Sig 45 Catamaran

[Tnflakbait]

The new Sig 45 cat has been launched. Check out their web site and click on video to see an impressive clip. Cool boat!

The SIG45

[imagine2frolic]

It looks more rocket ship than sailboat, but I LIKE IT!!!!!!!! Looks plenty capable of high latitude sailing too.....I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!...$?

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

It looks more rocket ship than sailboat, but I LIKE IT!!!!!!!! Looks plenty capable of high latitude sailing too.....I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!...$?

It sounds like a lot of fun cruising along at 18 knots with 16 knots of wind speed !!!

I just spoke with Huge Le Breton whom build the Sig 45 and she is a real performer
From 8 knots up always better than wind speed.

YouTube - SIG45 Day 3 sailing

Gideon

[Tnflakbait]

The interior of the hulls are very nicely laid out. If only if had a small nacelle cabin for a settee etc....

[Nordic cat]

Here she is flying a hull:

YouTube - Hull Flying 101

Lovely boat.

NO transom steps?


Alan

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Nordic cat

Here she is flying a hull:

Lovely boat.




Alan

It is a nice boat but is there anything new? Thinking of all the other open bridgedecked performance cats in the past
Crowthers, Shuttleworth, Simpson, Grainger, Schionning, Tennant etc etc...............

NO transom steps?

Gets the big FAIL from me because of this.

Like a lot of boats it looks like it could benefit from a step job and an extra couple of feet .

Thats my opinion anyway

Dave

[Nordic cat]

Originally Posted by cat man do

It is a nice boat but is there anything new? Thinking of all the other open bridgedecked performance cats in the past
Crowthers, Shuttleworth, Simpson, Grainger, Schionning, Tennant etc etc...............


Gets the big FAIL from me because of this.

Like a lot of boats it looks like it could benefit from a step job and an extra couple of feet .

Thats my opinion anyway

Dave

I agree with you Dave, it's just lighter, faster?? and more expensive than those you mention, and the larger ones never made it into the double digit build numbers.

There has been a trend for monohull "weekend" boats, so in principle a fast daysailer with a few creature comforts.

I don't know exactly what market segment these are targeted at, but the racing scene is one of them if you read the "one design" section of their site.

Maybe they want to create a multihull equivalent of the TP 52 class?

Given the current financial situation, I think it will be an even bigger challenge to get more than one or two on the water.

Alan

[Southern Star]

Acceptable accomodation with incredible performance potential and (seemingly) a decent build quality. The lack of transom steps means that the hull-deck joint at the transoms need not be below the waterline, and this creates a more solid and watertight structure. And hey, I used folding ladders for years on my monohulls and it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me (if I was in the market for ultimate performance I'd glady accept the resultant reduction in accomodation/cruising amenities).

I may be wrong, but I think there will be a market for it. Who knows, maybe some day a large yacht club (like NYYC) will choose something like this, rather than a performance mono for their one-design fleet. Regardless, if they can get any kind of a one-design fleet going, I suspect they will have found a great market niche.

Brad

[imagine2frolic]

It's definatley not what I would want to cruise in. I am pretty happy with what I have. I like the open bridge deck, tiller, and no steps for high latitude sailing. Get south, get it over with, and get home!

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

Acceptable accomodation with incredible performance potential and (seemingly) a decent build quality. The lack of transom steps means that the hull-deck joint at the transoms need not be below the waterline, and this creates a more solid and watertight structure. And hey, I used folding ladders for years on my monohulls and it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me (if I was in the market for ultimate performance I'd glady accept the resultant reduction in accomodation/cruising amenities).

Gee, I have steps on my current build that are almost 3 metres long.

The hull to deck join is still about 600mm (2 ft) above the waterline, so I have no issue with watertightness, infact they will be the least likely area to leak as they are double glass taped inside and out.

I may be wrong, but I think there will be a market for it. Who knows, maybe some day a large yacht club (like NYYC) will choose something like this, rather than a performance mono for their one-design fleet. Regardless, if they can get any kind of a one-design fleet going, I suspect they will have found a great market niche.

Brad

I think if they were going to do a serious multi class, F24 and F31 would make far more sense as they can travel at 100kph down the highway to a venue.

Dave

[vegas]

The boat looks great to me. Makes most of the open bridgedeck cats from the past look old. If you look close it looks like it may have a fold down swim platform which covers the steps.

[hugoleb]

Hi Guys,
My name is Hugo - I started Le Breton Yachts to build the SIG45.
Nice to see you discussing the boat. Thanks for the comments (both positive and critical!). I thought I might pitch in to clarify a couple of things.
Firstly, we are very happy with the boat. Very fast, easy to sail and an accommodation that surprises everyone who has been on board - it is much bigger than one might suspect. I will be putting some new pictures up on the website as soon as we get out photoshoot completed.
Vegas is right about the fold down swim platform. It is an option, which gives great water access plus some additional storage. the standard boat would have steps on the transom.
I think that there are some differences between the (very nice) boats that have gone before, like those of grainger, shuttleworth, etc and the SIG45.
I think that the closest boats are those of Crowther and Grainger, but relatively speaking, the SIG45 has a lot of accommodation, and quite a lot of deck protection thanks to the twin pilot houses. It is a genuine cruiser racer fitted out to a high level - not just a racer with a some beds.
Another is that the hull form is an evolution of VPLP's latest ORMA60 trimarans, which were based on very extensive tank testing. The design is very up to date indeed. This is one of the reasons that there is quite a lot of transom immersion - the boat is not too short, but it was designed this way, with slightly U-shaped sections aft to maximise lift at higher speeds. The forward sections are rounded and very fine, softing the entry and reducing decelleration and pitching in waves.
It is unfortunately going to be a bit harder to find clients in the current market, but we have a lot of interest in the SIG45, and many client test sails in the coming weeks. Lets hope that we have something that will attract a few more monohull sailors over to lighter, faster boats. On the basis of the interested buyers so far, most actually seem to be monohull sailors. Just like the lovely Seacart 30 - their first 8 clients were first time multihull buyers!
I would be happy to answer any more questions you might have.
All the best,
Hugo

[fastcat435]

Hallo Hugo

I think you have build a dream of a cat, not for eveybody but what boat ever is!!!!.
I would love to come for a sail once you are ready to demonstrate her.
Warm Greetings good luck and welcome to the club of out of the box boat builders and thinkers

[Abaco]

Beautiful boat Hugo! I hope you get to start on hull # 2 very soon.

[hugoleb]

Hi Guys
The new website and video are up now. Enjoy!
Hugo