BEFORE PARIS BOAT SHOW LUXURY CATAMARAN UPDATE

I wanted to take some time a few weeks before the Paris Boat Show to write this post about my clients, partners and friends of the blog.

AEROYACHT

I am currently working with and for Gregor Tarjan on two major luxury catamaran projects. Both will be tremendous breakthroughs in this small market niche. Gregor is a very well know Multihull specialist in the US and has published the successful catamaran bible “CATAMARANS Every Sailor's Guide". He has a lot of energy and just like me really is a catamaran fan.

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ALCYON YACHT

Paul Renaud has lately designed a 125 footer and a 164 footer for a Swiss client that will soon be introduced in his new website. I like Paul designs because he is just filling a missing niche: Designing very large catamarans inspired by motor yacht comfort but with catamaran advantages. I am working on his new website structure and content. I will keep you informed when it is launched.

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FRANCK DARNET DESIGN

I trained Franck Darnet’s team to efficiently handle PR. They have been very successful with it and have got national coverage in the French Press in famous financial newspaper “Les Echos”, weekly best selling magazine “ Le Figaro Magazine”, and yachting magazines such as “voiles et voiliers”, “voile magazine”. They also have achieved international coverage in Yachting magazines including a five page article in “YACHT DESIGN”. Franck Darnet has designed the NAHEMA 120 and 150 and recent yachts such has the SUNRISE 45. He is involved with his Miami based partner Karine Rousseau in many other projects such as an eco-friendly hotel, submarine houses, luxury motor homes...

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BERRET RACOUPEAU YACHT DESIGN

Olivier’s Racoupeau design office is really busy as usual working for Beneteau, Fountaine Pajot and on one off projects such as the Z 90 a very innovative catamaran to be launched next year. I wrote the design office last two newsletter as well as part of the website.

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EXCLUSIVE

I am very happy to have been contacted by ExclusivE founder: Georges Benarroch. He is an amazing personage (as we say in French). Georges has chartered many cats, and has worked very hard to put together the ExclusivE 76 concept with the goal of building the best catamaran in this range. We are almost there, the first unit should be launched first semester next year. I am actually working on his new website and have put together a complete PR plan for him for next year. So look out you will be soon hearing a lot about the ExclusivE 76.

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JFA

JFA is building the VPLP 110 to be launched in 2010. Their reputation of a very serious and quality orientated shipyard, with a small structure close to the client is growing in the industry. I have written for them their latest news letter. I hope we will get a chance to work together again in a next future.

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MULTIHULLS WORLD

Jean Christophe Guillaumin, the editor of Multihull world, called me sometime ago and asked me if I would be interested in writing articles about luxury cat in his magazine. Guess what my answer was ? So check the next issue for the Paris Boat Show and you will discover a complete section on yacht catamarans, as well as a complete survey of most of the recent all sized catamarans afloat as well as future projects. If you can not find the magazine in a library close to you, you can download it on the website.

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NAHEMA

The NAHEMA 120 is being built in la ciotat (France). I was missioned by NAHEMA for a year to make the brand know on an international level. With more than 20 articles in the international yachting press and a very large coverage on the web I think it really is a success. They are now on their own and I hope I will get a chance to work on other projects again in the coming future.

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WILLMAR

Philippe Guillemin established Willmar a few years ago in Florida. He is the main importer of Fountaine Pajot catamaran and distributes the ExclusivE 76 and other Gilles Ollier designs. He really has a great expertise in catamarans for having built and sail many of them and worked on yachts building projects all around the world. Willmar had some trouble with being found on the web and wanted French speaking people looking for a good value cat in the US and Caribbean to be able to find them. I have launched for him a blog in French working on the necessary most efficient tag words to be found on the web.

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SPECIAL THANKS TO :

Ewa Starchuska, the experienced SUNREEF PR, for sending me regular information to publish on the blog and sharing some ideas about our jobs. I think we work quite the same way.

Chandler Collins, GUNBOAT marketing and pr for keeping me updated on the GUNBOAT catamarans.

Hugo le Breton, Le Breton Yachts, for keeping me updated on the SIG 45 a real breakthrough in catamaran design, a great project.

