European Yacht of the Year (multihull) - the Outremer 49
by Sail-World Cruising on 10 Feb 2010
Outremer 49 from aft sailing SW
In the multihull section of the European Yacht of the Year, just announced at Boot, the annual Dusseldorf Boat Show, the Outremer 49 outperformed all other finalists - the Catana 41, the Dragonfly 28, the Lagoon 400 and the Lipari 41. At least that was the combined opinion of the 11 sailing journalist judges, who sailed in all the yachts to come up with their judgement.
So what is she like, this European Yacht of the Year for 2010?
The bottom line is that she is a great combination of speed, comfort and fun. It's definitely a performance catamaran and the newest model from the 30 year old yard in the South of France which has produced several legendary cruising cats and transatlantic race winners. She is certainly an innovative creation, from the design-board of Christophe Barreau well known for his successful multihulls such as the TS50 and Catana range of catamarans.
It is a fast cruising catamaran, equipped with twin daggerboards that will help the windward sailing ability as well as reduce the draft to a mere 32'.
A cleverly integrated composite bimini forms a lightweight platform to attend to the sail bag and it can be converted into a fully enclosed cockpit providing shelter from rain and sun, a wonderful boon for the long range cruiser.
The floor is completely flush, on one level, which appeals to both simplicity and to the older age bracket of cruising sailor. There are also no steps between the saloon and the outside cockpit.
There are several layout options available and since Outremer is known for its customization abilities, customers can mix and match components of one layout with the other. Another feature that will appeal to the cruising couple that likes some comfort as well as speed is the fact that both heads have separate showers. While this is a growing trend, it is also a rare convenience feature for a high performance cat of this size.
The cat is distinctly superior to earlier Outremer models as far as the interior refinements are concerned. Famed interior designer Frank Darnet was commissioned to create an environment of 'soothing colors and wooden accents', BUT without adding to the weight of the boat, and the result is commendable. Both the interior volume and payload have substantially increased as well over the older 45' model.
The design has achieved the happy combination of the ability to achieve long swift passages in the open ocean, and yet the yacht remains surprisingly good fun for shorter day sails. Thanks to the twin F1-style carbon helm-seats equipped with tiller steering the Outremer 49 will remind sailors of spirited beach cat-like fun at the helm.
Of course there is the standard wheel steering and autopilot for longer passages and the interior has a brilliant forward facing navigation station with a 360 degree view.
Presently the Outremer 49 catamaran is the only multihull in the 50' range which can offer generous living accommodations and payload, ease of single handing, customer customization, a superb level of finish and high performance in a reasonable package. In short - Outremer has re-invented itself and came out with another winner at a very attractive price.
No wonder she won!
Specifications:
Length: 14.98 m
Width: 7.45 m
Draft: 0.90 / 2.35 m
Displacement: 9,5 T
Main sail: 92.50 m2
Solent: 40 m2
Gennaker: 110 m2
Spinnaker: 150 m2
High seas category: 6/8 persons
Costal category: 8/10 persons
Air draft: 23.08 m
Engines: 2 x 39 CV
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