Baby Cats (not kittens)
by John Curnow, Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com 12 Aug 10:00 PDT
Idyllic cruising - Fountaine Pajot FP41 © Fountaine Pajot
Don't know if it was a full-blown premise there and then, but it was definitely the point of inception back at the very end of May. What ensued was actually a real case of herding cats. I dodged, ducked, dived, and weaved, but just could not seem to pull it all together. However, as the other saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat!
Anyway, there I was, standing on a really large cat, looking back at the far smaller cat I had just been on, and thinking to myself just how important the baby cats are.
The chuckle, and therefore the headline here, was that this is far more important business than the plethora of videos of kittens that adorn the internet, just as if some over-zealous and somewhat mad cat person has put way too many baubles, a couple of thousand kilometres of tinsel, and more than one wrap of lights on their Christmas tree, and then shown their playful kitten flicking the switch to turn it on.
The cat explosion over the last 30 years is well documented. Including by this here scribe with things like, The Catman, and also 8 up to 11 to 1. Whereas the cat may have been the niche market 30 years ago, especially if you looked at the charter fleets, today it is flipped on its head, and the cruising mono is the niche. Fascinating...
The inception ignited the theorems, and the key elements, for everything always changes, came down to the need for real innovation in design, the fact that all boats have got way more expensive over the last five years, and that cats, whilst not immune to any of it, do have an innate ability to somewhat disguise their outright size when compared with their monohull cousins.
This last point plays straight into their Ace. Namely, volume. By way of explaining, a 38-foot cat offers far more comparable volume to a 46-foot cat, than any 38-foot mono can pretend to have similar proportions to 46-foot cruising monohull. In turn, this then plays to the cost card, where once you may have dreamt of 46, but are now budget driven to a good-few-feet less.
Equally, said innovation has allowed way, way, way more to be put on board, kept the weight acceptable, and probably most importantly, it has enhanced this bracket of cats' sailability at what can only be described as being exponential.
The final element to acknowledge as a mark of the course, is that we are talking about cruising cats here - i.e. ones with keelsons, and not boards like their express cousins. There'll be no exotic materials or lifting of hulls, and no being glued to the load sensor going on here. Take all of that in, and you have the raison d'être for this here ditty.
So, whilst I absorbed my own thoughts, I quickly remembered how back in May of 2022, Flagstaff Marine had given me the Excess 11 (37 feet LOA) to play with, and the review of it is called, The feline of sailing cats. Known affectionately as Excess 1.5, what this small cat did in terms of style over such a small platform, and how it likes a turn of speed is very noteworthy. The fact that the stick was back, and the end of the boom hung out to the edge of that aft beam spoke volumes about intent and actuality.
The famed VPLP Naval Architects performed the magic here, and also with the later Excess 14 that is lovingly known as Excess 2.0. No wonder both models have been sales giants, with a lot more than 200 of the 11s, and over 100 of the 14s already delivered. Both are very good. You can see Mark Jardine's video on board the Excess 14.
Addition to the litter
Latest to arrive has been the Excess 13 (43 feet LWL), and it is even more of departure towards the hallowed ground that lies between the keelsons and the boards. It also marks the use of the Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group to pen the exciting, asymmetric form. As we are not flying a hull, this is not about lift to windward, but rather it's all about reduction to drag, most specifically with tapered transoms, and you'll see the outcome in the reduction of stern wash.
Some had referred to this one as Excess 2.5, but in talking with another of the Australian dealers, Rohan Veal from 38 South Yacht Sales, it might be more accurate to call it Excess 3.0.
Recently, Veal was at the factory in Le Poiré-sur-Vie, which is near Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast, where all the cats get commissioned. Presently, both Excess and sister brand, Lagoon, are built here (and in the case of Lagoon up to five other yards as well), but on his trip, it was "...mostly Excess craft under construction. All the new 13s, as well as 11s and 14s."
