There is a ‘semi-walkthough’ cockpit and tillers and bucket seats for outside steering as well as Gunboat’s customary inside steering position. For 68-01 we fitted Harken 990 three-speed winches not just for the extra power they offer but most importantly for their incredibly fast line speed in first gear, speeding up operations like hoisting, furling, and gybing for a more nimble and responsive yacht.Imagining again you’re on board the Gunboat 68: Superb sight lines make the boat even more enjoyable to helm. Among the many high-end features found on this world-class cruising yacht, perhaps the most impressive is its composite construction. This allowed us to make the forward cockpit wider and reconfigure it.Taking into account prior Gunboat experience, to reduce the number of functions carried out on each winch and allow more space between trimmers, we added a fourth winch and shifted the layout.
At the same time, the real game-changer was that all this power could be safely handled with a family on board and just one person could manage most maneuvers while on watch. Gunboat 68 owners can choose the option of adding a tiller and bucket seats on the aft beam while retaining all the advantages of the inside helm and forward cockpit.Beyond two-dimensional drawings and 3D computer modeling, to ensure that all aspects of the design are absolutely right, there’s no substitute for physical, real-world experience.We had taken experience from the fleet and were applying it to a new model and wanted the shake-down/trial-and-error phase to land in our court – so we built a full-scale mock-up of the Gunboat 68’s forward cockpit.We used the cockpit mock-up with our naval architects, VPLP, to validate the mast position. The helmsman is close to all of the sail controls, and the proximity keeps family, friends, and racing teams (people) in communication range with each other. The tack lines of the headsails are led through the longeron and emerge on deck with a clean lead to any of the cockpit winches. We knew we were working on the heart of the Gunboat when we designed the Gunboat 68 forward cockpit, with the goal to celebrate and also refine, evolve, and improve on nearly 20-years of Gunboat sailing.The design process for the Gunboat 68 deck layout was driven first by ergonomics. The Gunboat 68 was designed and engineered with aesthetics, performance, and utmost safety in mind for extended bluewater cruising. Just one step away from the helm, you’re out in the forward cockpit with the winches and all other sail controls at hand, adding a few clicks more sheet tension to get a fluttering telltale to stream smoothly – sailing a performance cruising cat at speed with comfort and ease.With the launch of the first Gunboat 62 TRIBE back in 2001, Gunboat pioneered a new high-performance cruising catamaran segment in the sailing industry. Many sleek, more modern yachts built as recently as 2020 are available from professional yacht dealers and brokerages around the world. Past Gunboat models such as the 62 and 66 have a defined transition zone. Lightweight, all-carbon composite construction is the foundation of this robust platform, designed to be highly capable of handling a wide variety of conditions encountered when offshore sailing, and an absolute pleasure to sail in the entire range of conditions.Whether you plan to sail over the horizon on a global cruise or take line honors at regattas, the Gunboat 68 will get you there in speed, comfort and style. This is a yacht designed to gobble up 500-mile days and take part in one-design fleet racing and it boasts a host of clever and forward-thinking ideas.The lines manage to be both sleek and aggressive, with reverse bows inspired by The fixed roof will support an array of solar panels and the aim is to equip the new Gunboat 68 with sufficient green power to do without a generator. The new Gunboat 68 design was unveiled in Annapolis in October. With his practical experience and Nick’s engineering expertise, we built a highly accurate 3D model and went back and forth, tweaking the full-scale mock-up and the 3D model until absolutely certain that both were perfect.As a result, the deck plan of the Gunboat 68 is all about efficient operation, whether you choose the Standard Rig or the supercharged Regatta Rig option.
Construction is proceeding on schedule at our new state-of-the-art facility in La Grande Motte, France. Recessed lighting, air conditioning that surrounds the bed in slow-moving cool air, upholstery panels that absorb sound. A visit which was a rich learning experience, as the yard allowed us to discover the entrails of its brand-new catamaran, and certain of its construction techniques which … For some sailors, nothing beats the ‘feel’ of a tiller in hand, and a helm position as far aft and outboard as possible is the only place to be. The stunning exterior lines exude speed. Life is too short to sail a … The … At the dock, it provides a private outdoor space in harbors when you’re moored stern-to, and it’s the place where sailing enthusiasts tend to congregate when the boat is in party mode. The all-new Gunboat 68 is the culmination of 15 years of development within the fleet.
The choice of materials optimizes the feel of light and space – creating uncluttered spaces with ergonomics and practicality at the forefront.“We’ll have done a good job if nobody notices.” – Christophe Chedal AnglayQuality materials further enhance the feel of light and space, with ergonomics and practicality at the forefront. When flying a hull on your Hobie 16 isn't expensive enough. The core design team includes VPLP design and interior/exterior stylists … edited 2 months ago.