New Multihulls for 2021

Lagoon 55

“Our experience tells us that people ignore a design that ignores people. That’s why we wanted to draw a beautiful boat that would be immediately identifiable as being a Lagoon,” says designer Patrick le Quément. And indeed, the new Lagoon 55 is a boat with an unmistakable profile. A hardtop shields the flybridge and its helm station from the weather, making for a tall, triple-stacked silhouette. NautaDesign, which was responsible for the interior, was also tasked with bringing the same sense of light and space found aboard Lagoon’s other even larger cats belowdecks. To that end, extra-large windows and skylights were added to bring the outdoors in. Construction is in polyester with anti-osmotic resin to ward off blistering. The hulls, deck and coachroof are all infused, with a balsa core in the deck and solid laminate below the waterline. Spars are aluminum, a self-tacking jib comes standard, and a fully-battened square-top mainsail is available as an option for those in search of additional power.

LOA 54ft 4in BEAM 29ft 6in DRAFT 5ft 2in DISPLACEMENT 58,00lb (lightship) SAIL AREA 1,948ft² (std. main); 2,001ft² (square-top main), Lagoon, cata-lagoon.com

HH44 Open

The HH44 Open was designed in collaboration with the Disabled Sailors Association (DSA) of the UK. From getting on, off and around the boat to having space to turn a chair around on board, accessibility has been at the forefront of the design. The expansive saloon is 334ft² and has the standard HH finishing and style. A weather-protected internal helm station makes full control of the helm and sails possible from a wheelchair. Large windows and a sunroof allow the breeze to wash through the boat and give it an open, airy feeling. The galley is aft-facing. With a 62ft carbon mast and square-topped mainsail, this is very much a performance-oriented boat that will undoubtedly make the best of a wide range of conditions. Curved C-shaped daggerboards provide lift sailing hard on the wind. A second version of the HH44 Open is also on the way for sailors without mobility limitations.

LOA 44ft 3in BEAM 24ft 7in (7.5m) DRAFT 4ft 4in (board up); 9ft 10in (board down) DISPLACEMENT 19,840lb (light ship) SAIL AREA NA, HH Catamarans, hhcatamarans.com

Balance 580

It seems there’s always something in the works at Balance Catamarans, with the latest example being this impressive-looking 58-footer. The latest in a long line of well-crafted performance cruisers, the boat has all the trademarks of a Balance cat with its sleek lines, powerful rig and high-aspect daggerboards. Hull #1 will be constructed entirely in epoxy, carbon and Corecell M foam, but the boat is also available in E-glass with some carbon reinforcements in high-load areas. Hulls and deck are vacuum-bagged, and the mast, boom, forward crossbeam and spreaders are carbon with Kevlar standing rigging. (Aluminum spars are also an option.) Stacking doors separate the saloon and aft cockpit and allow the two to be combined into a single, large free-flowing space. The boat’s trademark VersaHelm allows you to steer from beneath the shelter of the hardtop in dirty weather, or from up high when the sun shines. It’ll be fun to see this boat when it launches.

LOA 58ft BEAM 27ft 10in DRAFT 4ft 6in (boards up); 10ft 11in (boards down) DISPLACEMENT 31,785lb (light ship) SAIL AREA 2,191ft², Balance Catamarans, balancecatamarans.com

Xquisite X5 Plus and Sixty Solar

Following up on its SAIL magazine “Best Boats” winning X5, South Africa-based has been busy of late working on no less than three new projects. The first of these, the X5 Plus represents an evolution of the already outstanding X5. Chief among the changes relative to its predecessor are lighter displacement and a more powerful rig in the interest of speed. Other upgrades, based on feedback from existing customers, include everything from a state-of-the-art electrical system to more handholds—all with an eye toward the best sailing experience possible. Also in the works are a pair of 60ft Bill Dixon-designed “Sixty Solar” models, which will be available in both power and sail variants. The latter, in particular, is being expressly designed for singlehanded sailing with all electric sail controls and the option of an eco-friendly parallel hybrid propulsion system.

X5 Plus: LOA 53ft BEAM 26ft 2in Draft 4ft 5in Displacement 35,274lb (light ship) SAIL AREA 1,550ft², Xquisite Yachts, xquisiteyachts.com

Dragonfly 40

A truly impressive effort on the part of Denmarks’ Quorning Boats, the company’s recently launched Dragonfly 40 offers an outstanding combination of speed and comfort afloat. Available in either a “Touring” version with a self-tacking jib, or a turbocharged “Ultimate” version, with an overlapping headsail, the boat features a carbon mast, a batten-car system for the main, the option of a fixed sprit and twin helms aft. The amas include a pair of deck hatches providing easy access to a wealth of storage space, and the accommodation space belowdecks in the main hull (long a Quorning specialty) looks to be both well-thought-out and comfortable, with an L-shaped galley to port and a private double cabin aft. Finally, there’s Quorning’s proprietary “Dragonfly Swing Wing” system, which allows you to deploy and retract the amas in a matter of seconds.