Veal added, "What was most interesting was the use of the new combination of resin infusion and injection moulding at the same time for some parts. In the injection sections of say the deck mould you have both sides being smooth. It is not only faster, and looks great, but you can also control weight by reducing the number of components in any particular part of the boat.
"In the case of the 13, especially, Excess is really making an effort to reduce the overall mass, right across the board. The benefits are that it is simple, lighter, and cheaper. All good things to have."
10.6 metric tonnes lightship says a bit about that, too. Warning. At 7.25m, she's beamy, all right...
The fabled sail area to displacement ratio keeps punching upwards, as well. 124m2 in working sails is good (Pulse Line version with 20.15m stick), and something in the order of 62m2 for the Code Zero should offer some shove when available. The 14 had a lot of attention to her underwater profile, and the keelsons were made deeper, but shorter, and there was a corresponding enhancement to performance.
No surprise, the 13 keeps this going with a 1.48m draft, but by focussing on mass you keep the need for wetted surface area to displace it all down, and you get yet more performance. In the 13, you will notice, even more, the steps in hull to get the living volume above the waterline. These chines also deflect the water out more horizontally, and so slapping on the bridge deck is greatly reduced.
Cool is cool
Trendoids will note that ordering the Pulse Line version gets you a black stick (paint), but then 'real black' for stanchions, and hanging tubes in the Master Stateroom, along with a load of other flourishes. Veal has ordered one to this spec and it will be here in Australia on display at the 2026 Sanctuary Cove Boat Show. It will be offered in ten shares, and interested parties can contact 38 South Yacht Sales for more information.
"There are some cool new features, too. Such as the 'windshields' over the chartplotters to protect them from both rain and UV, and solid fibreglass biminis over the helm stations. By aligning frames and bulkheads even better they have gained yet more space, and the Owner's version is huge, with the bathroom occupying the whole for'ard section.
"In the twin cabin hull there are two heads, but one, shared, and large shower stall, which gives over more space to each of the cabins. I think the folding swim platforms will also be popular, and they do add another level of safety when under way in a following sea," said Veal.
"Definitely occupying the space between the traditional cruising cat, and the express versions is working for Excess. Being just that bit faster, but without the cost, and complexity of a cat with daggerboards is important. Also, many people do not want to lose the kind of space that a cat like that takes, so the Excess 13 expands on the whole Excess DNA."
The one that did it
It was the Lagoon 43 that I was looking back towards so fondly. You cannot miss the gunwale 'gates', and why has it taken someone so long to do this really brilliant thing? It's close to 20 years on now for me, and when you step into the saloon of a Lagoon, the destroyer glass really does allow for THE best use of the volume, which after all is why you bought a cat. These days they are massive and heavily tinted, just adding to the all-important airiness.
They also mean you can put the access to the hulls for'ard, and not impinge on living space. Remember. Smaller boat, not so much space with which to make your mind up. Does it go here, or here? At least you have a choice with this methodology.
Hideaway sliding doors to make the whole opening accessible, convertible indoor/outdoor dining, and expansive galley. All spaces interconnect for sailing mode and 'hotel' mode alike, and let's face it, Lagoons made the private space/entertaining time notion up all those years ago, so they should be really good at it, and they are.
The owner's version places the bed for'ard away from noise, and closer to fresh air when at anchor, leaving the aft area of the starboard hull to a massive, and bright as you like bathroom. If you find it polarising, just get on board. You'll see.
However, we're here for the new Lagoon 38. The VPLP tulip form of the hulls rising out from the waterline is very distinct (same generation as the 43), and the knuckle is just about clear, too. LWL is just over 37 feet, she has a 6.65m beam, and is 10.24 metric tonnes lightship. There is just on 79m2 of working sail area and a healthy 54m2 of Code Zero to be had (optional and larger sail areas used).
