Bold & the beautiful: Exciting new catamaran designs

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50M Sunreef Explorer

Sunreef may be leading the way in production of large luxury powercats, yet it’s determined to go bigger still and recently added to its portfolio of designs with the 50M Sunreef Explorer.

Designed to “go anywhere, from lush tropical islands to the most extreme latitudes”, the Polish builder’s latest Explorer design follows the 40M version and is designed to be “self-sufficient for months and offer all the autonomy needed for worldwide exploration in ultimate comfort, safety and luxury”.

50M Sunreef Explorer

The 50M Sunreef Explorer has a huge aft platform that makes the most of its 14.3m beam and the superyacht is fitted with tender cranes, garages and windlasses to help store and deploy a fleet of water toys including dive compressors, Seabobs, e-bikes, e-foils, sailing dinghies and tenders.

The yacht can be tailored for divers, adrenaline-seekers or fishing enthusiasts, while onboard areas can include a private spa, gym and an outdoor cinema with a bar, with accommodation customised for up to 12 guests.

50M Sunreef Explorer

Sunreef believes catamarans are the safest platforms for extended navigation as all essential systems on board are doubled, with two engines, two fuel tanks, multiple generators and two water tanks ensuring redundancy and reliability in critical areas.

In this vein, the 50M Sunreef Explorer includes impressive storage capacities for provisioning and a smart waste management system.

Rossinavi Sea Cat 40

Rossinavi has revealed an all-aluminium Sea Cat 40 concept, the first catamaran proposed by the Italian superyacht builder. Featuring exterior and interior design by Fulvio de Simoni, the sub-500GT motor yacht has an overall length of 42.75m (140ft 3in) and a beam of 13.75m (45ft 1in), with a 100sqm saloon and dining area plus accommodation for 10 guests and seven crew.

The Viareggio yard says the solar panels are designed to produce enough electricity to supply the daily consumption of 5-6 average American households, so can power the onboard services and propulsion at low speeds.

Rossinavi Sea Cat 40

In daily use, the catamaran can operate 100 per cent in full-electric mode. In the case of an Atlantic crossing, it can cruise continuously for 20 days, covering 3,850nm at eight knots.

To extend battery life, Sea Cat 40 can maintain the batteries’ charge status at 40-80 per cent and be programmed to navigate for 80 per cent of an ocean crossing in full-electric mode and 20 per cent in diesel-electric mode.

Widercat 92

Fellow Italian shipyard Wider has begun building the first units of the Widercat 92, a hybrid model designed with Luca Dini and expected to launch in 2023.

The 92ft powercat has a beam of over 39ft and this extends when the side platforms drop, offering direct access to both VIP cabins and potentially linking with the fold-down garage door to form a 720sqft, three-sided beach club.

Solar panels covering 1,830sqft deliver self-sufficiency at anchor, with unused energy stored in the lithium batteries to power systems at night. Wider’s serial hybrid system enables a cruising speed of 12 knots and a range over 1,600nm at eight knots or up to 2,400nm at six knots, while in zero-emission mode, the yacht can travel 27nm at six knots in silence.

StellarPM has announced the aluminium StellarCAT AL25-3, a towering tri-deck version of the AL25-2 measuring 82ft in length and 38ft wide, and offering four-six guest cabins and one or two crew cabins.

StellarCAT AL25-3

The main deck includes an aft cockpit, a 635sqft saloon and either a full-beam master suite or two VIP cabins forward.

The upper deck can be configured with a wheelhouse and skylounge or a master suite with private verandah, while above is an open sun deck. Depending on engine options, the yacht has a top speed of 19 or 24 knots and a range of 1,700nm or 2,400nm.

Cosmopolitan 66

Ivan Salas of Spain’s Iddes Yachts and German entrepreneur Christian Braun are behind Cosmopolitan Yachts, whose first model is the aluminium, solar-electric Cosmopolitan 66, which can house up to six guest cabins.

Featuring a beam of 35ft, the yacht has a 1m-plus bridgedeck clearance and a foil below the aft end of both hulls, while solar panel coverage is designed to generate 17kWp.

