AMERICA’S PREMIER MULTIHULL MAGAZINE
MULTIHULLS TODAY NEW SAILS FOR YOUR MULTIHULL THE ATLANTIC COAST CONVEYOR SAIL DRIVES OR STRAIGHT SHAFTS?
WINTER 2021
NEW BOATS
2021 MULTIHULLS ON DISPLAY
MULTIHULLS TODAY Winter 2021
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
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ON THE LEVEL
Chartering in the Caribbean,
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SAILING SMART
The Atlantic Coast Conveyor
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TECH TALK
Sail Drives or Straight Shafts? Which is
Gunboat 80
Best for Me?
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MULTIHULL ENTHUSIAST
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MODERN MULTIHULLS
New Sails for Your Multihull
2021 Multihulls on Display
Cover shot: The new Leopard 42 makes a great privately owned boat as well as for charter
2 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
Discover the new Fountaine Pajot virtual marina
Letter from the Publisher
Multihulls Rule the Waves
MULTIHULLS TODAY
AS WE WERE PUTTING TOGETHER OUR ANNUAL, VIRTUAL boat show in this issue, we were stunned once again to see just how many multihull builders there are around the world and how many of them are introducing new and innovative designs year after year. Compared to the monohull market, multihulls are riding one of the biggest cruising boat waves we’ve seen in many years. From the boutique boat builders of South Africa to the huge production builders in France and South Africa we see an amazing diversity of boat styles Editor and Publisher George Day and designs to suit a wide range of sailing and cruising needs. While most of the multihulls being built are Ph: 401-847-7612 catamarans, we are also seeing a surge in trimaran Fax: 401-845-8580 activity. Corsair continues to build spritely smaller tris george@bwsailing.com for the racer/cruisers among us, Dragonfly in Denmark recently launched a 40-foot tri that is truly a blue water Contributing Editors Bill Biewenga cruiser, and NEEL in France has revolutionized trimaran Rebecca Childress design by placing the living accommodations on top John Neal of the hulls instead of inside them. Amanda Swan-Neal The cruising cat fleet breaks into two distinct groups, the heavier displacement designs with skeg keels and moderate rigs and the light displacement designs with Sandy Parks daggerboards, huge rigs and even kick-up rudders. Art Director Ph: 401-847-7612 Among the displacement boat builders the trend Fax: 401-845-8580 toward performance is apparent as the designers find sandy@bwsailing.com ways to trim weight from hulls and decks and use features like hard chines above the waterline to allow the Tom Casey boats to have narrower hulls in the water and more Advertising Sales & tomcat911@comcast. volume for accommodations above it. Both features Marketing Consultant net improve boat speed to the point that production cats for the private and charter market are often now Ad Director Scott Akerman capable of sailing at speeds in the mid-teens that were unthinkable five or10 years ago. Ph: 207-939-5802 Among the lighter weight, daggerboard boat buildscott@bwsailing.com ers, we are seeing a trend for them to pull back from the hairy edge of flying hulls and outsized rigs that often require at least one professional crew onboard to simply manage the beasts. Several new designs with daggerboards are built for cruising couples who may be quite experienced sailors and don’t want a pro on board. There is still a place in the market for ultra-highMT-Multihulls Today is published by Blue performance cats, but it is a very rarified niche. Water Sailing LLC in February, May, August So as trimarans continue to expand their market and November. Copyrighted 2020. All rights reserved. share with boats that appeal to live-aboard cruisers, the cat market is moving toward a kind of consensus Reprinting, photocopying and excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of of what makes sense for most cat cruisers in that delithe publisher. cate balance between raw sailing performance and the safety and comfort that cruisers need. Blue Water Sailing ISSN: 1091-1979 It’s all good and why we think multihulls will rule the waves for many years to come.
4 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, winter
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The Caribbean is Opening for Charters and Cruising
AS OF THE END OF FEBRUARY 2021, most of the Caribbean islands have opened for cruisers and chartering. The exceptions are the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique as well as Trinidad and Tobago. All of the islands are following similar travel protocols that require logging into a tourism department website a few days prior to traveling, having current PCR negative test certificates and then further testing and limited quarantining once you arrive at your destination. The respected journal Travel Weekly recently published an island-by-island update. As an example, here is what TW
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reports for the British Virgin Island, where Multihulls Today readers often travel for charter vacations: • British Virgin Islands: Open to U.S. travelers. Travelers are required to register on the online BVI Gateway portal at bvigateway.bviaa.com at least 48 hours prior to departure to obtain the Traveller Authorization Certificate and submit proof of a negative PCR test taken
Time to Replace Your Multihull Trampoline?
within three days of departure and medical insurance that includes coverage for Covid-19. At the Welcome Center at the Terrance Lettsome airport, visitors will have a health screening, take a PCR test and download a contact tracing app. Approved transportation will shuttle visitors to certified accommodations, where they will quarantine for four days, take another PCR test and, if negative, be allowed to visit designated locations. Visitors will pay $175 per person for two PCR tests, a contacttracing bracelet and the Covid monitoring app. If visitors need a test to exit the BVI, the government will charge $70 per test. More information: bvitourism.com.
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For the complete Travel Weekly report, click here. https://www.travelweekly.com/ Caribbean-Travel/Caribbean-readiesfor-a-wave-of-reopenings The charter companies have bases throughout the Caribbean and have on their websites detailed travel information for those flying to the islands for a charter vacation. Check out The Moorings’ BVI travel information here. https://www.moorings.com/ destinations/caribbean/british-virginislands-yacht-charters/travel-notes The worldwide Covid pandemic isn’t over yet, but day-by-day life is beginning to get back to normal, including a vacation in the Caribbean.
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GUNBOAT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST iconic brands in the world of multihulls. It is now based in La Grande Motte, France, and has started life afresh with an all-new design team and an ultramodern facility and build systems. The results of the rebirth of Gunboat, under the ownership of Grande Large Yachting, is the Gunboat 68 that was
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launched three years ago. The boat has proven to be a pure thoroughbred with amazing sailing performance numbers that are matched by one of the most elegant and luxurious accommodation you will find on any yacht, even super yachts. The design team the GLY pulled together for the 68 was comprised of the firm VPLP,
Cruising Compass The Weekly Journal for Sailors & Cruisers Be part of the sailing and cruising community every week! Sign up for the weekly journal, Cruising Compass.
ABSOLUTELY FREE In every issue, you’ll find sailing and cruising news you can use. Plus you’ll get tips from
experts on cool things to do on your boat, great areas for chartering, sailing schools and more. You’ll find information on sailing, seamanship and useful new gear and technology for your boat. And in every issue you’ll get a chance to win a Blue Water Sailing hat—just answer the Mindbender correctly and your name may be randomly drawn.
