Luxury catamaran brands worth considering

[JPK]

I'm in the very early stages of research for a possible purchase of a catamaran a couple of years down the road. Up until now I'd been looking at higher-end mono's (X-yacht, Contest, etc.) but after having chartered cats a few times on vacation it's clear that the whole family likes cats better and they're just better suited to our needs. We're not looking for a "blue water" boat (I really do hate that term, FWIW). We're not looking to circumnavigate or live aboard full time. We're looking for a comfortable, luxurious catamaran for Med. cruising (Greece, Croatia, Italy, Turkey) for up to 8-10 family members on board for 1-3 weeks at a time. I want something that we can sail without a professional skipper, so with my skills and experience and available crew that means something not larger than about 55 ft.

The challenge I'm running into is that I'd like something with a level of customization and finishes higher than what's available on the production cats (FP, Lagoon, etc.). But from what I'm seeing, in order to get that level of finishes and customization, I need to either go with something more performance-oriented (HH, Gunboat) or larger (65'-70'+), or both. I don't see much in the 50'-55' range with a high level of finishes. The closest I've come to what I'm looking for is the Sunreef 50. These look like beautiful boats, but there are a concerning number of accounts online of build quality issues with Sunreef.

So, what brands should I be looking at that will give me a Sunreef/HH/Gunboat level of interior fit and finish, with more of a cruising cat ethos (flybridge, large front cockpit, large bedrooms and heads, etc.) and a solid construction quality if I don't want a race boat or a 60'+ cat?

Thanks!

[dcondit]

Maybe a little smaller than what you’d like, but have you looked at Antares? Definitely higher end build but relatively easy to sail. Great boats.

[JPK]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, a little on the small side and I'm looking for a bit more of a modern aesthetic. Antares look like they're very solidly built, but their aesthetic is sort of the Island Packet of the catamaran world to me.

[ozolli]

Not my cup of tea but you can have a look at the McConaghy MC55.

https://mcconaghyboats.com/yachts/mc-multihulls/mc55/

[Tin Tin]

We know a couple who are very happy with this boat and allows a fair bit of customisation - I have no idea on pricing. https://www.knysnayachtco.com/


Just looked deeper on the website the 50 is svailable Sept 25 $1.32m The 55 is Dec 25 $1.75m

[Jeannius]

If you have deep pockets then Privilege have been building luxury catamarans for a very long time and have a great track record.

[barnab]

If you are looking in the 50 foot range I would recommend you get quotes for insurance and marina berthing in locations you consider to keep the boat - you might find chartering to be cheaper and you don't have the hassle to maintenance or cleaning and you can charter wherever you want and don't need to worry where the boat is now vs where you want to go.



Not trying to talk you out of buying a boat but be aware that especially Italy and Croatia are expensive places when it comes to berthing and cats often pay double the price of a mono.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by JPK

So, what brands should I be looking at that will give me a Sunreef/HH/Gunboat level of interior fit and finish, with more of a cruising cat ethos (flybridge, large front cockpit, large bedrooms and heads, etc.) and a solid construction quality if I don't want a race boat or a 60'+ cat?

Thanks!

Gunboat and Sunreef are polar opposites. Apart from the stated luxury you are hoping for do you value sailing ability. Both are massive compared to the largest X-Yacht at 56ft.

Are you looking for "wood" interior? A new Privilege 510 customisable by owner, from the luxury point of view, would probably be the closest contender.


From the point of view of accommodations flybridge and forward cockpit an FP Aura would be hard to beat.

[JPK]

Originally Posted by barnab

If you are looking in the 50 foot range I would recommend you get quotes for insurance and marina berthing in locations you consider to keep the boat

Thank you. I agree 100%. At the moment we charter whenever we go to Greece because we're only there for a few weeks. A boat purchase would be contingent first and foremost on the assumption that we'd be able to spend 3-4 months in Greece. That's the only way a purchase makes any sense vs. chartering. Our vacation home is in the western Peloponnese so the likely marinas would be Pylos or Kalamata. Fortunately Greece is still relatively reasonable compared to Italy for marina berthing.

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Gunboat and Sunreef are polar opposites. Apart from the stated luxury you are hoping for do you value sailing ability. Both are massive compared to the largest X-Yacht at 56ft.

Agreed - polar opposites. Do I value sailing ability? Absolutely. Does the rest of my family? Not in the least. Back home in the SF Bay Area, our club has a Dolphin 460 catamaran with rotating mast, daggerboards, etc. and it's an absolute blast to sail fast on the SF bay, but it requires 3-4 capable crew to sail to it's potential. The family just wants to lounge on the flybridge.

