A bumper crop of monohulls and multihulls are making their international boat show debuts this fall. Toby Hodges, Rupert Holmes and David Harding at Cannes 2022 headliner preview
Organized every September in the port of Cannes, the Cannes Yachting Festival is the largest boat show on the water in Europe, with dozens of world premieres on the program. Here is our selection of the most interesting new yachts on display at the 2022 Cannes Boat Show.
Photo: Guillaume Plisson
Solari 50
I still vividly remember sailing Aquilea’s previous Solaris 50 in 2015, and realizing that she was as special to helm as she was to look at. It has become iconic, admired and imitated, and winner of European Yacht of the Year. So this new incarnation has some big shoes to fill, but from these early sailing images, Solaris’ longtime mercurial Argentinian designer Soto Acebal seems to have once again worked his magic with the clean hull lines. Solaris promises even more performance thanks to powerful latest generation hull lines, wider at the rear and justifying a double rudder. This created a particularly wide cockpit and enough space below the aft deck for a forward-facing tender garage.
The new 50 also included some of the best ideas from last year’s Solaris 60 and 40, particularly the side decks and helm seats. The steps leading to the side decks are forward of the tiller pedestals for easy access, with the two winches in convenient working space inside either side but within easy reach of the tillers.
Again we see the historic Italian yard focus on the pleasure of steering – the pedestals are set relatively far outboard to create full visibility of the arrow lights even with the bonnet up, while the folding seats provide comfort extra for those wishing to spend long periods. on the wheel. The integrated carbon bowsprit will fit a code 0 or a gennaker to reinforce the standard configuration of the self-tacking jib.
The three-cabin layout can see a center or offset berth forward and the option of a twin instead of one of the doubles aft. There is also the choice of three heads with a linear kitchen or two heads with a C-shaped kitchen. The yard has worked with Poltrona Frau to offer a range of materials, colors and finishes.
The Solaris 50 will be presented this fall at the Cannes, Genoa and Barcelona boat shows.
Solaris 50 Specifications
LOA: 15.50m / 50ft 10in
LWL: 14.68m / 48ft 2in
Shine: 4.78m / 15ft 8in
Shift: 15,900 kg / 35,053 lbs
Price: 595,000 €
Manufacturer: solarisyachts.co.uk
Surplus 14
Since its launch just three years ago, this Groupe Beneteau spin-off brand has made significant inroads into the ever-expanding cruising catamaran market, exceeding initial sales targets by an impressive margin. Moreover, Excess achieved this when the first two models were based on the lower third of existing Lagoon hulls.
As a result, he has not been able to demonstrate his full vision to date. That changes with this design, which is engineered from the ground up exactly as the Excess team intended, guided by feedback from yard customers and potential customers via the Excess Lab. It’s a mix of online and real-world conversation and testing around a wide variety of issues from acceptable draft to electric propulsion.
In the latter case, to learn more about the pros and cons first hand, an Excess 15 was fitted with two electric motors, two diesel range extenders and extended batteries. The boat then sailed from the Atlantic coast of France to the Mediterranean, including cruising to Sardinia, covering nearly 2,000 miles. A more recent topic explored with the online community is how best to configure a yacht for those who need to work on board.
A key requirement for the 14 was to have a boat that sailed well. The hulls are therefore relatively slender, especially towards the front, and they are also asymmetrical in shape. Product Manager Hervé Piveteau tells us this has three benefits: it reduces drag that results from interference from each hull’s internal wave trains; It also reduces rattling; and stability is increased as each hull’s center of buoyancy is moved outboard.
As with previous Excess models, the helm stations are aft and outboard, but the coachroof of the 14 is designed to provide a better view forward. There is also an almost uninterrupted 360º view from the saloon, with no wall units or cupboards obscuring the view, making it a viable place to conquer the boat at night or in bad weather.
The world premiere will take place in Cannes.
