Alegria 67

At the Miami International Boat Show 2019, a large catamaran aroused a great deal of interest, both from industry professionals and yachtsmen who came in large numbers to discover the new boats on offered. Obviously, the on-going trend for multihulls partly explains the success of the Alegria 67. But only in part, because this new model is far from being alone in the luxury catamaran niche - even if the competitors are for the moment, before the release of the Lagoon SIXTY 5, more performance-oriented. The figures are there to see: Flagship Director Yves de Kerangat confided to us last February that more than twenty units were already on order. And not just at Miami, but also Cannes and Singapore: the Alegria 67 has made a name for herself at the most prestigious boating events. Fountaine Pajot were well received, and their largest model was an immediate success. Today, nearly forty Alegria 67s have been ordered...

Getting back to Miami: seen from the dock, Fountaine Pajot's flagship catamaran displays an elegant, racy and sporty silhouette. Even before going aboard, you’re seduced by the clever balance between comfort and performance. So, when the shipyard’s managers invite you to take a trip out to sea, it would be as ill-mannered as it would be irresponsible to refuse. The appointment was therefore made to go sailing with the backdrop of the Miami Skyline, as soon as the show was over.

 

At last there’s wind!

Even though the whole week of the show saw sunshine with little wind, the forecast for our test sail was much more favorable: a nice 20-knot breeze in the offing. Just enough to give the surface of this well-protected stretch of water a little shiver. Through the morning, the crew were busy transforming the catamaran: the star of the show aboard which a thousand small details were taken care of in order to impress the visitors from the very first glance, was being transformed into a charter multihull ready to welcome her first guests for what promised to be a long and intense season. In the spacious saloon, the decorations set up for the closing cocktail party - with distinguished guests of course - were being stowed away, while the deck was being ‘decorated’ with sailboards and stand up paddle boards. The young captain was taking a look at the latest weather report before giving his instructions for casting off. The breeze was pinning us to the pontoon, but with the help of the bowthrusters, the Alegria 67 effortlessly cleared the dock and moved astern out of the marina and into the open water. With her two 150hp Yanmar engines, she quickly reached her cruising speed of just over 8 knots. At this speed, fuel consumption remains reasonable, around 20 l/h (5.3 US gal/hour), but if you accelerate to the maximum 10.5 knots, range is greatly reduced. But with the wind in evidence, it was time to hoist the sails.

 

10 knots without pushing it

Thanks to a mastered design (undoubtedly the experience of the shipyard’s creators, whether Olympic dinghy sailing medalists or winners of prestigious ocean races), all operations are brought together from the cockpit to the flybridge. Four powerful electric winches are available to help hoist the mainsail, unfurl the genoa and trim the sheets. Even short-handed, the Alegria is easy to handle from the flybridge, which offers a perfect panoramic view. The wind leveled out between 20 and 25 knots, but there were a few gusts touching 30. To preserve this brand-new boat on the eve of charter season, the skipper decided to put two reefs in the main and reduce some genoa. Whatever the case, the big catamaran felt at ease and reached the 10-knot mark at 60° to the apparent wind without pushing it. Coming up a little harder on the wind, the speed reduced to 8 knots, but that’s still pretty good performance upwind for a 35-tonne cruising catamaran. But then, as soon as we started to come off the wind, the log started to pick up, displaying 12.5 knots on a close reach. The windows in the hardtop are handy for monitoring the sails. In these conditions, the feeling at the helm is real and I was in no hurry to engage the autopilot. Decidedly, this hull by Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design isn’t lacking in character and it's a good bet that long ocean passages, as well as coastal cruising, will suit her either way.

