Between solar panels, large cargo capacities and transformable interior spaces, these catamarans have impressive sailing ranges. The French are the leaders, but an increasingly vibrant movement is emerging around the world

The ten models chosen for you

Nautitech 46

As with its 40-foot smaller brother, this fourteen-footer was designed in a dual version, open and fly. It is made in a three-cabin version and a four-cabin version, according to the owner’s wishes. In the three-cabin version, the owner has a suite with a bedroom, work area, shower and bathroom. Lung. 13.79 m; wd. 7,54 m. www.yachtsynergy.it

Bali 4.5

Designed by Olivier Poncin, the largest (for now, a 52-footer will arrive next year) of the Bali’s points to an absolutely extra-large cockpit at the stern, to which is added a second fully equipped one at the bow. Lung. 13.60 m; wd. 7,42. www.adriaship.it

Fountaine Pajot Ipanema 58

It has one of the most popular flying bridges on the market, this French catamaran, which inside, as an added value, can count on a wide range of configurations in both square and hulls. Lung. 17.80 m; wd. 8,88 m. www.fountaine-pajot.com

Gunboat 57

A bolide that aims to revive the glories of its 68-foot big brother by focusing on performance hulls and extensive sail plan solutions. From the point of view of habitability, its strength is square and cockpit. Lung. 17.34 m; wd. 7,74 m. www.gunboat.com

HH 66

Built entirely in China, this modern sporting giant can have a traditional double aft wheelhouse, or a more advanced and fully sheltered central single wheelhouse. Lung. 20.10 m; wid. 8,70 m. www.hhcatamarans.com

Ice Cat 61

There is much anticipation for the birth of the Italian shipyard’s first catamaran, which bears the signature of Enrico Contreas and will see the light of day very soon. Many original solutions, such as a special system for the mainsail sheet. Lung. 18.60 m; wd. 8 m. www.iceyachts.it

Lagoon Seventy 7

The giant according to Lagoon, which sparked so much discussion at the Cannes Boat Show: either like it or dislike it, no pun intended. A tidbit? The terrace that opens to the sea sideways through a hatch in the hull. Lung. 23.28 m; wd. 11 m. www.cata-lagoon.com

Outremer 45

The smallest of the Outremer range is marine, high-performance, and designed to be comfortably carried by two, if not solo. The two liftable drifts could not be missed. Lung. 13.77 m; wd. 7,10 m. www.catamaran-outremer.com

Privilege Series 5

Sporty impact, but at the same time great interior roominess. Note the master cabin, centrally located between the two hulls, capable of reaching seven meters in width-a unique solution. Lung. 15.24 m; wd. 7,98 m. www.privilege-marine.com

Sunreef 58

Even on the “smallest” of the Polish models, checkerboard windows on the hulls could not be missing, ideal for creating a “pieds dans l’eau” effect. As with the whole range, there are many possibilities for customization. Lung. 18.30 m; wid. 9,20 m. www.sunreef-yachts.com

Our analysis

It seems almost trite to say, but in a market range as wide as the one we are going to analyze, from 12 to 24 meters, you are spoiled for choice. Yet, until September of this year, we would never have raised the bar to close to eighty feet in length. Compelling us to do so was the launch of the Lagoon Seventy7, the French shipyard’s signature giant that, despite its high rate of customization, is referred to as an almost mass-produced model.

SOLUTIONS FOR LONG SAILING
However, there are several features that are common to virtually all of these models, namely, a focus on browsing range. it is in fact more precisely in the range between fourteen and eighteen meters that most of the specimens chosen by those preparing for long sailings are concentrated. In particular, the large footprint areas present allow for the installation of a square footage of solar panels capable of supplying a significant amount of energy to on-board systems. And some models even mount rainwater harvesting systems…. In practice, if we look at the totality of the market, there are those who have focused on luxury and those who have chosen to prioritize performance, but they all have in common this desire not to return to port.

MOBILE DRIVE YES OR NO?
Here is one of the main, if not the main, questions that we ask when we exceed a certain square footage (say from fourteen meters and up). The differences between yards that have chosen to focus on performance and those that have favored maximum habitability increase: we are not only talking about the issue of “mobile or fixed dinghies,” but also the sail plans that become important. Compared to a few years ago, from a technical point of view, a lot of work has been done on simplifying maneuvers (ah, blessed easy sailing!) and on concentrating weights more in the center, which has made it possible to create balanced models capable of facing even challenging seas.

FRENCH SUPREMACY
Few doubt that leading the way in the world of habitable catamarans are our transalpine cousins. Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot and Nautitech, with the recent inclusion of Bali, are the yards that have mainly focused on the “cruiser” segment, prioritizing the development of space and amenities. In particular, they all point to wells entirely dedicated to relaxation, sheltered by superstructures that often accommodate the aforementioned solar panels. In addition, the breaking down of separations between the interior and exterior have made it possible to achieve footprint square footage unimaginable even on a catamaran just a few years ago. Also from France come models such as the Catana, but also Outremer (impossible not to mention the peculiarity of having double steering, understood as wheel and tiller on the same specimen) and Privilège, which instead focus more on performance and marinity.

THE REST OF THE WORLD
The steady market share that catamarans are gaining worldwide has prompted several shipyards to focus on this very segment. It comes from China (but has a partly New Zealand soul) HH Catamarans, which is bringing to market a series of particularly sporty cruising models, ready to do battle with the legendary Gunboats. By the way, the latter shipyard, after some vicissitudes, has joined the French Grand Large Yachting group and is aiming for a relaunch soon. By contrast, the Sunreefs are built in Poland, but here we have a hard time talking about production models because the rate of customization is so high and it may be more correct to call them semi-custom.

WHAT ABOUT ITALY?
There is much anticipation for the soon-to-be-launched Ice Yachts’ first Ice Cat 61, designed by Enrico Contreas, the daddy of Italian cat boats. Its sporty character is easily perceived by the extensive use of carbon, which is infused with epoxy resin with the vacuum system for hull, deck and bulkheads, ensuring extreme structural rigidity and strength with minimal weight. New features developed by the shipyard include an innovative mainsail sheet system, without the weights associated with current hydraulic solutions, and hybrid propulsion.