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This New 148-Foot Hybrid Trimaran Concept Can Sail Silently and Emissions Free

Inspired by seagulls, the vessel has got two giant wings spanning 2,690 square feet each., rachel cormack.

Digital Editor

Rachel Cormack's Most Recent Stories

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VPLP ’s latest trimaran concept is ruffling feathers for all the right reasons.

The French studio’s disruptive new 148-footer, which goes by the name of Seaffinity , takes cues from “the world of seabirds” in terms of both propulsion and aesthetics.

Penned under the direction of noted yacht designer Patrick le Quément, the vessel’s monolithic shape was inspired by the lightness, fluidity and beauty of the seagull. There is almost a total fusion between the two hulls and the coachroof that results in a streamlined silhouette similar to a gull’s.

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Seaffinity

The trimaran’s streamlined silhouette is inspired by a seagull.  VPLP

Seaffinity can also traverse the globe silently and sans emissions, just like our feathered friends above. It’s even equipped with a pair “Oceanwings,” or two sails spanning 2,690 square feet each, that harness the wind for clean and efficient cruising.

“We wanted to offer customers a new concept of a boat more in harmony with nature,” the studio said in a statement .

The sailing power is supplemented by a hybrid engine that runs on electricity produced by a hydrogen fuel cell. VPLP didn’t give any figures regarding speed or range, but did say the multihull would be partly autonomous.

Onboard, Seaffininty’s living quarters are suitably subdued. (Seagulls aren’t the most attention-grabbing birds, after all.) With a beam of 55 feet, the generous living area is characterized by a limited color palette and subtle furnishings that keep the focus on the exterior. To the aft, there is a sizable deck complete with sunbeds, a swim platform and diving facilities.

Seaffinity

Seaffinity features two sails spanning 2,690 square feet each.  VPLP

“The ambiance is more important than the décor,” the studio adds. “Because what matters while sailing is the outdoors, to be able to marvel at the spectacle that unfolds before our eyes.”

Seaffininty joins a flock of new trimarans that have debuted in recent years. For example, McConaghy Boats unveiled the razor-bowed 153-footer Adastra in 2012, before following up with the 153-foot silver-bullet MC155 in 2017. And, that’s just one Aussie builder.

Although Seaffininty is just a concept at this stage, here’s hoping it eventually takes flight.

Check out more photos below:

Seaffinity

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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vplp trimaran

Seagull-inspired trimaran concept Seaffinity revealed

Related articles.

A 45m super streamlined trimaran concept named Seaffinity inspired by "the world of sea birds" has been revealed by French studio VPLP Design .

The aluminium yacht, which is described by the studio as a “yacht of the future”, features a hybrid engine powered by electricity produced by a hydrogen fuel cell. However, Seaffinity’s main source of propulsion will be the wind captured by two Oceanwing sails.

  • Multihulls: The rise of a new generation of spacious, sleek superyachts

The yacht’s exterior is described as “monolithic” by the studio. This, combined with the sustainable propulsion, ensures a voyage on board the yacht is “a communion with its environment”, the studio said.

Seaffinity is aimed at “new customers” who are not interested in the “polluting” consequences of traditional yacht offerings.

“In addition, we wanted to offer them our vision of a new concept of boat, more in harmony with nature and the environment,” the studio said.

The pared-back interior features “intentionally reduced colours” to focus the sailing experience on the outside. “The ambience counts more than the elements of the décor,” the studio said. “We did not want to create a work that stands out between the spectacle of the sea and us.”

Other details include a beam of 16.8 metres and a two-metre draught.

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This little 24-foot one-design VPLP trimaran is not only the official multihull of the Tour Voile since 2015: with more than 100 examples sailing all over the world, this racing boat enthuses the world’s best crews as well as families who are fond of sports sailing or even racing beginners.

A guaranteed one-design, with willing commitment and support from the ADH Inotec shipyard (based at Port-la-Forêt, in Brittany, France), low running costs for maximum pleasure and an enriched racing program compatible with the Multi 2000 and Mocra circuits, this boat is the recipe for a formula whose success is extending to sports associations, groups of friends or companies wishing to discover in safety the sensations of exciting sailing. For these enthusiasts, Vianney Ancelin and his team have created the Easy Regatta concept. We shared a weekend with the members of the sailing section of the sports association of a major French bank, and had an incredible time!

An imaginative and committed builder-promoter

The Diam 24 was designed by the world’s fastest multihull naval architects. But it’s also a practical trimaran, a sort of Swiss army knife of sailing. Dismountable, transportable and storable in a specially-designed box, this gifted little craft also provides users with all the accessories of a magical toolbox that anticipates every requirement (launching and road trailers that don’t need a special permit, launching kit, various extra equipment...). This logistical flex...

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OceanWings by VPLP

“It all began in 2009 in San Diego, California, with the wingsail for the Oracle trimaran for the 2010 America’s Cup” says Marc Van Peteghem of the OceanWings’ backstory.

vplp trimaran

He heads the French studio VPLP with Vincent Lauriot Prévost that developed the latter radically innovative wind propulsion system which manages to retain the aerodynamic characteristics of a rigid wingsail but can also have the amount of sail surface exposed to the wind reduced because it is both furlable and reefable.

vplp trimaran

It is also automated and can be produced on an industrial scale. Most impressively of all, it is now moving from its experimental stage to concrete application.    