Rather than a massive sail plan, the enhanced performance over predecessors is more about the lightship number, and subsequent reduced wetted surface area. The trick, of course, is not to lose the 'Lagooness' in the process, and it looks to be safe with the 38.
Rather than a gunwale door, the Lagoon 38 invites you on board via the lower-than-normal swim platform, and has a handrail to assist. It means the whole cockpit level can be taken all the way back to the trailing edge of the aft beam, which in turn makes cockpit and saloon the one space, which is divided by the slide-away doors. It might not sound like much, but when you do not have the meterage to make the acreage, every little bit helps.
There is also the convertible seating/dining that can go from long lunch to backgammon in just a few moves. It is probably the galley in this new format that benefits the most, which is a direct function of said destroyer glass. Did someone say refrigeration? Well, they heard you in France. PLENTY of it here...
Below, the 38 goes for one bathroom and two therefore larger cabins in the guest hull (or both in the four-cabin version).
Before you dismiss it, ask yourself where you spend the most time, and if you have been cruising in warm climates, you'll know the shower that gets used the most is the one at the swim platform. In the owner's version, it repeats the 43's layout, but instead of the toilet being in a separate cubicle, it is part of the general layout. The shower is the winner here, has a door and a huge seat, as well. If it is the two of you most often, and you travel a lot, you will have already worked out why this works.
Making it yours
John Cowpe from TMG Yachts takes delivery of the first 38 into Australia this October. "The 380 was the predecessor, and Lagoon sold over a thousand of them. It was only eclipsed by the 42. That sort of success meant the 38 had to innovate, and they have. Chief amongst these is the hull profile and performance. Next is the layout."
If you noticed we had not said BBQ, you're right. It is done locally (AUS), and goes into the sugar scoop. Parfait.
"We fabricate the bracket, plumb the gas and put a baby Weber Q on top. It works very well. Rather than being demountable, consider it more like a bait board with recesses and the baby Q clips into that. People leave it there all the time.
"Simplicity is the overarching theme, by design. This helps with creating the open feel, but then also practically, in terms of maintenance and sailing it, too. A German sheeting system for the main speaks to this, as too only placing air-conditioning only into the cabins, rather than the entire craft. The latter also helps with cost and weight, too, as well as returning space back for storage, which is always at a premium on a boat."
"Also, we can make the boat run silently at night with the air-con running by going for more solar, bigger alternators and larger battery bank. Tailoring is unique to each market. Needing clears or breezeway will depend on whether you're in Tasmania or the tropics more often. Do you need a genset out on anchor in the Whitsundays? Maybe not, for there is usually a breeze, and back in port you can hook into shore power to run the A/C. It all depends on what you intend to do, and where you're going. We can help with that.
"We have ordered a three-cabin layout, which is normally referred to as the owner version. This is interesting, as the charter companies tell us both the three and four-cabin versions will be popular. I think the four-cabin will have quite an audience, not just for charter, but also for two young families, by way of example."
"To deliver room everywhere, the shared bathroom is at least the size of two thirds of what would normally be two very compact spaces. As a benefit, the shower becomes its own wet room inside a bathroom, and that adds to the luxury, rather than spraying water everywhere," added Cowpe.
The marketplace has changed with younger people, first-timers and multigenerational operation, so it was natural that the ownership model altered to meet it, and charter is very viable for more people than ever, as is shared ownership. So, unless you are intending to live aboard, then these latter styles become appealing. It also means you may get to have it in different locales at different times of the year, and can potentially build your skills in helping to move it too, so both aspects offer benefits.
"The Lagoon 38 delivers on price, volume, accommodation, and the capability to cross oceans. It's you've got everything, but without the big bill," Cowpe offered in closing.
Fountaine Pajot make it 41
So new it doesn't even have a name yet! Australia will have its first Fountaine Pajot 41 on display at the forthcoming Pittwater Sail Expo from 24-26 October, which will mark its Asia/Pacific debut. Autonomy is set to be the big drawcard, with 2300 Watts of solar power on offer and hybrid drive by FP's wholly owned subsidiary, Alternative Energies.