LOA 40ft 7in BEAM 13ft 1in (amas folded); 27ft 6in (amas extended) DRAFT 1ft 4in (board up); 6ft 3in (board down) DISPLACEMENT 12,125lb SAIL AREA 968ft² (Touring), Quorning Boats APS, dragonfly.dk

Vision 444

After hanging fire for a couple of seasons, the first Vision 444 has finally arrived in North America. Built in South Africa, the boat is a handsome, well-built cruiser that has all the attributes of a good performer under sail. Designed by James Turner, the boat is infused in E-glass with a foam core. It has an aluminum rig carrying a square-headed mainsail, a roomy cockpit and a clean deck plan. The cockpit layout looks to be very good. The bridgedeck saloon features a galley and nav station aft and a dining table forward, while an owner’s suite takes up the starboard hull and there are two spacious guest cabins to port.

LOA 44ft 4in BEAM 24ft 11in Draft 3ft 9in Displacement 20,160lb (light ship) SAIL AREA 1,032ft², Vision Catamarans, visionyachts.com

Outremer 55

Where once all we had was renderings, now we have the boat. Designed by VPLP of America’s Cup and Vendée Globe fame, the Outremer 55 represents the latest iteration of what longtime multihull builder Outremer feels a high-performance bluewater cruising cat should look like. The boat’s narrow hulls and daggerboards will ensure fast passage times, while all sail controls are led aft to the boat’s twin helm stations to ensure ease of use. In a new feature for Outremer, the helms can be tilted either inboard or outboard, providing an unobstructed view forward and of the rig when the weather is good, and the ability to get in under the boat’s hardtop when it’s not. The hull and deck layup is comprised of fiberglass, carbon fiber and multiple core materials, with both polyester and vinylester used to ward off blistering and provide a combination of lightweight and rigidity—again all with an eye toward speed and seaworthiness on passage.

LOA 54ft 11in BEAM 27ft 3in DRAFT 4ft 5in (boards up); 7ft 6in (boards down) DISPLACEMENT 30,240 (light ship) SAIL AREA 1,640ft², Outremer, catamaran-outremer.com

Marlin 33

For those feeling the need for speed, there are few ways of making knots that look more fun than doing so aboard the new Marlin 33 tri. Available in both “cruise” and “race” versions, the boats are infused in carbon fiber and epoxy, then post-cured for maximum rigidity. The amas fold in for easier transport, and bulkheads are fabricated with foam cores in the interest of stiffness and weight savings. Both versions of the boat boast carbon-fiber booms, sprits and rotating wing masts, with the race version having the greater air draft and more sail area. Belowdecks, the Marlin 33 offers standing headroom in the saloon and no less than six berths, two of which are in the main cabin. See, this really is a cruiser! The manufacturer would like nothing better than to create a new one-design class for the boat. Any takers?

LOA 33ft BEAM 25ft 7in (amas deployed); 11ft 8in (amas folder) Draft 6ft 10in (centerboard down); 1ft 4in (centerboard up) Displacement NA SAIL AREA 710ft² (race); 645ft² (cruise), Marlin Trimarans, marlintrimarans.com

 Fountaine Pajot 51

Fountaine Pajot teamed up with Olivier Racoupeau Design to reimagine sustainable cruising aboard the Fountaine Pajot 51. The deck has been retooled to create more space, not just for sunbathing, but power as well. The Fountaine Pajot 51 comes standard with 30ft² of flush solar panels, which under perfect conditions can provide an output of up to 2,000 watts. The large flybridge provides additional living space topsides and allows guest to keep the skipper company, albeit from a slight downward angle, as the steering pedestal is located on a split-level platform to starboard. There are four layouts, including a “Maestro” cabin version with four guest cabins; two Maestro cabins with two guests; one Maestro and three guests; or six guest cabins (the latter likely to be seen in the charter market). The galley spills out into the cockpit, which has a large, protected dining table. The boat is designed to be easy to handle. As a result, in spite the massive 1,330ft² of living space, this is a boat that doesn’t take a pro to sail.

LOA 51ft BEAM 26ft 6in (8m) DRAFT 4ft 3in DISPLACEMENT 40,000lb (light ship) Sail Area 1,023ft², Fountaine-Pajot, catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com

C-Cat 48

Designed by François Perus, the C-Cat 48 is a variation on the theme of the company’s smaller C-Cat 37. The large, bimini-protected cockpit can be fully enclosed and is on the same level as the dinette, forming one a single living space. All controls are led to the cockpit, and in combination with the double-stern helm stations, makes it possible to singlehand the boat, even when mooring. An optional internal helm station is also available. Two customizable interior options bear the sobriquets “Antigua” and “S. Barth,” the latter being the more luxurious of the two. Layouts can include up to four cabins. With respect to materials, options abound, but the base is a laminated sandwich structure infused with multiaxial fabrics and an epoxy-vinyl matrix. Daggerboards ensure sparkling performance under sail.

LOA 48ft 7in BEAM 23ft 11in DRAFT 7ft 3in (boards down); 1ft 10in (boards up) DISPLACEMENT 21,400lb Sail Area NA, C-Catamarans, c-catamarans.com

MHS Summer 2021