“Vincent and I asked ourselves how that type of wing could be used for maritime transport.  Whatever it was and technical problems aside, it needed to deliver economic results, a return on investment, and to pay for itself in terms of fuel savings in an economically reasonable timescale.  Only then would it be useful,” says the designer. 

vplp trimaran

VPLP developed its idea on paper for four long years and then with the financial backing of  France’s Energy and Energy Management Agency, ADEME, it finally got to build an OceanWings working prototype in 2013. The latter comprises two wingsails which together create a system with a 21 square metre sail surface.

vplp trimaran

They can be manoeuvred too to optimise their angle of incidence to the vessel’s point of sail and can also be reefed. They are self-supporting and completely automated.

vplp trimaran

More importantly still, they are almost twice as efficient as a traditional rig. The OceanWings prototype has been fitted to an 8-metre trimaran, itself highly innovative. In fact, it is built from eco-composites made from linen fibre and recycled thermoplastic resins. On August 28 2013, the first sea trials began while R&D continued.  

vplp trimaran

The big turning point came in December 2017. 

vplp trimaran

“Since then we have found an industrial partner, CNIM, a large French group that works in environmental, energy and high tech sectors. So we have transitioned from the final design phase to actually using OceanWings on big catamarans like our Komorebi 200 and on Evergreen Marine Corporation vessels,” continues Van Peteghem.

vplp trimaran

“The shipping world – container ships, oil tankers, freighters and passenger vessels – is the very reason by we developed OceanWings. 

vplp trimaran

The reason is simple. Almost 80 per cent of world trade is by sea and International Maritime Organization projections suggest that will rise to 90 per cent by 2050.

vplp trimaran

While pollution and greenhouse gases produced by maritime transportation accounts for just three per cent of the overall world figure right now, it is estimated that without intervention that will rise to 17 per cent by 2050.

vplp trimaran

This is why the IMO has set itself the goal of halving emissions by 2050. To do that the ships of the future will have to green.”

vplp trimaran

He adds: “We are working on a design for a 120-130-metre mercantile vessel that will be fitted with an OceanWings systems with six elements of 250 square metres apiece. It will save 25% on fuel on a six-knot Atlantic crossing”.  

vplp trimaran

So it will be a sailing mercantile vessel? “It’s a mixed system with OceanWings combined with a conventional auxiliary engine. It would be better if it was thermo-electric though. In terms of performance we worked with meteorological experts on weather data from the last 10-15 years.

vplp trimaran

As an initial solution, we set a series of starting data for the ship and calculated its performance on the basis of historic wind data.

vplp trimaran

As a second solution, we considered routage proper, a weather research and consultancy service focused on identifying the best route, just as happens in ocean racing. 

vplp trimaran

This means that the ship went looking for the conditions most likely to make it faster, which meant it could do without its engine and save up to double the fuel. It’s a navigational philosophy very close to sailing”.  

vplp trimaran

So OceanWings is economically feasible… “The system works once you can tell the owner that they will break even on their OceanWings investment in five years. We ask for the characteristics of the ship, the route and the frequency of its voyages.

vplp trimaran

We do a simulation using past weather readings and then we can predict the savings. For instance, if a ship is following the routes from France to North Africa, it will save up to 40% of its fuel. But that figure can be even higher on longer distances”. 

vplp trimaran

OceanWings, which was installed on Energy Observer, the hydrogen-engined catamaran that sailed around the world, is also aboard your S-Jet foiling cat project in partnership with Airbus. So is it the future?  “It will take more time for sailing. Right now, automatic control of the foils still isn’t possible. You need manual control on a sailing boat.

vplp trimaran

It will take time. But on motor-powered vessels, by which I mean passenger ships, it is the future. Even though OceanWings is high performance and reliable but there is still a long way to go. But it also proves how much sailing has changed on a technological level”.  

vplp trimaran

And speaking of wingsails and foils, one last question to you as an America’s Cup winner, what do you think of the next one?  “I’m not wild about it. I think it is a pity they abandoned the multihulls. We had found something that allowed different countries to take part with the possibility of developing interesting technologies using accessible budgets. Now they have started with this reactionary solution.  I don’t like it though.

vplp trimaran

At the end of the day, because they involve so many people, skills and money, these boats will have to be interesting. To look at at least. But I don’t know if they will add anything new. I love competition and technology but not when they become inaccessible”. 

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Within the space of just a few weeks two of the most aggressively campaigned big trimarans had between them broken and re-broken two great ocean racing records no less than four times

The MOD 70 trimaran class has history and form, plenty of both. In total, seven boats have been built, all are still sailing and some are still setting records. Peter Cunningham’s distinctive blue PowerPlay (formerly Concise), and now actively for sale as a turnkey package, is among those that continue to lead the charge, having recently set new records over the Fastnet racecourse and the classic Cowes to St Malo route.

But in a clear indication of just how competitive this unique fleet of oceangoing trimarans continues to be, it took little time for a sistership to up the ante. In the case of the Cowes-St Malo route, it was just minutes before Maserati had broken PowerPlay’s new record after the pair had set out on the same morning from the Solent in a cross-Channel duel.

Cunningham and his crew, led by longtime MOD70 skipper Ned Collier- Wakefield, set an extraordinary pace around the traditional Fastnet racecourse. A month later Maserati did the double and raised the bar even further, beating PowerPlay’s time by over an hour, completing the 605nm-course in a staggering 23 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds at an average speed of 24.94kts.

To have held an impressive record across an internationally famous offshore route for such a short period of time was doubtless frustrating for the PowerPlay crew, yet the ongoing rivalry is another reminder as to why the MOD70 continues to be an appealing and reliable inshore and offshore machine. Unlike other designs, the MOD70 hasn’t just kept pace with current developments, but in many cases has led the way.

PowerPlay’s owner Peter Cunningham is not giving up until he hits at least 40 knots on the helm

The world of performance sailing has advanced rapidly over the last decade with speeds accelerating both inshore and offshore. The development of foil technology, driven initially by the big changes in the build-up to the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco, saw the 72ft foiling leviathans raise the racing above the water’s surface taking the top speeds with them. Then, the following season, the wing-masted AC45s were up on foils as the Cup looked ahead to another high-speed foiling event.