Log on to www.cruisingcompass.com and click the subscribe button. (Don’t forget to tell your cruising friends…they’ll want to be part of the Cruising Compass community, too.) Brought to you by the editors of Blue Water Sailing
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designer Patrick Le Quement and Chendal Anglay. Their combined experience and expertise plus the sophisticated boatbuilding knowledge of GLY created something very special.
Multihulls Today had a chance to visit the new factory as hulls two and three were in build. Gunboat veered away from the hands on, traditional method of building composite boats in a mode used by the
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Gunboat where their team assembles them into final elegant creations. Hull number four of the 68 launched in January 2021 so it was time for the team to consider what would be the next step for Gunboat. Certainly, they could go smaller and compete in the 60-foot market where Gunboat started many years ago. But that segment of the market has seen a lot of new players in the lasty five years. Also, Grand Large’s other multihull company, Outremer, is launching a new 55-footer this year and it might not make sense for Gunboat to compete with that.
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So, the decision was taken to go large with an new 80 footer. The team that created the 68 came back together and the process began. The result is a new cat that looks very much in the Gunboat family and will perform at the highest sailing levels. That is part of the Gunboat brand. But the team is making some changes from the basic specs that went into the 68. The rotating mast on the 80 will be moved aft to step on the cabin top instead of in the forward trimming cockpit. This reduces the size of the mainsail for easier, neater furling and reefing. The head sail gets a bit larger but on electric or hydraulic furlers, the sail will be easy to control. It is interesting to note that the 80’s mast will be the same height as the 68’s yet the performance calculations show that it will outperform the 68 by a wide margin. The forward cockpit will be made commodious with the addition of larger seats and a sunbathing platform. The crew spends a lot of time forward so this
18 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
change will be welcome. The inside helm has been a Gunboat feature from the start but over the years many owners or potential owners have asked about twin aft helms in the cockpit. So, the 80 will be offered with the inside helm as standard and the twin aft helms can be added as an option. The cabin top looks very sleek and modern but it is hiding a flybridge lounge at its after end. This is not a working flying bridge but an upper level lounge with cushions and seats that fold out of the cabin top when the boat is at anchor. This is a perfect spot for sunny afternoons and for sundowners in the evening. To make the boat as environmentally friendly as possible, the cabin top can also be fitted with a large array of solar panels to charge the main battery bank. The new Gunboat 80 promises to be an amazing addition to the performance catamaran fleet and will doubtless show her sterns to all challengers. For more information log onto the Gunboat website. https://www.gunboat.com/.
Lagoon 42 - February 2016 - Photo Credit: Nicolas Claris
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New Sails for Your Multihull
multihullenthusiast
Here are your best options for a new mainsail, headsail and downwind sails by Brian Hancock
I KNOW THAT I MIGHT BE STATING THE OBVIOUS
here but while multihulls and monohulls are both boats, they are very different not only in the number of hulls, but in so many other ways including the way that their sails are designed and engineered. There are two big contributing factors; rig configuration and the fact that multihulls are considerably more stable than monohulls meaning that the loads placed on the sails are significantly increased. If you are out sailing your monohull and the breeze increases you quickly find yourself rail down and chucking in a reef or two. If you are out sailing your catamaran, it’s much harder to tell if you need to reef. The boat barely heels and as such the loads go directly onto the sails and rigging. So, let’s take a look at how sails for multihulls are different and things to keep in mind when ordering new sails from your sailmaker. Rig engineering is in large part a factor of beam. On a monohull beam is limited 20 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
and the rig needs to be supported by a number of spreaders and in some cases an inner forestay and running backstays. Most modern multihulls have what’s called a tripod configuration. A forestay and twin shrouds that are all the way outboard and quite far aft. Because of the angle that the shrouds connect with the mast they offer much more support to the mast. This much simpler rig opens up some interesting possibilities for sail designers, most important of which is that there is no backstay. No backstay means no worries about roach size. There is nothing for the sail to get hooked up on, so the possibilities are endless. MAINSAILS Many, if not all new multihulls come with some kind of square head main. It’s a very efficient sail plan. Think about a wing on an airplane. They would never be triangular in shape because it’s inefficient. The part of the wing closer to the
There is a solution. You can add a quick release pin to the headboard and by disconnecting the sail from the headboard the batten can then be laid flat on the boom. This is OK if the headboard and headboard carriage is within easy reach but, if not, it can be a challenge at the end of a long day sailing. There are some workarounds to this. I have seen setups where there are two rings added to the headboard car.
tip will barely be able to generate lift so airplane wings are almost rectangular. Same with a conventional main that is constricted by the backstay. It’s almost triangular and the top quarter is not contributing much. Add a square head and suddenly you have a much more efficient profile. The top of the sail is not only generating lift going upwind, but projecting sail area when sailing downwind. It’s a nice look and an efficient shape but it comes with some inconveniences. To support the square head there is a diagonal batten placed at 45 degrees, or some variation thereof, where it can be the most effective in supporting the square head. All well and good until it comes time to drop the sail. The regular battens lie flat against the boom and stack neatly. The 45-degree batten is obviously unable to lay flat.
