bernard nivelt yacht design

• 0 No item in your cart
• SUBSCRIPTION
• Classified Ads
• Technical Specifications
• Destinations
• Address book

• All the magazines

Bernard Nivelt - From the America’s Cup to power trimarans

Article published on 21/05/2021

By François Trégouët

published in n°178 july / aug.

The name Nivelt will forever be associated with his accomplice Michel Joubert, who passed away in 2016. However, the path taken by this naval architect is quite singular. It was pretty unusual to be discovering sailing on a multihull back in the 1960s. All this in a family context that was as instrumental as it was crazy!

Create a notification for "Multihull"

We will keep you posted on new articles on this subject.

When his father decided to build a GRP catamaran in the family’s living room in Courbevoie, near Paris, Bernard Nivelt was still in elementary school. Alerted by the smell of styrene that the young boy gave off, the school’s management summoned his parents... An anecdote that did not prevent Bernard from taking to the water for his first sail aboard that Exocet, which had been “home-designed and built”. His studies? A bit «chaotic»: although kicked out of the INSA Lyon engineering school, «which is still an achievement», Bernard completed a DEA (now known as a master’s degree) on methods of drawing shapes with computers. Partnering with Michel Joubert in 1974, Bernard (or rather the famous Joubert/Nivelt tandem) achieved a prestigious victory in the Admiral’s Cup with Diva in 1983. Despite all the international recognition, Bernard was really just interested in multihull sailing, which was taking off in France. Among the group of friends with whom he raced, there was a certain Jean-François Fountaine. They decided to build «a big 20-meter Hobie Cat» to compete in the major ocean races of the time: this would be CharentesMaritimes. Fascinated by the average speeds achieved, the comfort at sea and the ability to be proactive in relation to the weather, they launched the Louisiana. This was the beginning of a long collaboration with the Fountaine Pajot shipyard, even though the charter market was to deviate the initial concept somewhat

In the meantime, Bernard moved to the United States with his family, without imagining that in 1986 John Marshall, Dennis Conner’s right-hand man, would co-opt him to join the Stars & Stripes US-1 design team! It was a six-month, top-secret commando mission, with the objective of designing a 60-foot Tornado! Two rigs were studied: one classic, the other a revolutionary rigid wing, designed by the craziest engineers on the planet. Apart from this extreme rig, the project, which won against the giant New Zealand monohull in 1988, reflects the architect’s «multihull philosophy»: finesse, lightness and sobriety. This guiding idea is perfectly illustrated by the JNP 60 that Marc Pinta, a boatbuilding magician from La Rochelle, would construct. This unit would go on to inspire many boat builders in the day-charter market.

Bernard’s open mind also led to him designing a motor catamaran that really made its mark. Not very fond of long passages, his client wanted a sailing multihull because he thought it would be cheaper in the long run. The architect’s response: «But I can design you a motor catamaran that consumes very little fuel, and what you save on the mast, the sails, the deck hardware, the structure... is equivalent to three round-the-world voyages!» The highly innovative Santorini, «a boat with a 15-meter boat layout, but a 20-meter hull length,» was launched in 1998. This multihull made a big impression on the editorial staff here at the magazine (see the article in MW060). «A boat that I would like to ...

Subscribe to Multihulls World and get exclusive benefits.

Did you like this article ?

Share this article

Most-read articles in the same category.

Astus Boats Club - Ask for the 2024 program!

Message in a bottle - Where are you Optique Beaumont?

Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest: Charles Caudrelier's coronation aboard his Maxi Edmond de Rothschild

Alegria 67 - A Jacuzzi at La Grande-Motte?

Discovery 40 - A sedan built in Turkey

Bali 5.8 - The new flagship of the range

What readers think.

Post a comment

No comments to show.

Follow us on

Vous avez ajouté " " à vos favoris., vous avez supprimé " " de vos favoris., in order to add this article to your favorites, please sign in..

• Oceanis 30.1
• Oceanis 34.1
• Oceanis 37.1
• Oceanis 40.1
• Oceanis 46.1
• Oceanis 51.1
• Oceanis Yacht 54
• Oceanis Yacht 60
• FIGARO BENETEAU 3
• Heritage sailing yacht
• Flyer 6 SUNdeck
• FLYER 6 SPACEdeck
• Flyer 7 SUNdeck
• Flyer 7 SPACEdeck
• Flyer 8 SUNdeck
• Flyer 8 SPACEdeck
• Flyer 9 SUNdeck
• Flyer 9 SPACEdeck
• Antares 7 Fishing
• Antares 8 Fishing
• ANTARES 11 FLY
• Gran Turismo 32
• Gran Turismo 36
• Gran Turismo 41
• Gran Turismo 45
• Swift Trawler 35
• Swift trawler 41 Sedan
• Swift trawler 41 Fly
• Swift Trawler 48
• Grand Trawler 62
• Heritage motorboats
• A REMARKABLE ANNIVERSARY
• Architects and Designers
• Become a BENETEAU boat owner
• Tests and Awards

Joubert-Nivelt Architecture

Boats that sail further and longer !

Naval Architects

Associates since 1974, Joubert & Nivelt are very complimentary in the way they practice their profession of naval architect: Michel Joubert takes care of the motor yacht design, while most of the sailing yachts are designed by Bernard Nivelt.  Both well-known as seasoned sailors, the two men from design boats to match the oceans they explore: designed to sail a long time and capable of facing up to the toughest conditions. More than 25,000 boats have been launched designed to their plans.

