Gunboat is to the world of multihulls what Devialet is to acoustics or Porsche is to the automotive industry: a cult brand. This unique positioning has not escaped the attention of the Grand Large Yachting group. Since 2016, it has ensured that the vision of the ideal catamaran, which combines luxury with high performance, lives on.
Text: François Trégouët
When Stéphan Constance and Xavier Desmaresttook over the Outremer and Garcia shipyards after founding Allures, they quickly recognized the advantages of buying established brands. In 2015, the company, which had since grown into the Grand Large Yachting group, had the opportunity to integrate another brand, Gunboat. Another completely different case, emphasizes Benoît Lebizay, current Managing Partner of Gunboat: “Gunboat was still very young and had only produced a few boats, but already enjoyed an excellent reputation worldwide and therefore had a lot of potential.”
Behind the brand is a visionary whose family did not share his longing for long sailing trips. Not wanting to bury his dream, Peter Johnstone started thinking about a catamaran in 1999 that would be fast, comfortable and luxurious at the same time. The first sketches fluctuated between 55 and 70 feet, but gunboat number 1 ultimately had a length of 62 feet and made history as the Tribe boat. When social media was still in its infancy, a video of the Gunboat 62 Safari went viral. It showed the catamaran racing past an 80-foot yacht designed by Reichel Pugh at almost 30 knots and sailing at the limit at 18.5 knots. The marketing team had hit the bull’s eye.
The best engineers and designers
But the best marketing in the world cannot build a cult brand if it is not backed by a mature product with a convincing design. Knowing this, the shipyard commissioned the best designers. In the English-speaking sailing scene, this was Morelli & Melvin. They had just designed the monster cat Playstation for Steve Fosset. From 2008, the plans for the Gunboat 55, 60 and 78 came from the drawing board of the ingenious Nigel Irens. However, when the shipyard returned to France after stops in South Africa, China and the USA, Grand Large Yachting started from scratch again. The group turned to VPLP Design, the most renowned designers of racing catamarans in France, whose experience in the field of cruising catamarans also came in very handy. With the input of Patrick le Quément, responsible for the distinctive exterior of the catamaran, and Christophe Chedal-Anglay, responsible for the luxurious interior, Grand Large Yachting ensures that Gunboat retains its exclusivity.
Cutting-edge technology paired with top performance
Gunboat already used state-of-the-art technology for the first unit, which was built by experts in high-quality composite materials in South Africa. The third catamaran was built entirely from carbon fiber. Today, infusion processes, prepreg and honeycomb are used. Since only the best is good enough, Gunboat has certain parts manufactured by specialists for offshore racers. And to save as much weight as possible, aviation specialists are consulted. Weight is a key issue for multihulls and all the more relevant when comfortable luxury facilities are required.
When Tribe was launched in 2001, it turned out to be so fast that the shipyard team had to relearn how to sail, as none of them had ever sailed faster than 13 knots, let alone flown or dashed across the water at more than 30 knots! Almost a quarter of a century later, nothing has changed in the wake of the elegant high-performance catamarans. It’s still all about sailing as fast as the wind from 5 to 7 knots, keeping up the pace or even stepping up a gear. The apparent wind is so dominant at these speeds that the spinnaker is rarely set.
It is hardly surprising that Loïck Peyron is the brand ambassador, as the Gunboat catamarans come very close to his racing cats in terms of performance. In addition, they are easy to maneuver thanks to matching fittings and an intelligently designed, atypical deck on which everything is grouped around the mast foot. Thanks to this unique combination, the high-end cats help both thoroughbred regatta enthusiasts and connoisseurs with high standards of comfort to achieve their happiness – and the brand to its success. Family and friends can spend time together on the water without getting into each other’s hair because of their different needs. What’s more, gunboat owners can certainly afford a second or third boat, for example a GC32 or a MOD70, just for speedboating.
Uncompromisingly premium
Gunboats have always been an eye-catcher. The unconventional design and original colors, which stand out from the everyday white and are applied with the utmost care (the hull paint alone takes 2.5 months!) further enhance the exclusivity of the brand. In the elegantly luxurious interior, ochre, silver or sky blue set bright accents. There is a simple reason why even the smallest Gunboat measures an impressive 68 feet: there would simply be no room for the ultimate in comfort and style on a smaller boat without compromising on performance. This is because the gunboat clientele has evolved.
One of the first owners had to fight hard for the first and only catamaran among the 3,200 boats to be accepted into the exclusive New York Yacht Club. “But when the president of the NYYC bought a gunboat himself and hung one half of the hull on the wall of the clubhouse in keeping with tradition, we knew that a rethink had taken place. He had actually had half a boat built, including the mast, which towered over all the others,” says William Jelbert, the current COO of Gunboat, who has been with the company since 2010. Between 2010 and 2015, the Gunboat 66 Phaedo won regattas all over the world and was even faster than the 88-meter yacht Maltese Falcone during an Atlantic crossing. Today, however, the focus is no longer on pure regatta sailing; the trend is more towards sporty cruising. Nevertheless, some owners still equip their units entirely for racing, as is the case with the Gunboat 80 #01. However, the successful integration of a flybridge on the Gunboat 72 confirms the trend towards multihulls with crew instead of pure owner’s boats.
High performance, luxury and design consolidate Gunboat’s position in the uncompromising brand world of Grand Large Yachting. Since the shipyard does not have to adhere to any quantity specifications apart from the two to three units to be produced, it can concentrate fully on fulfilling the demand for excellence for the privileged owners. In just 25 years, Gunboat has rapidly evolved from a visionary concept to a leading brand in the yachting industry. It has remained true to its original philosophy, effectively marketing the added value of its boats and thus building a brand that stands for excellence in catamaran building – similar to Wally in monohulls.
