Catamaran news

News related to catamaran boat building, sales, charter, recreation and the general enjoyment of sailing a beautiful catamaran!

  • Leopard 40 Owner Completes an Atlantic Crossing

    Tweet There is no such thing as a weekend when you live on a boat,” Leopard 40 owner, Eel, explains, and we would have to agree. There is nothing quite as liberating as knowing that you could go anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat. And while Eel and co. are set up for success in the Mediterranean for the time being, he has accomplished a fair amount in his short time of ownership. “Eel Where” was purchased on Valentine’s Day at the Miami International Boat Show, and it has been an adventure ever since. “I recently completed my first Atlantic crossing. I set sail on May…

  • LEOPARD CATAMARANS HAS ADDED A NEW ADDITION TO THE FLEET: THE LEOPARD 45

    Tweet CLEARWATER, FL – Leopard Catamarans is proud to announce the arrival of the new Leopard 45. She will make her world debut at the Annapolis Boat Show, in October 2016. With naval architecture by Simonis & Voogd Yacht Design, and with exterior and interior design by the world-class team at Robertson and Caine, the Leopard 45 Sailing Catamaran builds on the best attributes of the current Leopard range. Michael Robertson, Design Engineer at Robertson and Caine, promises an innovative and seaworthy catamaran, explaining, “We have ensured that all of the best features from our previous designs, as well as customer feedback, have been rolled into this new design. She…

  • In production in Cape, Town, South Africa: an 82-foot Carbon High Performance Sailing Catamaran

    Tweet The new 82ft all-carbon HPC (High Performance Catamaran) is currently under construction at Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing. She is designed by Du Toit Yacht Design. Both Two Oceans Marine and Du Toit Yacht Design are based in Cape Town, South Africa. The ‘Windoor’ is one of the newest features incorporated into the design. It allows for huge amounts of natural ventilation with infinite adjustment options at the touch of a button. The design is a take on a ‘Gullwing’ style door, which hinges on the forward end of the coachroof top with mechanical linear actuators opening it a full 95°, allowing full access to the wing deck from the…

  • Admiral Catamarans are back in production! Here comes Celtic Yachts!

    Tweet Great news for luxury catamaran enthusiasts, owners and potential owners is that the  Admiral 38 foot and 40 foot catamarans are back in production again. Trading under the name Celtic Yachts, an experienced boat building team, Tim Duncan and David Baxter, have taken over production of the ever-popular 38 foot and 40 foot custom-built catamarans, designed by Angelo Lavranos. The second Admiral is in production at Celtic’s yard in Killarney Gardens, and the first one was launched last year and is berthed and sailing in Saldahna, where she is available for interested parties to view and test sail. Tim Duncan and David Baxter are the perfect team to build…

  • The Scape 51 Day Charter Catamaran: An Owner’s Perspective

    Tweet  Du Toit Yacht Design designed the Scape 51 – a 15.62m / 51 foot day charter cat – for Petro Jonker, an experienced Caribbean charter operator based in St Maarten. Quality Time, as she was named, was launched in November 2010 and Petro has loved every minute of owning her. She was built in epoxy E-Glass composite materials and was designed for back-to-back day charters in the Caribbean. The substantial sail plan and electric motors follow Petro’s brief for a performance-orientated, yet eco-friendly boat. Seating in the covered and forward cockpits easily accommodates 60 passengers. Petro’s charter company, Eagle Tours, is a family owned and operated sailing tour and…

  • Read on Amazon Kindle! Never Ever Buy a Yacht!

    Tweet Catamaran and monohull sailors are not without humour! This latest Kindle book by Paul Stevens, is humorous memoir of a wannabe ocean going sailor and captain that touches all bases of what can and does go wrong with boats at sea. It’s an enjoyable read and we would love to hear your comments! Maybe somebody could pass on their ‘catamaran’ version?!

  • Inside view into Tag Yachts & Catamarans

    Tweet Tag Yachts manufactures luxury yachts out of St. Francis Bay in South Africa. Compared to old, established boatbuilding companies based in Cape Town, Tag Yachts is relatively new in terms of production size and market share. Established in March 2007, Tag Yachts was conceived by Tim van der Steene. Tim is a qualified architect and a sailing enthusiast who started sailing at 9 years old. After his 7-year stint of managing private and charter catamarans in the Caribbean, he returned to South Africa and settled in St. Francis Bay. He decided to combine his knowledge in architecture and enthusiasm for sailing and started Tag Yachts. Tim collaborated with Leon…

  • Leopard 460 catamaran features in latest issue of Multihulls Magazine

    Tweet The latest issue of Multihulls Magazine Digital Edition has hit the web newsstands — this time loaded with interactive video. The November/December 2010 issue was worth the wait with a number of worthwhile features including a recent Leopard 460 catamaran delivery from Annapolis, MD to Peru. Stalwart Captain, Jorge Ventura, a regular contributor to the magazine, recorded the epic journey. The magazine has regularly featured South African Catamarans, which have a solid cruising pedigree around the world. You can purchase the magazine for either $19.99(six issues) or $29.99 (12 issues) online respectively. Purchase The Multihulls Magazine Here! (Hint: If you want a discount let them know found this promotion…

  • Challenges Facing South African Boat Builders

    Tweet Take a look a this diagram representing some of the challenges facing the South African catamaran manufacturing sector in 2010 and beyond. While innovative, catamaran boat builders face unique challenges ranging from slow adoption of new technology, lack of skilled labor and the rising threat (or opportunity) of offshoring the building process to cheaper locales such as China and one day, Vietnam. We would be interested to hear reader comments on whether this is an accurate picture of the industry in 2010 and whether there should be any new threats, opportunities and statistics added to this representation. CLICK TO ENLARGECLICK TO ENLARGE Source:Adapted from COFISA Report on Western Cape…

  • Flashback to Maverick 400 at 2009 Cape Town Boat Show

    Tweet Multihulls4Us, that popular evergreen online forum, put together this interesting video on the Maverick 400 at the 2009 Cape Boat Show, including design enhancements relating to the cockpit which can seat 18 people and offer 360-degree panoramic views. “It stole the show for us,” said Multihulls4Us about the Maverick 400. They interviewed Rudi Pretorius, owner, who offered his personal insights into what improvements had been made on this model. TMT Charters recently acquired the first Maverick 400 to come off the production line for their operations which focuses exclusively on West Coast Charters in Langebaan, Elands Bay, Lamberts Bay and St. Helena Bay. The 40 ft Catamaran, Catlyn, was…