Types of Outremer Catamarans
Outremer is a renowned French brand that designs and manufactures high-performance cruising catamarans. Their boats are known for their speed, efficiency, and seaworthiness, making them popular among serious sailors. Here are the primary models in the Outremer catamaran range:
1. Outremer 4X
Length: 14.58 meters (48 feet)
Beam: 7.50 meters (24.6 feet)
Cabins: 3 or 4 cabins
Description: The Outremer 4X is designed for those who want a fast and comfortable cruising catamaran. With a focus on performance, this model offers excellent upwind capabilities and stability in rough seas, while still providing a high level of comfort.
2. Outremer 5X
Length: 15.35 meters (50.5 feet)
Beam: 8.50 meters (27.9 feet)
Cabins: 3 or 4 cabins
Description: The Outremer 5X is one of the most popular models in the Outremer fleet. It’s a blend of performance and luxury, offering a spacious interior and robust performance for bluewater sailing. The design focuses on safety, speed, and ease of handling.
3. Outremer 45
Length: 13.71 meters (45 feet)
Beam: 7.40 meters (24.3 feet)
Cabins: 3 or 4 cabins
Description: The Outremer 45 is a high-performance catamaran known for its ease of handling and speed. Ideal for couples or small families, it’s a compact version that still retains the brand’s signature blend of performance and comfort.
4. Outremer 51
Length: 15.53 meters (51 feet)
Beam: 8.40 meters (27.6 feet)
Cabins: 3 or 4 cabins
Description: This model is the epitome of luxurious performance. The Outremer 51 is a powerful cruising catamaran, boasting a large interior and excellent sailing capabilities. It is designed for those who want to enjoy fast passages without compromising on comfort.
5. Outremer 55
Length: 16.88 meters (55 feet)
Beam: 9.00 meters (29.5 feet)
Cabins: 4 cabins
Description: The Outremer 55 is built for the discerning sailor who seeks high performance and large living spaces. Known for its impressive speed, it’s designed for those who plan to sail long distances, yet still enjoy luxury onboard.
6. Outremer 60
Length: 18.29 meters (60 feet)
Beam: 9.85 meters (32.3 feet)
Cabins: 4 to 5 cabins
Description: The Outremer 60 is a top-of-the-line performance cruiser. It offers the perfect combination of speed, comfort, and style. With its luxurious accommodations and serious sailing capabilities, it’s ideal for those looking to circumnavigate the globe.
7. Outremer 70
Length: 21.3 meters (70 feet)
Beam: 10.2 meters (33.5 feet)
Cabins: 4 to 5 cabins
Description: The Outremer 70 is the flagship of the Outremer range. This luxurious, high-performance catamaran is designed for those who want to sail around the world in comfort and style. It combines extraordinary space with cutting-edge technology and performance.
Key Features of Outremer Catamarans
Outremer catamarans are known for their performance-driven engineering, cutting-edge technology, and refined design. They are built for sailors who want to travel the world in comfort and safety.
Key features of Outremer catamarans:
High performance: The design incorporates narrow hulls and light weight to provide a gliding feeling. The retractable daggerboards allow for high average speeds and good course keeping, which shortens passage times. CFD (Computational Fluids Dynamics) models have reduced drag and forward resistance while allowing for higher carrying capacity.
Easy handling: All sail handling maneuvers are brought back to the helm station and controlled by winches, allowing single-handed operation1. The helm station provides a clear view of all four corners of the boat, ensuring perfect maneuvers.
Comfort and Convenience: The large island galley, with its foldable extension, is designed to be a friendly space with excellent visibility. Twin helm stations can be tilted either inboard, into the cockpit, or outboard to the side-deck. The boat’s structure is laminated in the hull, not just glued on, ensuring that all systems remain visible and accessible.
Innovative Design: The newer Outremer 55 and 52 models come from VPLP Design studio. A pioneering feature is the fold-in steering column on the starboard side, which allows the helmsman to steer from the sheltered cockpit in rough conditions while maintaining a good view.
Strong and Safe Build: The lower part of the hull is built with a thick, monolithic laminate to withstand collisions7. Carbon bulkheads are laminated to the hulls to widen living spaces while maintaining a strong, rigid sailing platform.
Sail Plan: Outremer Catamarans have a large mainsail and a deck plan that allows matching the most suitable headsail to the course and wind conditions. The rig includes a self-tacking jib, a high-aspect mainsail, and options for downwind sails.
Eco-Friendly: Extensive research was carried out on the choice of materials with low environmental impact for the design and construction of the Outremer 55, such as the use of reusable infusion devices and optimized on-board energy management.