YOT Catamarans, based in France, is a new brand in the power cruising market. It launched the business last year with an attractive, modern 36-foot cruising cat designed by Slovenian design wizards JnJ Yacht Design.
The cats are built in France by the famous Catana yard, which is known for its high-quality performance sailing cats. Catana also builds the Bali line of charter cats.
The brief behind the design of the YOT 36 takes two concepts seriously, efficient performance and spacious indoor-outdoor living.
On the performance side of the equation, it is worthwhile pointing out that power cats are inherently more efficient than monohulls and deliver a very different and stable ride. Instead of pounding through waves, a cat like the YOT 36 will skip over waves and cut neatly through the crests, all the while remaining level.
The 36 is powered by two Mercury V-6 225-horsepower engines. These will give the boat both ample cruising speeds and best-in-class fuel efficiency.
But, it will be tempting for new buyers to opt for YOT’s engine upgrade. This includes two Mercury V8-300-horsepower engines, a JPO joystick and autopilot, autotrim for the stern tabs, and a moving prop alert. The performance difference will be significant –40-plus knots–and boat handling will be enhanced.
A unique feature of the 36 is the four bucket-type seats forward, two at the starboard helm and two for passengers on the port side. These look like racing-boat seats and indicate just how focused the YOT team is on “performance.”
On the cruising and living aboard side of the equation, the 38 has a lot of nifty features that really emphasize the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that is so popular in the Med, Florida and the Caribbean.
The cockpit is spacious beyond what you would imagine in a 36-footer, even though the boat’s beam has been kept to only 13 feet. There are two rows of bench seats for eight people with articulated seat backs so you can sit facing either forward or back.
The trick the designers came up with here is the lifting table with folding leaves between to the rows. Fold the front seat backs forward and leave the aft seat backs folded back, press a button and two tables elevate from cocktail to dinner table height. Fold out the four leaves and you have an eight-foot table that will comfortably seat eight people for dinner.
The galley is outside, built into the backs of the four forward seats. There is a stove top, a sink and two drawer fridges, which will be adequate for afternoon entertaining or weekend cruising.
To enhance this outdoor space, the 36 has folding side coamings that expand the living space and create a waterfront terrace that is almost 20 feet wide. One could imagine rigging a colorful awning over the whole cockpit for UV protection on summer days.
This is a 36-foot cat so it is remarkable that the designers were able to find space below decks for two double cabins with en suite heads. But, they did, and these turn the boat into a true weekender or even a summer vacation cruiser.
YOT Catamarans have launched their brand and their business with an innovative, attractive and useful new design in the 36 that certainly appears destined to become very popular.
Recently, the company announced that it would be introducing an all-new YOT 41 at the Cannes boat show in September, but no details were available at press time.