The technology triggered responses throughout the racing world with foiling finding its way into offshore racing aboard the Ultime class of 32m multihulls as well as the Imoca 60 monohulls. Everyone it seemed wanted to fly.

Meanwhile, the MOD70s appeared to be still operating in displacement mode yet in reality their C-section daggerboards had already been quietly providing foiling assistance, generating vertical lift that was not only increasing the power through additional righting moment but also helping to prevent the bows from burying at speed. While they may not have been seen primarily as foiling boats, the lessons learned aboard the MOD70s, especially in offshore conditions, were being fed back into the system helping to fuel the highspeed revolution.

The original concept of the MOD70 started back in 2009 as a one-design oceanic racer. The aim was to build a boat which would be the standard for the next 10 years. The development of the MOD70 was a collaboration between the VPLP design firm (Vincent Lauriot-Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem) and the Lausanne-based founding company Multi One Design S.A.

The original 10-year goal has clearly been achieved, albeit in a slightly different way as the one-design element has changed and various boats have been modified and tweaked. Yet despite the range of modifications that have taken place aboard some of these boats, the racing remains impressively close when MOD70s line up against each other.

So, what is it that has made these trimarans so enduring while also remaining so quick?

‘I think VPLP, got it right with the original design as they put more emphasis into building a stronger boat compared with the Orma days,’ says skipper Ned Collier-Wakefield. ‘These boats are bulletproof. We can push them hard and they just lap it up. You can set out on a record attempt and smash it across the Atlantic and you tie the boat up at the dock at the end of the day, wash it down and it’s pretty much done.

The intense rivalry between PowerPlay and Argo has resulted in some thrillingly close racing.

‘Plus, I think they’re pretty safe. You can push them really, really hard and yet they’re still quick, amazingly quick. And while we’re all doing little upgrades, they’re generally pretty small ones aside from Maserati’s fully foiling package and even then, there are positives and negatives depending on what kind of racing you’re doing.’

Another interesting feature of the class is that unlike many other grand prix machines, especially ones that are capable of similar speeds, the MOD70s don’t require a large shoreside team to maintain them.

‘Martin Watts has run the boat since we took her on in 2015,’ continues Collier-Wakefield. ‘Essentially it’s been him by himself, plus a couple of young guys helping him occasionally. But there’s not much to it. They’re simple boats and don’t require much in the way of staffing. We deliver with five crew, race offshore with six or seven and inshore we might take a few more big guys to help on the handles,’

Watts is quick to confirm this while describing the maintenance of the big blue beast in even simpler terms. ‘I think of the MOD70 as a TP52 with some bits strapped to the sides,’ he says. ‘When you look at it, the winches are not huge and there’s not masses to service. The winches are the main focus as we do push them pretty hard, especially with the modern high-performance ropes which mean that the loads are up to their maximum. We also service the hydraulics every six months. These rams allow us to cant the rig and so we do change them from time to time but apart from that the maintenance programme is the same as any other boat and simply about managing wear and tear.’

 When a gust hits, the whole boat can skip sideways

But behind the scenes, PowerPlay has something that sets her apart from her sisterships, and that is her owner. Peter Cunningham is a lifelong racer, having raced a wide variety of craft in a number of different locations around the world. But after he sold his business in California he decided that he wanted to take part in some offshore racing and started looking at the MOD70. There is nothing particularly unusual in that, other than he was already in his mid-seventies when he decided to buy PowerPlay. Now, having raced across the Atlantic, competed in the Middle Sea Race and many other events, he was on board for both of the most recent record-breaking runs around the Fastnet and to St Malo. A few weeks later he would celebrate his 80th birthday.

‘It’s a physical boat and you’ve got to be careful when you’re down below, especially at speed,’ he says. ‘Plus, there are some unusual motions especially in breezy conditions when you might lift the leeward daggerboard. This means that rather than heeling over when a gusts hits, you skip sideways which can catch you off guard. So, my rule is always having three points of contact!’

Having come from monohulls, albeit with some quick ones such as a TP52 and a J70, how had he found the experience?

‘It’s exciting, probably more exciting than I thought and at times it makes you afraid, but you do get used to it after a while and when you’re steering from 20ft above the water’s surface at speed it’s just magical.

‘Experiencing flat-out sailing for five or six days non-stop is pretty special too,’ he continues. ‘It’s pretty stressful on all of the crew and while this boat is actually very forgiving, it still highlights the need to really know what you’re doing at a level that is very different to monohull racing. That in itself is very rewarding as you learn a lot about yourself and the importance of how a team needs to work together at this level. Sometimes there are decisions to be made intuitively in a split second that involve everyone, teamwork is crucial, without it you can be in trouble.

‘Seeing this, understanding it and being a part of it has definitely benefitted my sailing in other areas, it helps you put things into perspective, understand how people deal with issues and has improved my manner on other boats. I have learned a great deal.

‘I treat my sailing as a project and after you’ve experienced something like this it’s difficult to think of what kind of project you could move onto, but I do still have at least one goal. ‘My top speed at the helm is 38.9kts, I want to hit 40 and I can’t sell her until I do.’

  • MOD 70 trimaran

Steve Cornwell

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New 282′ trimaran mega yacht KOMOREBI concept by VPLP

The fully automated wings of luxury yacht KOMOREBI concept are powerful enough to drive her at 15 knots with 20 knots of wind with no engine on and save at least 30% of fuel on hybrid mode in a crossing.