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Are you looking for "wood" interior? A new Privilege 510 customisable by owner, from the luxury point of view, would probably be the closest contender.

. At the risk of being impolite, what I'm looking for is something that's a step up from the "Ikea" look on the production cats. That means higher quality woods, fabrics, stone or ceramic finishes in the kitchen and heads. One of the real telltales to me is the shower. If it's just a basic fiberglass shell with a wand shower head, then some interior designer just "phoned it in", IMO.

Originally Posted by Tupaia

From the point of view of accommodations flybridge and forward cockpit an FP Aura would be hard to beat.

Purely from an accommodations standpoint, FP Aura, Lagoon 55 would be great options. Lagoon offers some beautiful boats in the Sixty5 and Seventy7. It's a shame that they don't offer that level of fit and finish in a 55' boat.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by JPK

Agreed - polar opposites. Do I value sailing ability? Absolutely. Does the rest of my family? Not in the least. Back home in the SF Bay Area, our club has a Dolphin 460 catamaran with rotating mast, daggerboards, etc. and it's an absolute blast to sail fast on the SF bay, but it requires 3-4 capable crew to sail to it's potential. The family just wants to lounge on the flybridge. .

Think you maybe chasing unicorns. Dolphin, mid range performance and lounging on flybridges are somewhat incompatible.

Originally Posted by JPK

At the risk of being impolite, what I'm looking for is something that's a step up from the "Ikea" look on the production cats. That means higher quality woods, fabrics, stone or ceramic finishes in the kitchen and heads. One of the real telltales to me is the shower. If it's just a basic fiberglass shell with a wand shower head, then some interior designer just "phoned it in", IMO.

Not impolite at all. I personally hate the current IKEA interiors and I am a bit of a fan of IKEA simplicity in rental apartments. Unfortunately most production cats are just that floating rental apartments. My personal preference is for moulded boat interiors featuring no wood at all and hand crafted solid wood furniture in houses.

The problem as I see it, exotic solid woods, stone and ceramic finishes and non fibreglass shower trays are heavy and incompatible with multihulls that need to be light to have any sailing ability whatsoever. That unicorn again. You can obtain such things as a full carbon toilet https://www.aquamaremarine.com/en-fr...-marine-toilet but a CF shower base, you are unlikely to find either on any production catamaran or even a custom build in the size you are looking at. A 50ft cat being at the top end of size for not needing crew and providing access to your proposed cruising grounds with a family onboard.

[JPK]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Think you maybe chasing unicorns. Dolphin, mid range performance and lounging on flybridges are somewhat incompatible.

Agreed. I wasn't as clear as I should have been in my previous post. What I'm trying to say is that if I was making choices based solely on my wants, I'd be looking at more performance-oriented boats. However, when I factor what the entire family wants, sailing performance is at the bottom of the priority list. I'm OK with that for a boat in the Med. I get my performance sailing fix at home.

An example of what I'm referring to is to compare the HH50 to the Sunreef 50. They're similarly sized boats, but the HH50 is much more performance oriented. It doesn't have a flybridge or a forward cockpit, and the pontoons are much narrower, resulting is much more cramped accommodations below compared to the Sunreef. My references to HH and Gunboat may have been confusing. I'm not looking for that level of performance. I'm looking for that level of interior customization and quality in a 55'ish med cruising cat.

[Tupaia]

Rapier 550
https://www.broadblue.com/performanc...ans/rapier-550

[Kinkircating]

So I just spent a week reviewing our build of a luxury catamaran that’s getting close to completion by Nexus yachts in St Francis South Africa. Our boat is a Balance 526, and it’s very custom to a high level spec. You can pick virtually every option from the veneer to the hull material, sail manufacturer, mast & rigging, electric or diesel engines, literally everything.

To say that their team is awesome is an understatement and having toured every boat builder out there I’d put their quality at the top. The value is tremendous, these are 45,000 labor hour works of art. The only other options for a luxury cat IMO are Kinetic (also in South Africa) and the HH55 and larger.

Are any of these worth the extra cost? I think so, and I can personally recommend the bespoke experience that Nexus offers and the quality of their product. They have a 52, 58, and 62 foot cat you can choose from, the new 580 that splashes in October is stunning! Feel free to PM me if you want to ask any questions as we went through a similar process before making our choice.

[yeloya]

If you are in between Sunreef and Gunboat , the midway could be FP , for example their 59 ft. They sail much better than Sunreef and offer much more space than Gunboat. I would stay away from Sunreef anyway, tons of problem..

Cheers

yeloya

[Bullshooter]

I am not in the market, but very curious. Does anyone have a ballpark idea of what these boats cost?