AMERICA’S PREMIER MULTIHULL MAGAZINE
MULTIHULLS QUARTERLY
DAGGERBOARDS VS. KEELS CHARTER ABACOS
BOAT SHOW PREVIEW
FALL 2018
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MULTIHULLS QUARTERLY Volume 10 Issue 2
18 26 38
6
FROM THE PUBLISHER
8
ON THE LEVEL
TF 10, Sargassum
18
TECH TALK
Brian Hancock on Mainsails for Multihulls
Cover shot: Cruising catamaran in tropical waters Photo: iStockphoto
26
ON CHARTER
Carol Hansen on Chartering in the Abacos, Bahamas
32
SAILING SMART
Phillip Berman on Daggerboards vs. Keels
38
MULTIHULL REVIEW
Annual Boat Show Preview
Letter from the Publisher
modernmultihulls
Throttling Back for Safety and Comfort A COUPLE OF FALLS AGO, I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO SAIL aboard the Outremer 51 Archer with her then owners Julie and Rick Palm in the Salty Dawg Fall Rally from Hampton, VA to the British Virgin Islands. The 51 is a modern, light and very fast cruising cat and on our first day at sea the boat really showed her speed potential. We had just cleared the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and shaped a course southeast to the spot where we wanted to cross the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras. The wind was in the northeast and piping at 15 knots or so. With full main and genoa, Archer got the bit in her teeth and accelerated. Soon we had 16 to 18 knots regularly on the speedo; it was thrilling sailing, particularly because the boat’s motion was so benign in the flat seas. Soon, however, the seas began to build and the boat’s motion became more accentuated which made walking on deck difficult. We had to take baby steps to make sure we kept secure footing because the boat’s sudden leaps and twists meant we never quite knew where our feet would land on the deck. Moving around on the trampolines forward was even more interesting since we would get launched in the air and not quite know where we would come down. Down below, the motion in the after cabins was such that you couldn’t lie peacefully on the bunk as the pitching motion turned the bunks into little catapults that launched us off the mattresses. That made it hard for the off watch to nap. As night fell and we assessed the situation, we came to the conclusion that sailing at 16 knots over bumpy seas was not going to work even though we were chewing up the miles. At an average of 15 knots, we were looking at a 360-mile 24-hour run. None of us aboard had ever done anything like that before. But weren’t sure we wanted to push that hard and lose a lot of sleep in the process. So, we slowed down. We tied in two reefs in the mainsail and rolled up a fraction of the genoa until we had Archer sailing happily and quietly at eight to 10 knots. The motion was dramatically reduced and the after cabins became tenable for sleeping. I had been through this decision-making process before during a delivery of the first Gunboat from Charlestown, SC to Newport, RI, again around Cape Hatteras. We had a strong easterly breeze and the big cat lived up to the promise of her design by sailing close hauled through a square chop at 12 to 14 knots. But the motion in the aft cabins made sleep impossible. When I finally relented and went looking for a place to sleep, I found the rest of the off-watch crew already sleeping under the saloon table right over the boat’s center of gravity. We didn’t slow down that night and paid for it with very broken sleep. The passage south on Archer went smoothly and we had good breezes most of the way. We arrived in the BVI in under seven days with an average daily run of just over 200-miles a day. And we were all hale and hearty and well rested because we had taken our foot off the gas. Modern performance cats are a ton of fun to sail and have very fast speed potentials. But, in reality, you may not want to sail at top speeds all the time as you choose to take care of the crew and enjoy a fast but safer and more comfortable passage at 10 knots instead of 15.
6 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
Editor and Publisher George Day Ph: 401-847-7612 Fax: 401-845-8580 george@bwsailing.com Contributing Editors Bill Biewenga Rebecca Childress Patrick Childress John Neal Amanda Swan-Neal Art Director Sandy Parks Ph: 401-847-7612 Fax: 401-845-8580 sandy@bwsailing.com Advertising Sales & Tom Casey Marketing Consultant tomcat911@comcast.net Ad Director Scott Akerman Ph: 207-939-5802 scott@bwsailing.com Subscriber Questions Circulation Customer Service Ph: 866-529-2921 (hours 8:30 am - 7 pm EST)
MQ-Multihulls Quarterly is published by Blue Water Sailing LLC as a free supplement to the February, May, August and November issues of Blue Water Sailing magazine. Copyrighted 2018. All rights reserved. Reprinting, photocopying and excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of the publisher. Blue Water Sailing ISSN: 1091-1979
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on thelevel
Back to the Future in the TF 10
A
s the world watched the Kiwis slaughter the American defenders in the last America’s Cup finals in Bermuda last year, we all got a glimpse of just how far foiling in multihulls has come. And, as will all things developed at the leading edge of technology and boat racing, the ideas that are successful, like foiling,
8 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
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start to trickle down to the rest of the sailing community. We’re now seeing foils on everything from kite surfing boats, to surfboards to Lasers and more. There’s even a kind of perpetual motion surfboard that you can
10 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
ride long distances after you have got a boost from a wave and pumping up and down with your weight to activate the lift of the foil. It looks like fun. Into this cacophony of foiling, enters the new DNA TF 10 foiling trimaran. Built in the Netherlands, this 36-foot Morrelli and Melvin design offers maximum sailing speed in a boat that can also be folded up and put onto a trailer or shipped in a container. The TF 10 has high lift foils in each ama that allow it to rise out of the water and sail on the leeward foil while the rest of the tri is flying above the waves. A powerful square-topped mainsail and a selection of headsails and downwind sails offer pure performance
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that will blow your hair back. While a fun boat for blasting around the bay, the TF 10 has also been designed to be a one design so fleets can enjoy level racing.
With more and more distance races being offered by yacht clubs and sailing associations, the little tri has been designed with an enclosed cabin and even a
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Your Ticket to Freedom Come for the show, leave with the multihull lifestyle.
