05/2007 –

A daring project

The ExclusivE 76 was unveiled at the 2006 Cannes boat show by the Gilles Ollier Design Team and Multiplast, who recently received an award from the prestigious Royal Institution of Naval Architects of England. The construction of this semi-custom catamaran began last summer in Vannes after a 5-year design period, and is expected to last 14 months.

When he found himself unable to find the sailing yacht of his dreams on the market, Georges Benarroch founded ExclusivE Marine and approached the world leader in performance catamarans, the Gilles Ollier Design Team and Multiplast, to design his first unit to a set of very precise specifications. The main objective was to create a high-performance sailing unit with simplified maintenance requirements and modular interiors. For charter purposes, the catamaran also needed large and strictly identical cabins, and a clear separation between crew and passenger areas.

An architectural challenge

To design the catamaran, the architects applied the same CAD validation process as used for competition prototypes, a technique rarely seen in cruising yacht design. As a result, the materials are perfectly distributed at crucial points, keeping its light displacement down to 36 tons, giving a high performance, 76-foot sailing yacht with a maximum beam of 10.5 metres and a 33.5 metre draught.

The design also ensures optimum comfort. The pilot house is on the flybridge, which forms the roof of a covered area of over 70 m², above the indoor and outdoor deck saloons. The headroom in this area and below deck in the two hulls is over 2.05 metres.

Sailing performance

The ExclusivE 76 design is inspired by the success of the Gilles Ollier Design Team and Multiplast in the racing world, combined with their experience back in 1996 when they designed their only other cruising catamaran, the Magic Cat. With almost 100 000 miles under its belt today, this model remains one of the world’s fastest yachts, capable of sailing faster than the actual wind speed. The ExclusivE 76 also promises excellent performance: in 20 knots of wind, it is expected to easily reach 12 knots close hauled, 18 at beam reach and 20 before the wind.

All versions of this unit – the owner version or the 4 or 5 cabin charter model – will be top of the line, high-performance, multi-programme vessels. The launch is scheduled for late 2007.

NauticNews.com Tech Specs on Exclusive Marine 76.

-NG-