Cruise is comfort, and cruise quick with some of the best multihulls of the year.

Fast cruising is the theme for 2021. Power is a constant upward trend in the world motor yachts, and sailing catamarans are not missing the party. On multihulls, living space is no rare commodity and with these new catamarans, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of excitement either. Many new cats have entered the market, and we’ve chosen 5 of the best that we think should be scrutinized.

Leopard 42

The new 42 replaces the older Leopard 40, and draws unmistakably from the design of her larger siblings. Like the award-winning Leopard 50, the 42 has continuous hull windows and contrasting coachroof accents. However, unlike other modern cats, she features a cockpit that is separated from the saloon. This gives greater privacy for the latter as a social space.

As the L42 is a sailing catamaran, performance has also been given priority. The rig geometry and the sail layout has been altered to boost the efficiency of the rig plan. Her hull has been refined and the appendage design has given her better sea motion and agility.

You can read more about the Leopard 42 here.

Lagoon 55

The marque is arguably one of the best when it comes to catamarans. The new Lagoon 55 joins the rest of her ‘regular’ sailing sisters as the largest one, one rung below the premiere 65 and 75. Her features and design then, is similar to the smaller vessels.

The extra length will of course give more room, and she can fit up to six true cabins with their own ensuite heads. A huge flybrige and a moveable sunpad on the coachroof are to be expected, but interestingly she has a dedicated forward cockpit, which is a first for the marque. Lagoon has always emphasized comfort and usability, but she’s no slouch with a 107m2 fat-head main and a self-tacking jib.

Check out the Lagoon 55 here.

IC36

Here’s how speed-enthusiasts imagine a catamaran to be. Independent Catamaran hails from Czech Republic, and they very obviously want to go quick. The IC36 is their debut model that is race-tuned, and has the fascinating ability to be ‘deconstructed’ to fit onto a trailer. Her hulls are narrow, with high displacement bows, while a carbon beam braces the bows and also functions as a bowsprit for the sporty asymmetric sails.

The Raw variant keeps weight down and speeds up, while the Pacer variant comes with more creature comforts. The Pacer provides a coachroof, a cockpit tent, extra space for storage and cooking, as well as freshwater systems. Eight people can be accommodated.

Find out more about this racing cat here.

Bali 4.8

She slots in perfectly between the 4.6 and 5.4, and comes from one of the world’s best catamaran builders. The Bali 4.8 gives buyers 5 different configurations from which to choose – up to 6 cabins, no less. This makes her the first multihull under 50 feet to have the option of 6 double cabins and 6 ensuite bathrooms. This will undoubtedly appeal to charterers.

Like her larger sister, the 4.8 has a forward door to the foredeck, blurring the line between the spaces. She opts for a rigid foredeck instead of a trampoline, which increases the rigidity between the hulls as well as gives more buoyancy. The only helm station is on the flybridge where all lines are within reach.

You can find more information on the Bali 4.8 here.

ORC 57

Marsaudon Composites is a yard based in Lorient La Base, at the heart of the French offshore racing scene. It’s no surprise then, that the ORC 57 is lightweight, and offer a lot of performance. The 57-footer has a direct-tiller steering for that responsive feeling at the helm, and can exceed 20 knots under the right conditions. A wheel steering option is also available.

The hull shape clearly shows that speedy promise. It is designed with light displacement principles, and has a bow shaped for efficiency that will reduce the tendency to bow-down trim. When the vessel is under power and starts to heel, the lee bow will provide extra lift to push the bow up.

While not wanting for interior space, the focus is still towards performance. Check out this fascinating catamaran here.

After a quiet year (understandably so) by many boat builders, 2021 seems to have a more positive outlook, with interesting yachts and trends. Maybe this is the year to finally upgrade from a monohull to a catamaran? If so, get in touch with us and let’s talk about yachts!