoys

• Will Bruton
• July 24, 2018

Handling a catamaran in manoeuvres can sometimes be 
easier than with a monohull, but there are a few surprising differences. Paul Hayes showed Will Bruton how to do it

Modern catamarans have improved performance and make comfortable cruisers. Credit: Andrew Sydenham

While the divide between multihull and monohull is still very much in evidence, what isn’t in dispute is just how close to the on-shore action a catamaran can get you.

They also offer unparalleled amounts of space and comfort on board, and new catamarans have surprisingly impressive performance.

While they remain immensely popular for a yacht charter holiday abroad, multihulls are also becoming a viable option for cruising in the UK.

With a catamaran, you’ll be able to get much close in, ready for a short swim ashore. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Mainly due to their shape and size, catamarans behave differently at anchor and on a mooring buoy. The secret is to play to the boat’s strengths rather than treating her like a monohull.

The high topsides dictate that reaching over the side to pick up a buoy is less of an option but the immense beam, with a separate engine in each hull, gives the ability to turn the boat without needing forward motion through the water.

With a few simple techniques, you’ll find a catamaran is just as easy, if not easier to anchor and pick up a mooring, with far more options to choose from.

Into shallow water

Being able to creep into shallow water is a gamechanger, but before going right up to the beach, make a plan. Check your chart as you would normally, determining in your head as to how far you are going in and what limits you are setting yourself.

If your multihull has daggerboards, make retracting them early part of your routine so that you are not worrying about it at the last minute, or worse.

Swinging around

High sided, lightweight and with little resistance in the water, a catamaran will swing around completely differently to a monohull, both at anchor and on a mooring buoy.

A performance catamaran moored between two heavy set cruising monohulls is less than ideal.

If the wind is blowing in a consistent direction and at a consistent speed when you arrive, meaning every boat in the anchorage is pointing in the same direction, this can also lead to a feeling that it will stay this way.

Continues below…

Confident catamaran handling: how to master multihulls

Gavin Le Sueur shows Yachting Monthly how to step on board a catamaran for the first time with confidence

How to plan the perfect charter holiday

Whether you own your own boat or not, chartering offers the opportunity to sail somewhere different without complication. Will Bruton…

Get ready for your yacht charter holiday

Getting to grips with a few skills and checking your boat carefully will give you a more enjoyable yacht charter…

A slight change in wind direction will affect the catamaran almost instantly. So, if in doubt, leave a bit more room between you and those on either side of you.

One major advantage of mooring in close is that less chain means less swinging room.

When you are anchored, the catamaran will pivot from a bridle rigged between the two hulls, which also acts as a snubber. When moored, two lines, one from each hull to the buoy, ensures even distribution of load, a smooth swing on the buoy and an extra degree of security.

Multihull skills: Picking up a mooring

For the purposes of this article, we will focus on a technique that works well when you are shorthanded.

It might seem counterintuitive to reverse towards a mooring when you want to beat the front of the boat but done correctly, this is by far the easiest technique.

In a high-sided catamaran, the stern bathing platform is likely to be the only place from which it is easy to reach the pickup line in the water.

Walk the long line to the bow once you’ve picked up the mooring. Credit: Andrew Sydenham

First, set up a long line from one hull’s forward cleat, getting your crewmember to pay out the line out as they walk aft. Reverse towards the buoy but remain downwind of it, aiming to put the pickup line just off the aft quarter of the hull closest to the helm station.

The crew should easily be able to pass the line through the eye on the buoy.

The helm can make small adjustments on the engines to keep the boat close to the buoy while the crew walks forward and takes in on the mooring line. Once the buoy is close to, secure the line.

For short stays, there’s no need to add a second line but if you’re staying for any length of time, a line from the other bow will need to be rove through the buoy to square the boat up.

Anchoring a multihull

As with anchoring a monohull, positive communication with hand signals between crew and helm from start to finish of the process will make things a lot easier.

On most catamarans, the anchor falls from the centre of the boat while being paid out and not from the bow, meaning that, even with a raised helm position, it can still be hard for the helm to see where the chain is going.

Before dropping the anchor, have a look into the anchor locker and check none of the anchor bridle is going to get caught as you drop. This will mean holding it clear as you lay the chain out.

