Gunboat 68 Price, Specs and Performance Analysis

Gunboat 68 price, and what the money buys

The first question people ask about the Gunboat 68 is the price, so start there. New boats have been quoted from a little over 8 million euros, about $9 million, and climb past 9 million euros with performance options. That is superyacht money for a 68-foot boat, and the reason is construction: the hulls, deck, bulkheads and much of the interior are carbon, the furniture is built in Nomex honeycomb, and the boat comes out of the yard at about 17.8 tonnes. A cruising catamaran of the same length in fiberglass weighs roughly twice that.

What the weight buys is speed with comfort. Gunboat 68s have recorded more than 30 knots surfing, cruise at 16 knots in a decent breeze and can touch 25 knots in a blow. VPLP's stretch target was 500 nautical miles in a day. Few production boats of any kind can do that while carrying a crew of guests, hot showers and a proper galley.

From bankruptcy auction to La Grande-Motte

Gunboat was Peter Johnstone's American brand, famous for boats like the Gunboat 62 that combined racing speed with luxury cruising. After production problems with contracted builders and several high-profile incidents, Gunboat International filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2015, and in May 2016 the company was sold at auction to GL Yachting USA, part of the French group Grand Large Yachting, which also owns Outremer, Allures and Garcia.

Grand Large moved production to Outremer's base at La Grande-Motte on the French Mediterranean and commissioned VPLP, the naval architects behind Ultim trimarans and America's Cup multihulls, to design the first new Gunboat. The result was the 68, with hull 68.01 launched in January 2019. The first boat sailed the Atlantic within weeks of launch.

Katamarans lists seven hulls: Highland Fling (68.01, January 2019), Dash (July 2019), Sea Tilt (July 2020), Tosca (January 2021), Break Free (April 2022), Convexity2 and Little Wing. Gunboat still lists the 68 Series, now with a roomier Voyager variant, so it remains in limited production.

A forward cockpit and a helm inside the deckhouse

The defining Gunboat layout survives. Sail handling happens in a forward cockpit at the foot of the mast, with four large Harken winches and all control lines led there, while the main steering wheel sits centrally inside the deckhouse at a navigation station with large displays and all-round visibility. On a cold, wet night the helmsman stays dry; in a sail change the trimmers work in a protected well forward of the saloon.

Owners who want to feel the boat can order tillers with bucket seats on the aft beam, and hull 68.01 gained dual aft helms in its 2021 refit. If you are buying used, the helm configuration changes the character of the boat completely, so sail it before deciding.

• Central inside helm with full instrumentation
• Forward working cockpit with four Harken 990 winches
• Optional aft tiller stations for racing and feel
• Retractable bow thruster for docking

Boards, rudders and a choice of rigs

VPLP gave the 68 retractable rudders and daggerboards that take draft from 1.2 meters to 3.76 meters. Buyers choose between short symmetrical boards for cruising, long asymmetrical boards for racing, or long symmetrical boards as a compromise. Katamarans says the regatta rig combined with the longer boards should add about 12 percent upwind and up to 20 percent downwind in lighter conditions.

The carbon mast is stepped well aft, with a mainsail of about 175 square meters, headsails from 58 to 110 square meters and spinnakers from 300 to 420 square meters. Air draft is about 27.5 meters (90 feet), which rules out the ICW and many bridges. The sea trial boat carried North Sails 3Di, and a full inventory at this size is a six-figure item.

Measured speeds in light air and moderate breeze

In a sea trial with only 6 to 8.5 knots of wind, testers recorded 6.5 to 9 knots under mainsail and furling gennaker, which means the boat sails faster than the wind in conditions where most cruising cats motor. In about 15 knots of breeze the same boat held 13 to 14 knots at 45 degrees apparent wind angle.

Under power, twin 80 hp Yanmar diesels give a cruise of about 9 knots. The fuel tanks hold about 200 gallons in total and water capacity matches it, both modest because weight is the enemy. Solar panels and a hydrogenerator are part of the energy plan on many boats.

Interior, crew quarters and race-day mode

Accommodation is lighter in feel than a Sunreef or Lagoon but not spartan. On the boat Yachtclass tested, the master cabin takes much of the starboard hull with a transverse double bed, desk and en-suite, and Katamarans describes four VIP cabins that are larger than on earlier Gunboats except the 78 and 90. Crew quarters and the exact cabin plan vary from boat to boat.

This is a boat that needs professional crew. Katamarans says it plainly, and we agree: most owners run a captain and at least one other crew member, with extra hands for passages and regattas. Budget for that from day one.

Running a carbon flagship

Expect $400,000 to $900,000 a year in running costs, excluding depreciation. Crew salaries, insurance on a hull worth $7 to $10 million, sail replacement, carbon rig inspections and berthing for a 30-foot beam are the big lines. Racing adds sails, crew travel and delivery costs.

Carbon structures also demand specialist surveying. Ultrasound or thermography of high-load areas, rig inspection by a composite specialist and close attention to the daggerboard cases and rudder bearings should be part of any purchase.

Resale, scarcity and the used Gunboat 68

Katamarans observes that if any yacht holds its value, it is a Gunboat, and the 68 supports that. With fewer than ten built and a long lead time on new boats, used examples command a premium because they are available now. Hull 68.01 has been offered at about 6.5 million euros after its refit, and a 2021 boat briefly appeared at just over $10 million.

For a buyer, the honest comparison is not other 68-foot catamarans but the opportunity cost of waiting for a new build. A well-documented used boat with fresh sails, a recent rig inspection and a known race program is usually the better purchase.