Soel Senses 62

Dutch-owned Soel Yachts has designed and engineered the Senses 48 and Senses 62 solar-electric catamarans for private use.

The company has previous built several passenger vessels including the SoelCat 12 in 2017 and two units of the Shuttle 14 recently delivered to Bora Bora, and built a custom-designed 10m carbon-fibre speedboat for private use.

Pininfarina De Simoni catamaran

Meanwhile, naval architect Fulvio De Simoni – designer of the Rossinavi Sea Cat 40 – has collaborated with Pininfarina Nautical on a 48ft powercat for Turkey-based Epsilon, a specialist in composite materials for aviation and boating.

SAILING CATAMARANS

On the sailing side, Sunreef’s larger designs have included a Sunreef 100 and an MM 460 Cat designed with Malcolm McKeon. More recently, the shipyard announced the Sunreef 43M, a ‘sailing super-catamaran’ initially known as the Sunreef 140 and featuring a 50ft 6in beam.

Sunreef 43M Eco

The highlight is a spectacular beach club, a three sided, walkaround waterside arena once the hydraulic swim platform and two side terraces are lowered. Fully customisable, the beach club connects with a sea-view gym as well as a storage room for diving gear and water toys. Beneath the aft cockpit, a garage accommodates two large jet-skis, a refuelling station and launching system.

Accommodation for up to 12 guests includes a spectacular full-beam owner’s suite with panoramic views and private access to the lounging area and spa pool on the foredeck.

Sunreef 43M/43M Eco

The 43M is also available in an Eco version that features Sunreef’s innovative ‘solar skin’ integrated into the bodywork, mast and boom, generating green energy for twin 200kW engines.

Smart-power and water-management systems optimise energy consumption, while an optional hydro-generation system is another power source.

Eco Yacht 88’ by Pajot Custom Yachts

Marc Pajot of Pajot Custom Yachts and Wider recently revealed the Eco Yacht 88’, which features a full-width superstructure and a boomless rig, which also featured on Pajot’s Eco Yacht 110’ concept revealed in 2020.

Made of aluminium and carbon, the new 88-footer with a 39ft-plus beam has 540sqft of solar panels, hybrid sail/diesel-electric propulsion, and two or three electrically assisted interior and exterior helm stations.

Eco Yacht 88’ by Pajot Custom Yachts

Inside, the main saloon is flanked by a semi-open galley to port and a home cinema to starboard, while the forward area includes a master suite or two VIPs. There are also two 220sqft beach club cabins in the aft part of the hulls that have direct door access to the sugarscoops.

German-owned Mavea Yachts has revealed the solar-electric Slyder 80, a Café Racer-styled carbon cat designed with Matthias Krenz.

Slyder 80 by Mavea Yachts

For sale with Ocean Independence and expected to launch in 2024, the 80-footer has a 35ft 5in beam and a flat superstructure with ‘sports-fly’ helm stations on either side.

Armed with a 215sqm mainsail with three reefs, the Slyder 80 also has a serial hybrid drive (twin 70 100kW electric motors) and PLC electrics. The interior offers headroom up to 2.2m and includes a 410sqft saloon and accommodation for up to eight guests in the tall hulls.

Zen50

Meanwhile, the solar-electric Zen50 has been promoted as the world’s first production yacht equipped with a wingsail. The first unit is sold and expected to be launched in early 2023 by Zen, which stands for Zero Emission Nautic and recently opened a showroom in Barcelona’s Marina Vela, close to where the first hull is being built.

Designed by Julien Mélot, the 51ft 6in cat has a 27ft 7in beam, lightweight carbon hulls and a semi rigid Oceanwings32 wingsail designed by Paris-based Ayro (a spin-off of VPLP) that can be controlled at upper and lower helm stations.

Zen50

A huge flat roof and a hardtop above the 365sqft flybridge enable extensive solar panel coverage that can generate 16kW.

The first unit won’t have a generator and won’t carry any fossil fuel, with the electric tender recharged by the mother vessel. The yacht can also be equipped with a dive compressor, e-water scooter, e-foil, electric jet boards and electric water maker.