Michel Joubert :

Our design office is eclectic and imagines boats as diverse as the  Teasing machine , the IRC racing yacht that won the last Sydney Hobart race,  Elisabet,  a 47 m motor yacht, and  Fleur Australe ,  an expedition sailing yacht with Philippe Poupon and Géraldine Danon, with which to rediscover wonderful places in the world. We also designed  Stars   and   Stripes , the catamaran on which Dennis Conner won the America’s Cup in 1988, as well as a great many one-off examples or production sailing and motor-propelled monohulls, catamarans, and trimarans. They all have our trademark and I believe this is what makes them stand out: our designs must sail long distances for a long time, in the harshest conditions.  

Michel Joubert and Bernard Nivelt, the designers of Beneteau’s Swift Trawler, started out by racing against François Chalain for many years. Competitors at sea, there was a chemistry between them onshore that was fed by their common passion for naval architecture. When in 2002, Beneteau decided to launch the Trawler programme, the challenge was to reinvent the concept: to create a new range that would make the best of all the seafaring qualities of the traditional Trawler, while integrating new speed performance and comfort. François Chalain naturally turned to Michel Joubert, who showed him  Marguerite , his expedition motorsailer, saying “we need something fantastic like that!” The Swift Trawler 42 was Michel Joubert’s answer. He then made several versions of the concept, enriching it with new solutions on the Swift Trawler 52, 34, 44 and 50.

François Chalain was taken in by the Trawler aspect of the  Marguerite , a 16 m expedition motorsailer, with which I have been exploring the beauty of the great North in harsh sailing conditions for well on 15 years: Scotland, Norway, Pittsburgh, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the coast of Greenland, Newfoundland, Labrador, the Northwest Passage, Alaska and British Columbia. He felt that Beneteau could offer its customers a similar type of motorboat, capable of sailing long distances in maximum safety and often in very harsh sailing conditions. However, this trawler also had to be capable of a speed of over 20 knots. The wonderful success of this range now speaks for itself!

Michel Joubert passed away on 9 March 2016. One of the founding fathers of the Swift Trawler line, he was 73 years old when he died.

Joubert-Nivelt designs

Swift Trawler 34

Length Overall

10.98 m / 36’0

Beam overall

4 m / 13’1’’

Swift Trawler 44

13.88 m / 45’6’’

4.25 m / 13’11’’

Swift Trawler 50

14.99 m / 49’2’’

4.65 m / 15’3’’

Select your area and your language

• Chinese, Simplified

Joubert Nivelt Design

Sailboat designer.

• Last update: 17th April 2020

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

• Sailboat Guide

Joubert-Nivelt

Michel JOUBERT (1943-2016) Bernard NIVELT 1, Impasse des Claires 17137 L’HOUMEAU Tél. : 05 46 34 61 98 Fax : 05 46 50 01 52 E-mail : [email protected] Collaborateur : All-Noor GOEFFERS [email protected]

85 Sailboats designed by Joubert-Nivelt

Archambault Surprise 25

Jeanneau Poker

Gib'sea 28

Gin Fizz 37

Gib'sea 20

Jeanneau Selection 37

Gib'sea 84

Jeanneau Attalia 32

Fruit DE Mer

Gib'sea 302.

Gib'sea 30

Gib'sea Pico-Plus

Gib'sea 372

Baleinier 600.

Gib'sea 126

Gib'sea 402

Louisiane 37

Gib'sea 234

Gib'sea 334

Archambault suspens.

Gallart 3/4 Ton

Gib'sea 44.

Gib'sea 106

Gib'sea 96

Gib'sea 364, gib'sea 352.

Gib'sea 116

Gib'sea 362

Gib'sea flush poker 27, gib'sea 522.

Grand Surpise

Archambault 40RC

Sprinto (SK)

Archambault M34

Archambault A 27

Archambault 31

Archambault 40

Baleinier Junior

Feeling 720

Jeanneau attalia 32 swing keel, furia 1000/1040.

Tofinou 9.5

Dynamique 47, dynamique express 44, dynamique 80.

Dynamique 58

Dynamique 52

Maldives 32

Casamanche 45

• About Sailboat Guide

©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Futuna Explorer 54

Also in Perry on Design

• Dragonfly 40
• Wallyrocket 51
• Clubswan 28
• Beneteau Oceanis 37.1
• M.A.T. 12.2

Also from Robert H. Perry

• The genesis
• Production methods
• Engine type
• Eco-responsability
• NEEL-TRIMARANS GROUP

Bernard Nivelt is considered to be one of the best naval architects of his time. He has designed many cruising vessels and high-performance racing trimarans.

Pierre Frutschi , an architect who qualified at the University of Geneva, is also a yachtsman and a reputed naval designer. He specialises in large-scale “one-off” models of between 40 and 100 feet, as well as mass-produced ranges. 

Bernard Nivelt and Pierre Frutschi have known each other for a long time and now work together to achieve some great successes. NEEL-TRIMARANS called upon this brilliant duo, without hesitation and in total confidence, to design the company’s new range of engine-powered trimarans.

Privacy Overview

• Legal Notice
• Private area

• Subscribe Now
• Digital Editions

Leen 72 review: Avant-garde trimaran delivers real cruising efficiency

• The Leen 72 has the range to cross any ocean in the world non-stop

Wide side-decks, Portuguese bridge and big top deck overhangs give the impression of being on a mini cruise ship. Note the seats halfway along each side-deck that create headroom for the stairs beneath

Each of the three hulls are made from vacuum infused flat panels bonded together

The centre hull conceals a tender garage large enough for a Williams 435 Sportjet

50m² flybridge can be customised to suit

As with other large multihulls the galley is closer to a domestic kitchen than a ship’s galley in terms of space and appliances. Note the large American style fridge freezer to starboard

• The main saloon is adjacent to the helm. Note the interior stairs up to the flybridge

The large diameter vertical wheel is a reminder of Leen’s sailboat origins

Width of the inside dining space is limited by the main deck owner’s suite to starboard

Main deck owner’s cabin has a transverse bed

• Top stories

Why settle for one hull when you could have three? That’s the question French multihull specialist Neel Trimarans is asking liveaboard cruisers with its super-efficient ocean-crossing Leen 72...