Superyacht KOMOREBI concept - aft view

Superyacht KOMOREBI concept – aft view

Luxury yacht KOMOREBI concept - Exterior

Luxury yacht KOMOREBI concept – Exterior

KOMOREBI yacht concept boasts an elegantly muted styling and ultra-open layout, providing fantastic views and plenty of private areas throughout the vessel. This Hybrid trimaran is the perfect answer to comfort at sea, space, stability, low running costs as well as a big step towards a clean wake.

Luxury yacht KOMOREBI concept underway

Luxury yacht KOMOREBI concept underway

Mega yacht KOMOREBI concept

Mega yacht KOMOREBI concept

Openness inside the vessel as well as out is reflected in the design of KOMOREBI superyacht, flooded with natural light. Each particular area of the vessel is designed to suite a special moment of the day, offering privacy, as well as conviviality for everyone on board. Moreover, there is a wonderful selection of large tenders, submarine, sailing boats, and much more on offer.

Super yacht KOMOREBI concept - Interior

Super yacht KOMOREBI concept – Interior

As stated by VPLP: “We believe designed elegance is not only a question of style, balance of proportions and harmony of lines it is also related to coherence and cleverness. Don’t we use the word “elegant” for a smart solution to a problem? Despite her length we want KOMOREBI not to appear dominant and overwhelming – we want a sweet giant who we can all love.”

Take a look at the striking and impressive 282′ Hybrid Trimaran KOMOREBI concept in the beautiful video below, released by VPLP Design:

The 23m Yacht ULTIM' EMOTION

The 23m Yacht ULTIM' EMOTION

Flybridge Helm

Flybridge Helm

SY DRAGONFLY - Flybridge

SY DRAGONFLY - Flybridge

Catamaran SEA SPIRIT - At Anchor

Catamaran SEA SPIRIT -  At Anchor

More charter yachts with design by  Vplp  can be found here.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "New 282’ Trimaran Mega Yacht KOMOREBI concept unveiled by VPLP at MYS".

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Marc van Peteghem interview: Up close and personal with the king of cats

Yachting World

  • May 21, 2020

Marc van Peteghem of French design leaders VPLP talks extreme foiling, cruising cats and sustainability with Sam Fortescue

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VPLP co-founder Marc van Peteghem. Photo: VPLP Design

With Lagoon catamarans at one end of the spectrum and world-girdling Ultime class trimarans at the other, there’s not much in the multihull world that design studio VPLP has not turned its hand to. It is among the biggest of the French design offices, which seem to dominate this sector, and one of the best regarded.

Founded by the naval architects Vincent Lauriot-Prévost and Marc van Peteghem, who met during their studies at Southampton University in the late 1970s, the company has always carried the acronym of their two surnames.

“I called Vincent in February 1983 and said there’s maybe a first boat to design, do you want to partner with me?” recalls van Peteghem, who is now the cruising half of the VPLP duo. “We shared the same values and the same vision of the world and we’ve been partners ever since. When I was 12 or 13, I said I was going to be a yacht designer. Then it was only a question of patience.”

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VPLP’s first ever design, the radical 50ft trimaran Gérard Lambert

And though I say ‘cruising’, I use the term somewhat loosely, as van Peteghem has designed everything from dinghies to superyachts . While these days he takes care of clients such as Lagoon, Excess and Outremer, he and co-founder Lauriot-Prévost actually began their careers designing a radical 50ft foiling trimaran called Gérard Lambert .

The boat was built for Vincent Levy’s 1984 OSTAR and showed real potential until its loss during the Route du Rhum in 1986 following a collision with a cargo ship.

Voiles et Voiliers magazine noted at the time that the boat ‘sowed terror’ among competitors at the 1984 Trophée des Multicoques off south Brittany, where it was overhauling maxi-multihulls. VPLP was off to a winning start. Commissions for racing multihulls began to pour in for a rollcall of skippers that sounds like the offshore racing hall of fame: Kersauson, Le Cam, Tabarly, Arthaud.

That commitment to race boats has never waned, although it is more the preserve of Vannes-based Lauriot-Prévost. Together, they have drawn winning MOD70s, IMOCAs, and even the triumphant Oracle USA17 , which swept all before it in the acrimonious 33rd America’s Cup held in Valencia in 2010. They were also the designers behind L ’ Hydroptère , the advanced foiling trimaran launched in 1994, which held the world speed record over one nautical mile from 2007 until 2012.

Article continues below…

hall-of-fame-yachts-mariquita-credit-Guido-Cantini-seasee

The Yachting World hall of fame: 50 yachts that changed the way we sail

1. Mariquita Built: 1911 Design: William Fife III Mariquita is a living link between the ‘Big Class’ behemoths, such as…

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Sardinia charter: Living the high life on a crewed Lagoon 620

Beam. Or beam and volume. Those are the dominant characteristics that spring to mind about cruising catamarans. You expect huge…

Nonetheless, in the midst of all this frothy racing work, van Peteghem recalls being approached to design a 55ft cruising catamaran in the mid-1980s: a one-off for a nascent builder called Lagoon, which was then part of the well-regarded Jeanneau Techniques Avancées, which also built ocean-racing multis. It was the start of a relationship that has endured to this day, down more than two dozen different models spanning lengths from 37ft to 77ft, and some 5,000 boats launched.

Success with racing would not have been possible without the cruising work, says van Peteghem. “All the money we got from cruising boats was invested into new software and engineers and technology and knowledge to be better. And it’s still the case.” VPLP now employs 32 people, a third pure engineers, and the remainder naval architects and designers.

Trademark look

The Lagoon tie-up has been good to VPLP, but it has also helped the catamaran brand to become the most recognisable multihull in the world, with its vertical trawler windows and cavernous interior. So much so that the term ‘lagoon’ has come to apply generically to all catamarans in some parts of the world. It’s clearly a source of pride to van Peteghem, although he protests that he is a “humble person” when I put it to him.

