The contestants in the category "Multihulls" for the 2020 European Yacht of the Year Award are:
● Excess 15
● Lagoon 46
● Neel 47
While they were considered somewhat exotic 25 years ago catamarans and trimarans have seen stunning growth rates lately. In fact they are in such demand that wating lists of a year or two appear to be the norm. Why so? Well, looking at cruising cats one of the main reasons is the amount of space and privacy they offer – which explains their increasingly dominant presence in many a charter fleet. With trimarans it’s rather stability and performance that attracts owners. A varied segment of the market, and one with loads of innovative solutions.
The announcement of this year’s winners, will take place during the Flagship-Night on the first evening of the Boot Düsseldorf (19.-27.01.2018).
Excess 15
Market leader Lagoon is going to introduce a whole new line of catamarans this season, with the Excess 15 marking the top. They are intended to offer a more active sailing experience and are geared toward a younger audience. Based on existing hulls from the Lagoon brand they sport twin helm stations and high-aspect sailplans with the mast far aft, allowing for rather large self-tacking jibs. Being the biggest of the new breed the Excess 15 is also the most generous. The living quarters resemble a modern designer hotel, looking both airy and open. Certainly a niche if not a veritable space in the market formerly unaddressed.
For further information, please feel free to visit the webpage of the manufacturer.
Specification
Length: 14.31 m ● Beam: 8.03 m ● Draught: 1.40 m ● Displacement: 18.4 t ● Sail area: 159.5 sqm
Lagoon 46
While we were just talking about Lagoon...: The yard from Bordeaux has another ace up their sleeve, the Lagoon 46, While this cruising cat seems to lack the special features of her two rivals in the multihull category it actually does have a few innovative solutions – not least the central steering position on the flybridge. While on other boats of this kind the helm is mostly off-set to one side, here the person in charge can see both bows and develop a good feeling for the aft ends, too, replacing a lot of guesswork during docking with a more precise assessment of the immediate surrounding. It doesn't end there. Structured hull sides give the Lagoon 46 a different, more muscular appearance and the cabins more width where it matters most: at the level of the berths. Available in an extravagantly posh 3-cabin-layout or in a still roomy symmetrical 4-cabin-arrangement, both with homey interior design elements like book shelves as well as additional outdoor hang-out arrangements on the bow and behind the helm. A boat maybe better measured in square meters of living rather than sail area.
For further information, please visit the webpage of the manufacturer.
Specification
Length: 13.76 m ● Beam: 7.96 m ● Draft: 1.305 m ● Displacement: 16.6 to ● Sail area: 137.5 sqm
Neel 47
From an innovator introducing the trimaran concept to offshore cruising Neel turned into an established brand within just a few years. Now they present the 47 – follow-up to their very first model, the Neel 45. It offers the same attributes of the much larger 51 in a more compact size, including the owners cabin next to the saloon area. The distinctive difference to the 45 is in the raised companionways in the aft part of both the outer floats, allowing a private access to the crew compartments. Its a rather unique layout. In terms of sailing the 47 looks likely to outpace most similarly sized cruising catamarans – one of the main selling points of the Neel range.
Online brochure, more photos and video available here at Neel Trimaran´s homepage
Specification
Length: 14.20 m ● Beam: 8.30 m ● Draft: 1.60 m ● Displacement: 10.6 t ● Sail area: 130 sqm