Neel Trimarans has been championing the bluewater sailing trimaran niche virtually unchallenged for the past dozen years. However, recently it has started making waves in the world of motor boats, too, with an all-new range of power-trimarans under the Leen brand (Neel reversed).

Neel gets its name from Eric Bruneel, who from the early 1980s through to the late Noughties was the longstanding sales manager and latterly CEO of Fountaine Pajot, the world’s second largest builder of production catamarans (behind Lagoon ).

He succumbed to the trimaran spell following a successful campaign with a 50ft ocean racer, an experience that led him to build a 50ft cruising trimaran, initially for himself and then for others too. To date Neel has built around 120 trimarans from 43-65ft and this year will see it deliver another 40.

The first Leen 56 power-trimaran was launched last year and the boatbuilder is already working on a new smaller Leen 50, which should be ready to launch next spring.

In the meantime hull number one of its new flagship, the Leen 72, was handed over in June this year to her American owner, who is planning on cruising it home via the UK, Iceland, Greenland and Canada. We managed to jump on board during its final sea trials to see what makes it so special.

Recommended videos for you

Article continues below…

Fountaine-Pajot Power 67 first look: Taking catamaran luxury to the next level

Prestige x70 launch to kickstart new range of crossover yachts.

Power or sail, Leen or Neel, the design credits are the same. Bernard Nivelt at Joubert-Nivelt oversees the naval architecture and exteriors, and Pierre Frutschi creates the interior spaces.

One of the first things to address is the 72’s unusual outward aesthetics, the unspoken elephant in the room. I’m not being unkind, merely descriptive, because to my eye it is vaguely elephantine – the bowsprit being the trunk and the ears those outer hulls.

I don’t see anyone disagreeing with me when I say this is not the prettiest boat afloat. That said, few genuine bluewater boats are, their priorities lie elsewhere, trading elegant aesthetics for long-range comfort and robust sea-keeping. And as we’ll discover the Leen 72 certainly delivers on those promises.

If it looks a little slab-sided, that’s because it is. Its hulls are built from vacuum-infused flat panels that are bonded together to create the size required.

It’s an unusual boatbuilding technique that lends itself to the production of long and relatively narrow hulls, although the principal benefit is minimal investment in otherwise expensive mould tooling.

Leen 72 design: Size matters

Our sea trial was departing from the pontoons at Port des Minimes, La Rochelle, very close to the company’s sheds in the Old Port. The Leen 72 was moored there amid hundreds of mass-market sailboats and motorboats of less than 50ft.

In that crowd, the Leen 72 loomed very large. The distance from the waterline to the cap-rail is getting on for 9ft. Then there’s the maximum beam of 29ft, roughly 60% wider than most monohull motoryachts of a similar LOA.

Three transoms complete with three short bathing platforms and three sets of steps, plus the two tunnels between, are the giveaway that this is something out of the ordinary. The design really comes alive once you’ve climbed aboard. To me it is all rather reminiscent of a cruise ship, albeit scaled down.

Those deep bulwarks, generous side decks with overhang protection, substantial buttresses, and the luxury of a Portuguese bridge in front of those three raked-forward wheelhouse windows, all give the impression that you’re aboard a much bigger vessel.

I like the quirky hemispherical seats halfway along the side decks, too. They are not especially comfy but they certainly qualify as posh in the original sense of the phrase, port-out starboard-home. They are there because the space within them provides the headroom for stairs into the outer hulls.

Note how much shorter those outer hulls are in relation to the main hull. Interestingly Bruneel tells us they have two principal functions, but only one of those has any influence on their length.

One is to provide stability, which is ultimately about adding buoyancy and resisting heeling forces, but that does not require them to be any particular length. The other function relates to usable volume, which means they only need to be long enough to be useful in terms of the space they provide.

The bow-platform is quite a statement. It juts out belligerently 4ft or so beyond the stem. In the marina I stepped over the substantial Lofrans horizontal windlass and walked out between double anchor chains, their staggered fairlead slots and the attached anchors – all very explorer – and confess I had to fight a fleeting impulse to do a ‘Kate Winslet’.

Peering over the front of the platform soon stopped me. It’s quite a drop. Suffice to say you would not want to try that at sea given that the stainless-steel guardrails stop a few feet short of the tip. At the other end of the main hull is a cavernous tender garage .

Leen 72 interior: A real space ship

The flybridge is vast, essentially a 50m2 blank canvas, with outside steps leading up to it from the aft cockpit as well as internal ones from the bridge. You can choose whatever you like when it comes to furniture and how much of it you want covered by the hardtop.

The owner of this first one opted for a short hardtop that covers just the forward quarter of the deck, including the upper helm. This is offset to starboard and features a large-diameter sailboat-style wheel and chunky walkaround fore-aft bolstered seats on both sides.

The majority of the space behind is dominated by a C-shaped dinette to port and a row of sunbeds aft. Then to starboard there’s a very long island galley module – too big to be called a wet bar.

The main-deck accommodation feels more like a modern apartment than a yacht, probably because there is little obvious symmetry to the interior layout.

Walk in through the aft deck doors, which slide all the way open to create one big inside-outside space, and you are greeted to port by an L-shaped dinette and a galley-kitchen amidships.

