New Multihulls 2018

Farrier F-22

New Zealander Ian Farrier ushered in a new genre of sailing with his folding-ama trailerable trimarans, the best-known of which are the Corsair designs. Farrier’s last project before he passed away last year was this sweet little tri. Available in three versions, it’s a true dual-purpose boat, equally at home as an easily handled yet nippy family cruiser or, with the optional sport rig, an adrenaline-boosting speedster. The interior is deceptively roomy, with bunks for four and a reasonable amount of stowage for weekend trips. It’s small and light enough to be easily towed behind a family car and can be rigged or de-rigged in double-quick time. More good news is that the F-22 is now being built in the United States as well as in New Zealand, giving lots more people the opportunity to own this fun little boat. Farrier Marine, f-boat.com

LOA 22ft 11in (7m) LWL 22ft 3in (6.78m) Beam 18ft 1in (5.52m) open/8ft 2in (2.5m) folded Draft 1ft (0.31m)/4ft 11in (1.51m) Weight 1,500lb (590kg) light ship

HH Ocean 50

In the rarified atmosphere of top-of-the-line carbon-fiber sport cruising catamarans, the HH series has been making a lot of headlines. The Morrelli & Melvin designs, built in China, are fast and good-looking. They are also rather expensive, which is why HH recently announced the Ocean Series—basically the same designs as the 66, 55 and 50, but built of less exotic materials and without the level of individual customization that’s a feature of the carbon boats. They’ll be built alongside their more sophisticated sisters and to the same high standards, except e-glass will be used in lieu of carbon fiber. Fixed keels replace the daggerboards of the carbon boats, and aluminum masts and booms will be used instead of carbon rigs. The OC50 will be the first of the Ocean series to hit the water. Designed and laid out to be easily handled by a cruising couple, it should open up a wider market for these good-looking boats. HH Catamarans, hhcatamarans.com

LOA 49ft 10in (15.19m) LWL 48ft 10in (14.89m) Beam 24ft 5in (7.44m) Draft 5ft 3in 1.56m) Displacement 28,993lb (13,150kg) light ship

Fountaine Pajot Alegria 67

Looking over Fountaine Pajot’s new flagship at the Cannes boat show last September, I was overwhelmed not only by the size of the boat, but by the attention to detail throughout. Whether purchased as a high-end charter cat or as a luxurious platform for a world cruise, the Berret-Racoupeau-designed Alegria 67 delivers the goods in style. There’s plenty of lounging room on the vast flybridge, and even more on the foredeck, which features a built-in jacuzzi. Of the several available layouts—one including six cabins, plus skipper’s quarters—the owner’s version is to die for, occupying most of one hull. Not that the occupants of the other cabins will feel in any way constrained, given there is storage space and elbow room to burn. Fountaine Pajot, catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com

LOA 66ft 10in (20.36m) Beam 32ft 3in (9.84m) Draft 5ft 7in (1.7m) Displacement 77,000lb (35,000kg) light ship

Dragonfly 40

Denmark is home to some excellent boatbuilders, and not least among them is Dragonfly, the renowned builder of swing-wing trimarans. The company’s latest design is the Dragonfly 40, which looks just the thing for red-blooded multihull sailors who want to get places quickly and look good in the process. The renderings show a compact but liveable layout with a full galley, heads/shower and four full berths. This is not the kind of boat you want to overload with people. In keeping with Dragonfly’s sport-touring philosophy, there are two versions available, Touring and Ultimate, the latter with a taller carbon fiber rig and high-tech sails. A 40hp diesel provides auxiliary power. Like its sisters, the 40 is unsinkable and has a kick-up rudder and centerboard, so it can easily be beached. Hull #1 is due to hit the water in May 2019. Dragonfly, dragonfly.dk

LOA 39ft 8in (12.1m) Beam 27ft 5in (8.4m) max, 13ft 2in (4.0m) folded Draft 2ft 4in (0.7m) board up; 6ft 10in (2.1m) board down Displacement 11,000lb (5,000kg) light ship

Fountaine Pajot New 45

Out with the old, in with the new—literally. Not yet baptized, the New 45 from Fountaine Pajot supersedes the Helia 44, which has been a mainstay of the French builder’s range for several years. The Berret-Racoupeau design comes in three-or four-cabin versions, or “Maestro” and “Quatour,” if you prefer. Once again the designers seem to have expanded the interior to make the best use of every square foot of space. A forward lounging cockpit and wraparound flybridge seating combined with a big sun pad should be good selling points in this hotly contested class. Fountaine Pajot, catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com

LOA 44ft 2in (13.45m) Beam 24ft 9in (7.55m) Draft 4ft 4in (1.2m) Displacement 29.980lb (13,600kg)

Lagoon 46

The long-lived Lagoon 450 is no more—enter the Lagoon 46, a new VPLP/Patrick le Quement design intended to bridge the gap between the 42 and 50. Highlights include a larger high-aspect sail plan, with the mast set well aft to permit a large self-tacking headsail to be used. As well as the electric winches that control the halyards, reefing lines and jib sheet, there is a “flatwinder” winch to trim the mainsheet traveler, making this boat truly easily to handle for a couple. The forward cockpit will come into its own at anchor, while a built-in grill and wet bar aft are perfect for al fresco dining. In either the three or four-cabin versions, each stateroom has its own en suite heads/shower. Lagoon, cata-lagoon.com

LOA 45ft 2in (13.99m) Beam 25ft 10in (7.96m) Draft 4ft 3in (1.3m) Displacement 36,300lb (16,600kg) light ship

Eagle Class 53

What can you say about this boat, except—bring it on! The product of a design team with deep America’s Cup roots, the Eagle Class 53 is an open-bridgedeck foiling cat with cruising accommodations and bleeding-edge control systems. Designers Paul Bieker, Andres Suar and Eric Jolly and boatbuilder Wolfgang Chamberlain are putting the project together for an owner who originally wanted to add foils to his Gunboat 90. The carbon-fiber cat will foil on either C- or T-foils, controlled by specially developed software. Propulsion is provided by a new “Hybrid Wing,” a cross between a hard and soft wingsail, with a self-tacking jib. Speeds of 35 knots should be attained easily enough, so it’s no wonder that seatbelts are provided for the crew… Fast Forward Composites, fastforwardcomposites.com

LOA 54ft (16.5m) LWL 52ft 3in (16.08m) Beam 27ft 9in (8.5m) Draft 1ft 4in (0.41m) board up; 10ft (3.05m) down Displacement 13,227lb (6,000kg) light ship

Vision 444

Built in South Africa, the Vision 444 is a handsome and well-built cruiser that has all the attributes of a good performer under sail. Designed by James Turner, the boat is built conventionally using e-glass /foam sandwich construction. It has an aluminum rig carrying a square-headed mainsail, a roomy cockpit and a clean deck plan. The cockpit layout looks to be very good. The bridgedeck saloon features a galley and nav station aft and a dining table forward, while an owner’s suite takes up the starboard hull and there are two spacious guest cabins to port. Vision Catamarans, sailawaycatamarans.com

LOA 44ft 4in (13.5m) LWL 41ft 4in (12.58m) Draft 3ft 9in (1.14m) Displacement 17,650lb (8,000kg) light ship

MHS Winter 2018