Author: Olivier Racoupeau

3 GIANT MULTIHULLS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Baltic 107 under construction at Baltic Yachts (Finland).

With over 35 years’ expertise in the design of large multihulls, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has established itself as a key player in the superyacht market. The firm, renowned for its holistic approach and capacity for innovation, is pushing the boundaries of naval design with catamarans that combine luxury and performance.

Three exceptional multihulls under construction

Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design is cementing its leadership with three giant catamarans currently under construction, each embodying a unique vision of luxury yachting:

  • Air 80: A high-performance, top-of-the-range catamaran, designed for ultra-fast long-distance cruising, expected in late spring 2026. With no compromise on performance or luxury, it redefines the standards of high-end sailing.
  • Baltic 107: The first multihull from Baltic Yachts, this 33-metre catamaran combines elegance, performance and range with a strong environmental focus. An exploration yacht designed for long-distance cruising, where technology and a reduced environmental footprint come together.
  • FPY 120 S: This is the largest Fountaine Pajot catamaran ever built, measuring 35 metres in length with 600 m² of living space spread across three levels. This flagship offers a new vision of the superyacht, where luxury and privacy blend seamlessly to create an unrivalled sailing experience.
Air 80 under construction at Air Yachts (Turkey).

Holistic expertise

Since 1991 and the launch of the Marquises 56, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has designed some of the world’s largest multihulls, including the Royal Huisman 110, the Zeffiro 150, and more recently the Thira 80. Each project is a unique creation, meticulously designed down to the smallest detail to meet the specific expectations of its owners.

The firm has expertise across all aspects of design:

  • Naval architecture: Optimisation of performance and structure.
  • Exterior styling: Sleek, dynamic and timeless lines.
  • Interior design: Luxurious, functional and bespoke living spaces.
  • Digital modelling: Immersive visualisation for a unique client experience even before the yacht is launched.
FPY120 under construction at Fountaine Pajot Yachts (France).

About Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design

Since 1983, when Olivier Racoupeau joined Jean Berret in La Rochelle, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has been a naval architecture and yacht design firm internationally recognised for its integrated approach, combining naval architecture, exterior styling and interior design, with the creation by Isabelle Racoupeau in 2008 of a dedicated department, structural analysis and digital modelling. With a multidisciplinary team of around twenty architects, designers and engineers, the firm is one of the few players to have all these skills in-house.

A pioneer in the design of production sailing yachts and luxury yachts, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has made its mark on the history of yachting by creating iconic models for prestigious shipyards such as Bénéteau, Amel, Garcia, Hanse Yachts and Allures. Since 1991, the firm has also been the long-standing partner of Fountaine Pajot, for whom it has designed the entire current range of sailing catamarans from 41 to 120 feet, as well as the largest motor yacht models.

Specialising in large multihulls, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has also delivered exceptional international projects, such as the Jinlong Mega Yacht 110 in China, the Baltic 107 in Finland and the Air 80 in Turkey, as well as for Royal Huisman and Isa Yachts.

Over the past 30 years, the firm has designed nearly 500 different boats, with a total of around 20,000 units built to its plans.

Its commitment to innovation, performance and on-board comfort has earned it numerous awards and accolades in the international yachting press, in Europe, the United States and Asia, including eight European Yacht of the Year titles, the most prestigious of them all.

A LINEUP OF PREMIUM BOAT SHOWS

Following Boot Düsseldorf, the world’s largest indoor boat show held this past January, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design welcomes you at the premier yachting events of spring and fall 2026.

La Grande Motte – International Multihull Show – April 22–26 (Participant)
Palma International Boat Show – April 29 to May 2 (exhibitor)
Cannes Yachting Festival – September 8–13 (Participant)
Monaco Yacht Show – September 23–26 (exhibitor)

HANSE 590 – Official pictures released

Hanse Yachts has just unveiled the official photos of its current flagship sailing yacht, the brand new Hanse 590.

