Multihull Architecture and Design

The first mass-produced cruising multihulls came from Great Britain: as early as 1955, the Prout brothers assembled a 36-foot catamaran – they would later become much better known for their Snowgoose. In 1965, the British builder Sail Craft Ltd. presented the famous Iroquois. This catamaran, designed by J.R. Macalpine-Downie, already featured a chine-deflector on the forward half of its hulls. Other shipyards, also based in the UK, entered this market. Catalac started with its famous 9M in 1970; Heavenly Cruising Yachts launched its premier Heavenly Twins, the 26, in 1971. Things were also happening with trimarans, but primarily on the other side of the Atlantic. Up-and-coming naval architects like Dick Newick were designing trimarans as early as 1968, dedicated to racing, and later to cruising. In the early 1970s, Tony Smith, based in Annapolis, launched the Telstar, characterized by a central pod extending well beyond the hull. 

The Iroquois is undoubtedly the oldest liveaboard multihull built in large numbers – 300 examples.

Living on One Level… and Without Heeling

It wasn't until much later, in 1983, that Fountaine Pajot launched its Louisiane, the ancestor of the modern catamaran we know today. A year later, Lagoon entered the scene under the Jeanneau umbrella, before joining the Bénéteau Group and becoming a world leader – 7,700 catamarans built! This time, it's in France. The 1980s were the years of the emergence of the multihull market. Numerous manufacturers joined the sector – including Atelier Outremer and Catana (1984) and Privilège Marine (1985). In the early 1990s, South Africa caught the multihull bug with the emergence of local pioneer Robertson & Caine, manufacturer of the Leopard. Today, the country boasts around fifteen manufacturers – a non-exhaustive list includes Balance, Kinetic, Ksynna, Majestic, St Francis, Vision, Voyage, and Xquisite. Highly sought after by charter fleets, catamarans are evolving; they are becoming more comfortable and easier to handle. In the realm of blue water cruising, twin-hulled sailboats are increasingly appealing to sailors who want to live on a single level without heeling. In the late 1990s, multipower catamarans appeared in the catalogs of Privilège and Fountaine. The power catamaran market remained relatively niche for a long time, but it is now experiencing strong growth thanks to companies like Aquila and Leopard.

The multiyacht sector, meanwhile, became structured in the 2000s and has been the most dynamic segment of the multihull market for the past decade. From pure sailing vessels, our multihulls have become living platforms – in fact, we spend 80 to 90% of our time in port and at anchor. Some "true" sailors don't find this appealing, but the market hasn't forgotten them: many shipyards still offer sleek and sporty models, such as Balance, Comar, Cure Marine, Gun Boat, HH, ITA Catamarans, McConaghy, Kinetic, ORC, Outremer, O'Yachts, and Slyder. Others offer a more ...