ELECTRIC MARINE PROPULSION

November/December 2010

MULTIHULLSTHE LARGEST AND MOST INFORMATIVE MAGAZINE READ WORLDWIDE www.MULTIHULLSMag.com

Delivering a Leopard 460 to Peru

Boat Shows in Review: Las Olas, Annapolis & Multihull Demo Days

Exploring Croatia – Chartering in the Adriatic Cover Story: Testing the Alibi 54 A true high-performance masterpiece

www.multihullsmag.com | Magazine Special Guest Editorial: Gino Morrelli of Morrelli & Melvin Design Boat Test text and photos by Gregor Tarjan

First Sail of the Alibi 54

20 MULTIHULLS Magazine | November/December 2010 ow, where do I start? Should Customers have very few choices when knots with a wheel that was as light as my it be the large number of mul- it comes to fast multihulls. They can either Hobie Cat’s tiller. At 16 knots true wind Ntihulls that I am currently spend a fortune (3-4 million dollars) on speed and 110-degree true wind angle, looking at, or the fact that I have just a Gunboat or build a custom boat for the the Alibi effortlessly started picking up stepped off the Alibi 54 – one of the most same amount, which they will have to wait her twin reverse bows and surfing in full astonishing that I have 3 years for. These two options are really the control. At that point the apparent wind ever sailed on? only way to get a 20-knot-capable cruis- a ng le move d t o 6 0 deg r e e s , c r e at i ng a n ap - Ok, so let me give you the backdrop: Sit- ing cat. The Alibi 54 really fills the gap parent wind of 24 knots. Like a giant bird, ting 23 stories high next to the giant hotel between the sailors that have graduated she plowed through 8-foot-high short seas. windows overlooking the Gulf of Thai- from more conventional cruisers and high- What would have been uncomfortable in land, the brand new, state-of-the-art Ocean end custom multihulls. After the Neel 50 any other boat was a simple joy and walk Marina houses over 100 sailing and motor , it is the only real alternative. If in the park for the Alibi. After a 2-mile . Amazingly, nearly 25% of them you have 1,2M euro budget you could have speed run we bore off to drop the kite are multihulls. This is a startling number an Alibi 54 ready to go in 9 months. This and went back to the capable self-tacking of cats and tris by any standard. Is seems is extremely competitive indeed. Solent jib. What a sail. Like a blade ahead that Asian countries are less burdened by When I first caught a glimpse of the of the square top main, the Solent cleans traditional yachting concepts (they simply finished Alibi 54, the boat sat in the most up the flow and pre-bends the air over the never had them) and are embracing new exotic location imaginable. Koh Samet is back of the main. With the leeward asym- ideas, such as the multihull, much faster an island in the Gulf of Thailand that is metric board down, we saw speeds up to than us Westerners. In fact, more Thai mainly used as a luxury resort for West- 12 knots and were sailing at 40 degrees to juniors are learning to sail on beach cats erners. With her low silhouette and re- the true wind. My complete amazement than on more conservative monos, such as verse bows, the Alibi looked menacing came after we tacked. As Loic spun the the classic Optis, Lasers or 505s. and ready to run. Circling the cat, she wheel and brought the Alibi onto port tack It is in this exotic, but open-minded appea red smal le r t ha n he r 54’ wou ld sug- we found ourselves pointing directly at world that my friend Loic Goepfert, gest, but once a person appeared on deck Pattaya and could clearly make out the founder of Alibi catamarans, has decid- – she suddenly took on a massive stance. glimmering lights in the distance. What ed to launch his first boat. To build in Nothing about the Alibi 54 is ordinary. would have been a long slog to windward Thailand was his first choice. The sheer Loic spent nearly five years using his and a two-part beat, only took us one tack. amount of craftsman and reasonable extensive racing background as reference The Alibi 54 is a cat that reminds me of access to raw materials streamlined his and translating it into a functional high- my Star boat, one of the most close-winded production to such a level that he was able performance cruiser. From asymmetric sailing boats that I have ever sailed on. to produce a 20-knot-capable Wally-style daggerboards, movable for- and aft-bal- We were hand-steering most of the speed machine for under 1,2M euro. If last systems to the ingenious placement time and had enjoyed pleasant distrac- he were to try this in Italy or the US, he of the ; he really created an exotic tions such as champagne (to celebrate our would have to double this figure. Loic’s dream machine that sails like the devil. first 20-knot run), but also Loic’s family background is in the world of racing on I had the privilege to sail with Loic on on board. This caused us to lose focus experimental ultra high-performance one of the first sails. Although we still had and twice we put the Alibi into a stall. multihulls such as Hydroplaneur. He several craftsmen on the boat installing the We were so close-hauled and sailing so acted as one of the chief designers of counter and tuning several systems fast that it took only 3 seconds to find us Yves Parlier’s 60’ biplane-rigged speed the boat had full tanks and was loaded dead close to the wind. The fact that we machine, which I have had the pleasure to with heavy tools. Basically, the Alibi 54 did not have our apparent wind gauge test on many occasions. That was also the carried over three tons of payload and and masthead Windex set up forced us time where I first talked to Loic about his we started into a building breeze which to steer with pure feel of the wind on ambitious project of creating the coolest eventually produced 30 knots of apparent our face – causing us to stall. It was the cruising the market has ever wind on deck. With asymmetric spinnaker ease of recovery however that I will never seen – The Alibi 54. set, I had no problem of maintaining 20 forget. The 10-ton Alibi behaved like a