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A VPLP-designed Lagoon 55 catamaran of 1987 vintage

“Lagoon has been a little bit forward of the market – offering more and more comfort and space, towards more of a floating home direction than it was at the start,” he says. “In the hull design, we’ve really made a lot of progress to make the comfort at sea as good as possible, and also to minimise the drag.”

Most recently with the launch of the new Excess brand, the owners of Lagoon have asked VPLP to take catamaran design in a slightly different direction. “We are drifting towards something that is lighter and trying to be a little bit faster,” says van Peteghem. With the simpler, curvier lines of its 11m, 12m and 15m models launched so far, it is also aiming to appeal to younger and sportier owners.

“We were very happy with the performance [of the first generation], but I think the next generation could be a bit more radical. It could be one step further in terms of an exciting sailing experience.”

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Lagoon 560 is a leader in cruising cats. Photo: Nicholas Claris

At first, Groupe Beneteau wanted to find a different design office to underscore the different look and feel of the new range. But VPLP had a secret weapon, which enabled it to win the new business. And that weapon is, in fact, a man; a man called Patrick le Quément who ran Renault’s 350-strong design department for more than a decade before joining the team as a consultant.

“I convinced them that it was much better that we do [the design] ourselves because we had designed the Lagoons and we knew exactly how to move the dosage of the personality,” says le Quément. He shows me a mood board contrasting the two lines. While Lagoon is all ‘mineral’ – bold edges and manmade forms – Excess is ‘animal’, with flowing curves.

Le Quément brought a certain aesthetic flair with him, but he also introduced VPLP to a new way of working. The technique he’d developed at Renault was to break each new project down into just a few keywords, then produce various sketches that exaggerated one or other of those characteristics – in effect, turning each concept into an illustrated spectrum.

VPLP-Yacht-Design-Marc-Van-Peteghem-profile-Tan-66-concept

Tan 66 is a VPLP luxury catamaran proposal

Allied to Autodesk software, which allows users to create quick, attractive renderings, this approach suddenly made it possible to visualise hundreds of different possibilities for each brief.

Van Peteghem now sees this as a major strength for VPLP. “We’ve made a lot of progress in understanding the preliminary phase of the design and fully understanding the part about the aesthetic,” he says. “Working with Patrick [le Quément], we learn. Our designs are certainly better now: because he’s there, but also because the other half of the design company is evolving.”

The potential was spotted early on by Xavier Desmarest, the CEO of catamaran brand Outremer. When he was building a team to create the ‘ultimate’ catamaran, he chose VPLP and le Quément, among others. The result was the award-winning 5X, designed for family living, but with good light-airs performance. Despite a price tag of well over €1m, more than 20 hulls have been sold to date.

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The souped-up lightweight Outremer 5X No Limit

VPLP also worked on a souped-up version, appropriately called No Limit . Built in carbon and with a foam-cored interior fit-out, the boat is 2.5 tonnes lighter than the typical production version.

Something completely different

With Lagoon as his biggest client, van Peteghem intrigues me by saying he thinks that simpler boats are the way of the future. On the face of it, the brand of “little houses on the water” is the exact opposite, with its growing equipment list and burgeoning interior volumes.

“The market is more or less like an ostrich that has swallowed a watermelon – over the years, it is talking to the same population,” explains van Peteghem. “In the 70s, people were sailing on simple boats. Over time, they got older and richer and wanted a bigger boat with more comfort – more, more, more – and we drift away from the pleasure of sailing.

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L’Hydroptère slashed speed records. Photo: Celine Levy

“What about the younger generation? We’re asking ourselves how we will offer solutions that are closer to their aspirations and money. At the moment there’s no real offer of a really simple multihull inside in terms of space.”

Van Peteghem seems particularly animated on this point, and it soon becomes clear why. He lives out the conviction himself, sailing a 6.2m Muscadet designed in the 1960s by Frenchman Philippe Harlé. “She is a monohull built in plywood with 1.12m headroom, and I was in Corsica with my parents in it 45 years ago. I still have it as a family boat. For me, I don’t need much: what I like is to be at sea and really be close to the sea.”

He says he’d love to sail a catamaran that follows the same simple logic as this boat, with four berths and an easy sailplan. “There’d be no compromise on the galley, because I like cooking,” he says with a laugh. But as he puts it, he doesn’t have four bathrooms at home, so why does he need four heads on the boat?

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OceanWing concept has been proven and features fly-by-wire sail controls and a reefable wingsail. Photo: Thierry Martinez / Sea & Co

His thoughts are bending towards a Mediterranean cruise with the family. “What I really like is to sail for at least three days, then you get away from the perception of time. There are no more set hours to do things – it’s another rhythm: you wake up, you remember all your dreams, you have a few hours to take care of the boat, you socialise with the rest of the crew. I really love that.”

Despite his personal sailing tastes, van Peteghem believes that technology can make yachting more sustainable in the future. VPLP has just finished working on a desktop project with aircraft builder Airbus, which owes more to aerodynamics than traditional hull shape.

The foiling S-Jet took its form from VPLP, combined with state-of-the-art fly-by-wire controls from Airbus. Two different rigs were designed, including one with a pair of OceanWing sails from VPLP to create a real flying boat. VPLP’s OceanWing has developed out of the towering 68m sail that drove US17 to victory in Valencia ten years ago. “I had the impression that if we could make it stowable, reefable, it might be a good solution for yachts and the shipping industry too.”

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A rendering of the AirSeas85 foiling trimaran concept

With French development money and other support, several prototypes have emerged, including that for 8m eco trimaran Gwalaz. “With a projected surface area of only 21m 2 , compared with 32m 2 or 46m 2 for standard rigs, the prototype OceanWing propels the boat to an equal or higher speed in every wind condition,” says van Peteghem.

