LONG LEGGED PERFORMER
Most production cruising catamarans have limitations, such as upwind ability, and are compromised by their weight. So, for those with deeper pockets and further horizons, performance cruisers tends to be the go-to category. This was the realisation that Kinetic Catamarans company owner Bob Hayward came to back in 2015 when he was shopping for one.
“The aesthetics of curved bows with fine entries and chined topsides dominated by a glass encased saloon creates a striking profile”
The dual national New Zealander-American, has spent the last 30 years based in the US, which gave him good insight into this market. Unable to find his perfect boat, he partnered with experienced South African multihull boatbuilder, Leon Scheepers, to take over the former Phil Harvey yard in South Africa, including some of the staff who had previously made Gunboats. This fast-tracked the new marque after the Dutch design team of Simonis Voogd was appointed. The result is a lightweight hull with two versions to choose from — a performance cruiser and a race version. Our review boat came with twin centreboards, but dagger-boards are an option.
The first hull splashed at the Annapolis 2019 show, but it was at the Miami 2020 boat show where I caught up with the Kinetic team.
The KC62 performance cruiser (hull one) is the initial model and will be followed later this year by the