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bunk in the forepeak so off-watch crew can sleep and get out of the weather. The boat is scheduled to be on display at the fall boats shows in Newport, RI and Annapolis, MD so you will have
a chance to see what the future really looks like and you might even get a chance to go for a sail and discover the magic of flying a boat over the waves. Check out the website at dnaperformancesailing.com
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14 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
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16 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
by Forespar
A Plague of Sargassum in the Caribbean
T
his year the incidences of large patches of Sargasso Weed or Sargassum in the Caribbean and along the North Coast of South America have been more numerous than in the past decade or more. Beaches are fouled, anchorages are clogged, sea life is perishing and no one knows what to do about it. Sargassum is normally a resident sea flora of the great Sargasso Sea that lies in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. The sea is bounded by strong ocean currents on all sides and acts as a kind of catchall for flotsam and jetsam in the ocean. Sargassum itself is the home of and spawning flora for hundreds of sea creatures and even plays a role in the annual migration of eels from all over North America and Europe who slither to the Sargasso Sea to breed. But since it was first discovered by Columbus and his fellow explorers, Sargassum has remained primarily in the Sargasso Sea. But, that all changed in 2011, when blooms of the sea plant started appearing in the Caribbean, carried there by the trade winds and the north equatorial currents. It seemed to the locals and those running resorts and charters companies like an invasion but also one that would pass in time. But, that has not been the case. Every year since 2011, Sargassum has become a plague on the islands and a hazard to boating, tourism and sea life. The government of Barbados declared a national emergency last June 7 due to the huge Sargassum bloom. “It’s catastrophic,” says James Franks, a marine biologist at The University of Southern Mississippi, who is one
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n Fast Track to Catamara ® g isin Cru d oar Live Ab of many scientists trying to explain why the Sargassum plague has invaded the Caribbean that was weed free for so long. “Right now, there’s [another] huge mass impacting Puerto Rico, and that’s the last thing they need.” For sailors and cruisers, the hazard presented by Sargassum is the problems it can cause with the raw water cooling systems on marine engines. Water strainers are not equipped to deal with matts of dense weed and will be choked by it which in turn can make engines overheat. If you are motoring through a region that has a large Sargassum bloom you need to check your strainers often.
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www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 17
techtalk
Mainsails for Multihulls How to choose the right mainsail for your multihull by Brian Hancock
D
esigning and building a mainsail for a multihull is a very different process than building one for a monohull and the reason for this can be summed up in a single world; beam. The relatively wide beam of most multihulls allows for a different rig configuration and it also means that a multihull will have a lot more stability making it very hard for a boat owner to know when to take a reef. This uncertainty has to be engineered into the sail because loads on a multihull main can be up to twice those of a comparable monohull. In other words, they are very different sails. Let’s start by looking at the rig configuration because that’s where the shape and size of the mainsail is determined. Many multihulls are rigged with a simple tripod rig consisting of a forestay and single shroud to either side. The shrouds are placed far enough aft so that together they double as backstays meaning that there is no need for a backstay. Without a backstay you can add a square head to the sail and as much roach as you like. There is no issue with the back end of the sail snagging on the backstay when you tack. This is the reason you see many modern mainsails sporting a fairly decent size square or flat head and a 18 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
sizable roach, and this is a powerful configuration that gives the boat plenty of sail area. Concentrating the power in the main means that the designers can go with smaller non-overlapping headsails which is a very simple and effective sail combination. With the mainsail being such an important sail, there has to be a lot of thought put into the design and engineering. Many production boats come with a sail that is built on the cheap and not very well engineered. They skimp on reef points and they skimp on important areas such as corner reinforcement. As already mentioned the righting moment of multihulls is much higher than that of a comparable monohull meaning that there will be much larger loads placed on the reinforcement patches. Many multihull mainsails are full-battened and this is okay but I prefer a sail with partially full and partially standard length battens. The full length battens up high lend stability to the fabric and make the sail more manageable when used with a lazy jack system. Leaving them out down low gives you much more control over sail shape. If you have full length battens down low their stiffness usually dictates the overall sail shape.
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techtalk
Fewer battens also means a lighter sail. For example, for a 45-foot catamaran you could have three full length battens and two standard length battens through the reef area. This will bring down the overall weight (and cost) of the sail. Determining the number of reefs depends on the kind of sailing that is being planned. If the boat is going to be used for weekends and short hops then two reefs would be suitable. If, on the other hand, the plans are for long offshore passagemaking then three reefs are a must. The first and second reef should reduce sail area by 15 to 20-percent each. If a third reef is required, it should be a fairly substantial reef that will reduce sail area enough so that the main can be used in very strong winds. It should also be engineered as such with large reinforcement patches. In terms of sail profile, the square or flat head and a moderate amount of roach results in an extremely efficient sail. Remember that it’s the aft end of the mainsail that works in conjunction with the daggerboards to provide lift when sailing to windward. Aerodynamically, the curved profile is much better than a sail with a “pin-head” which is the reason you don’t see triangular rudders and daggerboards. The sail shape of a mainsail for a multihull is not that
20 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
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techtalk
different than the sail shape of a monohull. The location of the draft, or curvature, of the sail including the amount as well as the fore-and-aft location of the point of maximum depth is critical as it has a direct effect on the boat’s pointing ability. For example, a sail that is too full will limit the pointing ability of a boat while a sail that is too flat will not have enough power to handle choppy conditions. The location of maximum draft is also very important and will differ from boat to boat. Many sailmakers still design multihull mainsails with the draft quite far forward mimicking beach cats which are very different than the average cruising catamaran. If there is a rotating mast then by all means the draft can be quite far forward because the mast forms part of the overall sail profile, but in most cases the placement of maximum draft should be around where it is on a monohull, in other words around 45 to 50-percent aft from the mast. Because the power has been concentrated in the mainsail and with a flat head, large roach and full-length battens, the issue of weight comes into play, especially as 22 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
the sails have to be engineered for the high stability of a multihull. You end up with a very heavy sail that in some cases is difficult to manage. Adding an electric winch is one way of managing the sail and I have never heard of anyone regretting installing at least one electric winch. The other way to deal with weight is to better engineer the sail and many modern multihulls are opting to go with membrane sails. With a membrane mainsail
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techtalk
the individual fibers are laid precisely along the anticipated load paths meaning that they are used in the most efficient manner. In addition, the fibers themselves can be more high-tech with yarns like carbon, twaron and vectran being used. If you are looking for a
more traditional white look to the sail, a high-tech yarn like vectran can be used. The vectran fibers are a pale yellow but when they are sandwiched between white taffetas the overall look of the sail is slightly off-white. In addition to keeping the weight down with precise engineering, you can also make the overall task of raising and lowering the sail easier by adding a double purchase on the halyard as well as an efficient track and slide system. Full length battens, especially on sails with a large roach, exert a lot of compression on the slide and if the track is not well engineered it can be difficult to raise and lower the sail. If your boat does not have a newer modern track system, there are a number of excellent retrofit systems that can be easily added. Tides Track is one such system. The track is engineered so that it can be inserted into the luff groove and light, well engineered cars then run on the track instead of in a mast groove. With the ability to engineer a light membrane sail many multihull owners have decided to add an in-boom furling system to their boats. With more 24 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
conventional Dacron sails, especially those engineered to handle the stability, you end up with a very bulky sail which means that the in-boom systems has to be unduly large. Membrane sails of equal strength are about half the weight of their Dacron counterparts and roll up tight on the in-boom mandrel meaning that the size of the boom can be greatly reduced; the result is a boom that looks in proportion with the rest of the boat. One other nice feature of membrane mainsails for in-boom furling is that the batten pockets are built into the membrane and are not sewn onto the outside of the sail. Mainsail engineering for multihulls has changed a lot in the past decade and overall the improvements have been a great leap forward for boat owners. The sails are much more efficient and a lot easier to manage and the boats performance is greatly enhanced. Veteran offshore sailor and circumnavigator, Brian Hancock owns Great Circle Sails and designs and builds custom sails for all purposes from weekend cruising to offshore racing and passagemaking. He lives and works in Marblehead.