www.multihullsmag.com | MULTIHULLS Magazine 21 little dinghy – dumping the main traveler, on Fountaine Pajots – and it works. The The decks are flat and all hatches are com- the boat started accelerating back on her protruding roofline provides shade yet pletely flush with the teak deck. Move- old tack faster than she came into the takes the verticality out of the profile by ment forward and aft is unobstructed, stall. It was at another occasion that I allowing steeply angled windows. The although I would want an easier athwart appreciated the sailing qualities of the seating position in the salon is excellent. ship path via a slight extension of the aft Alibi. We simply sailed off the anchorage Weather standing or lounging, you always beam. Also the transom steps could use a and set the main without even touching have a clear view forward or aft, even from bit of rework and more handholds. These our hybrid 35hp electric engines. The the cockpit. However, in Difference, the two improvements are planned for hull 2, boat was able to maintain upwind speed owner’s choice was to select a dark tint which is already under way. The forward and heading while the eased traveler let for the windows, which made it very dif- part of the boat has plenty of areas for the main effortlessly feed up the mast. ficult to see forward through the windows lounging. The ingenious forward mini- At another occasion (when we blew our while standing in the cockpit. loggia is situated just forward of the mast windward traveler control line) we simply The helm position is close to ideal – in and is an ideal spot for getting away from tacked and hove to. The Alibi came to a any situation. The retractable rudders it all. Attention though: When the boat dead stop and we could, in full control, utilize low-friction bearings and the di- starts seeing 17-plus knots (which it did quickly hack another traveler line via rect steering system via Vectran cables on ever outing) that area can get a bit wet. the Gennaker winch. In short, the sail- gives you responsiveness and excellent We encountered most conditions a sailor ing qualities are simply wonderful. I had feedback. The brilliant design of the twin will encounter – from dead calms to close the privilege to sail on many catamarans canting wheel, which has three positions, to 30 knots of wind with accompanying and the Alibi is by far the best one, with lets the helmsman steer seated outboard sea states. Another amazing phenomenon the finest sailing qualities. on deck with an unrivalled view onto I experienced was the super quick recovery Loic has put a lot of thought into the the windward side and telltales. If it gets after pitching hard into short seas. What Alibi’s design. Every angle and corner real nasty, the wheel can be canted 160 would take a heavier cat (or monohull) a seems to have a purpose. Either a chine is degrees inboard and one can stand in period of 3-4 steep waves to come back to used to reflect light thus making the boat full protection of the cockpit under the full speed and flat sailing took the Alibi appear lower to the water or a hull break solid bimini roof. Coming into a harbor 1-2 waves at the most. This is due to the is utilized to deflect spray and stiffen the for close-quarter maneuvering, one can smart design of the reverse bows that extend structure. The overhang of the relatively navigate into the tightest spaces with per- buoyancy into the far ends of the boat, the short coalhouse reminds of the roofs found fect views of all four corners of the Alibi. thoughtful layout of the heaviest weights

