After attending the International Multihull Show in La Grande Motte this year (22–26 April), a few things stood out — besides the fact that all the brokers look younger every year, like the policemen.
I came in from a time when we had Catalac, Prout, Solaris, Wharram, Heavenly Twins, Hirondelle, Dean, Catfisher, Edelcat, Gemini. Many sailors didn't know what a catamaran was, let alone sailed one. We had objections that they didn't sail to windward, they capsized, they pitchpoled, they slammed, you didn't get the same feeling as a monohull — maybe all were true. Then along came Fountaine Pajot and changed everything. Sleek modern lines, high bridgedeck clearance, big nets, fast, stable, and could point reasonably well. Prout, incidentally, didn't originally build their catamarans to fit down the French canals — it was simply the only beam that would fit through the shipyard doors.
At the shows, I always made the team get on their hands and knees to clean the boat, leading by example every day, scrubbing brush in hand like the Kung Fu Kid. Now they've gone soft — boat cleaners and quaffing champagne.
Besides the policemen and the brokers, catamarans are evolving, and the choice out there is huge. I felt like a kid in the sweet shop. I loved the C-Cat, liked the Vision, the NYX, the Seawind, loved the Voyage — there wasn't much at the show I didn't like. The Rapido trimaran looked nice too. No wonder people are unsure what they want.
From huge performance catamarans like Gunboat, to blocks of flats that sail, like Moon Yachts (well, almost). From beach cats to supercats. Gunboat, HH, Garcia, C-Cat, Outremer, Privilege, and the full-custom cats like we represent — not at the show — all costing €3 million upwards. A lot upwards.
Then we have Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot, Leopard, Bali, with buyers falling over themselves to buy the next model — still selling 400–600 catamarans a year, if not more. They must be doing something right.
On the resale market, a catamaran I sold new for €256,000 twenty years ago just changed hands for €260,000. What's happening out there?
The days where Pierre could pour resin in one end of the factory and a shiny new catamaran would pop out the other, with Pierre holding his hand out and a 500-metre warranty, are over. The buyer wants more for their money.
The South Africans are playing catch-up — re-tooled and ready to join the fray, but coming with well-built boats and high bridgedeck clearances, learning fast from the French. Then there are the Chinese, who will soon be in on the act too. Vietnam, Taiwan, the UK — there's a whole host of catamaran builders springing up out of the woodwork all over the world.
People keep saying prices are falling, what with the economic crisis, the wars, Iran, and resale values dropping — I can't see it myself, but maybe. The choice is amazing. I have my bed pushed up against the wall, so at least I don't have to decide which side to get out of in the morning.
Oh, and who was Multihull of the Year this year, and whose turn is it next year? Asking for a friend.
And again — the Chinese and the South Africans are coming.