Tom Ashwell, from Synergy Yachting Partner, for launching with me the www.catamaranpro.com forum which is not really famous yet but we hope will have more success with all the future launches of luxury catamarans.

Greg Young, the talented designer of the Young 80 for sending me news about his designs.

Gayle, from Seaspray Magazine, for cheering me up and being a real catamaran fan.

All the suscribers to the RSS feed and regular readers who didn't suscribe yet.

All of you who have sent me emails and with whom I am keeping in touch even outside the blog.

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FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

I am actually trying to find a computer partner in the Rennes area ( France) to help me developing a nicer format to the blog with added interactive features. So Stay Tuned...

The ExclusivE 76, the yacht of dreams

Press Release From Exclusive Marine.

Thursday may 1st 2008

The ExclusivE 76, the yacht of dreams

The construction of the ExclusivE 76, a maxi-catamaran for long distance cruising, is continuing at the VIP/Composites yard in Olonne-sur-Mer (85) on France’s Atlantic coast. This twin-hulled yacht will soon emerge from the workshops to pass directly into sea trials, prior to heading to the large international boat shows. The fruit of several years of reflection on cruising sailing, the ExclusivE 76 has primarily been designed to convey its future owners in ideal conditions towards some heavenly horizons…A shallow draft!

The full impact of the ‘semi-custom’ concept, so cherished by Georges Benarroch, founder of the “Exclusive Marine” company, will come into play in 2008. Indeed, even though the size of the hulls will always be the same, it is possible for each future owner to imagine his or her own rig, interior layout (the cabins being highly modular) and the boat’s appendage configuration (keels or daggerboards). The first version of the ExclusivE 76 will be above all else a ‘luxury’ configuration. The teak deck, the refinement of the interior design, the carbon mast and boom are evidence of this.

A floating dream the ExclusivE 76, the first of its name, will be a high quality yacht. Whether it is in terms of pure performance on the water or the level of comfort, the ExclusivE 76 has a wealth of assets.

The design office managed by Gilles Ollier, designer of the ExclusivE 76, is predicting speeds in excess of 15 knots downwind. The deck/saloon lounge area with its 360 degree panoramic view will attain 70m2, a record in this category of yacht. Added to this is the shallow draft, with its retractable daggerboards which once lifted give a minimum draft of 1300 mm, and will enable easy access when sailing with family and friends to the world’s most beautiful bays, a unique feature of Exclusive Marine. “A catamaran already accommodates a lot more space than a monohull; so when it also benefits from a large bright saloon, very short daggerboards to get in close to the beaches, high quality interior design (furniture), we are reaching out to the very latest desires of the enthusiastic long distance cruiser. The ExclusivE 76 will be the highest performer in its category whilst providing maximum safety” explains Georges Benarroch.

A yard making great headway.To build a high class 76 foot craft isn't a simple matter. For a number of months the VIP/composites yard has been tackling the demanding specifications. Currently numerous elements are represented inside the ExclusivE 76. The cocoons of the ‘owner's’ and 'guest' cabins have been installed in the hulls so as to perform various tests. The seating, glazing and deck have also been positioned prior to a final fit. At the same time the 'crew' cabin (mounted without a cocoon), the installation of the engines and the electrics are nearing completion. Reminder: Gilles Payen’s cocoons, head of VIP Composites: “We have manufactured some cocoons, which are like large cases the size of the galley, the cabins... in which we will install the furniture… They will then be incorporated directly into the ExclusivE 76. This method, which is a novel addition to our working methods, will enable us to make faster progress in the construction of the yacht, whilst greatly facilitating the work of the specialised staff, such as joiners, electricians or plumbers…

A real challenge in our manufacturing process!”

• 70m2: the largest deck/saloon lounge area in its category
• 33 to 36 tonnes: the controlled displacement of the ExclusivE 76
• 23.20 metres: LOA
• 21.40 metres: waterline length
• 10.50 metres: beam
• 3 or 4: the number of cabins according to the future owner’s wishes
• 311m2: surface of the upwind sails
• 1.25 metres: draft (pivoting daggerboards)
• 2: the number of craft on order at Exclusive Marine
  
• Discover the latest information about the ExclusivE 76 at www.exclusive-marine.com

ExcluvisE dealer for the USA - Philippe Guillemin - www.willmarusa.com

Rights free photos for the press and the web: Denis Van den Brink and Guillaume Hennes

Press contacts: Denis van den Brink +33 (0)6 07 91 65 66 / Tanguy Blondel +33 (0)6 88 45 35 36

FIRST EXCLUSIVE 76 DEMOULDED

The complete platform of the first EXCLUSIVE 76, built for a private owner, has been demoulded at the King Cat /Vip Composite shipyard in Les Sables d'Olonne (France).