Pay out the chain but hold the bridle clear. Credit: Andrew Sydenham

If anchoring in very shallow water, bear in mind that the bridle will add another 5m or more of scope at the end.

Once you have set the anchor and checked that it is well dug in by applying a little throttle astern, it’s time to rig the bridle. The bridle brings the pivot point forward between the two hulls, as well as spreading the load and reducing the snatching on the anchor.

Hook the bridle to the chain, then let out at least 5m of chain. Credit: Andrew Sydenham

Take the bridle out of its stowage position and secure the shackle or hook through a link in the chain. Then, let out chain while feeding out the bridle with your other hand.

The bridle will take the strain and end up a few metres forward of the bow, while the chain hangs down in a loop.

Top tips from Gavin Lesueur, author of Multihull Sailing

• When anchoring with a bridle, always let a good loop of chain fall below where your bridle takes the strain. This ‘lazy loop’ acts as a catenary, hanging into the water, taking the wind and wave shock out of the anchor line.
• Always carry a kedge anchor. As with a monohull, a strong lightweight kedge anchor can be invaluable to help pull you off an obstacle if you do run aground. It can also be used to reduce the swing range in a tight anchorage.
•  Multihulls with ‘prodders’ (bowsprits for a spinnaker) require extra care when rigging a bridle. Practise setting up the bridle before you need to use it in a tight anchorage, as the arms sometimes need to be longer than usual
• Bridle length. Your bridle should always be at least the width of the beam of your multihull. Keep in mind that a bridle is also a universal way of centralising load – for example, it can also be used for a drogue at the stern of the yacht in foul weather.

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12 of the coolest multihull superyachts

The market for multi-hull superyachts has skyrocketed in recent years as owners begin to favour the high volumes and superlative stability on offer. Once the novelty of a small group of owners, a recent slew of multi-hull concepts and the success of shipyards such as Sunreef has confirmed that two and three-hulled superyachts are well and truly on the up. We remember some of the most ground-breaking multi-hull launches...

White Rabbit

One of the coolest launches of 2018, the 84 metre White Rabbit is the largest trimaran in the world. She was built in fibreglass by Australian Yard Echo Yachts with exterior design by Sam Sorgiovanni and naval architecture by One2Three. White Rabbit was delivered to an experienced owner who owns a number of other multihull superyachts, including a 51 metre shadow catamaran, also built by Echo Yachts, which will be used as a support vessel; for the 84 metre trimaran.

More about this yacht

Inspired by Game of Thrones, the 66 metre shadow catamaran Hodor is a support vessel used to carry all the toys and tenders for her mothership. The vessel is fully custom and was designed by Incat Crowther. Hodor boasts five tenders, including a 17 metre chase boat and a 388 Skater powerboat with a top speed of 165 knots. Other toys include nine Jet Skis, two Yamaha ATCs, four Yamaha TW200 trail motorcycles and a three-person submarine.

A true icon,  Adastra was launched in 2012 by Australian yard McConaghy Yachts . With a length of 42.5 metres and a sleek Kevlar and GRP exterior, this space-age design is every bit as out-of-this-world as its name suggests. Made for exploring, an impressive 10,000 nautical mile range means she can cross the Atlantic twice before needing to refuel. A shallow draft of 1.2 metres allows her to access hard to reach anchorages and shallow bays too.

In 2011,  Hemisphere was launched as world’s largest sailing catamaran with an LOA of 44.2 metres - and she remains so to this day. Built for American owners who had previously chartered a catamaran in the Caribbean, this British yacht was a bespoke project by Pendennis . Fully kitted out for diving, Hemisphere ’s port hull contains a dive centre capable of refilling both air and Nitrox tanks.

Yachts for charter

Royal falcon one.

The 41.4 metre Royal Falcon One is a quirky catamaran launched in 2019. She was designed by Singapore-based Royal Falcon Fleet in collaboration with F.A Porsche Design Studio and built in Sweden by Kockums. Accommodation is for up to 10 guests in five spacious cabins, including a full beam master suite with its own private deck space. Crew are housed in the two hulls.

Yachts for sale

Pilar rossi.