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oncharter
I
f you’re considering a yacht charter in the Abaco out islands of the Bahamas, I’m here to tell you it’s an easy decision! Having just completed my second Abacos charter, I can’t say enough positive things about this spectacular cruising ground. As much as I’d love to keep it a best-kept secret, I simply can’t stop talking about it. As a first-time charterer years ago, the British Virgin Islands seemed the obvious choice – easy line-of-sight navigation, deep waters, and rave reviews to boot. Ten years and many charters later, I had been to the BVI several times, and St. Martin twice, and I still say neither destination ever gets old. But after hearing reports of the stunning and very different cruising grounds found in the Abacos, it was time to try the Bahamas. I had a few concerns about chartering in the Abacos – primarily navigating the shallow water that the Bahamas are so well-known for. (Which, of course, is also the reason the waters here offer up an absolutely stunning kaleidoscope of vibrant blues.) In fact, I also learned that the name “Bahamas” comes from the Spanish, baja mar, meaning shallow sea! Let me take this opportunity to assure you that – for 26 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
those who love cruising and discovering new islands – the Abacos are simply not to be missed. So, I’ve put together this basic Abaco cruising guide that I hope will provide the information you need to put this littleknown destination on your “must-do” list. CURRENCY For those visiting the Bahamas, the Bahamian dollar and the U.S. dollar are used interchangeably. Items are priced using the dollar and either currency can be used throughout the islands. For those traveling from the U.S., this couldn’t be more convenient. Be careful when paying with large U.S. bills. Your change is likely to be in Bahamian dollars which you probably won’t want to return home with. Most establishments throughout the Abacos accept credit cards. Just be aware that some companies charge foreign exchange fees. PROVISIONING OK, there’s no denying that food and supplies are expensive in the Abacos. Brace yourself for some sticker shock at the local supermarkets – I’d say at
Chartering in the Abacos, Bahamas: What to Know Before You Go
With a little preparation and planning, a charter in the Abacos can be a highlight of your cruising life by Carol Hansen
least 25 to 50% more than standard U.S. prices. But, the prices aren’t high on everything across the board. Some types of items are inexplicably pricy, while others seem more in line with prices you would find in the States. So, if you’re flexible you can keep your provisioning spend under control. We shopped a combination of online provisioning with The Moorings, along with a trip to a nearby market (Maxwell’s) for some additional specialty items. Overall, the variety and selection at Maxwell’s is good. We found some fruits and produce to be very expensive like lettuce, berries and grapes, but apples and avocados where reasonable. Some canned goods and most soda are expensive. Cheese is sometimes double the price I would spend at home. One small wedge of brie was priced at a shocking $27. Beer is also more expensive, but we found hard liquor to be priced more reasonably – with most of the popular brands in the U.S. being available. Menu pricing in restaurants seemed comparable to other destinations serving popular tourist areas. But you should know that the added expense is well worth it. Cruising the Abacos will be an amazing vacation experience you’ll treasure. And I also like to keep in mind that my vacation helps support the local economy, an added bonus. COMMUNICATIONS While I didn’t have any cell service while in the Abacos, one person in our group had business to attend to back home so he was careful to check with his service provider before we left to verify coverage. If it’s an option for you, I’d recommend it. We found it very helpful to have the cell service available when VHF was out of range.
Phone companies like Verizon and AT&T have international plans that work pretty well in the Bahamas. But, cell service can be spotty when away from the larger villages and towns. You’ll see a phone town in the distance but you may not be able to get a signal until you are only a mile or two away. But, when you do get service, you should be able to use both voice and data, albeit the data service is slow. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available at The Moorings yacht charter base in Marsh Harbour, but once you’re out on the water you may want to consider a pre-paid service. Bahamas WI MAX has set up hotspots at the major marinas around the Abacos. They offer pre-paid Wi-Fi charged by the day or by the week. The service doesn’t work everywhere – but was available at the larger anchorages where we moored overnights. Fair warning, the service is slow. Sometimes painfully slow. But still helpful if you need Wi-Fi during your charter. THE CRUISING GROUNDS When chartering in a new area, I find it helpful to get a handle on the general lay of the land in advance. I spent a little time looking at online maps and getting familiar with the location of the main islands before our trip. Our chart briefer at The Moorings suggested thinking of the Abacos as divided into two parts – the north and the south – with “The Whale” being the dividing point. (I like to divide it further into north, south and central). Whale Cay Passage is where the great expanse of the Atlantic meets the more protected Sea of Abaco. All but the most-shallow draft vessels (and most charter boats) must go through The Whale and into the open Atlantic for a short 1.5 nautical mile passage to access the cruising area to the north. Some popular northern www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 27
things while underway. Also, your chart briefing will make a lot more sense if you’re already familiar with the basics. They’ll go into more detail about areas where extra caution is called for. Another general rule for charterers is to stay west of the barrier islands, in the Sea of Abaco (except for The Whale passage). It seems most charter problems occur when this guideline isn’t followed. islands include Green Turtle Cay, No Name Cay and Manjack Cay. If you’re chartering a yacht, you’re certain to hear more about Whale Cay Passage. It’s not to be taken lightly, as it can be a treacherous area under some circumstances. Strong easterly winds or large swells generally make this area a no-go. The Moorings makes it easy. A quick call to base for current conditions, and you’re on your way. Just to the south of Whale Cay is what I considered the “central” cruising area – the islands closest to The Moorings base in Marsh Harbour. This area includes Treasure Cay, Great Guana Cay, Scotland Cay, and Man-O-War. Further south you’ll find Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters, Tilloo, and Little Harbour (the furthest south that we ventured during our visit). I found that being familiar with these basic areas and island locations allowed me to focus on other
28 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