A larger scale test is being carried out on the French hydrogen-powered boat Energy Observer , which uses two 12m wings. And the studio has also published renderings for a genre-defying 282-footer described as “a trimaran or stabilised monohull – with wings”. The concept explorer trimaran Komorebi’s towering OceanWings will get it up to 15 knots or allow it to burn 30% less fuel in hybrid mode.

Van Peteghem says there has been interest in the concept, but nothing serious. “Typically, it is an example of something a little too early. Timing is everything – you can have very good ideas, just not at the right time, when people are not ready to accept or to understand.”

VPLP-Yacht-Design-Marc-Van-Peteghem-profile-hemisphere-catamaran-superyacht

Hemisphere is the world’s largest catamaran

Far from being disappointed by the lack of take-up to date, he is confident that the boat will lead to a concrete project, even if it metamorphosises along the way. After all when, it comes to size, VPLP has nothing to prove: the two largest sailing catamarans afloat came off its drawing boards.

They are the 145ft catamaran Hemisphere , which was delivered in 2011 by Pendennis of Falmouth, and 138ft Douce France from 1998. “A big multihull is the perfect platform because you have a huge range, and the sail and the power, plus the stability and the space. Owners keep their boats for decades.”

Van Peteghem believes that it is down to designers like him to push the industry in the right direction on sustainability, and on construction methods too. For glassfibre boats, for instance, he is thinking about how the constituent elements could be assembled without gluing, so they can be taken apart again.

VPLP-Yacht-Design-Marc-Van-Peteghem-profile-Canopée-cargo-ship-concept

Canopée is an OceanWinds-powered cargo vessel designed to carry the Ariane rocket launcher

“Changing is very difficult,” he observes. “You either change because you’re under pressure, or because you want to.” It’s all part of an approach that starts with making boats lighter and more efficient in light winds.

“Being light is being green,” he says. “When you sail in the Med and you have a boat which is able to sail in 6-7 knots of wind, then you are only going to use your engine 5% of the time. “If your boat needs 10-12 knots of wind, then you’re going to be using your engine 60-65% of the time.”

First published in the May 2020 edition of Yachting World.

TMG Yachts Multihulls Power and Sail Australia

Naval Architecture

VPLP

VPLP design (Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost)  is a French-based naval architectural firm founded by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, responsible for designing some of the world’s most innovative racing boats. Their designs presently hold many of the World Speed Sailing records.

vplp trimaran

Marc Van Peteghem

Marc has always been driven by curiosity and possibility … never afraid to embrace new technology and always aiming to create boats that are simple, efficient and proportionate.

Marc’s focus point is life on board … understanding that indoor and outdoor spaces work together as a series of interludes where different groups of people interact. B y putting people at the heart of the design process he has ensured the gentle giant of the Lagoon family retains the soul of the yachting world, while remaining generous and embracing in nature.

Marc’s versatility is evidenced in his range of work, including designing and building a 60-foot (18 m) racing trimaran for the movie ‘Waterworld’; designing catamaran ambulances and hospitals for Bangladesh; creating and presiding over NGO Watever, which assists underprivileged populations living on or near the water; and co-founding The Sustainable Design School in Nice.

“Lagoon gives priority to life on-board”,  explains Marc Van Peteghem.  “Each Lagoon must be different, while belonging to the same family. We endeavour to maintain this feeling of coherence and harmony, when sailing on-board a Lagoon. Additionally, as our DNA inclines us to draw seaworthy, safe boats, we strive to reach high, even very high performance levels.”

Vincent Lauriot-Prévost

Along side Van Peteghem, Vincent has worked on many outstanding projects including the Oracle, Americas Cup Sailing Trimaran.

“There’s a lot of things that thrill me. Being in touch with people. A person who thinks about a boat, it generates exchanges that are strong.

When you work with sailors who are competing at a high level, they always have strong and clear-cut characters. It’s nice to work with people with strong personalities.

When you work with clients who are more into personal life projects, being able to help them achieve those things and get into their dreams is exciting. When you work with an industrialist on a production boat, you’re not trying to solve a speed equation, but rather how to design the best boat to meet the demand in good intelligence.

VPLP

It’s pretty big. There is a motivation that exists as well. There’s an exhilarating side to a boat that starts a race, achieves its goals, and wins.”

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Nauta Design

Nauta Design

by Marnie Ebeling

Nauta Design are an award-winning naval architecture, yacht exterior styling, and interior design company … having been involved in a range of projects from small production sailing, motor yachts, and catamarans with notable builders such as Beneteau and Lagoon, to large, custom superyachts in both sail and power.

Patrick Le Quément

Patrick Le Quément

With over 42 years’ experience in the design industry, Patrick Le Quément has easily made the transition from the automotive sector into the marine world, and he continually brings a fresh new perspective to the world of naval design.

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Marine Insight

VELA Unveils Unique 100% Wind Powered Sailing Cargo Trimaran

VELA, committed to the decarbonization of the maritime freight industry, has proudly unveiled the design of its first-of-its-kind trimaran cargo ship that will allow the company to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean using 100% wind power. The visionary team of François Gabart (renowned solo navigator and world-class ocean racer), Michael Fernandez-Ferri, Pierre-Arnaud Vallon, Thibault Charles and Pascal Galacteros unveiled the design, which had been in development since September 2022 and for which production is set to start early 2024.

Departing from the conventional single-hulled approach, and inspired by the modern technologies used for ocean racing, VELA’s sailing cargo vessel will have three hulls and is anticipated to be launched in 2025.