multihullenthusiast
Instead of a regular headboard on the main there is a ring. The halyard, usually a two-to-one, is attached to the ring on the head of the sail. Then there is a separate line that dead-ends on the lower ring on the headboard car and is led through the headboard ring and then the upper ring on the headboard car and back down to the deck. Once the sail is hoisted you can tighten the line. This will pull the headboard toward to the headboard car. The beauty of this system is that when you lower the sail you release the headboard line and this in turn allows the top angled batten to lay flat against all the other battens. It’s a pretty nifty way to go, but also just one more thing that could go wrong. There are definitely some advantages to having a more rectangular mainsail profile but as noted the square head 22 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
can present some challenges. There is an alternative and that’s an elliptical head on the sail. This offers the advantage of the extra sail area without the associated batten issues. Instead of an angled batten there to support the square head you can instead have a series of parallel battens spaced quite closely together. They will support the elliptical head just fine and you won’t have any issue with the battens lying flat against the boom when the sail is lowered. There is one more specific advantage to a square or elliptical head and that’s that the top of the sail will twist open when a gust of wind hits. This helps prevent the boat from becoming overpowered and reduces strain on the sails and rigging. Mainsail shape is also an interesting
topic. In general, multihull sails are much flatter than monohull sails. You don’t need all that extra power - read camber - to drag around all that lead found hanging under monohulls. Plus, multihulls are fast, their speed coming from the extra sail area and high righting moment. The faster the boat, the flatter the sail. Many sail designers think that the maximum depth of the sail needs to be quite far forward and this may be true if the mast is a wing mast that is able to rotate and is used as part of the overall sail profile. If it’s a standard mast the maximum depth can be roughly in the middle of the sail. In
CORNERS AND BATTENS terms of engineering,
reinforcement as well as reef patches need to be oversize because of the high righting moment of multihulls and the additional strain that places on the sails. The patches should have multiple layers and the rings reinforced with heavy webbing, preferably Spectra. Because the shrouds are quite far aft when you are running downwind the sail, especially the battens, will chafe against the rigging so make sure that your sailmaker reinforces those areas. Batten configuration is always a contentious subject among most sailors. Many prefer all full-length battens. For my part I prefer two full length battens up high and standard-length battens corner through the reef area. The full length
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multihullenthusiast
battens up high lends stability to the fabric and makes the sail more manageable when using with some kind of lazy jack system. Leaving them out down low gives you much more control over sail shape. If you have full length battens down low their stiffness usually dictates the overall shape of the sail. Fewer battens also means a lighter sail which is easier to hoist and to handle. HEADSAILS Headsail configurations differ depending on how the boat designer has set up the deck hardware. Some multihulls just have a non-overlapping headsail that is either set on an athwartship track where it can be self-tacking, or two regular tracks port and starboard mounted on the cabintop. For the latter configuration you can have a larger headsail. Because the shrouds are quite far aft the headsail can overlap the mast quite a bit thereby gaining some sail area. Self-tacking nonoverlapping jibs can be quite skinny and tall with the top half of the sail not doing much. Vertical battens in the leech can help regain some sail area. The same engineering applies to headsails as it does to the main. Large reinforcement patches and webbed clew ring. If the sail is set on a furling unit the head and tack will be soft webbing loops but they, too, need to be adequately strong and out of Spectra preferably. UV protection along the leech and foot is a must if the sail is going to remain on the 24 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
furler, and a foam luff really does help take some of the shape out of the sail when reefed, which in turn allows you to sail closer to the wind. DOWNWIND SAILS Most modern multihulls come with a bow sprit and this opens up many possibilities for downwind sails. Some sailors still like to sail with an asymmetrical spinnaker set either on a top down furler or doused with a sock, but increasingly sailors are choosing a Code 0 type sail for their convenience. These sails are set on a line drive furler with an anti-torque cable in the luff of the sail. They can be as large or as small as you like and will be used in an apparent wind angle of around 40 degrees to around 140 degrees depending on the boat design. The nice thing about this is that the sail can be quickly and easily doused with the line drive furler. You can even run the furling line all the way back to the cockpit making it a very easy sail to deploy when needed. I don’t recommend any kind of UV strip on these sails. They are easy to lower and stow and that’s recommended, but if you want to leave the sail permanently set then I recommend a sleeve with a zipper that can be hoisted over the sail when at the dock or at anchor. There are still some sailors who prefer a symmetrical spinnaker set conventionally with a spinnaker pole. If you are planning a long offshore passage in the Trade Winds where the wind can be predictably from
astern, a symmetrical spinnaker is a great option. Sure it’s a hassle to set the sail but once it’s up and drawing you don’t need to do much and you can effortlessly sail some deep downwind angles. SAIL CLOTH For many decades, Dacron was the chosen fabric for the main and jib and nylon for downwind sails, but that’s changing. There are some affordable laminates that can be used for the main and jib and these offer some real advantages. With a laminate you can make radial sails placing a heavier fabric in the high load areas like the leech and foot and a lighter fabric through the body of the sail. The result is a much lighter sail with the same strength and stretch resistance as an equivalent Dacron sail. There has also recently been an increase in the number of membrane sails used on multihulls. Membranes used to be for racing sailors only and they were expensive, but that is now changing. One advantage cost wise is that with a membrane you make both the fabric and the sail at the same time. A stringing machine strings the sail placing fibers precisely along the anticipated load paths in the sail. It’s a very efficient way of engineering a sail. The membrane panels are then vacuum bagged to seal the different layers together and the panels are then assembled. There is no need to import fabric made in a different country only to build the sail and then ship it out. With membranes you only need to import rolls of fiber. Membrane sails are significantly lighter than equivalent Dacron or laminate sails and lighter sails are easier to set and trim and easier to handle. They also take up less space down below should they need to be stowed.
Same thing applies to Code 0 fabric. Because nylon stretches the range of a nylon sail both in terms of wind range and wind angle is limited. Code 0’s have become so important on multihulls that building them out of a light laminate is the way to go despite the additional expense. A laminate Code 0 will have a much broader wind range as well as wind angle. Sails, like most things boat related, are a fine balance between performance and budget. Spend a little more on fabric and engineering up front and you will be rewarded down the road when the sails hold their shape over a longer period of time. On the other hand, Dacron has been the go-to fabric for decades and has served sailors well. Brian Hancock is the founder and principal designer at Great Circle Sails in Marblehead. MA. He has completed multiple circumnavigations and has built sails for a wide range of racers and cruisers. Check out his website at greatcirclesails.com.
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The Atlantic Ocean Conveyor What Does It Mean As We Head South? “Unless we change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed…”
U
nderstanding global ocean currents is important for all offshore sailors, but it’s especially important for multihull sailors. Strong wind against currents offshore in places like the Gulf Stream can quickly create wickedly steep and breaking seas. Those sharp seas can certainly be problematic for monohull sailors, but for multihulls and those onboard, they can be catastrophic leading to pitch-poling conditions. Regardless of the type of vessel or even if someone is land-bound, ocean currents play a significant role in 26 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
by Bill Biewenga
all of our lives and largely determine how the planet holds, dissipates and distributes heat. Global warming is quickly being accepted as reality rather than as theory. Even the Wall Street Journal has reported that the Greenland icecap is melting faster than previously expected. One of the possible outcomes of global warming and melting of the glaciers and ice on and around Greenland and the Arctic is that the Gulf Stream’s flow could be altered. How does all of that fit together