NAVIGATION As I mentioned, navigating in the Abacos was a concern for me, as I’d simply grown too comfortable with my favorite deep-water destinations. And honestly, it did take some getting used to following the British Virgin Islands. That said, it was completely manageable with a little attention and planning. If you’re anything like me, the water in most places you go throughout the Abacos will initially look scaryshallow. Sometimes it actually is scary-shallow. Luckily for me, I was aboard a Moorings 48-foot catamaran with a four-foot, six-inch draft, which I can highly recommend for this cruising ground. Our chart briefing was excellent and gave me a nice confidence boost from day one. Pay close attention during the briefing, ask questions and bring your first mate with you. Once on the water, first and foremost, keep a sharp eye out and make sure you have polarized sunglasses. Learn a bit about how to “read the water”— Steve Dodge’s Cruising Guide to the
Abacos has a useful overview on this topic. It’s a good idea to keep this guide close by and reference it each day to study the details about where you’re headed next. The Moorings provides a copy on board your yacht. Consider purchasing the Navionics+ app for your phone or tablet. While the RayMarine GPS chartplotter on board our yacht was more than adequate, I loved using the app as a backup. I kept the boat’s GPS zoomed in tight, while using the app on an iPad for longer range navigation. Be sure to download the charts for the Abacos before you leave home. Arrive to your overnight anchorages early. Again, if you’re new to the cruising area it makes sense to play it safe. You’re more likely to get a mooring ball, or have time to scout out a place to anchor outside the harbor while you still have good light. Tides range by about four feet in the Abacos. And the shallow waters make it even more important to keep an eye on the tide tables (again reference Dodge’s cruising guide!), especially for entering and exiting harbors (some can only be accessed at high tide). When anchoring, consider the tides when calculating the scope needed. For example, seven-to-one scope at low tide will no longer be a seven-to-one at
high tide. Tune into VHF channel 68 each morning at 8:15am for the Cruiser’s Net radio program that provides the daily weather forecast. It can be heard from most areas in the cruising ground from Green Turtle Cay all the way south to Little Harbour. I confess that I missed the program most mornings. The Moorings base staff was wonderfully cheerful and accommodating when I called to get a report. Carol Hansen is the senior global content manager at The Moorings (Traveltopia) and has the fun job of writing first person accounts, among many qother duties, for the charter company’s online blog where this article is posted. You’ll find lots of useful information at www. themoorings.com/blog.
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POPULAR ANCHORAGES NORTH CRUISING AREA GREEN TURTLE CAY – A charterer favorite offering lots to see and explore. The lovely small village of New Plymouth is located at Settlement Harbour, but it’s best to anchor just outside the harbor and dinghy in. For a longer stay, enter White sound just to the north and pick up a mooring. Here, you’ll find two resorts to visit. Be sure to make the walk to the other side of the bluff at the Bluff House Resort for a lovely beach and a visit to the Green Turtle Club. This is a great place to rent a golf cart to explore the entire island! NO NAME CAY – A perfect day stop for visiting the famed “swimming pigs” of the Abacos. Anchor out and dinghy to shore. Be sure to bring along some left over veggies and give them a treat. MANJACK CAY – Gorgeous and secluded, this is a great place for a day stop. Anchor in the cove at the northern end of the island and swim in to shore. There’s a good chance you’ll have the opportunity to swim with stingrays and nurse sharks, should you choose to do so. If you decide to stay for the night move to a less exposed harbor to the south. You won’t find any restaurants here so fire up the grill and dine under the stars. CENTRAL CRUISING AREA TREASURE CAY – A resort area on the main island of Great Abaco with lovely marina and pool area that’s open to visitors. Plenty of mooring balls are available here, as well as dockage for a fee. It’s a short walk from the marina to one of the most stunning stretches of beach in the Caribbean. Enjoy dinner beachside at Coco’s Beach Bar & Sea Grille – on Thursday nights they have a fun beach bonfire. GREAT GUANA CAY – Perhaps most famous to tourists for its rowdy Sunday afternoon parties at Nipper’s Beach Bar & Grill, this cay has much to offer. You can pick up a mooring ball in Settlement Harbour, or anchor at nearby Fisher’s Bay and dinghy in to the beach at Grabber’s Bar & Grill. From either, it’s an easy walk to the ocean side of the cay. There you’ll find a lovely stretch of beach for swimming and snorkeling – Nipper’s sits high on the bluff, offering an incredible view.
MAN-O-WAR – This small island settlement has a quaint, laid-back feel and an interesting background. It’s been the center of Abaco boat building and repair for many years. The Sail Shop is well known and worth a visit. This was a completely “dry island” with no alcoholic beverages sold until very recently when the restaurant overlooking the harbor added beer and wine to its menu. The entrance channel into the harbor at Man-O-War is very narrow, so use caution. Once in the harbor there are mooring balls available. SOUTH CRUISING AREA ELBOW CAY – This island’s claim to fame is Hope Town and its candy-striped lighthouse. Plan to spend some time here, as there’s so much to see. The town is beautiful, with charming colorful houses and shops lining the cobblestone streets – and no motor vehicles allowed. This is another island that’s definitely worth a golf cart rental for exploring. My charter group agreed that this is a “must-do” for visiting the beach bars and to drive to dinner at Fire Fly (another must-do). Hope Town Harbour can get crowded in season, and mooring balls are first-come first-serve so arrive early in the day if you can. You may also anchor just outside the harbor north of Eagle Rock. LITTLE HARBOUR – Here you’ll find Pete’s Pub & Gallery, which a friend of mine described as her favorite place in the world! The unique pub is located on the harbor, but also has a wooden walkway spanning the peninsula over to the open ocean and beach. The gallery next door features stunning bronze castings for sale. If you visit, make sure it’s not low tide when the shallowest part of the channel is only 3 ½ feet deep. Overall, I found the Abacos to be a delightful experience in almost every way. On sunny days the water is stunning, the same color you’d find in a swimming pool with views all the way to the white sandy bottom. The beaches and snorkeling is second to none, with abundant fish and wildlife. The villages are quaint and full of history. Conch. Did I mention the conch fritters? And to top it all off, the locals are extremely friendly and helpful. All-in-all, the Abacos stack up to be one incredibly perfect charter destination that I can’t wait to visit again and again.
