Why More Boaters Are Taking a Second Look at Two Hulls

Ask a group of boaters whether one hull or two is better and you may need more coffee. Possibly a chair.

It is a lively argument because boats ask us to balance things that rarely cooperate: comfort and speed, fishing room and family space, offshore ambitions and the fuel bill. Power catamarans approach that balancing act with a different starting point. They spread the boat across two hulls.

Over the past decade, new ranges and production milestones have given that idea a broader international stage. But the interesting story is not that every boater suddenly wants a cat. It is that two hulls now answer several quite different boating questions.

Room to rethink the day

For an offshore angler, usable deck space can mean room to work a fish without recruiting the entire crew into an impromptu dance. For a cruising family, it may mean a layout where lunch, lounging and getting somewhere can happen without everyone negotiating the same narrow passage.

A catamaran’s beam creates opportunities for generous deck arrangements, and the separation of its hulls influences stability. Neither is a promise that every cat will suit every owner. A fast fishing platform, a long-range cruiser and a charter yacht may share a hull count while doing very different jobs.

That variety matters. “Power catamaran” is a starting description, not a complete personality assessment.

The interest crosses oceans

The evidence is more useful when it has a name and a context. Aquila reports delivering its 200th 36 Sport. That is a production milestone for one power-cat model, not an estimate of how many catamarans the world buys. It does, however, put something more substantial than a promising rendering behind the category.

At the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Horizon reported sales of two display powercats and contracts for two new builds. In Australia, Longreach announced a dedicated long-range power-cat range at the 2021 Sanctuary Cove show, aimed at Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. The buyers and missions differ; the design conversation is clearly not confined to one coastline.

These examples do not add up to a global sales census. They show manufacturers building, selling and developing powercats for distinct markets. That is a more useful foundation than treating a forecast for “the catamaran market” as proof that every kind of twin-hulled boat is enjoying the same boom.

South Africa is already in the story

South Africa belongs in this conversation as a builder, not simply as a dramatic backdrop for boat photographs.

The City of Cape Town’s boatbuilding profile reports R4.2 billion in exports in 2024 and 217 percent export growth over ten years. Those figures describe the broader boatbuilding sector’s export value, including more than powercats. They are not a count of boats or a worldwide power-cat growth rate. Even with that distinction, they show the scale of the industry behind the waterfront.

Cape Town builder Robertson and Caine offers a tangible example. Established in 1991, it builds both sailing and power catamarans, with boats reaching markets from North America and the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, Asia and the South Pacific. South African catamaran building has an international customer base, not just an appealing origin story.

For anyone considering a South African-built boat, the useful questions are about the actual builder, construction, equipment, testing and support. A country’s reputation is a reason to look more closely, not a substitute for doing so.

Two hulls still need good questions

There is no magic exemption from physics hiding in the tunnel. Efficiency depends on hull shape, weight and speed. Ride depends on design and conditions, including the clearance beneath the structure joining the hulls. A wide platform also needs a berth that can accommodate it.

The worthwhile question is not whether cats have won the dockside argument. It is whether a particular boat makes your particular day on the water better. Look past the outline, check the numbers and take the sea trial.

The coffee can wait until you get back.