Opposite is a large American-style fridge-freezer and the door to the owner’s cabin , which occupies much of the starboard side of the main deck. This is split into two zones with a dressing area forward and a transverse bed aft, enjoying fabulous views out through the picture window opposite.

A short flight of stairs drops down from here to the ensuite bathroom. The bridge is open to the saloon but up a couple of steps and includes a very inviting C-shaped sofa to port, a marvellous hang-out when on passage, given the elevated views you’ll enjoy from this lofty position.

The main helm station is to starboard and includes another large diameter wheel, bolstered double bench seating, and a very convenient large sliding door to the starboard side deck. A desk behind the helm doubles as an owners’ study and ship’s office.

Amidships, a staircase descends forward to an ensuite VIP cabin in the forepeak. It is unusual for having two doors before the bedroom, between which is a heads compartment to port and a shower-room to starboard.

It was the owners’ choice to provide day-heads access without disturbing anyone in the cabin or vice versa but when you’re caught between those doors, it’s surprisingly easy to forget which way is forward and which aft.

This first Leen 72 has a three-cabin layout, which means there’s also another ensuite double in the port hull. This has its own stairs just aft of the galley.

The alternative four-cabin layout provides four ensuite doubles in each corner of the lower deck – one forward, one aft, and one in each outer hull – this frees up the main deck for a more conventional full-width saloon, although the tender has to live on the flybridge instead of in a stern garage.

Hybrid drive

This first Leen 72 has a hybrid installation. There is one single diesel engine – a 330hp Cummins QSL 9 – that’s hooked up to a straight shaft and prop and resides in its own palatial engineroom in the middle of the lower deck.

The main engine is flanked by twin stainless steel fuel tanks

Plus there are independent electric motors, shafts and props in both floats. Essentially the wing motors have three roles – easy manoeuvring in harbour, emissions-free capability (for a limited range) and as back-up propulsion in case of a fouled prop or engine issue.

There is one other way this model resembles a cruise ship and that’s its ability to cross oceans. Trimarans like this are extremely fuel efficient because their hulls generate minimal drag.

Using just the main engine, and running at around eight knots, there is sufficient range to cross the Atlantic non-stop and with the speed kept below seven knots there should be scope to cross the Pacific .

At those speeds it will only be burning around one litre of diesel per nautical mile and there’s capacity aboard for 5,000 litres. Even at a 10-knot fast cruise you should be able to run this yacht for 2,500nm before having to fill up, as the burn rate would still only be two litres per mile. Being in a rush with the Leen 72 certainly doesn’t pay.

The hull efficiency plummets when speeds are nudged north of 10 knots. Indeed, Eric Bruneel is the first to say “don’t do it, because going above 10 knots makes no sense at all”.

It will use four times the fuel to push out to a maximum speed of just under 13 knots – yep, roughly four times the consumption for only 30% more speed. Even with the diesel engine running and coursing along at 10 knots, the Leen 72 is extraordinarily quiet.

I have been on less noisy motoryachts but those were built in Holland and well over twice the length and many times the price. Another important consideration is the ride. Trimarans drive through the water rather differently to catamarans.

Obviously catamarans are inherently more stable than monohulls, but under certain conditions they can deliver a more uncomfortable onboard experience – a less predictable motion often referred to as the ‘bobbing cork’ effect.

The trimaran’s centre of buoyancy helps provide something in between – maybe a best of both worlds – certainly something softer and more gentle than a catamaran while retaining that inherent multihull stability.

We didn’t get a chance to sample anything beyond calm seas during our sea-trial in the Pertuis d’Antioche, the strait between Ile de Ré and Ile d’Oléron, just the odd wake of a fishing vessel to unsettle us momentarily, but even then we could sense this vessel rides rather than reacts to waves.

Unfortunately, a burnt-out relay meant one of the electric motors was out of action for our sea trial, which prohibited us sampling quiet-mode and generator-only performance. When they are working, you just slip the main engine into neutral and switch to the electric throttle levers.

Those motors have a lot of torque and despite the high topsides should manoeuvre the boat with ease thanks to their wide spacing. There’s also a MaxPower bow thruster on the centre hull should it need even more of a sideways push. According to the yard’s own figures, a cruising speed of five knots is possible running on the wing motors alone.

Running in zero-emissions mode at that speed, which means relying on the lithium-ion battery bank alone, will give around 1.5 hours’ silent cruising, but with the 22kW generator running the fuel burn is around seven litres per hour or 1.4 litres per nm, which in theory equates to a range of over 3,500nm.

Depending on hardtop choices, solar panels can also help trickle-charge those batteries so there is the potential for more autonomy given there is plenty of sunshine. The solar panels should also be able to keep pace with hotel demands during the day if the air conditioning is switched off.

Price as reviewed:

£2,340,000.00 inc. VAT

Alas, we didn’t see the Leen 72 in pristine boat show condition. It wasn’t quite finished and the yard was rushing to get her ready for the owner’s imminent arrival. But what we could see clearly was this model’s potential, not only in terms of what it will be once completed but where it can take you. It won’t be for everyone, even those with €3 million to spend on a motoryacht, but for the more discerning owner with serious cruising ambition and an appreciation of space, efficiency and individualism, the Leen 72 is a welcome new addition to the market.