Formula One racing legend Nelson Piquet’s yacht Pilar Rossi was built in Turkey as a modest 33 metre Alucraft motor yacht. But his uncle, a Brazilian naval architect, helped Piquet convert her into a 64 metre sailing trimaran by adding outriggers and two masts. The reborn trimaran can accommodate up to 18 guests.

Launched in 2004, this Chinese catamaran from Pride Mega Yachts may look like a vision of the future, but the inspiration for Asean Lady is actually ancient. The twin hulled 88.15 metre yacht is based on the proa design that has been used for more than 2,000 years to build fishing boats in the Pacific region. Her stability was put to the test in December 2004 when she survived the Indian Ocean tsunami while moored off Phuket.

Flexibility is the key word that informed the design of the 33.7 metre  Quaranta . Launched at Turkish yard Logos Marine in 2013, this catamaran superyacht features the kind of interior volume more commonly associated with a 40 metre yacht. All six guest suites are located on the main deck and the absence of structural bulkheads means that they can easily be reconfigured. This innovative system helped Quaranta to win the catamaran award at the 2014 World Superyacht Awards .

Popular among commercial buyers, SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) designs are becoming increasingly sought-after by private clients due to their internal space and sea keeping abilities. The most prominent example of this is the Abeking & Rasmussen designed Nurja (formerly Silver Cloud ) , a 40.54 metre SWATH that was launched in 2008. The torpedo-shaped submerged hulls contain the engines and as a result the vibration levels on board are significantly reduced.

This 27.43 metre catamaran was first launched in 2004 as a fishing vessel, before being refitted in 2015 by Ocean Voyager and relaunched under the name Rogue . Sold in June 2018 she was renamed Basilisk . Ideal for long cruises, she boasts a maximum range of 7,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, while the eight-tonne deck crane means that all manner of superyacht water toys can be stored aboard.

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Multihull Central - Luxury Boat, Yacht & Catamaran Brokerage

Welcome to Multihull Central, worldwide yacht brokers specialising in selling luxury cruise catamarans. We have offices across Australia and New Zealand and are one of the South Pacific's leading yacht dealers with an expert team with more than 100 years of collective experience.

Search our luxury catamarans for sale, or book a luxury charter with Charter Boat Central, either way, you will be choosing one of the best yacht brokers there is. We can become your trusted partner to assist you through buying, selling or chartering a luxury multihull. If you are looking for a new boat, then we can help you find the right boat builders, designers and purchasing procedures to make it as easy as possible.

Our yacht brokerage packages are second to none, and you will soon realise why we have such a great reputation that reaches far and wide. Our contacts database exceeds 25,000 with over 1,500 multihull owners whom we have helped. Don’t just take their word for it, get in touch to find out why.

Why Choose Multihull Central?

Over 100 Years Combined Experience | Trusted Worldwide | Huge Database | 3 Offices | Fantastic Selling Times | Specialists in Multihulls & Catamarans

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Featured Preowned Multihulls

We have a great selection of pre-owned catamarans and multihulls for sale in all different classes and budgets, so please take a look. Our relationships with yacht owners across the South Pacific are such that many of our yachts are not publicly listed for sale. Let us guide you safely through the yacht purchasing process as your trusted brokers.

VIEW USED BOATS

Once you have returned from cruising and are ready to upgrade or cash in your beloved boat, Multihull Central is again here with you all the way to help ensure you get the best value for your boat and sell in the best time. Display your boat at one of our Cruising Centres in Sydney Harbour, Manly Boat Harbour Brisbane, or Opua New Zealand and take advantage of the depth of experience and knowledge of our expert team of Yacht Brokers.

When it comes to buying your first catamaran or trimaran, Multihull Central is your partner from day one...from helping you select the best boat designed for your ambitions, guiding you through the purchasing or build process, or helping take delivery at one of our Cruising C entres  in Australia, New Zealand, or factory delivery. We proudly represent brands such as Seawind, Outremer, Longreach and Corsair that share our passion for performance plus a large selection of high quality used boats.

BROWSE OUR BOATS

Our goal is to help you transition to the cruising lifestyle with confidence, know how and without mishap. To help you fully prepare, we have partnered with sailing schools who have adapted their internationally recognised syllabise onto our cruising catamarans, so you learn on the boats you will cruise on. A 5 day live aboard course with an expert skipper will help you skill up. Or, subscribe to our YouTube channel for boat Tips, Tours and Triumphs from our customers and start learning today.