It is a source of great pride for the teams at Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design to see on the water the result of months of intense work in cooperation with the shipyard teams. . The large hardtop appears to float above a cockpit of unprecedented dimensions. Thanks to an innovative deck layout, new spaces have been created, such as these built-in meridienne seats between the cockpit and helm stations. Inside, luxury and perceived quality are significantly upgraded, with, as noted by French journalists from Voile Magazine, ‘redistributed spaces, refined materials and meticulous finishes.’ The saloon, chart table, galley, owner’s and guest cabins, and crew quarters have all been redesigned. They feature innovative design elements that add undeniable value to the new Hanse 590. Indeed, as the German magazine Yacht notes, ‘Hanse’s new flagship offers the luxury of a mega yacht’ while the shipyard admits that it has ‘never seen wind converted into pure speed so optimally’.

HOW BERRET RACOUPEAU YACHT DESIGN ESTABLISHED ITSELF IN THE LARGE MULTIHULL MARKET

In over forty years of existence, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design has more often anticipated trends than followed market developments. This is still evident today, as it sets the standard in a rapidly growing segment: large custom multihulls.

The story began with the reconstruction of a 111-foot monohull named Magistral and quickly continued with the 115′ Obsession II built at CIM. But it was the launch of the three Yapluka 72 from 2006 onwards that really “made its mark on the industry, as these were the first catamarans of this calibre,” says Olivier Racoupeau. Although not all of the projects exhibited in model form every year for more than twenty years at the Monaco Yacht Show and at the Superyacht France pavilion at Boot Düsseldorf have come to fruition, three 110-foot catamarans were built in China at Jin Long Mega Yachts. But it was Nahema, one of the three Yapluka 72s built, on which he sailed for 10 seasons, that the owner of the 107-foot catamaran currently under construction at Baltic Yachts had in mind when he contacted the agency. In this extremely confidential market, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design’s experience is recognized, while “multihulls are undeniably the way forward for sailing superyachts,” according to Olivier Racoupeau. “Clients find the same qualities as on motor yachts: comfort, living space on board, sailing pleasure, plus the ecological aspect of sailing, which more and more people are sensitive to. A sailing yacht is naturally a hybrid vessel, imbued with a certain poetry, healthy, potentially sporty and dynamic like the Air Yacht 80, but still comfortable and convivial at the same time.”

Isabelle Racoupeau points out that on these one-off projects, “the codes are different, with a level of detail that shows that we are really in another world, a much more luxurious one. A production boat has to appeal to as many people as possible, whereas a custom-built boat has to appeal to ONE customer; we make it to measure.”  “It’s therefore a different process from that of a production boat, even a 60 or 70-footer, as the priorities are completely different,” adds Olivier Racoupeau. “From a formal point of view, the way we design things changes because of the volume. On a 70-footer, as on a smaller boat, we work a lot on sharing space, arranging it more peripherally, seeking to enhance the volume. On larger sizes, the approach is reversed; on the contrary, we seek to stage the living spaces, to highlight them by adding details that will catch the eye.” The team’s commitment is, of course, commensurate with the ambition of these extremely complex projects. Seven people were involved at one stage or another in the development of the Air Yacht 80: preliminary design, exterior styling, interior design, digital modelling, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculations, etc.

Although these projects span several years, the upcoming launches of these two vessels, the Air Yacht 80 and the 107, once again demonstrate Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design’s expertise in the large multihull segment. This is a rapidly growing market in which Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design is able to respond in a unique and comprehensive manner to the most demanding requirements.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL

Patrick SASSIER, representative of the owners of the Air Yacht 80 and Baltic 107 under construction at Baltic Yachts

With an initial 60,000 nautical miles on board Magic Cat (82′) and then several seasons on the Allures 101′ catamarans, Patrick Sassier quickly built up solid experience in the world of large multihulls. This background led François Bich to entrust him with the Vitalia II project, the world’s fastest cruising catamaran, based on Bruno Peyron’s Orange II. In monohulls, he has skippered a 56-meter Perini Navi and a 43-meter Vitters, so it’s fair to say that the world of superyachts holds few secrets for him. His opinion on his collaboration with Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design on the Air Yacht 80 and 107 projects under construction at Baltic Yachts was invaluable to us, particularly on the latter, which he has followed every step of the way.