and seem to make any sense? How soon and in what way will any of this affect those of us who sail boats to the Caribbean or across the Atlantic? Is the sky really falling? It may not be falling, but it does seem to be heading towards a tipping point. THREE DIMENTIONAL OCEAN CURRENTS To understand what’s happening to the earth’s climate, we also need to understand how the ocean’s currents move water around the planet. It’s not just water that’s being moved, it’s also heat and varying salinity that’s being circulated. Most of us are familiar with the Gulf Stream, that great current of warm water that flows between Florida and the Bahamas and meanders in a northnortheasterly and northeasterly direction toward England and northern Europe. As huge as it is, the Gulf Stream is only one small part of the global water circulation known as The Global Thermohaline
Circulation or The Ocean Conveyor. (See: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/ viewArticle.do?id=9206&sectionid=1000) The Gulf Stream is a warm surface current, but to more fully understand the complete circulation, we need to think in 3-D. There are deep currents as well. When combined with surface currents we begin to understand The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC). Warm, salty water flows northward from the tropics in the Atlantic. As the water gets further north, approaching the Faroe Islands the water cools and sinks, releasing its heat energy to warm northern Europe. The water then flows back toward the south, deep beneath the surface water. The sinking water draws more warm water from the south at the surface, creating a “demand” for the Gulf Stream water. The Gulf Stream is, in a sense, “pulled” toward Europe by the sinking action of the now-cold water. The system isn’t just about warm and
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cold, surface and deep currents, though. Salinity plays a role in determining the overall flow of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, as well. As sea ice forms, salt is released. The cold water sinks to a level that is just below the ice, protecting the sea ice from thawing by the warmer, saltier (and hence denser) water that lies further down. As glaciers and sea ice melt, and as rivers increase their flow of fresh water into the Arctic and Hudson’s Bay, more of that cold, less dense water remains on top of the ocean. That could potentially block the warmer water below from releasing its heat and interrupt the flow of the Gulf Stream at the surface. (See: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/ viewArticle.do?id=9209&sectionid=1000) Researchers have found evidence of this occurring in the past and leading to significant climate change. Some of the researchers believe that the earth could become significantly warmer on a global scale while some regions, such as Europe could become colder due to alterations 28 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
in the Global Thermohaline Circulation. More glacial melt in Greenland or Arctic sea ice or increased freshwater flow through “gates” in the N. Atlantic can and have altered the Gulf Stream flow according to paleoclimatologists. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to monitor the freshwater flow rates coming through those regions? Gary Comer, founder of Land’s End, presumably thought so, and provided Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) with a grant to help fund some of the cutting-edge research. ADDING FRESHWATER NORTH OF THE GULF STREAM: IMPLICATIONS “It certainly makes sense to continue monitoring ocean, ice, and atmospheric changes closely,” Ruth Curry of WHOI said. “Given the projected 21st century rise in greenhouse gas concentrations and increased freshwater input to the high latitude ocean, we cannot rule out a significant slowing of the Atlantic conveyor in the next 100 years. I emphasize that we are talking about
century timescales to witness measurable changes in the ocean transports of mass and heat across the GreenlandScotland Ridge-we are not suggesting that the Gulf Stream will shut down.” Findings are not conclusive, and researchers’ opinions vary, but there’s new evidence of higher temperatures that could mean accelerated change. Scientists have found indications that tropical Atlantic temperatures may have reached 107°F millions of years ago —about 25°F higher than today. At that time, carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere were high, the scientists said. It’s possible that future ocean warming from the buildup of heat-trapping carbon dioxide may be much greater than predicted by computer models now in use. “These temperatures are off the charts from what we’ve seen before,” Karen Bice, a paleoclimatologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “If the models are not right, society is not well informed or well served.” According to an unpublished survey by Potsdam University researchers Kirsten Zickfeld and Anders Levermann, expert scientific opinion varies greatly on the likelihood that excess freshwater runoff from the Arctic will alter the North Atlantic conveyor belt in this century. Some scientists consulted for
the survey said there is no chance that the current will break down. Others estimated that the chance of a complete shutdown is greater than 50 percent if global warming climbs by 7.2° to 9° Fahrenheit (4° to 5° Celsius) by 2100. Stefan Rahmstorf, a professor of ocean physics at Potsdam University in Germany, believes the chance of a circulation shutdown could be as high as 30 percent. He said any possibility of such a scenario, even if slight, is cause for concern. “Nobody would accept expanding nuclear power if there was a 5 percent risk of a major accident,” he said. “Why would we accept expanding oil and coal power if there is a 5 percent risk of a major climate accident?” MONITORING THE ATLANTIC CONVEYOR The reality seems to be that while there is agreement that the climate is warming
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on a global scale, there is little consensus on what that implies over a 100-year term. Some of the possible outcomes could be positive (i.e.: shipping could travel directly through the Northwest Passage much of the year, fishing could be more accessible in the Arctic, and so forth). Many of the outcomes could be negative or even catastrophic: entire species could be wiped out, crops in certain regions could fail causing widespread famine, and indigenous peoples could have their lives uprooted. No one seems to imply that such a scenario will take place in the next decade, but once the process hits a tipping point, it may take decades to slow the process that may or may not be irreversible over the next 100 years. Monitoring the speed, temperature and salinity of the Ocean Conveyor will help us to better understand the rate of change in the climate. (see: http://news. bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4485840. stm) Tom Rossby, an oceanographer at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island says, 30 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
“While the above scenario is conceptually simple, it is by no means clear whether and how such a shutdown might take place, indeed whether the supply of fresh water is large enough and can be delivered to the right place to cause a significant change. We can speculate about these things as much as we like, but in order to establish some certainty to these concerns, it would help to have an early warning system, some means of detecting a possible change or decrease in the strength of flow of warm waters into the Nordic Seas.” Rossby likens the waters around the Faroes to a canary in a coal mine. “If any decrease in inflow into the Nordic Seas were to develop, the waters around the Faroes will be the ones to watch for such change.” From my own personal anecdotal experience, ocean temperatures have appeared to generally rise over the past decade or more. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has continued to shrink, and there are increasing thoughts that the North Atlantic Conveyor system may be at a tipping point. (See: https:// www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/why-ocean-current-critical-to-world-weather-losing-steam-arctic/) Surface currents have continued much as before, but that’s not to say it’ll always remain so. NASA is already noting changes in surface currents. (See: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2950/
arctic-ice-melt-is-changing-oceancurrents/) Of course, some years are stormier than others, and, as always, it’s best to remain informed as you get ready to head south for the winter. As I write this article, we are already seeing an early start to what appears to be an actively stormy year. Regardless of what you may personally think
of global climate change, vigilance to help make informed decisions is always a good idea – especially during hurricane season.
Bill Biewenga has sailed some 400,000 miles offshore and works as a moderator for Safety at Sea Seminars, BWS columnist and offshore delivery skipper. Audio: NPR interviews Ruth Curry, from Woods Hole: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4706667?storyId=4706667 National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/ why-ocean-current-critical-to-world-weather-losing-steam-arctic/ Woods Hole Oceanographic: https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/ ocean-circulation/the-ocean-conveyor/ NASA: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2950/arctic-ice-melt-is-changing-ocean-currents/
techtalk
Sail Drives or Straight Shafts? Which is Best for Me?
