It’s easy to assume that all rugged metal yachts are very heavy. While that was the case at one time for steel designs, it’s a different matter for aluminium which, before carbon fibre became feasible, was frequently used for competitive racing yachts and from which the Ovnicat 48 is built.

This means it was almost inevitable that two of the biggest trends in cruising yacht design – expedition yachts and multihulls – would merge at some stage. The Garcia Explocat 52, launched late in 2020, wasn’t the company’s first aluminium catamaran, but it brought the concept to a bigger audience.

At the same time Ovni, which has built 1,500 shoal draught aluminium monohulls over the past 50 years, was also developing a multihull concept with a 48 design. The first two have already been sold, with one scheduled to launch in 2024.

We don’t yet have many details, but it looks like an enticing design by Mortain and Mavrikios, with more of an emphasis towards warm water sailing and temperate climates than the other yachts in this selection.

Despite the boat’s rugged nature, laden displacement is lower than that of most cruising catamarans of similar size, giving the promise of brisk and enjoyable sailing without the worries of a more fragile fibreglass construction.

Ovnicat 48 specifications

LOA: 14.50m / 47ft 6in
Beam: 7.75m / 25ft 6in
Draught: 1.35m / 4ft 5in
Base price: €1,200,000 ex VAT
Builder: alubat.com

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