More than 14 specifications
Hull length: 13.34m / 43ft 9in
Shine: 7.87m / 25ft 9in
Disorganized: 1.48m / 4ft 10in
Shift: 11,700 kg / 25,794 lbs
Price: To be determined
Manufacturer: excess-catamarans.com
Beneteau First 44
Since the launch of the stunning First 53 three years ago, we have been eagerly awaiting the prospect of new designs of a similar concept to fully reinvigorate Beneteau’s once-dominant production cruiser-racer First brand. Like her larger stablemate, this new boat is a product of Roberto Biscontini, head of naval architecture, and Lorenzo Argento who designed the deck and interior layout. Once again the duo have been unafraid to innovate producing a fast, comfortable and civilized design that can be built in sufficient numbers to create a desirable yacht at a price that means we can expect to see some a lot on the water. .
I saw one of the prototype boats in Les Sables d’Olonne shortly after it was launched. Like the 53, the hull has a lot of flare above the waterline at the transom, but the chine is relatively soft and not carried forward. This approach has some significant advantages, particularly for owners intending to spend long periods in Mediterranean waters, where a lot of time is spent in light airs, but equally sustained winds above 30 knots can also be encountered.
The wetted area in light airs is less than many twin rudder wide transom designs, resulting in good performance in light airs and therefore less time spent under tension when passing. However, as the wind increases and the angle of heel increases, the chine aft begins to sink, increasing stability.
Below deck the layout follows a similar philosophy to the 53. These are not intended to be charter boats with a maximum number of cabins. Instead, the layout is optimized around the needs of four or six people who often eat ashore when in port, or on deck when at anchor.
Pricing for the First 44 will be announced shortly before it is unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
Beneteau First 44 Specifications
LOA: 14.15-14.65m 46ft 5in-48ft 1in
Shine: 4.24m 13ft 11in
Disorganized: 2.15 m 7 ft 1 in
Shift: 10,300 kg 22,700 lbs
Price: To be determined
Manufacturer: beneteau.com
Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 electric
Available in standard or electric propulsion format, we featured this spacious yet powerful semi-flybridge design in more detail in our July issue. Fountaine Pajot now has the first of its electric sailing versions and it is this model which will be presented at Cannes in September.
Electrical characteristics of the Fountaine Pajot Aura 51
LOA: 15.54 m / 51 ft 0 in
Shine: 8.08m / 26ft 6in
Shift: 18,100 kg / 39,900 lbs
Disorganized: 1.3m / 4ft 3in
Price: POA
Manufacturer: catamarans-fontaine-pajot.com
Photo: Eva-Stina Kjellman
Swan 55
A measure of Nautor’s success must be in the number of models it produces in sufficient numbers to be viable. The new 55 sits between the Swan 58 and the smallest model in the range, the Swan 48.
Designer Germàn Frers Snr says he has a next-generation hull shape developed over the past two years: “These are hulls with a powerful aft end that achieve maximum sail length and low resistance when under load. heeled…they offer excellent balance through the range of heeling angles in combination with the proven twin rudder configuration.
Five electric winches allow one-handed control, while on-deck comfort has been improved in both the forward part of the cockpit and a large ‘beach’ area aft that allows easy access to water and safe boarding from the dinghy. Four different style moods developed by renowned interior designer Misa Poggi are offered for the three-cabin, two-head layout.
The 55 can be seen in Cannes and Genoa.
Swan 55 Specifications
Hull length: 16.6m / 54ft 6in
Shine: 5.0m / 16ft 5in
Disorganized: 2.5m / 8ft 2in
Shift: 22,450 kg / 49,494 lbs
Price: To be determined
Manufacturer: natorswan.com
37
Dufour released the first images of his new 37 in July, and it is set to debut at the Cannes show. Umberto Felci’s design continues recent work done on models either side, such as the 470 we reviewed last year, and the 32 from early 2022. It’s worth noting on the 37 the amount of space on the foredeck and cockpit, which is aided by a wide shaped hull with full volumes forward – all this equates to a very spacious 10m yacht.
The Italian designer gave her a quicker treatment on the large, canted hull and deckhouse ports, features that should give the interior masses of natural light and good views. The two-cabin version has a transverse double berth aft, the three-cabin has two conventional cabins aft.
Specifications Dufour 37
LOA: 10.77m 35ft 4in
LWL: 9.31m 30 feet 7 inches
Shine: 3.8m 6ft 5in
Shift: 6,474 kg 14,273 lbs
Price: To be determined
Manufacturer: dufour-yachts.com
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