20 years ago, Magic Cat  was launched at MULTIPLAST

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Last weekend, in the Gulf of St Tropez, Frédérique and Jean-Marc Leygue (the current owners) and Bruno Mabire (the skipper) celebrated the 20th anniversary of Magic Cat . It was a blast !  

Flash Back 

Summer '96... After 15 months of design and construction, Multiplast unveiled an iconic catamaran called Magic Cat.

This catamaran was launched in Vannes under the supervision of Gilles Ollier and his small team of 25 colleagues. The 25 m cruising cat had been ordered by two brothers with the same passion for sailing. They were looking not only for top performance, but for the finest quality in terms of the build, the boat's functions and in the way its systems were to be optimized.

Magic Cat certainly didn't lack of innovation: Hulls from vaccum-pressed sandwich carbon, mast in high modulus carbon, kevlar shrouds, an "avant-garde" beam configuration and the intensive use of titanium instead of stainless steel. Futhermore, and this a rare thing on a cruising catamaran in those days, Magic Cat had and has two dagger boards, giving good up-wind performance.

Multiplast-Groupe Carboman acquires Plastinov and Plastéol.

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Situated between Bordeaux and Toulouse, in the Lot-et-Garonne, Plastinov, a company of 35 employees, has, for the past 30 years, been manufacturing large composite pieces, including fibreglass and polyester.

The company's exceptional skill in the making of fiberglass - epoxy resine parts and in the conception and manufacture of large dimension heated moulds means that is a natural partner for Multiplast - Groupe Carboman, allowing it to broaden its expertise and to operate in new areas.
                                                         

Gitana Team launches the new Mono60 Edmond de Rothschild

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30,000 hours of work later, the drawing of hundreds of plans and a huge number of meetings between Gitana Team, the naval architects (Verdier/VPLP) and Multiplast, the boat skipped by Sébastien Josse was launched today in front of Multiplast's yard. This 60ft monohull new-generation IMOCA is now ready to settle in Lorient, its home port, to receive its keel and mast then to start its sea trials.

Some foils, yes, but not only that...

This 5th generation boat of the IMOCA class has been built to win the Vendée Globe Race. The foils are the boat's most noticeable feature - once deployed, they decrease drag and increase the righting moment, with gain to speed always the absolute priority.

Beyond the foils, each detail has been studied carefully to ensure that it has been optimised : The steering system, ballast, interior structures and more were designed to the ideal weight and to deliver maximum efficiency, reliability, and ease of use.