Starting price: £2,100,000 (ex VAT) LOA : 72ft 0in (21.95m) Beam : 29ft 0in (8.84m) Draught (full load) : 4ft 6in (1.37m) Fuel capacity: 5,000 litres Water capacity: 1,000 litres Displacement (light) : 32 tonnes Displacement (full load): 41.5 tonnes Test engine : Single 330hp Cummins QSL 9 Top speed on test : 12.7 knots Cruising speed: 10 knots Cruising range: 2,500nm Fuel consumption: 18lph Noise: 62 d(B)A Generator: 1x 22kW Cummins-Onan CE/RCD category: A Naval architecture/exterior: Bernard Nivelt Interior design: Pierre Frutschi

Latest reviews

Princess s72 review: a sensational new british sportscruiser, can the new entry-level sirena 48 repeat the success of its bigger sister, azimut verve 48 sea trial review: 1,800hp party boat, latest videos, fairline targa tour: sensational new british sportscruiser, navan s30 & c30 tour: exceptional new axopar rival, galeon 440 fly sea trial: you won’t believe how much they’ve packed in, parker sorrento yacht tour: 50-knot cruiser with a killer aft cabin.

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3570
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht
• Yacht Charter Fleet
• Charter Yacht Designers
• Bernard Nivelt Designed Charter Yachts

Bernard Nivelt

2 yachts found

• GBP £
• Expedition Yachts
• Open Yachts
• Sport Fishing
• Gulet Yachts
• Winter 2023/2024
• Summer 2024
• Winter 2024/2025
• Highest Price
• Lowest Price
• Shortest Length
• Longest Length
• Newest first by Year
• Oldest first by Year
• Length min length 15m 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 75m 100m 50ft 65ft 100ft 130ft 160ft 200ft 250ft 300ft max length 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 75m 100m+ 65ft 100ft 130ft 160ft 200ft 250ft 300ft+
• Guests & Cabins Guests: Cabins:
• Price $ USD € EUR £ GBP min price $0 $10k $100k $250k $500k $750k $1m max price $50k $100k $250k $500k $750k $1m+
• Amenities Beauty Room Gym Conference Room Helipad Deck Jacuzzi Elevator Movie Theatre Sauna Spa At-Anchor Stabilizers Swimming Pool Beach Club Steam Room Wheelchair Accessible Commercial Helipad Show all Amenities
• Toys Diving Kayaking Sailing Seabob Bicycles Wind Surf Submarine Helicopter Sport Fishing Wakeboard Inflatable Water Slide Trampoline Inflatable Waterpark Kite Surf Surfboard Floating Pool Paddleboard Amphibious Car flyboard Hoverboard Wakesurf Wakeskate golf Foilboard Show all Toys
• Mediterranean
• French Riviera
• Ligurian Riviera
• Amalfi Coast
• The Balearics
• Virgin Islands
• Saint Martin
• New England
• Indian Ocean
• South East Asia
• Philippines
• Myanmar (Burma)
• South Pacific
• French Polynesia
• New Zealand
• Central America
• South America

Paolyre 9 5

33m   Ocea

from $53,000 p/w eek

26m   Garcia

from $26,000 p/w eek

Added to Shortlist

1 - 2 of 2 Yachts For Charter

Featured Luxury Yachts for Charter

This is a small selection of the global luxury yacht charter fleet, with 3570 motor yachts, sail yachts, explorer yachts and catamarans to choose from including superyachts and megayachts, the world is your oyster. Why search for your ideal yacht charter vacation anywhere else?

136m | Lurssen

from $4,345,000 p/week ♦︎

115m | Lurssen

from $2,825,000 p/week ♦︎

85m | Golden Yachts

from $972,000 p/week ♦︎

88m | Golden Yachts

from $1,195,000 p/week ♦︎

84m | Feadship

from $1,086,000 p/week ♦︎

93m | Feadship

from $1,521,000 p/week ♦︎

Maltese Falcon

88m | Perini Navi

from $490,000 p/week

122m | Lurssen

from $3,000,000 p/week

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

Published on February 11th, 2023 | by Editor

Now or never to fulfill sailing dream

Published on February 11th, 2023 by Editor -->

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge 2023-24 seeks to be a budget-friendly solo, non-stop race around the world. For boats from 32 to 55 feet with an IRC rating below 1.370, a pursuit start over 11 weeks begins in A Coruña, Spain, with the first boat to return deemed the winner. This report features a recent entrant :

Curt Morlock

Curt Morlock (USA) has gone all in to kick start his project, selling his house and cashing in on his retirement fund. At 64, he is convinced that “now or never” is the time to achieve his dream to complete a solo circumnavigation.

He was already planning a round-the-world lap and looking for a suitable boat to do it when he came across the Global Solo Challenge which provided him with the perfect opportunity at the right time. He decided to join the camaraderie of the other participants in the GSC rather than sailing single-handed, and alone.

The boat he’s chosen is very capable and proven. Galactic Viking is an Open 60 (ex-IMOCA), designed by Bernard Nivelt, built and sailed by Thierry Dubois in the 2000 Vendée Globe and in the Around Alone in 2002. She was later campaigned by Patrice Carpentier in the 2004 Vendée Globe, by Rich Wilson in the 2008 Vendée Globe who achieved 9th. She also achieved a third place in the Velux 5 Oceans Race in 2011 with Derek Hatfield.

Morlock is the 54th skipper to have entered Global Solo Challenge and is fully aware that the biggest challenge is getting to the starting line. It is no surprise in fact that many of the original entries have stumbled upon the many pitfalls of such an overwhelmingly ambitious projects, were lack of funding, or personal circumstances can quickly force a skipper to throw in the towel despite all reasonable efforts.