The pros and cons of straight propeller shafts versus sail drives by Phil Berman
32 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
B
uyers who contact us these days develop some very strong personal preferences about a range of things: dagger boards versus keels, Yanmar versus Volvo, Flybridge versus Bulkhead Helms, etc. etc. Many buyers send us long “Must Have” lists. One of the “Must Have’s” we are getting from some buyers these days is: “straight shaft engines.” Either there is a builder or two out there touting them because that is what they happen to offer, or some forum or blog or owner group stating their superiority, but we see a bit of an uptick in people who think straight shafts are the only way to go. What is clear to me is that most of these catamaran purchasers do not fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of straight shafts over sail drives or recognize how many limitations and negatives they pose for catamarans under 50 feet in length. Let me clear a few things up. STRAIGHT SHAFT ADVANTAGES Nobody currently makes sail drives for engines much larger than 75 horse power. As such, on most production cruising cats over 50 feet you will only be able to get straight shafts. Straight shafts are relatively mechanically simple. You have a shaft coming directly off the back of the engine that runs through a seal and then to a cutlass bearing and out into the water. Straight shafts are generally cheaper and easier to repair than sail drives. Straight shafts force the designer and
builder to place the engines further forward in the boat and anytime you move weight toward the center you reduce pitching momentum. Many racing multihulls carry their engines in the very center of their hulls for this reason STRAIGHT SHAFT DISADVANTAGES Straight shafts require precision engine alignment and tend to put much more pressure on engine mounts. Engines often need to be realigned. Straight shafts are always louder and produce more vibration than sail drives. In larger cats with long sterns and space the engines and shafts can remain aft of the sleeping quarters in separate sound insulated compartments. On smaller cats this is generally not the case. Straight shafts produce less effective horsepower at the prop because the prop is at an angle. On a typical 40 foot horse power engine you lose 3 to 4 horse power over a cat with sail drives. The less the prop is angled down the better the performance on a straight shaft. That usually means positioning the engines quite forward of the sterns. This in-turn produces the enormous negatives of having to house the engines under the aft bunks, or a portion of them, in most cats under 50 feet in length. This amounts to: louder inside the living spaces, more vibration, more heat, and a potential for engine exhaust to encroach on the yachts interior. It also makes it a bit more difficult to properly ventilate the engine
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rooms. Sleeping close to, or over the top of a running engine, especially a straight shaft, can be noisy and hot. Most shaft seals are supposedly “dripless,” but anyone who has spent time around them knows that when the dripless seal starts to drip you had better take care of it fast. I have seen plenty of flooded engine rooms in my years on straight shaft cats. Both seals and cutlass bearings are therefore best replaced every two to three years. Straight shafts, in short, are not maintenance free. SAIL DRIVE ADVANTAGES Sail drives are very quiet. Exact engine alignment is not critical. Sail drives can be positioned further aft in cats with ease and therefore make it possible to keep the engines out of the aft staterooms and in their own watertight engine rooms. On cats under 50 feet the design trend today is to produce sharper bows and wider, flared sterns aft, both to manage the engine weight aft and to get the cat to sit back on her haunches and pierce through waves to dampen pitching moment. A good example of this is the evolution of the Leopard 47 (a straight shaft boat) to the far superior sailing Morelli and Melvin designed Leopard 46 (a sail drive boat.) Sail drives offer more horsepower at the prop. SAIL DRIVE NEGATIVES Sail drives generally cost more to replace than shafts. The typical drive leg for a 40 to 50 foot cat is between $3,500 and $5,000 dollars. Sail drives legs must always have good zinc protection or there is a danger of the shaft corroding. Sloppy zinc inspections 34 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
can lead to the destruction of sail drive legs. I’ve seen plenty of this at surveys from sloppy owner care. Sail drives carry seals that are meant to prevent saltwater incursion into the lubricated shaft leg. If the seals are compromised salt water can enter the drive leg and lead to internal corrosion. Note: water incursion in a drive leg is easily seen if one inspects the sail drive fluid level and finds milky looking oil. Most prudent sailors replace their sail drive seals at least every other haul out. If they see milky fluid they change the fluid right away and then replace the seals at the next haul out. (The newer drives allow you to change the oil from inside the engine room easily, without having to haul the boat.). When a sailor finds milky fluid on the older sail drive legs it is good to run the engines and transmissions frequently. This will keep the sail drive oil emulsified until the next haul when the seals can be replaced. Some older sail drives had cone clutch or shifting problems. These were sometimes found on Yanmar SD 50 drive legs. That problem has been overcome with the new generation drives. I have heard some internet chatter that straight shafts are better if you run aground, but I strongly disagree. If you run aground hard with shafts or sail drives and for any reason they are not protected by a keel, or mini keels, or a skeg, you are going to have a bit of a mess on your hands either way. One of the reasons I much prefer engines in their own watertight engine rooms is that if one does run aground and water enters the engine room from a broken shaft or sail drive leg, the water remains in the engine room, never enters
the living quarters where water damage importantly, you will learn very quickly leads to major floor and woodwork repair when you start to shop for a cat that 95% in general. of the builders today have all concluded that the advantages of sail drives far outTHE UPSHOT weigh their disadvantages on cats below The upshot of all this: Getting hung up 50 feet and are therefore superior for use on shafts or sail drives as a major purchas- in the smaller modern catamaran. I haping concern is quite unwarranted. If hav- pen to agree. ing a shaft is something you are so convinced you must have, bear in mind you Phil Berman is the founder and President will live with all the advantages as well as of The Multihull Company and is the the disadvantages noted above. More builder of Balance cruising catamarans.
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ANTARES 44 GS
2021 Multihulls on Display Our Annual, Virtual Winter Boat Show Highlights 20 New and Noteworthy Multihulls from Around the World HERE ARE A HOST OF NEW MULTIHULLS that will be introduced on 2021 and some others that have been around for a while but are well worth mentioning. All of the short reviews are linked to the builders’ homepages so you can stroll our virtual docks and then learn more about boats on the specific webpages. There’s never been a better time to buy a new cruising multihull.