Wind Powered Sailing Cargo Trimaran

Reducing the environmental footprint of Maritime Transport

By adopting the innovative trimaran concept for its cargo ship, VELA meets several criteria for reducing the environmental impact of maritime transport, which currently accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (a figure projected to rise to 17% by 2050 if no action is taken). Extensive analysis by the VELA team led to the impressive claim of a 99% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in propulsion compared to conventional container ships .

The choice of a trimaran design also enhances stability and ensures the safety of the cargo, while providing a comfortable experience for the sailors on board. Additionally, by harnessing the abundant wind resources of the ocean and not having to take fuel costs into account, VELA is able to provide high transportation capacity at a fixed and fair price, accommodating up to 450 U.S. pallets (equivalent to 51 TEU containers or 560 EU pallets).

Beyond the elimination of greenhouse gasses during the voyage, VELA also has a lesser environmental impact than other cargo ships by being built with recycled aluminum with interiors made from bio-sourced and geo-sourced materials. All components of the ship have also been designed to be dismantled for reuse on other VELA ships or for other purposes.

Fleet ambitions: 30 boats by 2035

The first VELA trimaran cargo vessel is expected to make its maiden voyage mid-2025, sailing the transatlantic route between Europe and the United States. VELA guarantees fast, reliable and secure transportation, with a warehouse-to-warehouse timeframe of 10-15 days, including loading, transit and unloading, which places it in between conventional air and sea freight. Furthermore, VELA’s efficient routing system ensures that the most optimized route is selected based on weather conditions, with an estimated time of arrival by the hour provided up to four days in advance.

While the choice of propulsion plays a critical role in decarbonizing maritime transport, VELA recognizes that sustainability also depends on pre- and post-transport logistics. The exceptional maneuverability of the VELA Trimaran Cargo vessel allows access to secondary ports, facilitating closer proximity to customers’ factories and warehouses.

“Choosing the France-USA seaway was a no-brainer. The United States is the second largest export destination for French luxury products. Moreover, the wind is plentiful and predictable in the North Atlantic. We are very happy to be able to continue facilitating American and French culture exchange, but in a way that prioritizes the decarbonization of Franco-American trade as well,” said Michael Fernandez-Ferri, Cofounder of VELA.

Looking ahead, VELA aims to have a departure from France to the USA and vice versa every nine days by 2028, further solidifying its commitment to sustainable and efficient shipping practices.

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vplp trimaran

VPLP’s Yachting Division focuses on two core activities: superyachts and production boats. It’s a very broad playing field. Regardless of the programme, size, number of hulls or propulsion system (sail, engine, wingsail, hybrid), our principal design strategy remains founded on the same key question: How does the customer intend to use their boat? That’s the key.

All our cruising projects

Outremer 52, electric foiling catamaran, outremer 55, lagoon sixty 7, lagoon sixty 5, lagoon 5th generation, komorebi 138, lagoon seventy 8, lagoon seventy 7, outremer 7x, komorebi 200 – wingsails exploration trimaran, w/y evidence, s-jet / air seas, komorebi 282, lagoon motor yacht, vplp 170′ catamaran, lagoon 4th generation, noah 88 (kenzo), outremer 5x, lightspeed 32, lagoon 3rd generation, douce france, lagoon 2nd generation, lagoon 1st generation, each pole feeds each other.

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IMAGES

  1. Sailing the Astus VPLP Trimaran

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  2. Astus 22.5, un nouveau trimaran repliable dessiné par VPLP

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  3. VPLP Orma 60 Trimaran For Sale : Owen Clarke Design

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  4. Seaffinity, VPLP’s 148-Foot Trimaran Concept, Can Sail Emissions-Free

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  5. SEAFFINITY

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  6. EMC Multi

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COMMENTS

  1. SEAFFINITY

    Seaffinity is a super streamlined trimaran honoring VPLP Design's vision of a yacht of the future, silent, partly automated, and propelled by a virtuous energy, the wind.. Equipped with 2 Oceanwings, real sailing revolutions, the same as those which will equip the cargo ship "Canopée" which will transport the Ariane rockets from Europe to Guyana.

  2. MOD 70

    MOD 70. Following in the wake of the ORMA series, this class of one-design trimarans, initiated in 2006, is the distillation of VPLP's experience in the design and optimization of multihull racing sailing boats spanning more than fifteen years. With the same righting moment, longer floats and a shorter mast than the ORMA trimarans, the Multi ...

  3. Seaffinity, VPLP's 148-Foot Trimaran Concept, Can Sail Emissions-Free

    Published on October 7, 2021. By Rachel Cormack. VPLP 's latest trimaran concept is ruffling feathers for all the right reasons. The French studio's disruptive new 148-footer, which goes by ...

  4. Komorebi 200

    Komorebi 200 - Wingsails Exploration Trimaran. Deriving from the project to build a hybrid cruising catamaran which VPLP unveiled in 2015, this Komorebi 200 is designed to be an exploration ship for the scientific community. The principles are the same: broad spaces which make the most of natural light and ventilation, and which can ...

  5. VPLP design

    VPLP's initial project was to design a racing trimaran commissioned by skipper Vincent Levy for the 1984 OSTAR, (otherwise known as the English Transat). This 50-foot (15 m) foiler baptized Gerard Lambert was the first in a long line of racing trimarans that created a name for the firm and established the young designers as innovators in the ...

  6. A multihull for the Tour Voile, the Diam 24

    Like many top French multihulls, the Diam 24 is designed by VPLP and is a development and a more racing-orientated version of VPLP's Chinese-built Multi 23 trimaran.