You can read about this masterful solution in our earlier Editorial, Your silent partner.
The Berret-Racoupeau penned form is 12.7 metric tonnes lightship, but does have 100m2 of working sail area to 'kick the tin along'. A noticeable 120m2 Gennaker can be yours, if you so choose (hence why it was the hero pic). Also notable is the hydraulic swim platform that can become your own beach club, ensuring luxury and style remain omnipresent with FP's baby cat.
The angled beds in the aft cabins also offer more amenity, and less shimmying to get in, and for some this will be a deal maker. Others may consider a factory built-in outdoor grill part of the requirement.
A shared bathroom for hulls with two cabins just makes sense and places space where it is needed, whilst reducing cost and weight. All of which are critical elements. Do note, however, that if you insist, they can accommodate you. This is actually another of the FP41's aces, because you can also have a four with two, or a four cabin with four bathrooms. Your call.
Greg Boller, General Manager Fountaine Pajot Sales at The Yacht Sales Co, said, "The new FP41 is truly built for our region.
"From its exceptional autonomy and versatility, to its outstanding handling in both open ocean and coastal conditions, it is perfectly designed for exploring the incredible diversity of cruising grounds across the immense Asia Pacific region."
"A sleek, contemporary design, paired with Fountaine Pajot's renowned craftsmanship, delivers a design that is all about maximising the living space, ensuring long-range performance, and absolute ease of handling. The outstanding balance of comfort, performance, and value literally raises the bar for entry-level blue water cruisers while offering the hallmarks of quality, safety, and luxury that Fountaine Pajot is known for."
"Her innovative hull design maximises volume and enhances stability, while the smart deck layout includes Fountaine Pajot's signature twin helm stations (one internal and one external). The mid-height raised helm pod offers exceptional visibility, all the control lines, and seamless connection to both the cockpit and sundeck."
"Sailing performance, ease of use, yet remaining fun and easy to manage short-handed are ideal for experienced crews and new to boating souls, alike. This yacht has been cleverly designed to comfortably accommodate couples, families or groups, and is ideal for those wanting to cruise with friends or entertain onboard for extended periods, without compromising on comfort or storage," added Boller.
Well, there is certainly that, especially when relaxing and unwinding are the main game. Lounges and day beds a plenty from stem to stern, and then there's the main saloon and cabins, as well.
It might not be best to describe the FP41 as a transformer. In reality, if you are a former racer, you'll get that it is all about changing gears, up or down, both swiftly and easily. Only the gears here are not TWS and AWA, but rather the pace is measured in units of entertainment (smiles and brownie points), more or less POBs, or minutes asleep. Sorry. Checking the inside of your eyelids.
Having more alternate configurations and being adaptable could well mean the FP41 will win over people who find a particular roadblock too hard to get past.
"It's rare to see this level of liveability, flexibility and refinement in a yacht of this size and price point," Boller said. "The FP41 offers outstanding value for money and is proving incredibly popular with our clients. There's a real appetite for a yacht of this calibre." I just bet there is, right across The Yacht Sales Co global network. More information on the new FP41 can be found at yachtsalesco.com/boats/new/sail-multihulls/new-41
Herding accomplished
Three brands and five offerings speaks to the importance of this segment. They all have their own personalities, just like the felines. This is good, for one is bound to match into your style and needs. Best of all, they are all latest generation from construction methodology to sail plan, hull form to layout, amenity to ambience. It is not so much about bring it on, as it is about cutting them loose. Go explore. That's the name of the game...
If you want to see what is happening in the other Hemisphere, go to the top of the SailWorldCruising home page and the drag down menu on the right, select the other half of the globe and, voila, it's all there for you.
Finally, stay safe, and let's see where it all goes now.
John Curnow
Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com