Key Moments 2023

From the simplest to the most luxurious: Catamarans of the third kind

Over the past fifteen years or so, we’ve seen significant diversification in multihull models. Going back even further, to the nineties say, the range comprised beach cats and cruising craft (I’ll call these multihulls “catamarans of the first kind”), has grown considerably: since the early 2000s, we’ve seen the emergence of a number of new concepts that have further segmented the market.

Key Moments 2023

Published 29/12/2023

By Norbert Conchin

Issue: 193

Published: jan. / feb. 2024

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The arrival on the market of multihull superyachts or “multiyachts” was the first major development, but they’re not the only ones! There are also Opens, Monospaces, Double-deckers (and now Tri-deckers), Open day-boats, sports yachts, adventurer-explorers, powercats and more. For me, these are the “catamarans of the second kind”, whose diversity is staggering. But I believe that in 2023, we’ve seen two even more stunning innovations. Firstly, the small HopYacht 30, which offers a yacht-like cabin with a 180-degree view of the sea and a queen-size island bed, all in its 30-foot hulls. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Gunboat 72 lets you sail at the speed of the wind, like an ocean racer, on a luxurious flybridge that can accommodate for ten. This almost antipodean positioning makes me want to call these multihulls “catamarans of the third kind”...

Norbert Conchin
Journalist

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