Kinetic KC54
LOA 16.50m 54ft 2in • BEAM 8.50m 27ft 10in • DISPLACEMENT (light) 14,850kg 32,738lb • PRICE ex VAT $2.55m • www.kineticcatamarans.com
A tie-up between American investor Bob Hayward and Leon Scheepers, a South African multihull builder with years of experience, Kinetic is an exciting young company. Its first boat was a 62-footer for Hayward himself, with a second one in the moulds now. Scheepers cut his teeth working on the early Gunboats and, as you might expect with that kind of a CV, the new boats are entirely laid up in carbon fibre and pitched at serious performance.
From the off, these are semi-custom projects. With partner Rigging Projects, Kinetic expects to talk through your sailing plans and personal preferences to come up with a rig that suits you. The mast for the 54 will always be in high modulus carbon, but you can choose a rotating version, and specify PBO or Ecsix standing rigging. The boat is available in both daggerboard and centreboard options.
Accommodation is similarly flexible. It’s built around a large aft cockpit with seating for 12, a big saloon with 360° views and a forward cockpit that can seat five. There’s a wheel in the saloon, or two tillers aft, and a three- or four-cabin layout with either three or four heads. To save weight, furniture is all foam-cored and carbon
backed, and coachroof windows are chemically toughened for thinner panes.
Standard kit includes an induction hob, remote monitoring and 6kw of lithium batteries. But you can install wine fridges, washing machines, bait wells for fish and more.
“Our standard boat is a fast ocean cruiser that you might race two to four times a year,” says US owner Hayward. “For the more racing orientated we’ll turbo it and take weight out.” He points in particular to the way the mast is supported by the structure of the coachroof. “The infrastructure required for the mast and traveller also helps make the boat incredibly stiff.”