On test. C-Cat 48 (15 m), the performance two-hull cruiser

Cgray sky, dark sea with a bit of a formed wave, Riva di Traiano welcomes us on a day with winter hues for the test of the C-Cat 48 (14.80 x 7.30 mt). The latest addition to C-Catamarans is designed by young French designer François Perus, while Marc Lombard signed the less recent C-Cat 37.

The conditions of the day at sea were ideal for testing a catamaran that has important ambitions, namely, to offer long sailing characterized by relevant performance, and combined with good on-board comfort. A kind of boat that is always difficult to interpret because it has to summarize various requirements in a single design, especially in the world of catamarans where the expectation for high-level comfort is preponderant.

C- Cat 48 – What a catamaran it is.

The C-Cat 48 is not the classic two-hull super cruiser designed to maximize the number of people on board for the charter vacation. Rather, it is a product that is also gaining popularity in Italy, and is intended to bring the philosophy of so-called performance cruisers to the world of catamarans, as is already happening in the French market.

C-CAT 48 – The Project

The C-Cat 48 reflects C-Catamarans’ philosophy of producing catamarans intended for sport cruising. Comfortable, equipped with every comfort, but with distinct sailing capabilities. For this reason, it is equipped with two side drifts, slightly curved, adjustable underwater by a system of hoists, reach a depth of 3 meters, and are constructed entirely of carbon. These help in upwind sailing, and at the same time with the curved shape reduce hydrodynamic drag under sail.

The C-Cat 48, thanks in part to a rather small displacement for its size, is a boat that under sail can be described as rather all round; it does not disdain breezes, is seaworthy in strong winds, and says its piece even upwind.

Aesthetically, the boat features sharp, inverted-volume bows, a fairly low living quarters cell on the deck and equipped with a full-glass deckhouse as used on modern cat boats. Ample outdoor space aft, communicating with the interior through a large entrance. The rigging is located aft, not far from the two wheelhouses, with the wide mainsail carriage running the full width of the catamaran.

This is a boat that could be described as “Mediterranean and travel,” because it does not, like so many catamarans, have only comfort in its DNA, but also the ability to offer noteworthy sailing performance. A boat that would also be at home in the summer breezes of the Mediterranean or, why not, in more challenging, long-range sailing.

C-Cat 48 – The Evidence

The test conditions were of a wave starting to form, 1 meter in abundance, and winds of 10 to 13-14 knots, in which we sailed first with mainsail and jib, then with Code zero. We expected that upwind the already fairly formed wave might bother sailing a bit, but instead the response was quite positive, with a generally smooth passage over the wave.

The first thing one notices is that the helmsman’s station offers a good view toward the headsail, as well as comfortable seating. The demultiplexing of the wheel loads does not interfere too much with sensitivity when steering, and the C-Cat 48 is sufficiently responsive to course corrections, which restores some pleasure in steering the catamaran.

Often on catamarans of this kind people prefer, especially in non-intense breezes, to sail on autopilot, but with this 48 it can be fun even in lighter wind conditions to take the wheel in hand and enjoy the boat.

The full test of the C-Cat 48, all sailing issues and photos in the February print issue of the Journal of Sailing

www.c-catamarans.com

Mauro Giuffrè