sailingsmart
DAGGERBOARD VERSUS KEELS Lets end the debate by Phillip Berman
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n my forty-five year career in the catamaran industry there’s been a relentless debate on the virtues and vices of daggerboards versus fixed keels. This debate has, however, mostly been waged without “hard numbers” from which to compare performance differences. As we have had requests at Balance Catamarans for both keels and daggerboards, Anton Du Toit (my design partner) and I felt we should conduct a study, the results of which follow. When we first set out to design and construct the Balance 526 we were aiming for cruising couples who wanted more performance and quality than they could find in mass production cats, but also more interior space, payload capacity and ease of use and maintenance than consumers focusing primarily on speed. Our intent was to find the balance – not to create the “lightest and fastest 52” in the world, or the “largest 52,” but a catamaran that could sail swiftly on all points of sail, carry significant levels of payload, yet still be gracious to live on. We also wanted her to be pleasing to the eye. Our focus at Balance brings us an interesting range of buyers, some of whom are more focused on strength, space, safety and comfort rather than all out speed (cruiser types), others who are more speed focused, less value oriented, and prepared to give up comfort, ease of operation and payload capacity to 32 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
go a bit faster (racer types). The later sorts of buyers are mostly what I affectionately call “spreadsheet guys.” (Full disclosure: I am not a spreadsheet guy. I am far more focused on how a boat lives, how tough she is, what she can carry, and how simple she is to sail and maintain without a professional crew.) As we have gone along a few of our customers have asked if we would create the 526 with performance keels rather than daggerboards. They felt that the advantages of keels trumped the performance advantages of boards. We were happy to comply, so Anton set about to design high performance keels for the 526. (Note: On our 451, we only offer her with dual daggerboards and two shallow permanent fixed minikeels. On all other Balance designs it remains customer choice which configuration they wish to have.) What we were not prepared to do was tell 526 buyers how much faster or slower the two different configurations would be. We felt it best to heed Lord Bryon’s advice to evade “kant and hyperbole” (the language of the day at boat shows!) so we hired the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics at the University of Southhampton to conduct comparative studies of the two configurations on identical 526 models. When you are comparing identical products
with just two different variables it seemed a worthwhile study to undertake and share with our customers. It also becomes, to some extent, a worthwhile study for anyone considering a new or used catamaran purchase who is curious how the two different configurations impact performance. While Anton and I believe these studies can be used by consumers to compare the relative performance differences between boards and keels, it is important to note that the 526 is a very light, narrowhulled epoxy performance cat and the keels we install are considerably finer, deeper and more carefully shaped than those found on mass production designs. Additionally, we conducted the study with the daggerboards in the fully down position on all points of sail to reduce the studies complexity. The daggerboarded 526 would be marginally faster than the study indicates off- the-wind with boards raised due to a further reduction of wetted surface. The disparity between keels and boards on a massproduction cat compared to a Balance or any other performance cat would be exaggerated considerably compared to the study that follows. I would note that we erred on the side of caution in setting our lightship weight for this study at 12.5 kg. We have carefully lode cell weighed our 5th boat and the actual lightship weight is 12,215 kg, or 26,930 pounds for the keeled 526 and 12,261 kg, or 27,030 pounds for the daggerboarded 526. Our lightship weight could be lower for customers prepared to put their boats on a diet, or sacrifice quality in several areas, but we have found that they want as much cabinetry as possible, folding tables, glass salon windows, Corian counter tops, and high-end flooring inside and out, etc. Spreadsheet guys miss the mark on this subject constantly in my experience. They
also wrongly compare boats based on length, rather than the interior volume of the hulls and bridge – what I call the sum total of fiberglass parts. Regardless, the polars closely mimic the high performance our yachts have proven in real life cruising, fully laden, so this gives us great confidence in the studies accuracy. Performance, of course, is not the be all and end all, so it is important to examine the advantages and disadvantages of boards versus keels beyond speed. They are as follows: Advantages to Keels 1. No moving parts. One less thing to operate or break. 2. If you ground the boat you hit the keels and they are easily repaired and at a low cost generally. 3. You can chock the boat more easily on the hard and it is easier to beach in some circumstances. 4. They cost less to fabricate. 5. You get more room amidships for additional cabinetry. 6. The keels add a bit of buoyancy. On a 526 about 1,600 pounds as our keels are large and mostly hollow inside. 7. Daggerboards are typically a bit heavier. On the 526 each board and trunk weigh about 50 pounds more. 8. Poorly designed boards and trunks can allow the boards to rattle when they are not under load. Keels do not rattle. Advantages to Daggerboards 1. Boarded cats point higher and side-slip less as the study shows. I have noted that on keeled production cats you can “stick them up into the wind� but www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 33
THE FLYBRIDGE
they tend to crab horribly when pinched, as such that you must crack off considerably to reduce leeway and sustain momentum. On most of the sea trials I conduct on production cats we “close reach” to windward on sea trials. This is less the case on deep, finely shaped performance catamaran keels. 2. The draft on most keeled catamarans is deeper than the draft on daggerboarded cats. Our 526 keeled version draws about 12 inches more than the daggerboarded version. On daggerboarded cats the rudder tip usually represents her deepest draft. It is important to note that some cats carry very stubby keels to sustain shallower draft, but the shallower the keel the less well she performs when sailing close to the wind. This is important to keep in mind if you are comparing performance on fixed keeled production cats. 3. Off the wind with the boards raised to 1/4 there is less drag and the boat steers and sails faster and more playfully. 4. The daggerboarded cat is a bit faster and makes less leeway on nearly all points of sail as the study shows in the majority of wind conditions. 5. An equally efficient set of keels have much more wetted surface than daggerboards, almost 4 times more. This is the case on our 526 keels. 6. Daggerboards set properly can assist in preventing a cat from a “tripping capsize” in very high winds with large breaking cross seas. Both boards can be fully raised, or only the leeward board raised, so the boat can side-slip easily.
