The International Multihull Show took place for the 13th time in La Grande Motte from 20 to 24 April 2022. Only multihulls are exhibited here, mainly with sails, but also interesting new products without masts. The latter now have a market share of around 15 per cent. It is not without reason that the trade fair is held in France, as the local shipyards produce around 1,000 units a year, accounting for around 70 per cent of the global market. South Africa is in second place with around 200 boats. Of the 15,000 visitors this year, more than half were not from France.
Over 65 multihulls were on display in the harbour. Including ten European or world premieres. Among the motorised catamarans, this was the Leopard 46PC. However, buyers need to be patient, as the demand for multihulls is enormous. The shipyards are fully booked for two to three years. In addition to the yachts, outfitters, engine manufacturers, sailmakers, banks, insurance companies and transport companies were of course also present. An important innovation was the Fountaine Pajot 4.S, which we were able to test immediately after the trade fair. The test can be found in the previous issue (BOOTE 7/22). Also noteworthy is the Aventura 14 from the French-Tunisian shipyard, which we also tested. The report will follow soon.
The Leopard PC43 celebrated its premiere in Europe, its bigger sister PC53 was also on site. A very special double hull, the C-CAT 40 Power Fish from C-Catamarans, was moored at the jetties. The Roman shipyard offers a catamaran specially designed for deep-sea fishing. The Overboat 100F from Neocean ( www.neocean.com ), a 3.10 metre long single-seater cat with foiling technology and 4.5 kW Torqeedo electric drive. The foils can be retracted in shallow water. The battery with 70 Ah and 48 volts should last for two hours at 11 knots. A two-seater is still to come.
In addition to the motorised catamarans moored at the jetties, the stands also showcased interesting projects that were still under development or construction. A very innovative concept was presented by the new French shipyard Sea Venture Yachting ( www.aseaventure.com The weekender concept is also known as the "GT of the seas". With a deck area of 30 m² and folding sides, the 11-metre power cat offers plenty of space for sunbathing and relaxing. This fun boat can be ordered with either outboard or inboard engines. With a total of 740 hp, 40 kn should be possible. Production is also innovative, as the boat is laminated in one piece in a separable multi-part mould. Construction number one will be delivered to an owner from Germany in the summer. Another very special project is the Archipelago 47 ( www.archipelago-yachts.co.uk ), an all-aluminium expedition catamaran with a range of 3000 nm. The first boat will be on show at the trade fair in Southampton. The Whisper 50 ( www.whisper-yachts.com ) with electric drive. In addition to solar cells for charging the batteries, it will also be possible to order generators. If you don't want to miss the next trade fair, you can make a note of the date from 12 to 16 April in 2023.
You will find this article in BOOTE issue 08/2022, from 13 July 2022 at newsstands or online directly in the Delius Klasing Shop.
