All About Sailingvideo
The Untold Story of the World's Top Performance Catamaran Builders
30 June 2026 · 23 min · 2K views
White Outremer catamaran slicing through open water at speed
What this video covers
Performance catamaran builders Balance, HH, Outremer, Gunboat, and Katana operate within a highly interconnected market defined by shared ownership, legal disputes, and bankruptcy rescues.▶ 0:24 Grand Large Yachting owns both Outremer and Gunboat, consolidating two major French brands under one parent company.▶ 1:04 HH Catamarans emerged from a legal fallout between Hudson Yacht Group and Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone, which included accusations of poor manufacturing and design theft.▶ 7:36 While Balance Catamarans remains an independent builder based in South Africa, it utilizes a unique pivoting VersaHelm design.▶ 4:13 Katana Group, the only publicly traded entity among the five, shifted its primary revenue focus to the Bali brand to sustain its performance-oriented Katana line.▶ 18:21 These builders maintain distinct production strategies, ranging from South African and Chinese facilities to French and Portuguese shipyards, with price points for new models often exceeding $1 million.▶ 18:58 The market remains a competitive ecosystem where corporate history and design lineage directly influence current production and brand positioning.
More from All About Sailing
From All About Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.