THE BIG TEST: OUTREMER 42' ELECTRIC VERSUS OUTREMER 42' DIESEL

The ‘diesel-electric’ development is under way, the approaches are beginning to diversify and we took advantage of the launch of the first Outremer fitted with this type of propulsion to test the particularities and compare its overall performance with an identical model equipped with classic diesel engines.

CYAM’s history

Several of the make’s customers had already submitted a combined propulsion project to the R&D department at La Grand Motte, but the builder did not want to see a prototype they would not be able to perfect set off to sail around the world. It was only when they brought out the 42’ (at the end of 2005) that the conditions for a coherent installation were united: an owner ordered and was enthusiastic about the development of a diesel-electric version. The boat will be based at La Grande Motte, and will be used to teach sailing and for charter in the region; the Cyam project was launched.

The Outremer 42’ is well known to Multihulls World readers, and is a very pleasant catamaran to sail: fast, seaworthy, it allows the family to sail in peace…

Electric propulsion and the Outremer philosophy

There was no question of the Languedoc-based company dedicating a specific model to this propulsion; it was rather a matter of importing combined diesel-electric-solar solutions aboard conventional catamarans, to use their advantages and deliberately adopting a development perspective. The first arbitration concerns the number of generators and their set up: two gener...