Gunboat 72 - Top luxury and performance

With its carbon mast towering over all the yachts at the Cannes Yachting Festival, more than 100 feet above the sea, the Gunboat 72 was the talk of the town when it was officially presented for the first time back in September. We had the privilege of boarding this fabulous machine for a delivery trip from Saint-Tropez to La Grande Motte. It made a great opportunity to better understand how the manufacturer has managed to reconcile the comfort and luxury of a family yacht with the velocity of an ocean-going steed.

Gunboat... Simply pronouncing these two syllables is enough to arouse attention – followed by the enthusiasm - of the most demanding yachtsman... Synonymous with exclusivity and excellence in terms of design, luxury, technicality and performance, the brand has forged an unprecedented reputation in the highly select world of exceptional multiyachts. In truth, a Gunboat is a true semi-custom cruiser-racer catamaran, in the elitist sense of the term. Since its takeover by the Grand Large Yachting Group and its installation at their shipyard, no less than seven Gunboat 68s have left the hangars, with an 80 was launched at the beginning of the year, followed by the 72 we’re interested in. As for the forthcoming 70, whose development is almost complete (see our Buyer’s Guide in this issue), we shouldn’t have to wait very long before we hear more about it... in the meantime, the previous Gunboats are far from fading into anonymity: on the contrary, they are regularly on the podium of major regattas. A strong signal that shows the extent of racing sailors’ interest in multihulls: the...