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EXOCET JUNIOR - A unique catamaran for €200!

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Spotted on the popular French classified ads website LeBonCoin, this little catamaran dating from 1963 turned out to be one of the last multihulls of its time still in sailable condition. After a winter refit, it has regained its proud appearance and never fails to amaze enthusiasts with its anti-capsize saucer device at the masthead and its spray deflectors on the hulls…

In our Who’s who article in MW178 dedicated to Bernard Nivelt, the famous naval architect mentioned the construction by his father of a sport catamaran prototype, the Exocet, in the family living room... Michel Nivelt and Lucien Gourmez went on to collaborate with the La Prairie shipyard, and then went on to launch this catamaran made in sprayed polyester and plywood, one of the very first of its kind. Previously, La Prairie, based in Angoulême, some way inland from France’s Atlantic coast, had specialized in camping equipment. While the standard model was equipped with a folding deck for ease of transport, its little sibling, the Junior, featured a much more rigid one-piece plywood deck. No trampoline, but a waterproof and very comfortable wooden bridgedeck. This is where Olivier Quaneaux, one of our readers, comes in. After seeing our article, he got in touch to tell us that he had found and restored one of these little catamarans. And he suggested we come and try out his Exocet Junior at his sailing club, the Club de Voile de Castelnaudary. To be quite honest, I’d never heard of the place – despite the club having no less than 800 members! This artificial reservoir was create...

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