The number one Lift 45: a cruiser-racer scow designed by Lombard
Maxitude is the first Lift 45 to come out of the SR Structures shipyard (Lymington, UK) in mid-2025. The design is byMarc Lombard Design Group and follows the inverted bow with wide chines (scow bow) principle the firm tested on the Class40 Lift V3 line. Launched in May 2025, the first unit was delivered with a lifting keel and skippered by Xavier and Alexandre Bellouard.
Design and construction
The Lift 45 is derived from Marc Lombard’s Class40 Lift V3, scaled up to 45 feet in a high-performance cruiser-racer configuration. The scow bow and wide-chine hull aims for a balance between form stability and drag. The boat was not optimized for IRC rating: the design office and yard target speed under sail with a comfort level compatible with liveaboard use.
- Hull length: 13.81 m (15.52 m overall, 11.81 m waterline)
- Beam: 4.59 m
- Light displacement: 6 tonnes
- Keel: lifting, draft 3.65 m
- Upwind sail area: mainsail 71 m², headsail 61 m²
- Air draft: 21.25 m, bowsprit 1.70 m, side water ballast tanks
- Construction: vacuum-infused epoxy glass/carbon sandwich with foam core, prepreg carbon reinforcements
2025–2026 achievements
Between its launch in May 2025 and the RORC Transat in January 2026, Maxitude logged over 12,000 nautical miles.
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2025: first in IRC One at the Fastnet Rock, about 30 minutes ahead of Moana (Marten 49).
- Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025: entered at the start on October 18 (118 yachts).
- RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 (Lanzarote to Grenada): 3rd IRC 1, 4th overall, finish on January 22 in 10 days 12 hours, William Blosse as co-skipper. Yacht Club de France Trophy (best YCF under IRC).