Around 30 skippers are still battling their tasks lists, refitting their boats and preparing for the great adventure set to start from A Coruña later this year. Morlock offers this view of this effort:

Where does your passion for sailing come from? My passion is from being at the helm when the boat catches a wave and the surge shutters thru the hull; flipping the 21ft cat not so much, however thrilling. I recall my buddy and I on his father’s 36ft sloop, I was at the helm. We were in between two waves and the mast did not reach the top. I had a permanent smile, and my buddy was calling me crazy. He was with me; what was he thinking?

My inspiration comes from the boys of the Whitbread; Peter Blake rest in peace, Grant Dalton and so many others. Also the women of the 2022 Route du Rhum in the IMOCA class – Justine Mettraux teamwork.net taking 7th place, Isabelle Joschke of MACSF in 9th, and Pip Hare on Medallia: wow Pip pushed her small foil boat up to 10th with a shredded mainsail, then finished 12th.

It is easy to find passion and inspiration from living life. It is war and the consequences that should scare us.

I am an example of passion and desire over brains. This will be a strategy of organizing my skill set and application. At 64 my dream is now or never; don’t ever stop believing.

What lessons have you learned from sailing? I am reminded of self-reliance, that most situations will pass, and to not under estimate Poseidon and Mother Nature.

What brought you to like single-handed sailing? Perhaps for some of us, it is who we are. I suppose from an early age, not having others to tell me what I can or cannot do, has formed me into the person I am. From an early age, other boys were controlled by their parents, I did whatever I wanted.

After high school, I joined the USMC and received an honorable discharge. I then got an education. I cannot plan and rely on others to be disappointed. I just do it. I sold my house, cashed in my retirement, and bought a boat.

What prompted you to sign up for this event? I am attracted to this event because my life has not given me the ability or the opportunity to compete in the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum or Transat Jacques Vabre nor the New York Vendée.

My original intent was to purchase a boat and follow the same route as the Route du Rhum doublehanded and return to Europe. Then solo to USA, visit my family and return to follow the route of the NY Vendée. If I was comfortable, I would follow the same route of the Vendée Globe.

During the process of locating an IMOCA and paying for it, I became aware of the Global Solo Challenge. The timing is perfect, and I am excited to join the camaraderie of the GSC. I want to meet Marco and his staff whom are responsible for making dreams come true. Opportunities do not come often enough.

How do you plan to prepare for this event? How I plan is the same as a solo month backpacking trip extended to four months with a few spare parts.

In addition, I intend to acquire mechanical knowledge of the boat, study the electronic system and charging system; have the correct tools to repair any breakage. I will label every wire, and plumbing. I will make sure I have test points along the electronic system or I will install them.

I support the adage, “Chance Favors the Prepared”. I will train to address locating an electrical short in the dark, repair a halyard in grumpy seas, replace a line in the keel box, patch a sail, and replace a rudder as Pip Hare and Conrad Colman experienced during the Vendée Globe.

To get the most from my boat, I will create a trim-book with a quick reference sail chart, and polar tables. I need to identify when to cross-over from one sail configuration to another, to adjust for wind speed and angle of attack. Oh, then there is the business side of marketing the amateur me, to promote a message, product or service to the world.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge? To me everything is a process, and if there must be one challenge, it would be getting to the starting line.

Tell us about your boat. The boat is a Bernard Nivelt design and built and sailed by Thierry Dubois in France. It has a narrow beam compared to other IMOCA boats, and considerably less upwind/downwind sails.

Galactic Viking is a strong safe boat launched in 1999 as Solidaires, participated in the 2000 Vendée Globe – Thierry Dubois DNF (autopilot failure), the 2002 Around Alone – Thierry Dubois 2nd, the 2004 Vendée Globe as VM Materiaux with Patrice Carpentier – DNF (broken boom), the 2009 Vendée Globe as American III with Rich Wilson finishing 9th/11 and the 2011 Velux 5 Oceans as ActiveHouse with Derek Hatfield finishing 3rd/5.

Do you intend to link this personal challenge with a social message? Do Not Stop Believing, Dreams do come true, and whatever my sponsors add.

And your sailing experience? Not nearly enough, I will get back to you after a couple transatlantic round trips, and I qualify for the GSC.

About the Boat Boat name: 6 Lazy K (ex Galactic Viking) Project: Bernard Nivelt (Thierry Dubois) IMOCA/Open60 Sail number: 84 Year: 1999 LOA: 60ft Displacement: 8,000 kgs Upwind sail area: 255m2 Downwind sail area: 465m2 Other: One canard/daggerboard, Canting keel operated by winch, Center water ballast system, Electric motor.

Tags: Curt Morlock , Global Solo Challenge

Related Posts

VIDEO: NBC News meets Cole Brauer →

Global Solo: the battle continues →

Global Solo: Mara reclaims joy →

Cole Brauer: Right place, Right time, Right person →

© 2024 Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Inbox Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. made by VSSL Agency .

• Privacy Statement
• Advertise With Us

Get Your Sailing News Fix!

Your download by email.

• Your Name...
• Your Email... *
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Turkish Delight: The MAT 10.70

• April 26th, 2020
• Sailing Yacht

My current enthusiasm for small boats makes me crawling the internet in search of interesting sailboats from 30 to 35 feet: You may have read my article on the new Dehler 30 OD but also my numerous sailing trips on smaller yachts like the Beneteau First 30 , the fantastic pocket-cruiser Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 or dream yachts like the Pogo 36 or Berckemeyer BM 36 . I still find this size absolutely perfect: Comparatively small budgets needed to acquire a boat, low maintenance and running costs and no need for electric or electronic bells and whistles. This is where MAT comes into the game – a Turkish brand: And with their new MAT 10.70 a sleek, sexy design worth a closer look.