22 MULTIHULLS Magazine | November/December 2010 in the center of the boat and the powerful a nd sup e r ef ficie nt rot at i ng r ig a nd squ a re - top mainsail. All these key components made the Alibi one of the quickest pitch- recovering multihulls I have sailed on. The A-frame bowsprit not only looks very cool, but is completely self support- ing. There are no nasty stays that need to counteract the upward pull of the forestay. The cavity in the bottom of the A is also the clever nesting spot of the giant 4,2m Exploration tender-RIB with 40 hp Evin- rude. When one would see the boat for the first time, one does not even notice that the dinghy is perfectly nestles into a counter recess under the mother ship. Honestly, when Loic first told me about his idea of from deck, just forward of the mast. It is The interior of the first Alibi is finished placing the tender under the bridgedeck extremely practical to load and unload in pickled exotic woods from renewable I had my doubts of his sanity. Would the groceries or heavy items. We even tried sources, which were handpicked by her dinghy not self-destruct in anything but a flying start. Sailing at 15 knots with the owner in Burma. The floor is fashionably calm seas? Amazingly, not once did we Alibi, one of us clambered into the dinghy dark Wenge wood and all seating surfaces experienced a slam of a wave against the from the foredeck, quickly lowered the are finished in the finest terra cotta shade tender even when slamming into the short tender (with him in it) and shot off forward of leather. Both the galley and nav station 8 footers. So how does one actually use of the boat. The entire maneuver took 2 are well laid out with plenty of space to the tender? One simply gets in and out minutes. Very James Bond. have you either cook and navigate with a www.multihullsmag.com | MULTIHULLS Magazine 23 partner or two. Difference was equipped front and rear making the Alibi virtually with high-end appliances such as Miele unsinkable. Difference was painted in stoves, deep freezers, and twin refrigera- the coolest shade of champagne metallic tors (one Isotherm unit in cockpit). All paint, which the owner sourced from a exterior and interior lights are LEDs and Pershing representative. The application there is high tech all over the place. The by the yard was excellent and the shades engines are Kräutler electric sail drives. ranged from warm beige to gunmetal Virtually silent, they are situated midship grey – depending on the angle of the sun and angled inwards to reduce draft. With and humidity in the air. retracted daggerboards and rudders, the The rotating single-spreader mast, as well Alibi can sit on the beach with the sail as the A-frame longeron and forward cross- d r ive s s a fely h ig he r t h a n t he b oat’s ro cke r. beam, are impeccably crafted by Marstrom.

The battery bank consists of Lithium Ion batteries, and a trio of Victron 220V in- verters comprise the heart of the electri- cal system. A Fisher Panda 13kw is the main power source with a smaller 7kw unit as backup – all together, a smartly balanced ensemble. The Alibi 54 is built from female molds to the highest composite standards using 6 0 0 g /m 2 wove n u n id i r e c t ion a l fib e r s. T he skins are vacuum bagged for maximum strength and the core is PVC foam. Car- bon fiber omegas and ring frames add to the stiffness. Bumping through short seas I never heard any hull movement noises from below. The bows are “false” and foam filled. They are completely sacri- ficial and watertight compartments seal

24 MULTIHULLS Magazine | November/December 2010 They are constructed of all high modu- as an enormous 6’x3’ opening locker that hotel. Only 300’ next to this high-tech lus clear carbon. The mast has a single exposes an 8’ deep space which can be sailing catamaran are several beached spreader and Aramid shrouds are lashed used as storage, work- or technical-space. traditional Thai fishing boats unloading via Spectra lines, reminiscent of race This is certainly one of the unique fea- their daily catch. They remind me of the boat . It all works perfectly. The tures of the Alibi. If you are a diver, the diversity of our boating culture and the square-top D4 membrane mainsail set twin aft teak platforms that drop down to personalities that made this project so beautifully and dumped off wind when- sea level let you easily access large stern special. It is thanks to the owner of Dif- ever a puff hit us. The square-top ef- holds that can house dive compressors ference and Loic her builder, which have fectively tightened the leach of the main and tanks – all very clever. produced a cornerstone multihull and automatically depowered the boat Was it all good? Well, mostly. What and I am grateful to their vision. The Alibi whenever a gust hit. The traveler, as needs improvement are the athwart ship 54 has enriched our high-performance well as Solent sheet movement was ex- circulations in front of the mast and be- catamaran culture in a big way. You re- cellent, although I would want to relocate hind the cockpit, more handholds and a ally need to sail this machine! a mainsheet block that posed a load-path better layout of the transom steps. The threat, which was situated on the roof. two mainsheet blocks on the roof would Gregor Tarjan is founder of Aeroyacht If that blew up, you would have a hole need a safer spot and primary winch Ltd., an internationally-known catamaran in your head standing next to the helms- jammer batteries are too far forward to specialist dealership in NY. He is author man. All winches on board Difference be easily operated. The anchoring locker of two catamaran best selling reference were electric, making quick short-handed could use a bit of rethinking for a bet- books: “Catamarans, A Guide for Every maneuvers very easy. It turns the Alibi ter chain drop and I would add several Cruising Sailor” and his recent “Catama- into a push-button yacht. Even the twin stanchion seats around the helmsman rans, Tomorrow’s Superyachts.” His Ae- carbon daggerboards are raised via an for good company – all more or less royacht 110 by Wally Supercat Design was electric winch and hidden lines. small improvements to an otherwise nominated for the 2010 superyacht design If you like surfing or like to lug several brilliant boat. award. For more information about cruis- bikes aboard – you will love the two giant As the sun is setting over the Gulf of ing multihulls and the revolutionary Alibi hatches on the fore deck. One serves as a Thailand I see the Alibi’s LED masthead 54 high-performance catamaran go to: “convertible” skippers quarter, the other light in the marina at the foot of the giant www.Aeroyacht.com

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