Unlike any other distributor in Australia, we offer a selection of charter boat experiences from our headquarters in Sydney to experience some of our boats first hand. Try an overnight experience on Sydney Harbour, a bareboat holiday on Pittwater or sign up for our exclusive 'Cruz Club' membership program and use one of our club boats before you cruise away on your own boat. We also work closely with all charter companies in Australia including the Whitsundays.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Turbo multihulls: a new generation of performance cruiser

• Sam Fortescue
• May 12, 2022

A new breed of luxury fast multihulls are seducing wealthy sailors with a need for speed, Sam Fortescue reports on the rise and rise of this latest breed

“People sail for fun, and no one has yet convinced me that it’s more fun to go slow than it is to go fast,” said visionary multihull designer Dick Newick in the last century. “We all want high performance with comfort and low cost. Since the three cannot be combined in one vessel, priorities must be established and compromises made.”

Now, Newick may belong to another generation, but his observation is as true today as it has ever been. This time round, though, buyers have the money to park the cost issue. A new cohort of boatbuilders like Gunboat, HH and Kinetic are mining a rich (if narrow) seam of demand for high-end cats that go like rocketships and offer genuine comfort, if not outright luxury.

Gunboat is the trailblazer here. Launched in 2002, the now iconic brand weathered stormy waters before being taken over and moved to France by the Grand Large Yachting group (which also includes Outremer).

Its range has now stabilised at 68ft, 72ft and 80ft – much larger than it typically built in the past. But it has reached the size limit for this business model, according to managing partner Benoit Lebizay. “Beyond 80ft, you go into full custom,” he says.

HH Catamarans emerged 10 years later, building boats from 44ft to 88ft in Xiamen, China, with the same contractor that once used to build Gunboats. And Kinetic is more recent still, with construction in South Africa and design by the renowned Simonis Voogd.

Kinetic’s KC62 is built for speed, yet with ease and real comfort. Photo: Dale Staples

“When we started, we had to make a real threshold decision,” says Kinetic founder Bob Hayward. “Are we trying to make this a hull-flying lightship that’s a bit of a spartan cruiser, or are we really a fast performance cruiser that you race?”

Research among Gunboat skippers convinced him of the latter, because the market was commissioning boats with lots of bells and whistles. “Once you start putting the creature comforts on board, they come out heavier than the lightship aspiration,” he adds.

Kinetic has launched one 54-footer and a 62, with three more boats in the pipeline for delivery this year. “I definitely think this is a growing market, but not a mass market,” Hayward adds. “The more these boats get out there, and people see how accessible they can be, I think they’ll grow even further.” You only have to be overhauled once by a fast cat to understand the appeal.

Lebizay at Gunboat takes a similar view. “We remain niche players,” he says. “I’m not talking about building 20 boats per year – five or six is about as much as we can do. But the more we splash boats, the more we create momentum in the more experienced part of the fleet.”

Olivier Racoupeau has drawn more than his fair share of two-hulled boats over the years, but he says the market is changing. “We see a significant improvement in the number of requests for performance cats,” he tells me.

The Gunboat 68 is appealing and fast yet supremely comfortable. Photo: Michel Dupre

“In the past, they were looking for the volume and the lifestyle – more like performance cruisers. Now we see people coming to us to have much more fun sailing. They want to have daggerboards to improve the performance and are happy to keep the volume and the length of the hull reasonable.”

All about the kilos

Like every catamaran in this performance category, Gunboats are built in a high-quality carbon layup to maximise strength and stiffness while minimising weight. That means vacuum infusing prepreg materials for a precise and even distribution of the epoxy resin throughout the structure of the hull.

Looking into a little HH66 luxury. Photo: Billy Black

“We take technology from the racing end of sailing and from aircraft,” says Lebizay. “The furniture on board is in Nomex with veneer on top – the same design as the builder of the Falcon planes. It’s like a 5-star hotel room, but a fraction of the weight.”

