LOA: 74ft 4in(22.70m) BEAM: 26ft 7in (8.15m) ENGINES: Twin 550-625hp Volvo D8 IPS700 & 800 TOP SPEED: 20 knots PRICE: from €6.4m ex VAT CONTACT: www.bluegame.it
After all the hype about Bluegame’s first multihull not being a motor cat but a monohull that happens to have two hulls, it was fascinating to see how it works in practice.
Inevitably the truth lies somewhere between the two. Legendary French naval architect Philippe Briand has done a good job of disguising the usual boxy aesthetics of a motor cat by limiting the beam to around 35% of the length (most power cats are around 50%), concealing the gap between the hulls at the stern with a tender garage and adopting some of the styling cues of the BGX range, but there’s no hiding it when viewed from bow-on.
In fact, thanks to the pronounced v-shape of the bridge deck linking the two hulls, it looks a bit like a narrow trimaran.
The illusion is arguably more convincing once you’re onboard, particularly on the lower deck, where that same deep bridge deck allows the cabins to spread across the full beam of the boat rather than being confined to the width of the individual hulls.
That is most apparent in the forward master suite which runs from hull to hull all on one level rather than dropping down on either side of the sleeping area.
An unusual curved deckhead that segues into the forward bulkhead enhances the effect, giving the appearance of a long floating pod with windows at either end.
The show boat’s three-cabin layout (there is a four-cabin option) seemed rather wasteful as most of the starboard hull was given over to the galley and crew areas but the two guest suites to port were suitably impressive, again ma
