Gunboat Catamarans, the Carbon Performance Cruiser Brand Reborn in France

Peter Johnstone's idea of a cruising cat that sails like a race boat

Gunboat was founded in 2002 by Peter Johnstone, an American sailor from the family behind J/Boats, who wanted a catamaran that cruised in comfort but sailed at the speeds of a racing multihull. The early Gunboats used lightweight carbon and foam construction, tall rigs and an enclosed helm forward in the deckhouse so the crew could steer and trim from inside. Boats like the Gunboat 62 and 66 became cult objects in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, routinely covering 250-mile days on deliveries.

The company built its boats in South Africa and China before opening its own plant in Wanchese, North Carolina. That move proved costly, and Gunboat filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015. Grand Large Yachting, the French group that also owns Outremer, bought the brand at auction in 2016 and moved production to La Grande-Motte on the Mediterranean coast.

The Gunboat 68 and the French era

The Gunboat 68, designed by VPLP, with hull 68.01 launched at La Grande-Motte in January 2019, is the model that relaunched the brand. It keeps the forward helm and big carbon rig but adds the build discipline of an established multihull yard. Only a handful are built each year, and our Gunboat 68 page covers its specs and the realistic used price band of roughly $6.5 to $10 million.

The current range adds 72 and 80 foot series and a larger custom line, all marketed as luxury performance catamarans for true bluewater sailing. These are owner-operated superyachts in practice, and most are run with professional crew.

Buying a Gunboat, limited supply and carbon due diligence

Resale is thin rather than weak. Very few Gunboats change hands in a given year, so pricing depends heavily on the individual boat, its build location and its refit history. French-built 68s and later models generally command a premium over earlier hulls because of build consistency and factory support through Grand Large Yachting's service network and the Gunboat brokerage team.

A Gunboat survey should be led by a composite specialist, not a general surveyor.

• Ultrasound or thermographic inspection of carbon laminates and core bonds
• Mast, boom and standing rigging age, with carbon rig inspection records
• Daggerboard and rudder bearings, cases and any grounding damage
• Sail inventory condition, which is costly to replace on a performance cat
• Build location and any warranty or repair history from the pre-2016 era
• Racing history, since hard regatta use loads rigging and structure