IC36 - Transportable and dismantable, it can adapt to all programs!

Is multihull blue water cruising, as we have known it for a quarter of a century, suffering its first setback with the global pandemic? Is it time to imagine and opt for another, simpler form of boating? From their base at Lake Lipno, in the southern Czech Republic, the team at Independent Catamaran has been looking into the subject. With their IC 36, a very clever, semi-open cat, the small shipyard has made a remarkable entry into the rather exclusive circle of slightly offbeat but highend builders. We got the chance to test this attractive boat during the Cannes Yachting Festival, where it was on show to the public for the very first time.

Test location: Cannes, South of France
Conditions: wind southeast 10 to 15 knots, sea state moderate

There (really) is something new in the East!

It’s a fact: for two years now, the threat of Covid-19 has simply condemned many cruising areas. Condemned them for unpredictable periods of time, reducing them to no more than quarantine anchorages. However, a blue water program that might involve transatlantic or transpacific passages and Indian Ocean discovery still remains the zigzagging Grail for many unrepentant globetrotters. A quest for new, turquoise horizons is being reflected in an explosion in demand for top-of-the-range liveaboard multihulls from 45 to 60 feet - builders are showing order books with 2 or even 3-year waiting times. But another trend is emerging: one of boating that consumes less air transport, is less arrogant, more sporty, more “local” (in the regional sense of the word) and less dependent on expensive infrastructure. The IC36 fits into this mindset - we could use the term “degrowth” here, but the very high-end build quality of this catamaran translates into a high price. This beautiful and seductive machine can be dismantled, transported on a semi-trailer or slipped into a 40-foot shipping container. The IC36 can winter ashore as well as cross the Atlan...