As you can see on the pictures the hulls and the platform come out of the moulds in one piece which is a guaranty of a strong platform/hulls connection a very important area of stress in a catamaran. A well performed infusion process, on that size of a catamaran, insures flawless hulls. The King Cat/ VIP composite shipyard is really specialized in the SCRIMP (Seemann Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process), having built the KINGCAT M272 and 220 JBOATS in 2007 !!! The SCRIMP was invented by Bill Seeaman and first used by famous US shipyards such as Sabre, Hinckley. The King Cat/VIP composite shipyard is being actually re-organized to increase quality and performance. In the coming weeks the Exclusive production team will focus its energy on the deck and the flybridge while on the side the interior fittings are being built simoultaneously in ready to fit in"cocoon kits". This process is now used by many shipyards. Basically, you build each part ofthe interior on the side of the boat while the plumbing and the electricity is done aboard so technicians don't get in each others way (like in plane building). So you build a bath room, the galley... and then you fit them in one by one. This unables to save time and to gain in quality because it is easier to work out of the boat than inside. The Exclusive marine website is changing with lots of news 3ds renderings. The Exclusive 76 has been divided in two version a classic and a design one. I prefer the classic version because it is warmer. I am still amazed by the amount of volume available both insided and outside on a catamaran of this size.

Exclusive Marine dealers for the US is Willmar USA.

MAGIC CAT SOLD BY BERNARD GALLAY YACHT BROKERAGE - MULTIPLAST 82 ' -

"Magic cat has been sold by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage and has undergone a complete refit with a new interior and cockpit design by Franck Darnet".

MAGIC CAT was designed, built by Gilles Ollier's team at the Multiplast shipyard and launched in 1996.

She has been completely refitted in 2005 after 10 years of intensive sailing, including a three years around the world voyage and is still in perfect conditions. She is probably the fastest luxury cruising catamaran ever built so far.

MAGIC CAT has benefited from the great experience of Multiplast in building racing multihulls. She was built in vacuum bagged carbon composite, features a kevlar rigging with a rotating wing carbon mast and a carbon boom. Very fast, she is capable of cruising above true wind speed with usual speeds over 25 knots. With 4 double cabins for 8 quest, she is handled by a crew of three.

During the 12 month refit at her birth shipyard, the structure has been completely checked. New systems, engines, generators, have been installed. MAGIC CAT is ready to go for another ten years of luxury and fast sailing. (She was sold by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage and is now available for charter.)

I just realized this is my 51 st post. I hope you enjoy as much reading my blog as I enjoy writing it. Please if you want to leave any comments it would be great. Also if you have news I can post they will be very welcome.

If you want to get in touch with me directly use this email adress : sebastien.barthez@gmail.com.

WILLMAR USA - MULTIPLAST 90

Willmar USA is a company based in Florida, in Diana Beach and Saint Petersburg. They work mainly as Fountaine Pajot importers but are also brokers for used boats. Philippe Guillemin, Willmar's vice-president, has a long experience of catamaran building and sailing. Willmar is actually working on a "pet project" of a luxury custom 90 feet fast cruising catamaran designed by the Gilles Ollier Design Team and built by Multiplast. I already wrote about Multiplast and Gilles Ollier. They have designed and built some of most famous racing multihulls and also Magic Cat one of the fastest cruising catamaran of her time aboard which I was lucky to spend some times in the caribbean a few years ago. The Willmar/Multiplast 90 will be built in composite with carbon foam on a female mould at the shipyard in Vannes. The interior can be fully customized. The building time should be 20 months. With such a pedigree no doubt this will be a great fast cruising catamaran. I want to thank Philippe Guillemin for all the information and the 3Ds. If you have any questions about this project you can reach him through Willmar's Website.