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7. Daggerboarded cats tend to have a bit higher resale value due to the fact that so few are produced in mass production. A buyer that wants boards will only focus on catamarans that have them. Shifting our focus now to the performance data generated by Wolfson Unit. Their analysis returned the predicted boat speed and leeway angle for the Balance 526 with a keel design and daggerboard design for all combinations of true wind speed from 4 to 25 knots and true wind angles from 40 to 180 degrees. We can begin comparing these two configurations by directly comparing the speed and leeway at major points of sail, specifically beating, close, beam and broad reaching. While beating the two designs are predicted to perform as follows: To summarize the upwind comparison, the daggerboard design is, on average, expected to sail 1.5 knots faster and 1.75 degrees higher. While close reaching the daggerboard design has less of an advantage than when beating, as can be seen from Table 2: While close reaching the daggerboard design is expected to sail 0.5 knots faster and 0.75 degrees higher. As the true wind angle approaches 90° for a beam reach, the keel and daggerboards become more closely matched. In the beam reaching comparison the
daggerboard design will sail slightly higher with a leeway advantage of about 0.25 degrees but it’s speed advantage in 5 knots TWS of 0.3 knots will fade to a 0.5 knot deficit in 16 knots TWS. At this point of sail the two designs are considered to have equal performance as the differences in leeway and boat speed are negligible. Finally, while broad reaching the following speeds and leeway’s are expected. In summary, when broad reaching the daggerboard design regains a slight advantage, as it maintains an additional 0.5 knots of boat speed. Leeway differences are again negligible. Considering the above analyses, it can be seen that the daggerboard design will typically not only outperform the keel design but also out point it, make less leeway close to the wind, therefore giving the daggerboard design a substantial advantage when racing, or for performance focused sailors. This data gives a fair comparison of the two designs at specific true wind speeds and angles but in order to fully understand the performance trends and enable better predictions between them, one must consider
the entire range of wind conditions and all points of sail. This is best done with the use of speed and leeway deltas, where the differences between the two designs are calculated and analyzed. The following two figures display the average speed and average leeway deltas. The calculation process to determine the deltas is chosen such that a positive value for the delta indicates an advantage for the daggerboard design, and a negative value favors the keel design. For example, a speed delta of +2 knots and a leeway delta of -1 degrees means that the daggerboard design is 2 knots faster than the keel design under the same conditions but would sail 1 degree lower than the keel design. Considering Figures 1 and 2, the three TWS ranges used are from 4 to 7 Knots, 8 to 12 Knots and 14 to 25 Knots and will be referred to as light, medium, and strong wind conditions respectively. By analyzing the Average Speed Deltas shown in Figure 1 below and taking a beam reach (90 degrees TWA) as the point of sail under investigation, we can determine that in light winds the daggerboard design will perform better than the keel design as the blue line (4 to 7 knot
Balance 526 with Versa helm
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TWS range) indicates a positive delta of 0.4 knots at 90 degree TWA. We can therefore expect the daggerboard design to outperform the keel design by about 0.4 knots under these conditions. Counter to this, while still on a beam reach but when moving from a low wind condition to a high wind condition, the keel design begins to perform better. This is now taken from the green line (14 to 25 knot TWS range) and gives a -0.6 knot reading. Therefore the daggerboard design is now expected to be about 0.6 knots slower than the keel design under the new, higher TWS conditions. Figure 2 is used in the same manner as Figure 1 but shows the leeway angle of each design rather than boat speed. Focusing again on a beam reaching condition, the leeway deltas indicate that the daggerboard will always out point the keel design as all three lines (TWS from 4 to 25 knots) indicate. positive values of 0.3, 0.35, and 0.1 degrees at 90 degrees TWA. Overall, Figure 2 shows that the daggerboard design has a significant gain in leeway over the keel design at all wind speeds and angles. This reaches a maximum when beating (TWA ¹40-45 degrees) of 2 degrees, and declines to zero when running (TWA ¹180 degrees). With respect to the average boat speed deltas, Figure 1 shows that the daggerboard maintains a higher boat speed when sailing in light and medium winds (red and blue lines in Figure 1). In stronger conditions (green line) the daggerboards yield better boat speed when beating but the keel surpasses this between TWA of 60 to 145 degrees. Keeping in 36 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
mind that the study was conducted with the daggerboards fully down at all times, in reality, the daggerboards will be raised in the 60 to 145 TWA range. As such the study slightly underestimates the speed of the daggerboard design over this TWA range. Overall the daggerboard outperforms the keel in both boat speed and leeway in the vast majority of sailing conditions and is thus considered to be the better design choice if achieving ultimate performance is the key criteria. It should be noted that this study is specific to the Balance 526, but corresponding trends can be expected in performance cats of similar size and design. In the end, and it is a point I cannot stress enough to any boat purchaser, all boats are sets of compromises and trade-offs, and so too with features - helm designs, sheeting systems, rig layouts, bimini designs, bed designs and locations, baths, engine placement, etc. Because I have been deeply involved in brokerage catamaran sales much of my life I recognize there is no one right or wrong boat, certainly no perfect boat, only a boat that happens to be a better fit for a particular sailor and his or her budget, cruising agenda and specific aesthetic proclivities. At least now we can say that if someone wants a 526 with keels, here is how she will perform compared to a boarded version. It is then up to the buyer to decide which configuration is the most appealing to them. I will say that, based on the five 526 we have
sailing today, with over 60,000 miles of sailing behind them, those owners with keels seem quite happy, just as those with boards. Alright spreadsheet guys, here’s your numbers to mess with!
Du Toit Yacht Design in Cape Town which was established in 2000. He and Phillip Berman are the co-designers of the Balance 526, 620, 680, 760 as well a range of custom catamarans. He grew up on boats and has over forty years of practical sailing and racing experience in various locations around the world.
Phillip Berman is the owner of Balance Catamarans, The Multihull Company, a former Hobie Cat World Champion and the author of Catamaran Sailing From Start to Finish (W.W. Norton) and Catamaran Racing From Start to Finish (W.W. Norton.) He has managed the sale and survey of over 800 catamarans as a yacht broker. Anton Du Toit is a partner in
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multihullreview
Annual Boat Show Preview
Here are 2018’s new multihulls for cruising, voyaging and powerboating
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very fall we marvel at how the multihull sections of the big boat shows continue to grow. New models are introduced all year long Antares but most also make appearances at the Newport, Annapolis, Ft. Lauderdale and St. Pertersburg boat shows. It looks like year by year, multihulls are taking over the sailing-cruising market and multihull power boats are not far behind. The multihull scene is a very international one, too. While we will focus on brands and models that are going to be shown in 38 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
