New boat news

New boats at the multihull show

A look at the European and world premieres at this year’s show

C Cat 48

The C-Cat 48 is a lightweight and fast Italian cruising catamaran from the Comar Yachts yard and their latest launch is definitely designed for high speed cruising. The boat is designed by French naval architect Francois Perus and the new yacht features C-Foil daggerboards to reduce displacement at speed and increase clearance of the nacelle. Comfort wise, the key concept has been to create a single large outdoor living space. The cockpit is protected by a large bimini, which is fully closable for pleasant outdoor living, and the cockpit and dinette are both on the same level, divided by a large sliding door.

Balance 482

Balance Catamrans is one of a clutch of multihull builders based in South Africa and is co-designed by world champion catamaran racer Phillip Berman and awardwinning yacht designer, Anton du Toit. The boat is designed to be both fast, tough and comfortable She has a powerful 1,432 square foot sail-plan that means she can sail easily even in light airs, while other catamarans are motoring. She is designed to be sailed easily single or doublehanded. Down below there is a good level of comfort making for a performance orientated cruiser.

l c-catamarans.com l balancecatamarans.com

Lagoon 51

Lagoon’s relatively new 50 (launched 2017) has been obliged to take a bow in order to accommodate its replacement, the 51. The new boat is not a radical departure from her predecessor but features longer sugar scoops aft and a more defined flying bridge area The mast also appears to be stepped further forward than on the old boat and the interior has been updated. This remains a cruising and charter catamaran par excellence.

Windelo 54

Elder sister of the Windelo 50, the Windelo 54 is an Ocean-cruising catamaran designed by architect duo Christophe Barreau and Fréderic Neuman. The floats are nearly 120 cm larger. 60 cm of this extra space is around the nacelle, making life on board even more comfortable. One of the key features of the Windelo range is environmentally friendly cruising and the boat boasts sustainable and recycled plastic bottles as insulation among other green touches. already seen on the Windelo 50. The lengthened hulls of the 54 offer greater performance and speed under sail, while improving cruising comfort, particularly in rough seas. This is a long legged cruising catamaran with superb environmentally friendly credentials.

Catana Ocean Class

French brand Catana has gained an admirable reputation for high quality fast cruising cats that will look after you on a blue water and their new Ocean class picks up where they’ve left off in the past. This all new 50 footer has been carefully thought out and features a unique saloon-cockpit concept which offers increased volume and comfort. The construction is carbon infusion which provides stiffness and a very light displacement. Marry that with daggerboards, a decent sail area plus a well appointed interior space and you have a very desirable boat.

Nautitech 44 Open

Nautitech is extending its range with the 44 Open, an evolution of their line of cruising catamarans. Go to designer Marc Lombard has been tasked with developing the range with this new model that sits between the 40 and the 46. She comes with a new interior layout plus a refined rig. Nautitech is aiming to position itself as the best performing yacht in the pure cruising category occupied by rivals such as Lagoon and this boat looks like a fine rival for Lagoon’s Excess range. For those looking to max out on performance there is the option of a genoa to replace the standard self-tacking jib, plus options for a carbon mast and bowsprit for your kite.

 Nautitechcatamarans.com

Bali 4.4

Not afraid of the odd bold stat, French manufacturer Bali claims that its range offers 10 per cent more useable space than its direct competitors. Doubtless they have something to say about that but it’s an eyecatching stat. The 4.4 was conceived by founder Olivier Poncin and features the brand’s distinctive features including the lift-and-tilt aft saloon door, sliding side windows, solid foredeck and flybridge, all of which provide masses of space.

 Bali-catamarans.com

Libertist 853

Libertist is a French manufacturer which is the brain child of noted racer Eric Lerouge. The veteran campaigner has distilled decades of experience into developing a new range of fast, fun, lightweight trimarans that are ideal for fast weekending or longer cruises for those who don’t mind a vaguely spartan existence. The 703 was unveiled last year (see test on p66) and the 853 is an expansion along the same lines. The boat is is 25’ long and weighs in at just 1,400kg. Couple that with a big sail area at 59 sq/m on a rotating carbon mast plus minifoils on the sponsons and you have a recipe for a very fast little boat. As a bonus, the sponsons fold in, making the boat fully trailerable. Accomodation is basic but features a reasonable double berth forward plus bench seats and a small galley plus heads.