The latest multihull launches ahead of the Multihull Show in April
Nautitech 48 Open
Nautitech was one of the first boatbuilders to bridge the gap between pure cruising catamarans and more sophisticated performance cruisers. It did this by giving its boats better feel on the helm, with the wheels situated outboard, and designing a hull form that had decent upwind performance while eschewing the costly addition of daggerboards. It has been a successful formula and the company has now launched its new flagship, the 48 which looks to continue in the same vein as older models, just on a slightly larger scale.
● nautitechcatamarans.com
HH44
HH Catamarans is an American company that has been building catamarans in China for a number of years now. Generally it has stuck to big boats in the 50ft plus bracket with a focus on fast cruising. The HH44 is its first sub 50ft yacht and the new boat has caused quite a stir with its blend of comfort, high performance, and striking looks. This Morrelli and Melvin designed boat features extensive use of carbon fibre, and also diesel/electric hybrid engines as standard.
● hhcatamarans.com
Punch 1370
Remember Punch Catamarans? Ok, me neither, but if you were a soulful French sailor back in the day, then Punch would have been on your list of boats to explore the world in. Back in the day these Alain Mortain designed epoxy/ply catamarans were built in the Caribbean – the company going out of business about a decade ago. Now, with a new owner, updated designs and a new factory in Portugal, the Punch is back and the new 1370 certainly looks the part and promises to be a cruiser slightly tilted towards the performance end of the market.
● multicat-algarve.com
Dufour/Cervetti 44
Dufour Catamarans has one of the most confusing histories of any multihull builder. French mass monohull manufacturer Dufour opted to bolster its range some years back by designing a catamaran – the Dufour 48. This was duly developed and launched but in the meantime the company was acquired by multihull giant Fountaine – Pajot who, understandably, had little interest in a Dufour Catamaran given it had plenty of its own. The multihull arm of the company was therefore sold off to Italian interests which has now developed a new model - the Dufour/ Cervetti 44. Confused? Never mind. The new 44 is a comfortable cruising catamaran and comes in either a three or four cabin version.
● dufour-catamarans.it
Lagoon 60
