A new frontier in yacht ownership is opening up with the launch of Spain\u2019s Simbad Yachts.=No need to worry about expensive options lists \u2013 just choose one of three
\nready-to-sail versions of the new Simbad 55. Photo by Simbad. Designed by FRANCK DARNET DESIGN SaRLNot only do Simbad Yachts\u00a0offer owners the chance to buy a truly ready-to-sail catamaran built to a comprehensive spec, but it is now possible to lease or share rather than buy outright
\nSimbad\u2019s founders recently took over a well-established refit shipyard in Alicante on Spain\u2019s southeast coast. Working with experienced designers, they have assembled a 100-strong team to build the brand\u2019s debut model: a family cruising catamaran called the Simbad 55.
\nPenned by well-known French designer Franck Darnet, this 55-footer is a hugely liveable bluewater yacht capable of carrying its owners around the world in comfort and at good pace. Measuring 17.59m from stem to stern and 8.92m across the beam, it creates fantastic volume, while slim hulls make for efficient performance.
\nFlexible configuration allows for galley-up or -down options and between two and five cabins, including crew quarters.
\nReady to sail
\nThe Simbad 55 Legend comes complete with carbon Technora sails from Doyle. Photo: Simbad. Designed by FRANCK DARNET DESIGN SaRL
\nSimbad has drawn a firm line through the notion of a \u2018base price\u2019 which stops hundreds of thousands of pounds short of a boat you could actually use. Instead, it has distilled those years of yachting experience into three broad versions of the boat tailored for different cruising programmes and different budgets.
\nFrom the true flybridge to the hydraulic bathing platform, each represents a boat that is fully ready to sail.
\nAt the entry level is the \u2018Select\u2019 version of the Simbad 55, with painted aluminium spars, polyester sails and a solid propulsion package built around 110hp Yanmar
\nengines. Solar panels ensure that energy is plentiful for comfortable living.
\nAs you move up to Ultra and Legend spec, more and better options are added until you reach a boat that represents the best it can be.
\nBy the time you reach the Simbad 55 Legend, you are investing in a carbon mast and Furlerboom, carbon Technora sails from Doyle, all electric winches and furlers, four 19-22in chartplotters and state-of-the-art collision avoidance from Sea.ai.
\nOn the home comforts side, there\u2019s a 220-litres\/hour watermaker from HP with a water purification system. There\u2019s also a projector screen for movie nights and no fewer than seven fridges and ice makers strategically positioned around the boat. The bespoke jet tender also matches the mothership\u2019s livery.
\nPricing ranges from \u20ac1,895,000 for the Select version to \u20ac2,990,000 for the Legend, illustrating its depth of additional equipment and capability. But by structuring their offer in this way, Simbad aims to take the stress out of outfitting\u2013 setting the optimal specification level for different budgets.
\nOwnership pathways
\nThe Simbad 55 is built as a comfortable, spacious and hugely liveable family cruising catamaran. Photo by Simbad. Designed by FRANCK DARNET DESIGN SaRL
\nThat\u2019s not all, however. The shipyard has been busy with the financial engineering needed to offer three distinct ways of owning a Simbad 55. And here again, it has departed from the beaten track \u2013 although it is still perfectly possible to simply purchase the boat outright and sail it away.
\nSimbad\u2019s Leasing Club is a novel way to get afloat without the big capital cost upfront. It is perhaps a wonder that it has taken so long for this successful financing model to reach the marine sector, but in effect this works just as it would with a luxury car. You pay a membership fee up front which is equivalent to 10 per cent of the boat\u2019s price, and then annual instalments of 16-18 per cent.
\nThe attraction is a boat that belongs only to you \u2013 there\u2019ll be nobody else sleeping in your bed. But you can cancel the lease at any time and simply hand the boat back, or opt to buy it out at the remaining contract value.
\nAnother option is SplitSail \u2013 a shared ownership model that is best suited to families looking to spend no more than 5-7 weeks aboard each year.
\nOwnership is split into two or three shares and all the costs from purchase to annual berthing and maintenance are divided accordingly.
\nThe ownership experience is just as important as the purchase itself, and Simbad has addressed this with a full management programme called Simbad Care. All you have to do as owner is to rock up and cast off \u2013 the tanks are filled, the wine fridge stocked and every system onboard is in perfect working order.
\nFind out more
\nEach of these individual elements is a novelty in its own right. Taken together, they herald a completely new way of buying and owning a top-drawer cruising cat.
\nMeet the Simbad Yachts team and discover the new Simbad 55 in La Grande Motte at the International Multihull Show (22-26 April, 2026). And for a full illustration of the different ownership pathways and details of the yacht, see simbad-yachts.com.
\nThe post Get afloat more easily than ever with a bluewater catamaran from Simbad Yachts appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A new frontier in yacht ownership is opening up with the launch of Spain\u2019s Simbad Yachts.=No need to worry about expensive options lists \u2013 just choose one of three ready-to-sail versions of the new Simbad 55. Photo by Simbad. Designed … <\/p>\n