The Swiss 55 Catamaran is a new semi-custom design from the acclaimed French naval architect Francois PERUS of Yacht Design Collective www.yachtdesigncollective.com and built by Italian builder Top Marine Costruzione. The design brief was for a fast bluewater cruising design focused on . . .

• More than ample 4t payload capacity
• Daggerboards for improved windward making capability, less wetted surface, and safety
• Dual helms for enhanced visibility under sail and maneuvering in close quarters
• Flexible sail plan easily managed by a couple
• Flexible interior layout
• Warm luxurious wood interior cored with balsa

Consisting of only three female moulds for the entire shell (hull/deck/roof) a computerized 5-axis router was used for the tooling. After an extensive Finite Element Analysis the shell lamination consists of an E-glass skin, Gurit Corecell M SAN based foam core, epoxy resin infused, post cured including the primary solid laminate carbon fiber bulkheads prior to removal from the mould. Carbon fiber used in high load areas including longitudinal stringers, longeron/bow sprit, daggerboard junctions, and forward crossbeam.

The deck to hull joint is epoxy fiberglassed creating a monolithic shell; all hull thru-hulls below & above the waterline, stanchion bases, hatch frames, deck hardware are installed in a monolithic composite filament insuring no water migration into the hull/deck core. Winch pads, padeyes, tracks, rope clutches are mounted using a core of laminated Bruynzeel Okoume plywood.

Custom yacht builder Top Marine Costruzione is located in the Marche region of Fano Italy, which is well known in the yacht world as the “Silicon Valley” of the Italian yacht industry. Here there is a deep pool of experienced craftsmen who are passionate in what they build. The managing director of Top Marine Costruzione is a composite engineer with decades of experience in the aeronautical industry, commercial wind turbines, Wally Yachts, Formula 1 racing, and Ferretti Group as well as other Italian catamaran builders.

Hull #1 is due to be launched in July 2024 and hull #2 is in the mould and available at this time.