The result is boats that will exceed wind speed in light airs and top out at 25 or 30-plus knots. If your yacht can manage 6 knots in a five-knot zephyr, it’s going to keep you sailing some 80% of the time, and long before a production cat has even removed the sail cover.

It’s a principle starkly illustrated by the all-carbon speed machine that is the Ice Cat 67. “In 5 knots of wind you can do 7 knots with the Code 0,” says Ice Yachts founder Marco Malgara with audible satisfaction. “And in 20 knots you can do 15-16 knots. It’s an amazing feeling.”

There are two 67s in the water and a new 72 is in build. Like most of these performance cats, Ice’s boats use lifting daggerboards to provide lateral stability and better windward ability – the 67 can manage 35° true wind angle. It takes the draught from a go-anywhere 95cm down to a hardcore 3m.

Ice Yachts has form with its 67, but this new 72 in build is a much bolder, more contemporary and powerful design with a stunning interior

“It’s a fully automated system and you have a joystick so you can control it wherever you are,” says Malgara.

Kinetic cats have Antal line drivers to hoist and lower centreplates, which pivot aft into the hulls. There’s also an option for faster daggerboards and even curved C-boards. Just like the furling boom and self-tacking jib, the key to this system is simplicity for short-handed sailing .

It’s true of the HH cats, too, with their captive winches, hydraulics and smart deck planning. “I can be off the mooring, sails up and doing 20 knots within four minutes,” says highly experienced HH commissioning manager Chris Bailet of the HH66 .

Although you won’t necessarily find it in the handbook, some of these boats allow you to fly a hull for a real buzz if you feel so inclined. “I love the challenge of keeping the boat with the windward hull flying,” says serial boat-owner Irvine Laidlaw of his Gunboat 68 , Highland Fling 17 .

Beating Comanche? Tosca’s owner enjoying a bucket list moment at the Transatlantic start. Photo: PKC Media/Tosca

It’s a feature that veteran ocean racer Alex Thomson was more reluctant to employ during his recent RORC Transatlantic Race on the Gunboat 68 Tosca . They aimed for a heel angle of 10-13°, no more, and used the UpsideUp warning system to see when they had to ease the sheets.

“Occasionally there was air under the hull, but that wasn’t the objective for us,” says Thomson.

HH catamarans are also equipped with UpsideUp, and it’s one of the first systems that owners are taught to use. “We can have the mainsheets on a release based on the angle of heel, pitch and cap shroud loads,” says Bailet. “Anything on a hydraulic, like the mainsheet, or captive reels like a staysail, can ease. The lines on the winches are not eased on the system, however. You’ve got to have at least a little bit of awareness.”

More than the speed

Of all these brands, Kinetic is probably the closest to the cruising end of the spectrum. Its cats have a coachroof-stepped mast, for instance. “That requires extra infrastructure and with it some weight, but it buys us a bigger salon and a forward cockpit that doubles as a leisure zone,” says Hayward. “We did things like the drop-down swim platform – that costs us 80kg in weight.”

Technology can mitigate to some extent. So, the large 360° windows on the KC62 are glazed with chemically-strengthened glass. This provides better protection than standard glass, but measures 10mm thickness instead of 16mm. “That saves us around 200kg,” adds Hayward.

Comfortable double cabins with plenty of clothes stowage and en-suite shower rooms are standard features on all these boats, as are saloons lined with lavish upholstery and peppered with designer tables and stools for comfy lounging. In terms of the finish, expect lots of bare hull with a smattering of fine veneer cabinetry, plenty of glass and the latest appliances.

HH88 in build has an enclosed flybridge. HH is in talks with another client about a custom 115

Where the boats differ is in the details. The Kinetic 54 has helm stations on each quarter, and another one inside, plus a cosy forward cockpit with access from the saloon. “Once you’ve had a forward cockpit, you’ll never go back,” enthuses KC54 owner Randy Smith. “We’re constantly walking through it for mooring and anchoring, and it lets the wind blow through more than any porthole could.”

The Ice Cat 72 is big enough to have dedicated crew quarters with its own access, and you can decide whether you want a well-specced galley in the saloon, or down in a hull. It can be totally customised, but the feel is everything you’d associate with luxury Italian design.

