Jimmy Cornell: “Catamarans are doomed to electrification”

Jimmy Cornell at La Grande Motte 2024

Jimmy began writing his article after visiting a catamaran exhibition at La Grande Motte in France. More than 70 multihulls were on display at the event, ranging from small 10-metre-long boats to impressive 21-metre cruising catamarans.

Cornell identified a major trend: the popularity of catamarans has been steadily growing since the COVID pandemic. According to him, interest in catamarans, both among experienced yachtsmen and beginners, has not yet reached its peak.

Rising prices for catamarans

The famous yachtsman also drew attention to the continuous rise in prices for catamarans. Jimmy Cornell presented a comparative analysis of the cost of yachts of the past and present. For example, a 38-foot catamaran cost approximately $30,000 in 1975, with the average annual salary in the United States being about $12,000. Now the average annual salary in the United States is $64,000, while boat prices have increased more than 5-6 times.

Using simple calculations, we find that buying a catamaran in 1975 was equivalent to 2.5-3 years of work. Today, a potential yachtsman will have to work for more than 5 years. 

Jimmy Cornell attributes this price increase to a number of factors:

• Cost of materials – materials for catamarans are also steadily rising in price. Supply issues during and after the COVID pandemic have exacerbated the situation, causing further increases in raw material prices.
• Wages – highly skilled workers require adequate wages, which directly affects the final cost of the boats.
• High demand - the increased popularity of catamarans is pushing shipyards to accelerate the production of ships, which requires large amounts of labor and material resources.

Let us add that these trends will most likely continue to intensify. Some shipyards, for example Fountaine Pajot, were able to get into operation and establish constant production of catamarans. Others (we will refrain from mentioning names), unfortunately, have worsened the quality of their products, despite increasing prices.

Electric Yachting Trends

Cornell says there were an order of magnitude more electric and hybrid catamarans at La Grande Motte 2024. Purely electric catamarans are still rare today, but the number of hybrid models is growing. Jimmy notes that the only model that can be called the “ideal electric boat” is the Outremer 4.zero. 

There were more hybrid catamarans: ORC 57, Windelo 54, HH 44 and Fountaine Pajot Aura 51. Among the hybrids, there were also two trimarans - Neel 34 and Neel 37. According to Cornell, even with such a small sample, you can clearly see where the industry is heading. 

Problems of electrification of catamarans

The electrification of catamarans is progressing slowly, but shipyards are steadily introducing new technologies. Modern models are increasingly equipped with hybrid powertrains as a standard option. However, electric catamarans have not yet gained widespread popularity. 

According to shipyard representatives, there are several main reasons:

• Consumer mistrust – Many customers are skeptical about the reliability and durability of electric motors, viewing them more as expensive toys rather than a full-fledged alternative to traditional motors.
• Technology development is not stable enough - the electric powertrain sector is developing in leaps and bounds, which is why there is a high probability of problems with maintenance of older models.
• Difficulty in maintenance – shipyards focused primarily on the charter market prefer universal solutions to environmentally friendly ones. Electric catamarans are more difficult to repair if they break down, while ICE-powered catamarans can be repaired in most marinas.

Jimmy Cornell highlights the consensus among shipyards: it is better to solve problems partially than to ignore them completely. It is for this purpose that hybrid models are being developed.

The future of cruising catamarans 

The shipyard is at the forefront of electrification Fountaine pajot. The French shipyard is working on energy storage and hydrogeneration devices. The brand aims to make the 50% of its fleet fully electric by 2025. By 2030, the company is preparing to completely abandon internal combustion engines. 

As Jimmy says, if this initiative is supported by other shipyards, the prospects for multihulls “look really exciting.” However, electric power plants must stand the test of time and show their effectiveness in the long term.

Source: Cruising World

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27.04.2024