Looking at the pictures of the first hull made in the internet, the boat is a nice, very attractive classy line. It´s more J-Boat than Pogo. Fine entries, a flat classic stern section. A raceboat through and through. As MAT is a Turkish company and I am not that deep into the racing community I must admit I´ve never heard this name before. But since I love the City of Istanbul I found it rather interesting to look at this particular spot of the world and learn more about the boat and the brand.

Meeting Alp Somer

I am happy that Alp Somer found the time to answer my questions about this interesting small sailboat and that I am able to share this interview with you. Here we go:

NO FRILLS SAILING.com | Lars Reisberg: “Merhaba, Alp. Would you please describe your position within the yard? Since when are you in the sailboat industry and give me a bit background information on M.A.T. – the yard and the brand?”

Alp Somer: “Merhaba, Lars. My name is Alp Somer, I am co-founder of M.A.T. Yachts and partner with my brother Cem. We are a manufacturer of performance sailing yachts since the establishment of our company M.A.T. in the year 1993. As you may see, we are situated in Turkey, in Izmir. Over the past 27 years, M.A.T. has turned into one of the best producer of finest quality boats – currently we offer a range of seven different innovative models. Our crew is composed of a team of skilled craftsmen who are very committed to their jobs. The team also has two ambitious directors, myself and Cem who are striving to facilitate our brands values.”

NFS.com: “What are the main features of a M.A.T.-yacht? Here in Germany your brand is rarely known and I´ve never seen a boat made by you guys here. So what is the core of a M.A.T.?”

Alp Somer: “I would say that the signature of a M.A.T. raceboat is a combination of a strong and light yacht structure with a sleek finish and great attention to details. A balanced cost of our products makes us highly competitive compared to other brands in the market. Each M.A.T. model is tested thoroughly on waters by our company sailing team for a racing season. The acquired knowledge, expertise and experience is considered very valuable by us in designing and building even better boats. You see, it´s in our past of how we grew up and lived as sailors by ourselves.”

NFS.com: “That is interesting since I wouldn´t see Turkey as a classic sailing nation nor as a classic country for building boats. Can you tell me more about this history?”

Alp Somer: “Oh, of course! We are a family of experienced sailors and sailing is in our blood ever since we were kids. My father had his own constructing company and we were raised in a family that taught us to pay attention to details. My father was a very keen sailor who also built his own yachts. So naturally we would spend our weekends on the boat rather than on the beach. It´s these childhood memories which have driven my brother and myself to live our passion. Later our education and training in architecture has shaped us to see details and to master construction. As both sailors and racers we understand the needs of a racer on a boat. We are constantly exchanging ideas and communicate with our racing customers to excel in our designs. The building process is also constantly improved and when a boat is finished we like to test ourselves on each of our models on the seas. Likewise, as businessmen, we understand that every investment needs to get good returns. This particular background that combines our skills, experience and understanding of the business lead us to build strong boats that are easy to maintain fun to race with and look stylish.”

On the 35 ft M.A.T. 10.70: A true racer

NFS.com: “Let´s talk about the 10.70. What is the back-story of this boat? Why was the boat originally conceived and for what purpose?”

Alp Somer: “At M.A.T. we are making racing or racing/cruising-yachts only. The MAT 1070 is no exception here. When we say “racing/cruising” it is not just some racing accessories fitted on series production boats with plywood bulkheads and moulded structure. The boats are all custom built with an interior that is completely made in composite. Thus making it capable of carrying much larger sail area and higher ballast ratio without being deformed under sailing loads. Stiffness is the key. When it comes to the 10.70, it somehow was the time to create a new model and this boat is made to replace the successful MAT 1010 after it was in production for 10 years now. The new MAT 10.70 is an IRC/ORC-racer with a comfortable but light interior to obtain a better rating. The sail-plan is suited to light and medium conditions. If an owner is looking to race in consistent tough weather conditions we can of course discuss a specific sail plan with our MAT designers.”

NFS.com: “How did your collaboration with Nivelt-Muratet start in the first place and why did you opt to choose this French yacht design company to doing the boat?”

Alp Somer: “We consider Bernard Nivelt to being among the best in the world when it comes to racing boats. It was his LANN AEL 39 which is a Fastnet winner, look also at TEASING MACHINE, JND 43 ALBATOR or the new TEASING  MACHINE 3 which was first overall in Transatlantic race , third overall in the Middle Sea Race, first in class 2. Also, the well-known Archambault 35 is still dominating race courses all over the world including our lively sailing scene here in Turkey. Nivelt is a true expert in IRC and ORC-rated designs. But it is not just Muratet-Nivelt, MAT is making sure to work with the best racing yacht designers such as Berret-Racoupeau and Mark Mills to be able to build race winning yachts. Because, of course, racing results are the only way to promote a racing yacht.”

NFS.com: “What was the design brief of the boat? Are there any other boats of other brands you had in mind when you designed the boat?”

Alp Somer: “We wanted a dual purpose IRC racing/cruising yacht with very light interior, generous sail plan and low wetted area for lighter wind conditions. Furthermore a fin keel for better offshore capability and better rating penalty, volume above water line for hull stability to compensate the absence of a lead-bulb, the possibility to switch to twin rudder and water ballast version for short handed off shore racing. When it comes to other boats, it´s clear that the MAT 10.70 races against the X35, Archambault 35, the Beneteau First 35 and First 40, our own MAT 1010 and of course the JPK 10.80 .”

NFS.com: “How is the MAT 10.70 performing so far? What is the boat doing very well?”

Alp Somer: “It´s a comparatively new boat. That´s why the only racing results for MAT 1070 so far are from the Audi Nippon Cup which took place last year 2019. A second place in it´s category – not a bad result I would say.”