great seakeeping qualities, a good turn of speed and comfortable accommodation. Built in Buenos Aires, Argentina in limited numbers each year, the boats are unique in that they come fully equipped with all of the systems, gear and electronics you need, all chosen and installed by the builder. Antares 44 GS owners often comment that the cruising cat is very comparable to the quality and ocean sailing ability of OysANTARES 44 GS ter monohulls. A truly specialized cruising boat, the LOA 44’7”; Beam 21’8”; Draft 3’11”; Displ. Antares 44GS was designed and built 22,500; Cabins 3; Water 150 gals; Fuel 120 specifically for blue water sailors who gals. $950,000 Leopard 45 want an easily managed cat that offers www.antarescatamarans.com 36 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, fall
BALANCE 442
BALANCE 442 The all-new Balance 442 that will debut in 2021, is the little sister to the highly regarded Balance 526 and comes with a much lower price tag. The Balance concept was created by The Multihull Company’s founder and president Phil Berman to be that delicate combination of elegance, comfort, blue water robustness and sailing performance. In the 526, Berman and the team of designers and builders in South Africa got it just right. The new 442, which has daggerboards, will certainly take you safely across oceans in comfort and at better than average speeds. LOA 44’3”; Beam 24’11”; Draft boards down 7’1”; Displ. 23,700 lbs.; Cabins 3; Water 150 gals; Fuel 210 gals.; $698,000. www.balancecatamarans. com
BALI 4.6 Introduced last fall, the new Bali 4.6 takes up where the 4.5 left off by offering more open lounging areas and an enlarged forward cockpit. Bali cats are used in the Dream Yacht charter fleets around the world so they are set up for coastal cruising and sailing with a large number of people on board. With up to five cabins available, you see what we mean, since you conceivably could have 10 people on board. Built by Catana in France, the new 4.6 has an indooroutdoor saloon layout and huge flying bridge. Like all Bali cats, the 4.6 has “fun in the sun” written all over it. LOA 46’10”.; Beam 25”2”; Draft 4’; Displ. 30,000 lbs.; Cabins 3 to 5; $590,000 www.bali-catamarans.com
CATANA OCEAN CLASS 50
BALI 4.6
CATANA OCEAN CLASS 50 This year Catana will introduce their all-new performance Ocean Class 50. The new design has been two years in the making and shows fine reverse bows, daggerboards, a light infused hull and a raised single helm station. Carbon spars are also an option for those seeking maximum performance. The saloon and cockpit are joined by three sliding www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 37
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glass doors, so the whole space can open up into one. Three or four cabins are available as layout options. Designed for blue water sailing, the Ocean Class 50 has huge tanks for fuel and water, plus ample room for a genset and watermaker. This is truly a family performance cruiser for the adventurous at heart. LOA 49’2”; Beam 25’8”; Displ. 28,000 lbs.; Draft boards down 8’2”; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 211 gals.; Fuel 211 gals; Price on inquiry. www.catana,com
because it has folding amas, like all Corsairs, and can be towed behind the family SUV. These interesting and somewhat technical tris really appeal to the pure sailors (and often engineers) among us and are more fun to sail than just about any other small cruising boat. LOA 31’10”; Beam folded 8’4”; Beam open 27’ 7”; Displ. 2700 lbs; Cabins 2; Water and Fuel nominal; $167,000. www.corsairmarine.com
DRAGONFLY 40 TRIMARAN
CORSAIR 970 TRIMARAN
CORSAIR 970 TRIMARAN Although this design has been around for several years, it remains a classic cruising trimaran that doubles as a high-performance speedster and a fine family cruising boat. The 970 replaced the much loved Corsair 31 of which more than 300 were built. The 970 is roomier, has a fuller main hull, larger more buoyant amas and a good-size cockpit. Unlike most cruising cats, great attention has been paid to the 970 displacement, since the boat is designed for performance but also 38 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, fall
DRAGONFLY 40 TRIMARAN The new Dragonfly 40 is truly a blue water boat that could take a couple across oceans and around the world. With folding amas, like its sister ships, the 40 can be fit into a standard marina berth or stored ashore in the same footprint as a monohull. The new 40 is a truly fine sailing machine but the rig and sailing systems have been kept relatively simple as they would on a well fitted cruising boat. Down below the 40 has a proper saloon and galley and berths for up to six adults. Designed and built by Jens Quorning, the Dragonfly 40 is beautifully put together and has a fine Danish-style finish of lightcolored woods and bright bulkheads. This new design should really appeal to North Americans who have been cautious
about tris due to space limitations. You can live aboard the 40 quite easily. LOA 40’8”; Beam folded 13’1”; Beam open 27’7”; Draft board down 7’3”; Cabins 2 to 3; Water 58 gals.; Fuel 40 gals; $680,000. www.dragonfly.dk EXCESS 11
EXCESS 11 The third and smallest Excess to come to the market, following the 12 and 15, the new cruising cat from Groupe Beneteau has an all-new hull and deck and a rakish Excess styling. The concepts behind the Excess line of cats, which is part of the same company that builds Lagoon cats, is to target a young, active audience of adventurers who are devoted to water sports and sailing. The 11 offers indoor-outdoor living and a retractable sunroof that opens the cockpit to the sky. The “Pulse” version of the 11 has the performance that will add to the boat’s speed and sailing fun. At 37 feet, the new 11 is one of the smallest and most accessible cruising cats on the market. LOA 37’2”; Beam 21’7”; Draft 3’9”; Displ. 19,840; Cabins 3 to 4; Water 79 gals.; Fuel 52 gals; $290,000. www.excess-catamarans.com
FOUNTAINE PAJOT 51
FOUNTAINE PAJOT 51 2021 will see the introduction of a new Fountaine Pajot 51 that will replace the Saba 50 that has been so successful since its launch in 2014. The new 51 advances the FP line and was designed to have as small a carbon footprint as possible. Toward that end, FP worked with their designers and solar energy experts to build into the cabintop dedicated solar arrays that will generate 2,000 watts of electricity. The new cat has the raised helm to starboard. On the flybridge, there is a large lounge, yet when you look at the boat in profile it does not seem boxy or too tall. The cockpit and saloon open into a large indoor-outdoor space for large gatherings and meals. The boat can be built with four, five or six cabins, each with an en suite head. The new 51 is a stunner that will make a great family cruiser or a commodious charter boat. LOA 52’; Beam 26’6”; Displ. 40,000 lbs.; Cabin 4 to 6; Water 237 gals.; Fuel 236 gals; Price on inquiry. www.foutaine-pajot.com GEMINI 35 LEGACY Since first being launched in 1981, the Gemini 35 remains the most popular cruising catamaran ever built. Simple and reasonably priced, the Gemini 35 Legacy carries on GEMINI 35 LEGACY the cat’s long tradition of providing a cruising cat that is
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easy for a couple to handle, will fit into a normal marina slip since it has only 14 feet of beam and offers great accommodations in a small package. The master cabin forward of the saloon has always been a crowd favorite. That there are two more cabins makes the design all the more remarkable. This is a perfect starter or retirement cat for couples. Not surprisingly, you will find Geminis all over the world. LOA 35’4”; Beam 14’0”; Displ. 9.700 lbs; Cabins 3; $199,000. www.geminicatamarans.com
GUNBOAT 68
