Current trends in multihull yachts to be seen at boot Düsseldorf 2018
At the boot Düsseldorf 2018, you will be able to see the latest trends in catamarans and trimarans and how the market of new boats is currently set up - roughly speaking, it is split between fast multihulls for sailing purists and luxurious cruising cats for living on the water.
There are, for example, the Outremer 4X and 51, designed consistently for fast blue water cruising: strong and practical in their handling, with a good sailing performance yet still offering great living comfort on board. The majority of shipyards have placed the issue of comfort ever more clearly at the centre of their yacht design. The flybridge, a classic motoryacht feature which was quite daringly introduced to multihulls by Lagoon some time ago, is now to be found on an ever rising number of sailing catamarans. An interesting, new concept.
Outremer 4x - a fast cruising catamaran.
Lagoon 42 - a cruising catamaran with a flybridge.
This development from pure performance catamarans to more comfort and luxury on board is, maybe, best exemplified by Catana, which were once really fast but rather sparse multihulls. Over the years they grew more and more comfortable in character. However, Catana has not at all lost sight of their aim to design fast and well-sailing catamarans at the same time. As an example, the shipyard stays with the concept of swords. One such design is the almost classic Catana 47, light yet solidly built with carbon fiber laminates in all the important places; sailing well and comfortable, designed for circumnavigating the world as well as sailing in your local waters.
Multihulls for the yachtcharter market Catamarans designed for the yachtcharter market, such as Leopard, Bali of Catana or Fountaine-Pajot, constitute a category of their own, which is, in fact, also rather popular with yacht owners for family and holiday cruising. Also most Nautitech models (now: Bavaria Nautitech) have always been conceived as a charter catamarans, but in this segment they, too, have the greatest popularity among private owners who appreciate uncomplicated handling and comfortable living space.
Comfortable living on board The usual bareboat charter catamarans probably will not earn you line honours in your next yacht race, but you can be rather sure to spend a wonderful holiday on board, as this is exactly what these boats are made for. And still, all these boats actually sail so well that they feature perfectly as family boats and are often preferred by owners for blue water trips and long distance cruising. Because for these owners, too, the adrenaline levels while sailing are rather less important. Quite the opposite, in fact, as reliability, safety and on board comfort are the most important features these owners look for in a boat.
Spacious deck and cockpit areas If you are sailing in the southerly destinations or even in tropical waters, where on-board living almost always takes place on deck outside, any multihull yacht has obvious and big advantages over monohulls due to its larger deck and cockpit areas. Especially since the cockpit and the salon are usually on one level, often even the kitchen, too. Even years ago, Nautitech has consistently pursued and developed this concept, with hardcover cockpits. But this development came to an end only with the Nautitech Open 40 and also its bigger sister, the Open 46, on which interior and exterior spaces almost fluently merge into eachother. Perfect for a cruising or charter yacht, especially if it is intended for ailing warm destinations.