Dolphin 460: an owner’s catamaran

The Dolphin 460, built in Brazil, is a catamaran resolutely aimed at owners looking for a boat which is fast, light yet pleasant to live aboard…

In vivid contrast to boats intended primarily for the charter market, the Dolphin 460 stands apart: every aspect of the boat is designed and built for private ownership and bluewater cruising. The boat’s Brazilian builder, Jr. Pimenta, and the boat’s French designer, Philippe Pouvreau, are the team behind the 25 Dolphin 460’s produced thus far by Dolphin Catamarans in Aracaju, Brazil. The boat is characterized by strong yet weight-efficient construction, relatively slender hulls (the hull beam/length ratio is 11.2), a generous sailplan, deep daggerboards, and a galley-up accommodation plan that, along with optional layout customization, caters to liveaboard owners. The result is a cruising catamaran with the potential to take her owners safely across oceans while providing a comfortable, homelike environment at anchor. Now five years into production, the Dolphin 460 is establishing itself not only as an affordable bluewater cat but as a boat that delivers value for money—in a number of areas, the Dolphin offers custom-yacht construction and features at a production-boat price.

Pretty, classic lines, an efficient hull, and serious construction: this is the Dolphin 460.