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 by Marc Lombard Design Group and follows the inverted bow with wide chines (scow bow) principle that the firm tested on the Class40 Lift V3 lineage. Launched in May 2025, the first unit was delivered with a lifting keel and is sailed 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-end cruiser-racer configuration for offshore sailing. The scow bow and wide-chine hull seeks a balance between form stability and drag. The boat has not been optimized for IRC rating: the design office and yard’s stated target is 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
- Construction: vacuum-infused epoxy glass/carbon sandwich with foam core, carbon prepreg 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–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).
