VPLP 25 TH ANNIVERSARY

Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, 25 years of successfull cooperation. (from Nautic News)

VPLP is the most famous multihull design office in the World. With 25 employees, in two different offices, one in Vannes in charge of racing yachts and the other one in Paris in charge of cruising yachts, they are two of the most talented architects in the Multihull World.

Some of their most famous racing yachts :

• PIERRE PREMIER / 60 foot trimaran / 1989
• HYDROPTERE / 60 foot hydrofoil / 1994
• SPORT ELEC / 90 foot trimaran / 1997
• Groupama I-II-II / 60-90-105 trimarans / 1998-2004-2007
• GERONIMO / 110 trimaran / 2001
• GEANT / 60 trimaran / 2002
• BANQUE POPULAIRE V / 131 trimaran / in built

This is just to list a few of them.

So many successfull designs if the racing world has led the team to work on project for the nautical industry with production yachts and custom project.

Some of their production yachts :

• LAGOON 55 / 1987 - LAGOON 47 / 1990 - LAGOON 42 / 1991 ---- LAGOON 44 /2004 - LAGOON 420/2006 - LAGOON 380 the smallest but with close to 500 units built.
• KEENEX 445 / 1990
• SWITCH 51 / 1999
  

Back to the main subject of the blog luxury catamaran.

LONESTAR

VPLP started designing luxury cruising catamarans with the twin 85-footer HIGHEST HONOUR I and II on 1991 (one of them now being LONE STAR ). The twin were already built in composite and designed with sucess for the charter industry .

DOUCE FRANCE

In 1999 they enter the mega catamaran market with the largest cruising catamaran designed and built so far DOUCE FRANCE a stunning 140' built in Aluminum by Alumarine. DOUCE FRANCE has a ketch rig and can accomodate 12 guests with 8 crew.

CILIAM

In 2003, CORIOLAN VI Bis 77' was launched, built entirely in carbon by the Multiyacht Compositi shipyard in italy. The same year came out the ground breaking CILIAM a 92 footer in composite built by Salt House Shipyard in Australia. This catamaran features a very innovative design with a lot of room inside due to the fact that the roof is as large as the beam. The owner cabin is one the main platform at mast foot and enjoys a great sea view. Finally CILIAM is a fast catamaran with a 35 carbon rotating wing mast. In 2003 again, CHE , a 73 footer was launched at the SUNREEF shipyard in Poland.

GEMINI

This year VPLP will reach a climax with the launching of GEMINI, the largest private owner cruising catamaran in the world built at the DERECKTOR shipyard in the US. GEMINI will accomadate 10 guests in five statesrooms and 6 crew. I look forward to see this mega cat launched.

Finally again this year also will be launched one of my favorite project, very small compare to the GEMINI, but really fast the all carbon SIG 45 from Le Breton Yachts.

With other drawings on their boards and a growing market for luxury catamaran, I am sure the team will keep on working on great designs and of course see many of their yachts launched in the future.

WORLD MEGA-CATAMARAN LISTING - LAUNCHED AND IN BUILT

Last year, I listed all the luxury catamarans over 70 feet that I knew of and that I could find on the web in order to write NAHEMA's press kit. This was a special order from NAHEMA and it is available for journalists to read. (Just send me an email, it includes interesting bonuses about catamarans). This morning I asked Nicolas DAHER, NAHEMA's excecutive director, if I could share this list with you on my blog. Thanks to him for giving me a positive answer, so here it is.

DOUCE FRANCE THE LARGEST EVER UNTIL GEMINI IS LAUNCHED

LAUNCHED

DOUCE FRANCE 138’4’’ VPLP ALUMARINE 1998
LADY BARBARETTA 105’ CPA CMN 2003
ALLURES 99’4” BLUBAY COMPOSITE WORKS 2006
CILIAM 92’ VPLP SALT HOUSE BOAT BUILDERS 2003
SUN TENAREZE 86’ JOUBERT NIVELT JFA 2004
HIGHEST HONOR 85’ VPLP DRA 1991
LONESTAR 85’ VPLP DRA 1991
MAGIC CAT 82’ GILLES OLLIER MULTIPLAST 1996
ALUMARINE 80 80’ P. LAURENT ALUMARINE 1992
ETOILE MAGIQUE 80’ PLESSIS/ DILASSER BOB ESCOFFIER 2005
LADY PACA 79’ ALUMER 1991

FAT CAT 78’ MORELLI 1992
CORIOLAN VI 77’ VPLP MULTI YACHT COMPOSITE 2003
ZINGARA 75’8’’ MATRIX MATRIX YACHTS 2005
AKASHA 75’8’’ MATRIX MATRIX YACHTS 2005
LIZ 75’4’’ VATON DESIGN PETTER YACHTS 2000
PRIVILEGE 745 74’5’’ MARC LOMBARD PRIVILEGE 2006
PRIVILEGE 745 74’5’’ MARC LOMBARD PRIVILEGE 2007
PRIVILEGE 745 74’5’’ MARC LOMBARD PRIVILEGE 2007
CHE 74 VPLP SUNREEF 2003
NAHEMA IV 72’3’’ YACHT INDUSTRIES YACHT INDUSTRIES 2006
INDIGO FLYER 71’ WORMWOOD DOUGLAS BROOKS 1989
BELLA DONNA 70’2’’ YACHT INDUSTRIES YACHT INDUSTRIES 2005
WONDERFUL 70’1’’ BERRET RACOUPEAU YACHT INDUSTRIES 2004

Clearly we can see there is a positive trend in this market which is increasing in number and in size as you can see below in the "being built" list.

NAHEMA 120 THE LARGEST BEING BUILT IN COMPOSITE

IN BUILT

GEMINI 145’ VPLP DERECKTOR SHIPYARD
NAHEMA 120’ GILLES VATON NAHEMA
SUNREEF 102’ SUNREEF SUNREEF YACHT
HH100 100’ VPLP ALUMARINE
BLUBAY 95’1’’ YACHTS INDUSTRIES YACHTS INDUSTRIES
BLUBAY 92’1’’ YACHTS INDUSTRIES YACHTS INDUSTRIES
GUNBOAT 90’ MORELLI/MELVIN GUNBOAT
CATANA 87’ CHRISTOPHE BARREAU CATANA
YAPLUKA DD 85’1’’ YAPLUKA YACHTS INDUSTRIES
EXCLUSIVE 76’ GILLES OLLIER DESIGN KING CAT/J EUROPE
EXCLUSIVE 76’ GILLES OLLIER DESIGN KING CAT/ J EUROPE
SILHOUETTE 75’8’’ MATRIX MATRIX YACHT
The catamarans mentioned above are ocean sailing cruising catamarans.

Day charter catamarans are not mentioned.

I also read in the last Boat International Issue that 2 Berret Racoupeau Designs (27 and 31 meters) were being produced but I couldn't find any more information. In the latest issue of Showboats, the Global Order Book features a new 85 foot by JFA but again couldn't find more information. If you have any they are very much welcome.

Charte Allures Catamaran with Windward Islands.