Phillip Berman - His religion? Multihulls!

Contacted by Skype while in Cape Town for the launch of the very first Balance 482, he appears on screen as if he were on a pontoon: he’s affable and speaks eloquently about his passion. He, the philosophy of religion graduate from Harvard, has only one passion: multihulls.

Phil’s story could inspire a Hollywood script. It’s the story of a paperboy who saved a dollar here and there to buy his first Hobie Cat at the age of thirteen. A relentless racer, he would follow the rise of the famous Californian brand around the world. Even better, he would use his writing talents to author a technical book entitled «Catamaran Racing: From Start to Finish» Boosted by his 1979 Hobie Cat 14 world championship title, the sales of his book ensured him a substantial income. But Phil is a serious boy - the subject of his studies proves it. So, he pursued his education to a high level and established his quarters in Philadelphia. Anne, his charming wife, was until recently Senior Vice President of the Philadelphia Eagles, the local American football team.

But his passion for sailing and competition was too strong. In 2001 Phil founded The Multihull Company. His infectious enthusiasm and seriousness attracted clients from all over the world. The number of employees - about twenty today - and the number of offices grew. It’s fair to say that Phil didn’t wait for the latest pandemic to hit to work remotely.

But his real accomplishment came in 2013 with the creation of Balance Catamarans. Frustrated by a first experience in China made difficult by the geographical, linguistic and cultural distances, he persevered, but this time in South Africa. The place of his great Hobie Cat success: anything but a coincidence! Since then, he likes nothing more than to go to one of his two factories - one in Cape Town and the other in St Francis Bay - to see the multihulls being born. It may surprise you to learn that Phil is meticulous when it comes to explaining to Anton du Toit, the naval architect, and Mark Delany, the shipyard’s General Manager, every element of the extremely precise specifications he has drawn up for HIS catamarans. He’s had a lot of experience! Phil also listened to sailors for a long time before launching himself in the business.

He is now the designer of his own catamarans, with the «final-cut» on everything, guaranteeing the perfect balance that he wants to be able to offer his clients. With the success of the 526 and 482 - already twenty on order - one could have imagined him taking a step back and ...