GUNBOAT 68 The Gunboat brand soared through the multihull world like a meteor when the company was launched 15 years ago as the concept of a high-performance, ultra-luxurious cruising cat fired many sailors’ imaginations. The brand suffered a bankruptcy and was subsequently purchased by the French company that build the Outremer line of cats and several monohulls. The new program began with the new Gunboat 68 that was launched in early 2019. Designed by VPLP, the 68 is built in much the same way as Gulfstream private jets by using hightech subcontractors to build specialized parts that are assembled and finished in the factory in La Grande Motte. The result 40 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, fall
is one of the most sophisticated cruising boats ever built that combines very highend performance with superyacht luxury and systems. If you are not familiar with the new Gunboat 68, check it out on their website. LOA 69’1”; Beam 29’10”; Draft boards down 13’5”; Displ. 39,00 lbs.; Cabins 4 to 6; Water 200 gals. Fuel 200 gals.; Price on request. www.gunboat.com HH 50 & 50 OC The HH 50 was designed by Morelli and Melvin to be a super-fast, high tech performance cruiser for a elite clientele. It now is available in two versions. The all carbon 50, has a thermo-foam cored hull and deck that is ultra-light and stiff, for maximum performance. It has curved, foil-style daggerboards that provide lift as well and pointing ability. The fit and finish of the 50 is second to none and holds up very well when compared to the larger cats in the HH line. But such performance and luxury comes at a price well above a million dollars, so HH has taken the intelligent step of offering the exact same design in a low-tech Ocean Class series. The hull and deck are fiberglass instead of carbon, the dagger boards are replaced with skeg keels and the rig is aluminum instead of carbon. The 50 OC will still sail with most performance cats and will be robust and durable for a long cruise. And, importantly, it costs roughly $400,000 less than the all-carbon 50. HH 50 & 50 OC
LOA 51’10”; Beam 24’5”; Draft boards down for 50 10’6”; Draft for 50 OC 5’1”; Displ. For 50 25, 300 lbs; Displ. for 50 OC 29,000 lbs.; Cabins in both versions 3; Price for 50 $1.7 million; Price for 50OC $1.3 million. www.hhcatamarns.com
LOA 62’0”; Beam 28’9”; Draft board down 11’6”; Displ. 36,000 lbs.; Cabins 3 to 6; Water 412 gals; Fuel 360 gals. Price on request. www.kineticcatamarans.com
KNYSNA 500 The Knysna 500 is a classic South AfricanKINETIC 62 built cruising cat that, like the Kinetic 62, The Kinetic 62, which is built in Knysna, is built in the port city of Knysna. Sailors South Africa, is a performance cruising and designers who ply this coast are cat with a difference. You will see some familiar with the Indian Ocean’s wild curelements that appear on other perfor- rents, sudden storms and high seas. The Knysna 500 was built to endure and triKINETIC 62 umph over whatever the seas throw at her. A boutique builder who is well known for working closely with customers to get a perfect result, Knysna can and does do all kinds of customizations. But, after 18 years of experience with dozens of cus-
mance cats like the forward cockpit, light weight carbon construction and elegant fit and finish. But the first thing you notice about the 62 are the extra large saloon windows that give those in the saloon and galley a panoramic view of the world around them. Plus, the extra headroom in the saloon makes the space seem huge, bright and airy. Built on a semi-custom basis, the Kinetic 62 can have three to six cabins and heads and other owner modifications inside the boat’s structural footprint. The 62 will make a great family cruising boat or work well as a charter cat with a captain and crew.
KNYSNA 500
tomers, they also know what works and what does not. The Knysna 500 is a cat for a couple who want to explore the world in comfort and safety. LOA 50’0”; Beam 26’1”; Draft 4’9”; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 160 gals; Fuel 160 gals; Price on request. https://knysnayachtco.com/ www.MultihullsToday.com 41
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LAGOON 40
LAGOON 40 Lagoon builds a full line of cruising cats in their factories in Bordeaux, France from 40 to 80 feet. Two years ago, the company launched the new 40 and 50 as the start of a trend to modernize the whole line. The 40 is a fine sailing boat that can see the speedo reach into the teens in the right conditions. It is easy to sail and fun. The main mast has been moved well aft to step on the middle of the cabin top. This reduces the size of the mainsail and increases the size of the genoa and reaching sails. The net effect is a boat that is much easier to sail than those with the huge, full battened mains. The 40 is a great boat for a couple and the price is more accessible than most in the 40-foot range. LOA 38’6”; Beam 22’2”; Draft 4’5”; Displ. 23,800 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 160 gals; Fuel 110 gals; $345,000. www.cata-lagoon.com LEOPARD 42 The South African builder Robertson and Caine builds the line of Leopard cats exclusively for Mariner International, which owns The Moorings and Sunsail LEOPARD 42
charter fleets and the marketing rights for the Leopard brand of privately owned cats. Reportedly, sales are split more or less evenly between boats entering the charter fleets and private sales. This year, 2021, Leopard is introducing their new 42 which follows the design trends of the recent 45 and 50. The hulls have pronounced chines that add interior volume. There is a flying bridge with a lounge, which is accessible to the raised helm station on the starboard side. With either three or four cabins, each with an en suite head, the 42 will make a fine couple’s of family cruising for sailing anywhere in the world. LOA 42’7”; Beam 23’1”; Draft 4’7”; Displ. 26,100; Cabin 3 or 4; Water 175 gals; Fuel 160 gals.; $450,000 www.leopardcatamarans.com MAJESTIC 530 Built in Durban South Africa on a semi-custom basis, the Majestic 530 has been in production for more than a decade. The current 530 version is an evolution from MAJESTIC 530
the 500 with the addition of longer sterns that balance the boat and offer a longer waterline. The 530 is a huge 53 footer that can be configured in a number of different layouts to suit a family’s needs; The fit and finish is superb in a traditional mode with a very high degree of custom hand joinery. A solid ocean-going cruising boat, the Majestic 530 makes for a luxurious, comfortable and unique cruisnig home. LOA 53’3”; Beam 28’3”; Draft 4.7”; Displ. 45,000 lbs.; Cabins 3 to 6; Water 140 gals; Fuel 140 gals; Price on request. www.royalcapecatamarans.com
Mavericks are built on a semi-custom basis so you can have the boat laid out for your specific needs. LOA 40’0”; Beam 24’5”; Daft 2’11”; Displ. 22,000 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 260 gals.; Fuel 110 gals; $612,000. www.maverick.life
NAUTITECH OPEN 46 The lines of the new series of cruising cats from French-builder Nautitech have always been distinctively modern and stylish and the performance for cats without daggerboards has been excellent. So, it is interesting that the company has taken their successful 46 and 46 Flybridge and rejiggered them with MAVERICK 400 Another South African boutique builder, serious upgrades and redesigns. The lowMaverick set out to design a couple’s slung cabin top fits visually very neatly cruising boat that was capable of han- with the straight sheer lines of the hulls dling the rough waters around the Cape of Good Hope in safety and comfort. The 400’s rig is simple and efficient for a lone watch stander to handle. The cockpit and raised helm are protected from the elements. The interior is more like a home than a boat’s interior and will make living aboard for long periods a real pleasure.