the U.S. this fall, few of them are built in North America. France remains the largest builder of cruising multihulls and leads the way in advanced production and design. South Africa is home to Leopard cats, one of the big three with Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot, and they will build several hundred new cats this year. But South Africa is also known for the many small boutique multihull builders that aim to build four to six boats a
Balance 526
year and will allow owners to make many custom changes to the stock designs. China is rapidly becoming a player among mutlhullbuilding countries where large high-tech cats are rivaling the best in the world. Vietnam has become a boat building country in Asia, too. Seawind Cats, originally built in Australia, has opened a factory near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and is now turning out high quality modern cats for the world market. Seawind owns
Corsair trimarans so these speedy three-legged yachts are built in the factory there as well. Here are 16 new and reasonably new designs that will be on display at the fall boat shows. Antares 44GS The Antares 44GS is the latest version of the venerable Antares 44i that has been in production for more than a decade. Now built in Argentina, this blue water
Corsair 970
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performance and luxury living in a boat that can be handled by an experienced couple. The boat has plenty of innovations, among them a helm that can be tilted up so you can steer from the raised helm station or tilted down so you can steer from the protection of the cockpit. Very cool. The design does not take any particular element to the “extreme.” Instead, Berman and his crew have sought to provide a boat that is truly well balanced in all aspects. And, they’ve done it. www. balancecatamarans.com
cruising cat offers couples a very seaworthy and complete platform for wandering the world’s oceans and fulfilling their cruising dreams. One of the hallmarks of the new Antares is the list of gear and equipment that comes with a standard boat. Essentially, when you take delivery of a new Antares, all you have to do is fill the tanks, load on the groceries and sail away. Argentina has a long boatbuilding tradition so the quality and finish of the new Antares cats are excellent. www.liveantares.com Balance 526 Multihull impresario, dealer and broker Phil Berman (The Multihull Company) has sold more multihulls over the last 30 years than just about anyone. His latest project has been the development of the Balance line of performance cruising cats. The queen of the line is the Balance 526 that was introduced two years ago and has proven to be a very successful player in the 50-foot plus segment of the cat market. Built in South Africa by noted composite experts, the 526 offers a well-conceived combination of great sailing 40 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
Corsair 970 Corsair Trimarans was founded in San Diego by WalMart heir John Walton with the introduction of the first F-27, designed by Ian Farrier. The 27 was so successful that the company quickly expanded its line to include boats from 24 to 37 feet. Now owned by Seawind Catamrans, an Australian builder of cruising cats, Corsair has moved to Vietnam and is building an all new line of great cruiserracers. The 970 at 32 feet replaced the older F-31 that is one of the most popular trimarans ever built. The 970 offers owners better sailing performance, larger living accommodations and a lot more storage. Trimarans tend to be fast and the 970 is no exception. You will often see sailing speeds in the mid-teens and those hunting for a thrill will be able to sail at over 20 knots in the right conditions. With the Corsair-patented folding amas, the 970, like her sisterships, can be folded up to fit onto a trailer that can be towed by a family SUV. If you are eager to rediscover the pure fun of sailing in a boat that can take you offshore safely, the Corsair 970 is the boat for you. www.corsairmarine.com Dragonfly 28 Designed and built in Denmark, Dragonfly trimarans are an innovative approach to building tris that will fit into
Fountaine Pajot 67
Fountaine Pajot 44PC
a normal marina berth and can be trailered behind the family car. Like the Corsairs, the Dragonfly boats have folding amas. But unlike the Corsairs, the amas fold back against the side of the boat instead of hinging upward. This makes the boats stable in the water when the amas are folded which means you can fold the amas to enter your marina slip and then fold them out easily when you are in clear water and ready to go sailing. The Dragonfly 28 is the company’s mid-size racer-cruiser and has proven to be incredibly popular. The cockpit is large and comfortable, the interior roomy and well fitted out and the rig easy to handle. For a couple’s cruising boat, this little 28-footer is both very fast under sail and easy to sail. In 2019, Dragonfly will introduce a new 40-foot tri that will be a true voyaging boat that will be capable of very quick ocean passages. www.dragonfly.dk Fountaine Pajot 67 One of the world’s top three builders of cruising cats, the French company Fountaine Pajot is launching a brand new 67 footer that will be the flagship of their fleet of cruising cats. FP builds six models of cruising cats from 40 to 58 feet. Over the years, FP has sold a lot of cats into charter fleets but in recent years their emphasis has changed to focus also on the luxury private yacht market. This year, FP is launching a new 67-foot cat that promises to redefine luxurious cruising. The boat has a flying bridge with a lounging area, plus a large after cockpit with a dining table and a forward cockpit with its own hot tub and lounge. Several layout options are available from four cabins with en suite heads to six cabins with four heads.
Crew quarters are available in the bows of both hulls. The standard layout has the galley in the saloon but you can have a version that puts the galley down in the starboard hull. The 67 will make a great crewed charter boat but it also will make a fine and luxurious long-range cruising boat for a large family or a couple who sails with a lot of friends. www.catamaransfountaine-pajot.com Fountaine Pajot 44PC The new wave of catamarans sweeping the market is definitely the new power cats that are being brought out by the big builders. Last year FP launched their first 44 PC to rave reviews. The design won the European Boat of the Year Award in the power catamaran category and has been a huge success with dealers. The 44 has all of the benefits of a large cruising cat – huge living spaces, stable platform, great maneuverability, lots of room for guests and more – without the addition of a mast and sails. Cruising power cats are also very economical as they can be pushed along with smaller engines than an equivalent monohull and can be run on one engine at a time. Next year, FP will bring out a 40 PC that promises to fit a lot of budgets. www. motoryachts-fountaine-pajot.com.
Gunboat 68
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HH 55
Gunboat 68 After Gunboat went into bankruptcy and was bought by Grand Large Yachting, the company has gone through something of a financial and creative rebirth. The first all-new Gunboat to be built in the new factory that GLY erected in France will be launched this summer and will be somewhat different from earlier Gunboats. Working with the design firm VPLP, GLY set out to create a 68 footer that was better balanced and faster than earlier designs while also maintaining a very high degree of luxury. The mast has been moved aft to reduce the mainsail size and roller furling headsails
offer a wide variety of sail configurations. For most couples, running a boat as powerful as the 68 will probably require having a captain onboard. The new Gunboat 68 should be a real head turner as it speeds by. www. gunboat.com HH 55 Designed by Morrelli and Melvin and built in China by Hudson Marine, the new HH55 is a state of the art highperformance cruising cat that has been competing well against Gunboats and other such cats in regattas in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Built of carbon
photo by Nicolas Claris
Lagoon 50
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fiber, epoxy and other exotic materials, the 55 is a big and powerful cat that can achieve speeds in the high teens and 20s. With curved daggerboards, the boat sails well to windward and blasts off the wind with the boards partially down for stability. Hudson Marine has been building high performance, luxury yachts for a while and was once involved with the earlier Gunboat company. Their finish work is excellent. Leopard 50L Fifty five feet is about as large a performance cat as an experienced couple can manage on their own. For passages, regattas or in challenging conditions, more crew will certainly be necessary. The HH55 competes in the water and in value for money. www.hhcatamarans. com
