French builder Catana Group launches new power catamaran brand

The French boatbuilder Catana Group has unveiled its power catamaran brand, YOT.

Catana Group, known for the Catana and Bali brands of sailing and cruising catamarans, says YOT began in 2020 with the idea to design ‘innovative catamarans’ that will ‘bring a breath of fresh air to the yachting sector.’

The powerboats in the Bali range are still inspired by the sailing range and retain traces of a sailboat design. The firm says its approach to powerboats has therefore been ‘totally rethought, refocused on the uses and trends in powerboating’.

Catana Group says ‘right from the very beginnings of the project, the ambition was clear: to produce a range of high-end power catamarans, with well-thought-out design and comfort, agile and high-performance seakeeping, good range, reasonable fuel consumption and the ability to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Olivier Poncin, his partners and his teams worked towards one single objective: to enjoy being aboard.’

Poncin, the former president of the Catana Group, sadly died on 14 May 2023 after a long illness.

Boris Compagnon, sales and marketing director of Catana Group, says YOT is “both a leap into a world where we’re going to have to make our mark, because the offer will be solid and tempting, but also onto a playing field in which we already have full legitimacy with our industrial know-how in terms of catamarans.”

He adds: “Catana Group’s DNA brings the ability to have an in-depth and visionary understanding of the market, and it’s through this prism that we have conceived YOT.”

Naval architects JnJ Design are handling conception and design, alongside a new in-house design team with experience in the motorboat industry. Marketing is also specialised, with a dedicated distribution network, a brand developed with the Mazarine group and its communication tools.

The very first unit, the YOT 36, will be available for preview at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival.

“The first YOT 36 unit will be presented in September 2023 at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, and we will be in a position where we can respond to the first owners at the very beginning of 2024,” adds Compagnon.