“We aim to unhinge the traditional concept that associates the boat with a sea lifestyle,” comments design partner Lucio Micheletti.

Gunboat 68 shows its performance credentials. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

With its internal helm station, the Gunboat 68 frees up a lot of aft real estate for sophisticated lounging. There’s space for up to six cabins, including a big master, and a forward cockpit. The 80 offers more of everything, while the new 72V is something of a gamble for the brand – a fast boat which has a flybridge. It’s streamlined compared to production cats, but there’s room enough up top for a bank of flexible sofa/sunbeds, a low table and a flybridge helm station.

Flexible platform

Meanwhile, HH prefers twin bulkhead helming positions on its standard HH66 layout, although its customisation programme runs to other options. The fifth hull in the series has MOD70 -style steering from a bucket seat out on the starboard quarter, with a wheel in the saloon for protected helming. Either way, there’s a forward working cockpit for handling lines.

The hull flying HH66 number four Nemo showing these cats can be wild, racing at the Caribbean Multihull Challenge. Photo: Edward Penagos/Sint Maarten YC

With low volumes and high prices, serious customisation is the name of the game. Fastidious attention to boat weight means that clients’ choices can be fully costed out in terms of speed. “Each yacht is unique and offers the ability to shift the pendulum toward comfort or performance,” says Seth Hynes, president at HH. “The larger you go, the more you can achieve both.”

To illustrate the point, there is an HH60 currently being built with hydraulic J-boards and a rotating carbon mast. In a neighbouring bay is the first HH88 , which will have an enclosed flybridge with a hot-tub that can be drained into a tank positioned low down in the boat.

The new KC54. Photo: Tyrone Bradley

Meanwhile, Gunboat is embarking on the build of a fully pre-preg 80 for Irvine Laidlaw, pushing performance even further. “The 68 is an excellent boat, but it is not a full-on racer,” says Laidlow. “Cruisers do not understand the massive difference between a racer and cruiser, with tremendous emphasis on weight and performance. I have zero interest in dishwashers, hydraulic bathing platforms and flat screen TVs.”

It’s a tricky balance to walk for Gunboat, which does not see itself as a pure racing brand. But it is proving a useful challenge. “The more sophisticated the client, the more demanding they are, pushing us into exploring new avenues,” says Lebizay.

Gunboat and Kinetic favour forward cockpit for views and ventilation.

“On 80-1, the brief is to be able to lift the centreboards at 20 knots boat speed. They have at least 5m in the water, and the side force is in tens of tonnes. It tells you what kind of system we need to develop.”

Who is buying these boats?

If technology is one of the drivers behind the performance cat scene, so is money – lots of it. A Gunboat 80 or an HH88 will set you back north of $10m, so it is not a proposition for your average yachtie looking for a bit more of a thrill.

Buyers are often seasoned racers, according to Lebizay at Gunboat. “Most of these guys have had maxi programmes or other racing programmes. One of our owners was the owner of a SailGP team; another one has a GC32 team and another, a Volvo 70 programme.”

They’re looking for the benefits of the boats’ comfort without sacrificing much speed. Irvine Laidlaw, now 79 years old, sums up his move from monohulls succinctly: “I felt that, getting older, that moving around in a large racing monohull was getting too difficult. I helm but like to take 10 minutes off in every hour to keep me fresh.”

The first of the new HH60s is for a colourful Frenchman

Then there are owners like Randy Smith, who experienced the frustration of production catamarans, while loving the comfort. “In less than 10 knots of wind, or closer than 70°, we couldn’t sail. We had a big, comfortable cruising boat, but it was no good for sailing. That’s what started this search. We wanted centreboards and better sail area, but we didn’t care if it was made out of carbon.”

Buyers of the sub-60ft catamarans generally want the privacy that an owner-operator setup can provide. “These are guys that have the money to do bigger boats, but they don’t want anyone else on board,” says Bailet at HH. They range from sports stars to successful business leaders, but they all have something in common, he says: “There’s no compromise. They’re not going to get a slow boat. Most of those guys [opt for] a forward cockpit, with the wind in your hair like driving a Nacra 18, having a rip.”

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Multihull World has been serving the multihull sailor since 1998, specialising in the sales of new and second hand catamarans and trimarans.

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