Sailing I
Building a Brand: Gunboat
WORDS: SAMUEL JEFFERSON | IMAGES: PHIL CLARK + ROBIN CHRISTOL
For many years there was a perception that fast multihulls were stripped out, spartan racing machines totally unsuitable for cruising. On the other hand, cruising multihulls were slow, ugly and lacking entirely in charisma. Gunboat was among the handful of trailblazers who succeeded in shifting those perceptions.
Right from the get-go in 2001, its boats had an extra something. The vaulting ambition of founder Peter Johnstone to create a high-end multihull that was also searingly quick seemed breathtakingly audacious – but it was achieved. The Gunboat was the boat of the future right there in the present; glamorous, wild, just a little unruly and deeply alluring.
That was then, this is now. The roots of Gunboat were in America, but the boatbuilder has truly flourished since the operation moved to Languedoc-Roussillon on the Mediterranean coast of the South of France in 2016. Grand Large has built upon the foundations laid in the early days but added stability and calmness to the whole operation, as Rodolphe Cadoret, Marketing Director explains. “The early boats were about the dream to create a yacht that was both a performance boat but also extremely comfortable. Essentially, the goal was to sail fast in comfort.”
Next, the main idea was to continue the original concept and build on it. “When we bought up the brand in 2016,” Cadoret continues, “we wanted to go with a higher level of luxury than before, while also refining the technical side of the boats by collaborating with VPLP [France-based naval architectural firm, Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost], one of the leading and best designers of multihulls.”
A conscious effort was also made to go with bigger yachts, capable of offering higher levels of comfort and space, for a number of reasons. “Our boatbuilding group, Grand Large, already owned Outremer, which builds catamarans in the 46ft-60ft size bracket, so we wanted to go bigger than this,” he says. “We were also listening to our clients who all pinpointed how important space was to them. We therefore decided to go for the 68ft-80ft size bracket.”
The concept is simple enough. Build a large catamaran all in carbon that is capable of sailing at 30kn plus, with a well-appointed interior and plenty of space. If the idea is simple, the execution is much less so, and the Gunboat team has spent the years since 2016 refining their methods in order to perfect the delivery of the ultimate lightweight, chic speed machine.
“The aim was to create the lightest possible interior fittings and furniture without compromising on the quality feel,” Cadoret says. “It has taken some years to assemble a group of suppliers who can do that.” Grand Large worked with partners in both the boating and aeronautic industries in order to provide the lightest possible fittings. “What we were after was more luxury without gaining any weight on previous designs, and that has not been easy and has taken time – but we are there now.”
The company has enjoyed big success with its Gunboat 68. This is described by Cadoret as the “Porsche 911 of the Gunboat fleet” because of its strong following. One of the latest examples is BreakFree, a yacht that points to a subtle change in direction for Gunboat. “The key with BreakFree was that the owner wanted to cruise extensively with the boat,” he says. “She has actually just completed an around-the-world trip.” To do this, the boatbuilder had to concentrate on providing the maximum amount of space possible for cruising, so the yacht features four VIP staterooms plus an extended galley and forward cockpit lounge. “BreakFree is part of a trend we’ve noticed,” says Cadoret, “whereby owners still want that superb performance in light airs – it feels great to be sailing in 7kn of breeze when everyone else is motoring – but they are not quite so obsessed with the top-end 30kn plus performance.”
The yacht is fast like all Gunboats, but the owner feels the beauty of the boat is that from 6-7kn of wind the boat is already sailing – something that is very important on a long passage because it means you are not using much fuel and you are sailing far more than you’d expect – nearly twice as much as a heavy displacement catamaran. “This is also the beauty of the story,” Cadoret says. “We will always remain on the performance side, but it’s all relative, because sailing when everyone else is motoring is a different sort of high performance.”
Many variations on current Gunboat models have now been created to allow for more internal space. “We have a lot of clients who are asking for more comfort on a fast platform,” Cadoret shares. “What we will do is create boats like the 72 Fly, which opens up more space by moving the helm station to a flybridge.” The next step, he reveals to TIDE, is the 82 Flybridge which will be a bigger boat with greater interior volume. “We will not compromise on performance, but it’s not designed to race,” he explains. “It will be the fastest catamaran on the water with this level of space: 30 per cent bigger inside than the existing 80.” Gunboat is also unveiling plans for the 68 Neo – based on the platform of the existing 68 but boasting more internal volume – at the Cannes Boat Show this year. And anyone wondering if the performance credentials of the Gunboat brand are being sacrificed need look no further than Highland Fling 18, a Gunboat 80 which sparkled on her debut at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in 2023 before delivering an impressive line honours victory in a storm-tossed, brutal Round the Island Race this July.
So what does the future hold for the brand that back in 2001 seemed to see its own and the whole industry’s next direction with such remarkable clarity? As an indicator, its latest launch is Agave, a Gunboat 80 that, according to Cadoret, sets a new benchmark for the company in terms of innovation. “It’s probably the most advanced boat we have ever produced – super fast and comfortable. It’s also a very exclusive boat because we were pushed very hard on the project,” he says. “The owner was after both a high level of comfort and also performance, so he went with all the regatta options out there in terms of the rig, foils and set up, but also for high levels of comfort. He pushed us very hard on the project and the result is a boat that is arguably the best compromise between speed and comfort we have produced so far.”
Agave is certainly a truly striking yacht to look at, with the gleaming metallic paint job that took 12,000 man hours to perfect. The new boat is sleek and purposeful, with the aggressive wave piercing dreadnought bows and towering 31m rotating mast hinting at her potential for speed. If the exterior is aggressive, the feel once aboard is, if anything, rather soothing, and extensive use of light oak mixed with a huge wraparound window in the saloon provides masses of light and a sensation of space. Each Gunboat is heavily customised to meet the demands of the owner and in Agave’s case, much attention has been paid to making sure that there is an excellent flow between the various living areas. As to the technology, it’s breathtaking; the hull and reinforcing bulkheads are all in prepreg carbon fibre while titanium has been extensively used in deck fittings. The rudders feature T-Shaped foils that both improve performance and reduce pitching, making for a smoother ride at
high speeds.
In 2001, Gunboat set off on a wild, high-speed ride that inspired many. Today, it continues to point the way forwards, with boats that can cruise around the world at speeds of up to 30kn in total comfort. In 2001, Gunboat became the future. Now, plus ça change, as the French would say.
gunboat.com