NFS.com: “What are the sailing characteristics on the different points of sail and where would you say are the strongest points of the boat?”

Alp Somer: “The boat has a planing hull with a long bow sprit and a generous downwind sail area which allows for very good downwind performance. The main target area we´ve had in mind when conceiving the boat is Istanbul. Here the wind conditions are usually light and she has been designed for this purpose. There is a great effort to control the rating and place her among the fastest boats in the division.”

NFS.com: “Three units have been built and sold so far you said – who are the owners, professional sailors using the boats in races? What is the owner-type the boat is aiming at?”

Alp Somer: “All of those three boats have been sold to MAT-customers, pre-owners of a MAT 1010. They are not professional sailors yet the one in Istanbul is being supported by a professional sailor. Our boats are usually preferred by experienced owners who raced different boats previously and looking for a boat more one the performance side. Also, the sailing school market in Turkey is dominated by MAT yachts known for their performance, robustness and racing ergonomics.”

On the market and prospects for MAT raceboats

NFS.com: “As I mentioned before, boats made and sold by a Turkish brand are very rare on the market (apart from Sirena-group brands) – what are you doing in order to promote your product in the sailing world? What would you wish for the MAT 10.70 and the whole range of MAT boats?”

Alp Somer: “Honestly, we are not very great in promoting our brand and we just rely on customer satisfaction and racing results. Our strong focus on design and production kept us away from promotional activities. Still, after over 25 years now, MAT yachts are well known among the IRC sailing community all around the world for their outstanding build quality, light weight, world class designs and race winning capabilities. We believe that this is the hardest part when creating a brand – when the product is made right, the rest will follow.”

Alp, thank you so much for taking you time answering my questions. I wish the team well and promise to keep my eyes open in the field, spotting MAT-boats. Let´s meet some time in the future when I happen to be around in wonderful City of Istanbul. Teşekkürler.

You may also be interested in reading these articles:

Rating of a race sailboat

Sailing the Archambault A35

IRC-rocket: Matteo Polli´s Italia Yachts 9.95

• Yachts for sale
• Yachts for charter
• Brokerage News

• Yacht Harbour
• Yacht Alexandria

About Alexandria

Contact agent

Specifications

Similar yachts.

New listings

Riva Iseo superyacht tender

• Inspiration

Related News

Popular news this week, popular news this month, latest news.

• Yacht Charter & Superyacht News >

Written by Zuzana Bednarova

This image is featured as part of the article Ferretti Yachts and Riva to attend Moscow Boat Show 2013 .

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Riva Iseo superyacht tender".

• Charity & Fund Raising
• CharterWorld News
• Classic Yachts
• Coronavirus
• Cruise Ship
• Ecological Yachts
• Expedition Yachts
• Expert Broker Advice
• Feature Superyachts
• Interior Design
• Legal & VAT Yacht Issues
• Luxury Catamarans
• Luxury Gulet
• Luxury Phinisi
• Luxury Trimarans
• Luxury Yacht Design
• Luxury Yachts
• Marinas & Harbours
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Electronics
• Marine Equipment
• Mega Yachts
• Modern Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• New Launch Yachts
• New To Charter
• Open Style Sports Yachts
• Private Jets
• Sailing Yachts
• Social Media
• Sports Yachts
• Superyacht Crew
• Superyacht Photographers
• Superyacht Products & Supplies
• Superyacht Refits
• Superyacht Reviews
• Superyachts
• Uncategorized
• Yacht Builders
• Yacht Charter
• Yacht Charter Destinations
• Yacht Charter Picks
• Yacht Charter Specials
• Yacht Delivered to Owner
• Yacht Designers
• Yacht Events & Boat Shows
• Yacht Fashion
• Yacht Industry News
• Yacht Photos
• Yacht Racing
• Yacht Racing & Regattas
• Yacht Safety Equipment
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Yacht Tenders
• Yacht Videos
• Yachting Associations
• Yachting Awards
• Yachting Business
• Yachts For Charter
• Yachts For Sale

Quick Enquiry

Superyacht news:.

Email Your Yachting News to: news @ charterworld.com

Ferretti Group announces its presence at Moscow Boat Show 2013

Ferretti Group attending Hong Kong Gold Coast Boat Show 2014

Ferretti Group Days 2013 to be marked by premiere of Ferretti 960 Yacht

Ferretti Group to deliver first Ferretti 960 superyacht and Riva 86 Domino yacht to Hong Kong by mid-December

Ferretti Custom Line Navetta 30 series motor yacht GINDUNGO hits water in Italy

50m luxury motor yacht BEL1 launched in Pisa by Rossinavi

Luxury yacht UNIQUE S is brand new to the charter market in the Western Mediterranean

44m superyacht EXTRA TIME new to charter around the Western Mediterranean

Baglietto announces the launch of 41m luxury yacht ASTERA

Superyacht KISMET – the 122m Lurssen motor yacht the charter market has been waiting for

Another great special offer on board 36m motor yacht CALYPSO I

37m luxury yacht LEGEND offering unparalleled comfort on charters in the Western Mediterranean

Discover our Top 10 brand new yachts available for charter worldwide this year

Florida charter yacht REAL SUMMERTIME offering 10% discount

Looking ahead to the 2024 MYBA Charter Show in Genoa

Discover summer in New England aboard a luxury charter yacht: Escape to this beautiful northeast corner of the USA

Last minute yacht charter deals in the Bahamas

Westport announce the first hull of their 36m W117 range is nearing completion

49m sailing yacht ANIMA MARIS is offering discounted rates for the remaining summer weeks in Croatia

Take advantage of the exceptional 15% discount by 44m charter yacht BLISS in Greece