  7. Seagull-inspired trimaran concept Seaffinity revealed

    A 45m super streamlined trimaran concept named Seaffinity inspired by "the world of sea birds" has been revealed by French studio VPLP Design. The aluminium yacht, which is described by the studio as a "yacht of the future", features a hybrid engine powered by electricity produced by a hydrogen fuel cell. However, Seaffinity's main source ...

  8. VPLP's latest trimaran concept Seaffinity

    2397. VPLP 's latest trimaran concept is ruffling feathers for all the right reasons. The French studio's disruptive new 148-footer, which goes by the name of Seaffinity, takes cues from "the world of seabirds" in terms of both propulsion and aesthetics. Penned under the direction of noted yacht designer Patrick le Quément, the vessel ...

  9. Boat Review by Multihulls World of: Trimaran Diam 24

    Boat Test price $5.00Inc. tax. Purchase. This little 24-foot one-design VPLP trimaran is not only the official multihull of the Tour Voile since 2015: with more than 100 examples sailing all over the world, this racing boat enthuses the world's best crews as well as families who are fond of sports sailing or even racing beginners.

  10. VPLP Ultime Trimaran For Sale

    The Ultime Trimaran TRITIUM is a modified Orma 60 Trimaran - extended to 72 feet. Designed by the renowned VPLP Yacht designers and originally built for the legend of offshore ocean racing, Jean Le Cam, the boat was updated by Artemis Racing for testing of AC wing and dagger foils. The boat was modified - with floats lengthened to 72 feet - and ...

  11. OceanWings by VPLP

    "It all began in 2009 in San Diego, California, with the wingsail for the Oracle trimaran for the 2010 America's Cup" says Marc Van Peteghem of the OceanWings' backstory. He heads the French studio VPLP with Vincent Lauriot Prévost that developed the latter radically innovative wind propulsion system which manages to retain the aerodynamic characteristics

  12. The story of MOD 70 trimaran, Powerplay, and her ...

    The MOD 70 trimaran class has history and form, plenty of both. In total, seven boats have been built, all are still sailing and some are still setting records. ... The development of the MOD70 was a collaboration between the VPLP design firm (Vincent Lauriot-Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem) and the Lausanne-based founding company Multi One ...

  13. New 282' Trimaran Mega Yacht KOMOREBI concept unveiled by VPLP at MYS

    The currently running Monaco Yacht Show saw the French design studio, VPLP, unveil their latest 282-foot trimaran mega yacht KOMOREBI, a Japanese concept representing the time when nature is enhanced by the sun's rays.Superyacht KOMOREBI is an efficient and highly stable vessel, capable of crossing oceans, but agile and shallow-drafted enough to enter small places.

  14. VELA

    After undertaking numerous comparative studies, in particular with MerConcept, VPLP Design decided on a trimaran design which will allow the vessel to achieve higher average speeds and carry more freight than a similarly sized monohull. With her two-masted schooner rig, 25 m beam and onboard crane, VELA will always dock port side to and will be ...

  15. VPLP Design Seaffinity Revealed as Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trimaran of the

    From monohull to trimarans and everything in between, if it floats, VPLP probably knows a thing or two about it. The Seaffinity, as I mentioned, is a conceptual design, and one that takes its ...

  16. Komorebi, Bright & Airy Hybrid Trimaran From VPLP

    Similarly, VPLP's Komorebi has natural light spilling in from many angles. The super-trimaran further reflects a focus on open areas. In fact, even with full-height glass surrounding the main deck's lounge, panels there can slide open. Given the trimaran configuration, "open" is an understatement for the beam: 75 feet (22.9 meters).

  17. Marc van Peteghem interview: Up close and personal with the king of cats

    VPLP's first ever design, the radical 50ft trimaran Gérard Lambert And though I say 'cruising', I use the term somewhat loosely, as van Peteghem has designed everything from dinghies to ...

  18. Home

    At VPLP Design we are convinced that a successful boat is often the result of a remarkable human adventure. We are passionate about performance, in the widest sense of the word. Performance is, of course, about speed but it's also about energy-efficient propulsion. Designing "zero emission" boats is the fruit of all our skills combined.

  19. VPLP design

    VPLP design is a French-based naval architectural firm founded by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, responsible for designing some of the world's most innovative racing boats. ... Americas Cup Sailing Trimaran. "There's a lot of things that thrill me. Being in touch with people. A person who thinks about a boat, it generates ...

  20. VPLP Orma 60 Trimaran For Sale

    AKRON is a racing trimaran ORMA 60 built by CDK Technologies in 1988. She is one the best ORMA 60 trimarans ever built and one of the few for sale left on the market. ... Naval Architect: VPLP Type: ORMA 60 Trimaran Year: 1998 Lying: Greece near Athens Price: 190,000 Euro RIGGING & SAILS Mast : Built by LORIMA 2003 - weight of Mast 478 KG ...

  21. VELA Unveils Unique 100% Wind Powered Sailing Cargo Trimaran

    Rendering of the newly designed VELA trimaran ship, Credits: VPLP. Reducing the environmental footprint of Maritime Transport. By adopting the innovative trimaran concept for its cargo ship, VELA meets several criteria for reducing the environmental impact of maritime transport, which currently accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (a figure projected to rise to 17% by 2050 if no ...

  22. About Us

    2010 USA 17, the 90' trimaran of the American challenge BMW Oracle wins the 33rd America's Cup. For VPLP, as the chief designer, this was the most fruitful and intense project the firm had thus far worked on. Much of the firm's innovations in foils and rigid wingsails come from this experience.

  23. All our cruising projects

    Cruising Use is key VPLP's Yachting Division focuses on two core activities: superyachts and production boats. It's a very broad playing field. Regardless of the programme, size, number of hulls or propulsion system (sail, engine, wingsail, hybrid), our principal design strategy remains founded on the same key question: How does the customer intend to use […]