and 50 to the US market. The boats are sisterships in the latest generation of Lagoon cats and have many innovations that have been applied to these fleet-changing designs. The masts have been moved aft on both boats to reduce the size of the mainsails and to make sail handling and trim easier. The working genoa has been made larger but is still easy to handle from
Lagoon 40 and 50 Last winter in the Miami International Boat Show and afterwards, Lagoon launched the new 40 www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 43
multihullreview Outremer 5X
the helm station with the electric sheet winches. The 50 is a large and commodious cruising boat that will serve a family of four very well. It will also make an excellent bareboat charter boat. The 40 is remarkably large and offers plenty of space for a family or a charter party. In sea trials, the 40 was almost as fast as the 50 and very easy to handle. www.cata-lagoon.com
to the new 57-footer that is going to be introduced next year. Each model has its standard configuration and each can be built with the high performance package, the X series. We have sailed the 51 offshore for 1,350 miles and can vouch for the boat’s great performance and seakeeping qualities. We managed to get her going to 16 to 18 knots, but most of the time we were slowing the boat down for comfort and ease of sailing. At 10 knots, she was right at home and delivered 190 to 200-mile days without the boat or the crew breaking a sweat. The principals at Grand Large Yachting, who own Outremer, recently took a chance on sponsoring a YouTube vlogging couple and supplying them with an Outremer 45. You can watch their videos on You Tube on their channel La Vagabonde. What one wonders is if the Youtube generation has the interest or the money to spend a million dollars on a cruising boat. www.catamaran-outremer.com
Leopard 50L The Leopard 48 which was launched in 2012 was one of the most popular cruising cats ever designed. But the design was beginning to become dated, even as new orders kept coming in. So, Robertson & Caine, who build the Leopard cats, set out to improve on what was already great. The new 50 was their answer and comes with many innovations that will make owners happy. We test sailed the 50L last winter in Florida. The L version has the optional lounge on top of the hard top over the cockpit. Unlike some cats with flying bridges and lounges up high, the 50L doesn’t feel like a layer wedPrivilege 6 Series ding cake. The steering station is a traditional raised Privilege Catamarans is one of the older names in helm to starboard and the lounge is just up a few stairs from there. The helmsman is in conPrivilege 6 series tact with those in the main cockpit and those in the lounge. Out sailing we got the 50L up to 10 knots in a good breeze, so the boat is fast. It is also commodious and will make a very comfortable home for a family or a charter party. www.leopardcatamarans.com Outremer 5X Outremer is a French catamaran builder that specializes in performance cats that are not extreme in any way. The models run from 45 44 Multihulls Quarterly • Volume 10, fall
Seawind 1600 French cat building with many cruising cats out there in the charter fleet and cruising the world. As the company has evolved it has focused more and more on the luxury, large cat segment of the market and have broken their line into Series 5, 6 and 7, which stand for the lengths of the boat from 50 to 60 to 70 feet. The Series 6 cat in the middle of the line has a 64-foot waterline and a 30-foot beam. The Marc Lombard design is thoroughly modern but very stylish and incorporates features from racing cats he has designed. One of the distinctive features of the Series 6 and the other Privileges is how the master stateroom can be placed forward of the saloon and have a width almost as wide as the boat. The cabins look like something aboard the Queen Mary. Privilege is all about pure luxury and modern
St Francis 50
design. www.priviledgecatamaransamerica.com Seawind 1600 The new Seawind 1600 has been in the works for a while and has finally arrived on the market. The Reichel Pugh design is a departure from the more conservative looks of the other Seawinds and embraces a very Euro style with plumb bows, hard chines, a swept back cabin and a large open cockpit with helm stations on both sides. The boat is a pure performance cruiser that was conceived as a blue water voyaging boat for a family. At 52 feet it falls within the size range that an experienced couple can handle so it would make a great platform for a couple to explore the world. The 1600 like all of the Seawinds and Corsairs are built in Vietnam. www.seawindcats.com
have completed circumnavigations. This is a couple’s boat and can be easily handled by two experienced sailors. If you are heading over the horizon and want a semi-custom cat to do it in, then the St. Francis 50 should be on your short list. www. stfrancismarine. com Xquisite 5X Once you have met your first Xquisite X5 you will never forget its absolute distinctive looks and almost space traveling styling. The whole look of the boat, with its large reverse curving arches and cat’s eye windows, says right out loud that you need to pay attention. The boat itself is a very modern design with a classic and comfortable interior. It sails better than most of its peers in the 50-foot range and is set up cleverly so one watch stander can hand, reef and steer all from the protected comfort of the raised steering station. Tomas and Sara who build the boats in South Africa are veteran cruisers and owned hull number one of the X5 line before taking over the company. Their attention to detail and the innovations they have incorporated into the boats all stem from their time living aboard and blue water sailing. www. xquisiteyachts.com
Xquisite 5X
St. Francis 50 The St. Francis 50 has become a modern classic and could be seen as the model of what can be offered in a couple’s blue water cruising cat. Built in South Africa in a boutique shop in St. Francis Bay, the 50 is updated and improved with every boat built. Owners can add a lot of custom features to the boats so no two are exactly the same. Yet they all are fine passagemaking cats that have sailed all over the world and many www.MultihullsQuarterly.com 45
The Multihull Company
The World’s Leader in Multihull Sales, Service and Charter The Exclusive Dealer Of These High-Quality Catamarans 20
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The Balance 526
The Balance 760
Fe at u red B r o k er a g e L ist i n g s
2011 Privilege 615 $1,380,000
2011 Moxie 61 $1,950,000
2012 Catana 47 $530,000
2013 Lagoon 450 $499,000
2011 Royal Cape $685,000
2011 Alibi 54 $899,000
2010 Knysna 480 $539,000
2015 Lagoon 560 S2 $1,250,000
2014 Antares 44 $725,000
2013 Lagoon 39 $415,000
2006 Privilege 435 €310.000
2008 Catana 90 $3,500,000
2016 Malcolm Tennant 60
$600,000
2002 Catana 522 $619,000
2011 Lagoon 450 $519,000
2002 Voyage 440 $340,000
2005 Switch 55 $649,000
2005 Broadblue 42 $325,000
2015 Fountaine Pajot Sanya 57
$1,399,000
2012 Nautitech 542 $899,000
Alexis de Boucaud Fort Lauderdale, FL
+1-484-744-2740
Alexis@multihullcompany.com
Alexis grew up sailing in the waters of Brittany, France. after immigrating to the United States he developed interest in offshore cruising and racing. his professional yachting career began as a charter captain in French Polynesia on a FountainePajot Marquises 56 catamaran. There, he aquired a talent for sharing his love for bluewater sailing. Alexis then spent ten years managing Nautor’s Swan Charters, a high-end charter company based in the Caribbean, New England, and Mediterranean. While at Nautor’s Swan, Alexis coordinated sales of new yachts through the French defiscalisation program. He instituted a successful yacht sales and management program to develop the fleet in nonFrench territories. This gave him substantial experience in the many facets of yacht sales and brokerage around the world. Alexis is bilingual in English and French. Contact alexis for all of your Multihull needs today!
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