The ALUMINUM CATAMARANS Built to SAIL ANYWHERE! - Part 1 - (Episode 368)
June 14, 2026 · 31 min · 235K views · La Grande-Motte, France
Crew demonstrates forward boarding ladder on modern catamaran
What this video covers
At the International Multihull Show in the south of France, Colin tours two aluminum catamarans built for high-latitude and expedition sailing.0:55 The first is the Total 147, a 48-ft aluminum catamaran built in Tunisia, priced from €1–1.5 million, with 8–10mm hull plating below the waterline and 6mm above, three watertight compartments per hull, 5.5 kW of solar, 20 kWh of lithium batteries managed by five Victron units on a 48V system, and twin 57 hp Yanmar diesels.3:18 The builder lived aboard for eight months and started the generator once.12:36 The second is the Garcia ExploCat, built by Garcia — founded in 1973 — starting at €2 million, with a fiberglass superstructure to save weight, saildrive propulsion protected by aluminum skegs, 1,100 L of diesel in integral aluminum tanks, 660 L of water, an ice-breaking bow derived from the Exploration 45 Jimmy Cornell used for the Northwest Passage in 2015, and 85 cm bridge clearance.16:51 One ExploCat crossed from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas averaging 8 knots with surfs to 24 knots.19:52 Both builders address galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals, aluminum water-tank coating for potability, paint layering and longevity, and the 16-month hull build time that makes each aluminum boat a from-scratch project.10:52
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