NAUTITECH OPEN 46
MAVERICK 400
and the slightly raked bows. The cockpit and saloon open into a wide social space and the sleeping cabins are truly spacious due to the volume created by the full-length hard chines. This is a big 46 footer and will make a great family cruising boat that is fun to sail. LOA 45’3”; Beam 24’9”; Draft 4’9”; Displ. 23,800 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 160 gals.; Fuel 160 gals.; $550,000. www.nautitechcatamarans.com www.MultihullsToday.com 43
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NEEL 47 TRIMARAN
cat, with highly refined hulls with daggerboards, and a cabintop that has been sculpted to fit over the cabin like folded bird wings. The 60 has a commodious cockpit that flows naturally into the saloon and galley. With large windows all around, the saloon is full of light and natural ventilation. If you think of Baltic Yachts in Finland as one to the world’s leading builders of custom monohulls, then OCEAN EXPLORER 60
NEEL 47 TRIMARAN Winner of the 2020 European Multihull of the Year Award, the NEEL 47 is a unique cruising boat that Eric and Barbara Bruneel, the builders, designed for themselves and their family for cruising vacations. It just happened that everyone loved the design and the 47 has become an instant classic. Truly innovative in concept and design, the NEEL tris put the saloon of their boats on top of the hulls instead of down inside them. In essence the boats have the performance of a trimaran and the living space of a catamaran. Amazing. The 47 changed that a little, by having cabins inside the amas as well as a master cabin in the saloon space. This arrangement works very well. A couple or a family of four or five would be happy on the 47 for weeks at a time. LOA 46’7”; Beam 27’3”; Draft 5’3”; Displ. 23,000 lbs.; Cabins 3; Water 160 gals; Fuel 80 gals. $540,000. www.neel-trimarans.com
think of Ocean Explorer as something very similar in multihulls. LOA 60’8”; Beam 29’9”; Draft boards down 6’7”; Displ. Not available; Cabins 4 to 6; Price on request. www.oceanexplorercatamarans.com
OUTREMER 55 The brand new Outremer 55 is scheduled to debut at the International Multihull Show in France in April, pandemic willing. The new 55 footer is a very sleek take OCEAN EXPLORER 60 Built in Finland by master boatbuilders and on the already sleek lines of the 51 and experts with decades of experience, the OUTREMER 55 Ocean Explorer 60 was designed by German Frers. Although Frers is better known for monohulls, this example of his catamaran design shows that he is a genius no matter how many hulls the boat has. The OE 60 is a supremely elegant looking 44 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, fall
5X by the same builder. The coach roof is low and slightly curved for a fine winglike appeal. The twin helms are raised so you can see clearly over the coach roof. The cockpit is huge and joins the saloon neatly through sliding doors. The new 55 walks the fine line between truly high performance, with a large sail plan and daggerboards, and awesome cruising comfort. This is a go anywhere cruising boat for sailors who demand great sailing characteristics. LOA 54’11”; Beam 27’3”; Draft boards down 7’0”; Displ. 30,500 lbs.; $1.4 million. www.catamaran-outremer.com SEAWIND 1600 PRIVILEGE 510 SIGNATURE
PRIVILEGE 510 SIGNATURE Launched last year, the Privilege 510 is a new start for the company after being purchased by the Hanse Group. The boat has a centerline flybridge where all control lines lead to a central set of line stopers and winches. The saloon and cockpit offer plenty of places to sit and the galley is more like a home kitchen than a galley. The unique and wonderful feature of the 510 and the Privilege line is the master cabin forward of the saloon that runs almost the full width of the boat. With large windows, this is a master cabin with the emphasis on “master.” The 510, like all Privileges, has a super yacht level
of fit and finish. LOA 50’0”; Beam 26’2”; Draft 5’2”; Displ. 37,000 lbs.; Cabins 4 to 5; Water 158 gals; Fuel 210 gals; $1.3 million. www.hanseyachtsag.com SEAWIND 1600 Seawind catamarans of Australia has launched hundreds of cruising cats in the 34 to 44 foot range over the last 25 years and you will find them cruising worldwide. With the 52-foot 1600, the company is expanding their reach and entering a segment of the market where there is a lot of competition. Happily for Seawind and their customers, the new Seawind 1600 is not another cookie cutter catamaran. It was designed by Reichel-Pugh so performance will not be an issue, especially as the boat has daggerboards and lifting rudders. The cockpit has twin helms aft and a small dining table. The saloon is large and the galley a work of refined culinary art. With a large owner’s cabin to starboard and two guest cabins to port, the 1600 sets up as a truly fine couple’s voyaging boat. www.MultihullsToday.com 45
ST. FRANCIS 50 MK2
Built in Vietnam, the finish and joinery are superb. LOA 51’8”; Beam 25’11”; Draft boards down 8’6”; Displ. 28,660 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 158 gals.; Fuel 198 gals; $899,00. www.seawindcats.com ST. FRANCIS 50 MK2 One of the original boutique cat builders in South Africa, St. Francis, which is based in Ft. Francis Bay, builds their 50 MK2 on a semi-custom basis and continually updates and improves what is now a fairly venerable hull and deck design. The boat was conceived from the start as a couple’s circumnavigation machine, capable of rounding all the great southern capes and doing so with a good turn of speed and plenty of robust safety. The cockpit is not overly large and will be dry in bad weather. The saloon is open and airy and again not large. The typical 50 has a master cabin to starboard and two guest cabins to port but the boats are built to order and can be modified to an owner’s whims. If you have any doubt the 50 is a pure voyaging boat, check out how much fuel and water she carries. LOA 50’0”; Beam26’3”; Draft 4’1”; Displ. 27,600 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 355 gals; Fuel 232 gals.; Price upon request. www.stfranciscatamarans.com 46 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, fall
SUNREEF 50 Sunreef is known for cruising cats at the very high end of the luxury and price scale. Their new 50, which is the smallest
SUNREEF 50
in the Sunreef fleet, takes all of the deluxe features of the bigger yachts and refines them into a handy smaller package. The flybridge is huge and has an expandable table and settees. The cockpit has a hydraulic swim platform while there is a forward cockpit accessible through a door in the saloon. The interior can be customized into just about any configuration you like, and in this price range, that’s how it should be. The displacement alone will tell you how loaded the boat really is. If your taste in cars runs to Bentleys, then you should have a good look at the Sunreef 50.
LOA 49’10”; Beam 29’10”; Draft 4’11”; Displ. 70,500 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Water 211 gals; Fuel 264 gals.; $1.6 million. www.sunreef-yachts.com XQUISITE X5 PLUS Certainly, the X5 is one of the most unique looking cats on the market, one that you will recognize across the harbor at once. The big Targa-style arch over the cockpit is the signature feature and this provides an excellent anchor for the main traveler. The Plus version follows five years of experience building the X5 and shows lots of details that improve the boat’s performance: lighter displacement, larger rig and improve sheet and line handling system. Plus, the new version has even more standard equipment, a feature that already set the Xquisite cats apart from most others. This is a boat built for cruisers by dedicated cruisers and the depth of their knowledge really shows. LOA 54’0”; Beam 26’3”; Draft 4’9”; Displ. 35,275 lbs.; Cabins 3 or 4; Price on request. www.xquisiteyachts.com
