The New Generation of CATAMARANS Built to Sail ANYWHERE! - Part 2 - (Episode 369)
June 21, 2026 · 35 min · 186K views · La Grande-Motte
White catamaran sails fast across blue water, leaving foamy wake.
What this video covers
The Vaan R5, a 17.5-tonne aluminium catamaran built in the Netherlands from 60%-recycled 5083 alloy, is the primary focus here, with a secondary tour of a one-off 16-metre aluminium catamaran owned by the crew of Dawnhunters, now based in Thailand after a decade at sea.0:31 Igor, co-founder of Vaan, walks through the R5's construction and systems: double-insulated glass windows spanning three metres, glass-wool and Armaflex acoustic insulation, 22 kW electric motors on sail drives (48V propulsion, 24V house), a joystick docking system capable of lateral movement, a heat pump holding both hulls at 21°C on 300–400 watts, and up to 4 kW peak solar.2:17 A 22 kW generator allows both motors to run at half-speed simultaneously.5:55 The furling boom, V-grinder line management system, and electric winches enable single-handed sail handling.12:45 The R5 averaged 8.2 knots upwind in 20 knots of breeze on a delivery from Barcelona; pricing starts at €1.68 million.7:02 The Dawnhunters boat — an AC-53 designed by Anton de Toit, built by the owner of Sparcraft Mast, launched 2016 — features 20 mm aluminium bow plating, breakaway keels protecting the sail drives, fully watertight engine compartments, and bare unpainted aluminium topsides that self-anneal in salt water.16:52 Its owner stripped it to bare hulls after buying it following three years sitting unused, spending six weeks on essential repairs before sailing it from South Africa to Thailand.17:40
Boats in this video
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