 

Forward door and jacuzzi

Although she’s great under way, this large catamaran also has other assets to seduce a demanding clientele: comfort and living spaces alternate between conviviality and intimacy. Before coming back down from the flybridge, I took the time to appreciate the layout of this vast panoramic terrace: its saloon with comfortable bench seats is under the shade of the hardtop, while the two sun-loungers are perfectly exposed to the sun. A beautiful staircase, with a light and practical design, leads to the cockpit. Once again in the shade, this space has a lot of charm with its beautiful view of the outside and its access to the vast interior. With a layout organized around a large table that can seat up to twelve, and a large bench seat and a sofa, this space is dedicated to sharing some great times with friends or family. At the stern, between the hulls, a hydraulic platform allows the tender to be launched quickly and easily.

Before checking out the interior, I headed off to discover the foredeck. The side-decks, wide and well protected by the guardwires, are elegant with their teak decking and practical with their flush-decked hatches. On the foredeck, between the bows and extended by a rostrum, I discovered a space that is sure to become ‘the place to be’: well-sheltered and slightly lower, a saloon area sits opposite a jacuzzi. You don’t need a great deal of imagination to picture yourself sat there with a tall glass in hand, admiring a sunset, at anchor in a small deserted cove. A door, with an impressive safety system to guarantee watertightness, allows you to go straight back inside. Let's go inside and take a look at what the Alegria 67 has to offer, in just one of the proposed configurations.

An incredible Owner's Suite!

The vast saloon opens up wide with large retractable bay windows and light is clearly at home here. To port, the galley occupies the aft space, providing a junction between the interior and exterior. To starboard, a large table with comfortable seating is to be found aft, while the navigation station occupies the forward part with its control screens to monitor all the boat's functions. On either side, the companionway steps to go down into the hulls. The owner's suite occupies most of the starboard hull: bright with its bay window overlooking the sea, and elegant with light woodwork and welcoming with its king size bed and lounge area with bookcase. These amenities are completed by a dressing room and a shower room equipped with a double washbasin, a shower and separate toilet. One important detail - a door gives direct access to the forward deck saloon. With its meticulous finish, as everywhere aboard this catamaran, this suite is one of the (very) strong points of the Alegria 67. Aft, a slightly smaller guest cabin is accessible from outside.

Different configurations are possible: on the model we tested, the galley was located in the saloon, but it can also be installed in the port hull, which creates a nice space on the main deck. In the same way, our catamaran has four cabins, in addition to the owner's suite, but the possibilities vary between four and six cabins in total, not counting the two crew cabins in the forepeaks.

 

Conclusion

The elegant and modern design remains sober and timeless, while the Alegria 67's particularly well-thought-out hull design gives her great performance under sail - even fully-laden and in medium airs. According to their desires and projects, each owner will find a catamaran that suits them: by combining her undeniable marine qualities with her warm and cozy layout, this large luxury catamaran - now available in a motorboat version with the Power 67 - has only the horizon as her limit. Her many qualities were recognized just one year ago, when the Alegria 67 was elected Multihull of the Year in her category.

---

Plusses

Comfort and top-of-the-range features

Convincing performance on all points of sail

Proper owner's suite with deck access

 

Minuses

Significant windage for maneuvering with the breeze on the beam

Professional crew required

---

 

Technical Specifications

Builder: Fountaine Pajot

Architects: Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design

Construction: polyester sandwich

Overall length: 20.36 m (66’10”) 

Beam: 9.84 m (32’3”)

Draft: 1.70 m (5’7”)

Displacement: 35 t

Upwind sail area: 230 m² (2,475 sq ft)

Mainsail: 130 m² (1,400 sq ft)

Genoa: 100 m² (1,075 sq ft)

Engines: 2 x 110 or 150 hp Yanmar

Fuel tank: 1,200 l (315 US gal)

Water tank: 1,050 l (275 US gal)

Price: by quotation

 

The competition

Neel 65 Evo                HH66                          Gunboat 68

Builder            Neel Trimarans           HH Catamarans         Gunboat

Length             19.80m (65’)               20.10m (66’)               20.75m (68’1”)

Displacement  22.5 t (49,600 lbs)      18 t (39,680 lbs)         17.8 t (39,242 lbs)

Sail area         207m² (2,230 sq ft)    233 m² (2,510 sq ft)    208/252m² (2,240/2,715 sq ft)