The Gunboat France flagship carbon model
The Gunboat 68 is the first model designed after the American brand Gunboat was acquired by the French group Grand Large Yachting in 2016. Mold development began in early 2017, with the first unit (no. 6801) launched in La Grande-Motte in January 2019.
Naval architecture and design
Naval architecture by VPLP Design. Exterior design by Patrick le Quément (former Renault design director), interior layout by Christophe Chedal Anglay, who previously redesigned the interior of the Gunboat 60 Moonwave. The 68 retains Gunboat’s signature features: forward cockpit and helm station, panoramic salon, and open deck.
Construction and specifications
Hull and deck are built from pre-impregnated carbon composite cured in an autoclave over a Nomex honeycomb core, at the La Grande-Motte facility opened by Grand Large Yachting in 2018. Light displacement: just under 18 tonnes for 20.75 m, a ratio placing the boat above most comparable cruising catamarans.
- Overall length: 20.75 m
- Beam: 9.10 m
- Draft: 1.20 m / 3.76 m (low-draft foils)
- Air draft: 27.50 m
- Light displacement: ~17.8 t
- Upwind sail area: 208 m² (mainsail ~175 m²)
- Spinnaker: 325 m²
- Curved daggerboards and kick-up rudders
- Power: 2 × Yanmar 80 hp
- Layout: 4 cabins, 4 heads (semi-custom)
Boat achievements
The Gunboat 68 Tosca (USA), skippered by Alex Thomson, won the MOCRA class at the 2023 RORC Caribbean 600, ahead of Multi70 Maserati (Giovanni Soldini) and MOD70 Zoulou (Erik Maris). Other units in the series (Convexity 2, Little Wing) regularly compete in Caribbean racing.
