Talk of the Dock

Multihull Evolution:

What’s happening in the world of two and three hulls?

SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM IN CATS AND TRIS.

No marine segment is growing faster than boats with more than one hull. Over the past 10 years, catamarans and trimarans have come into their own, and with these new designs have come radical ideas.

CATS ARE CHANGING SHAPE

Catamarans are growing both in length and beam. Just look at the evolution of production cats from Lagoon, Leopard, and Fountaine Pajot. Some of these newfangled kitties have even grown flybridge decks where guests love to gather for happy hour with a view.

Interestingly, even as some cats have grown taller, others from Catana, Nautitech and the Excess line which is built by Lagoon, have opted for sleeker sedan profiles that reduce windage and increase performance. With this shapeshifting has come a change in helm station location. All three of the above have opted to put the wheels back out on the hulls where they started years ago. These models are often easier and more fun to drive since they don’t need hydraulic steering that dampens the feel at the wheel, as it does when you’re steering from the flybridge. and forward cockpits. Leopard Catamarans pioneered the forward cockpit where people gather for happy hour or read a book at anchor. Bali has taken this concept one step farther with a hard deck that holds massive sunpads, settees, and tables. Solid decks make a dent in upwind sailing performance, but they multiply the usable square footage aboard.

Nobody’s roughing it on today’s multihulls as luxury becomes the focal point. Interiors have evolved from the white-surface plastic aesthetic to fine wood and leather finishes, indirect lighting, and mind-bending amenities. Exteriors include outdoor galleys and vast sunbeds with shade cabanas, cup holders, and popup lights.

HIGH-END CATS ARE ON FIRE

Seven-figure price tags haven’t impeded the growth of upscale cats. HH Catamarans launched their first HH55 just a few years ago, and now this luxury line from Xiamen, China, includes a half dozen models designed by Morrelli & Melvin of America’s Cup fame. McConaghy and Outremer are other brands that are also chasing a discerning clientele, as is Polish builder, Sunreef, which creates behemoth cats bound for crewed charter.

Sailing cats have paved the way for their stickless brethren. Increasingly, the power yacht market is turning to multiple hulls for more space and stability. Without a heavy keel to drag through the water, powercats are fast and fuel-efficient, which means more these days than ever before. Leopard now has three cruising powercats 40-53 feet, and you can charter one with The Moorings to try before you buy.

Fountaine Pajot offers four powercat designs over 40 feet, and Aquila has models from 28 to 70 feet. Their 28- and 36-footers even have outboard power, so these fast planing boats have more space inside since the engines now hang off the transom rather than take up space inside the hull. Compact cats from Aspen and Worldcat are great for cruising and fishing, and sailing trimaran builder NEEL has reversed their logo and is building large bluewater powertris under the LEEN brand.

THREE HULLS ARE ALL THE RAGE

When two hulls aren’t enough, try three. You can fly a hull with day sailing speedsters from Dragonfly and Corsair, or you can go world cruising in comfort with LEEN’s posh models. Tris used to get a bad wrap as being less spacious than cats, but the NEEL/ LEEN line (43-65 feet) has changed that with a voluminous main hull and two amas that hold everything from fuel to stowage space. For an upmarket carbon cruiser, check out Rapido 60, designed by Morrelli & Melvin, or its smaller siblings, the Rapido 40 and 50, which have folding amas so they can fit into traditionally sized slips.

One tri that’s still in the concept stage is the Van Geest and Rob Doyle-designed Domus. This 130-foot, 750-ton, futuristic sailing tri has 8,400 square feet of living space, and its James Bond styling will make your mouth drop. Let’s hope it becomes a reality.

CRUISING EVOLVES

Some people believe that monohulls are just half (or third) of a boat. Whether you buy that or not doesn’t matter, because the numbers speak for themselves. Multihulls are growing in both size and acceptance, and they’re evolving to do even more and go farther. If you’re ready to cruise on more than one hull, there’s much to choose from.