During the consulting phase of the Baltic 107 project (launch scheduled for spring 2027), for which they wanted a French architectural firm to work with the shipowner, “it was obvious that Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design had to be on the list. From the very first meeting, the feeling between Olivier Racoupeau and the owner was excellent. Olivier has this passion within him and knows how to listen to this type of clientele. The fact that they take care of everything makes sense.” Even though the owner has called on his personal interior designer, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design understands the issues and provides excellent advice for the smooth progress of the project. Patrick Sassier continues, “I talk to everyone as needed. They’re a great team, with Jeanne Bouvier, the project manager, as the main point of contact. The good thing is that we can talk to them about everything, far beyond the design, such as the technical layout, and all the discussions are interesting. On a custom boat, the architectural agency has to constantly adapt to the client. If it’s possible, we develop it, and if it’s not possible, we have to know how to frame it. And that’s the strength of Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design: they know how to differentiate between their work on production boats and listening to a private client. That’s why they perform so well in the superyacht world. Working with Olivier and his team was definitely the right choice.“

THIRA 80 – “We’ve been very creative”

projects, including some of the most prestigious, such as the Thira 80 and Power 80 for Fountaine Pajot.

The French naval architect, graduated of the prestigious Southampton School of Yacht Design, joined Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design in 1996. Since then, Pierre Gainza has been involved in all kinds of projects, including some of the most prestigious, such as the Thira 80 and Power 80 for Fountaine Pajot.

It was while attending races such as the Multihulls Trophy in La Trinité sur Mer (West of France) that the young Pierre Gainza imagined becoming a naval architect, “a career with no future” according to his high school guidance counsellor! But Pierre knew what he wanted, and it was in Monaco, at The A Group, that he got his first taste of it, working on superyacht projects such as Stargate -80 m- for the Emir of Qatar. So, logically, when he arrived at Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design, his first project was the CNB 80, an aluminum catamaran. Since then,”I have worked a lot on Fountaine-Pajot catamarans, although I’ve been involved in many projects, Beneteau, Amel, Rhéa, Wauquiez, but also Allures or JFA, because I have experience of aluminum with superyachts”.

He has experienced all the changes in the profession and in the agency, from the old drawing board to the 3D software, Rhino and then Katia. Today, he describes himself as a “naval architect, 3D modeler and project manager”. Over the past thirty years, the team has grown considerably, “the work is much more shared, and we do a lot more things than we used to”. Alongside the designer in charge of exterior styling, his eye for the quality of the lines remains a benchmark. As project manager, he oversees the entire design process, from the first 2D lines to the launch. In the meantime, the team has worked on the exterior styling, the interior layout, the deck plan, then the hull, the weight estimate, the stability, and finally the 3D modelling. “For me, the evolution of the naval architecture profession is based on the quality and quantity of the work that is delivered to the client on a project. Hourly volumes have easily tripled. Everything is now subject to the scrutiny of standards, and we use digital calculations with fine element models to validate constraints in extremely precise places. This is as true for the structure as it is for the quality of the surfaces we deliver. Today, everything is machined in 3D to scale 1, and one of our strengths is the delivery of highly detailed 3D files without modifications after machining”. This is of course also true for artistic rendering, where virtual reality films have replaced simple computer-generated images.

The Thira 80 project for Fountaine Pajot, “in terms of boat size, prestige and image for the office, really pushed us to the top and we challenged the competition. We’ve been very creative”. The personality of the project is created by Olivier and Isabelle Racoupeau, who “give us the trends, their ideas, and filter what we suggest. The preliminary design then passes through the hands of people who have been in the office for quite some time and know Olivier’s taste in terms of exterior style and Isabelle’s in terms of interior design, which also creates unity. After that, when it comes to development, but everything that can be seen is defined very early on. The interior design of the Thira 80 is contemporary and refined. As for the exterior architecture of the yachts, we place a strong emphasis on aesthetics, with the aim of always improving, innovating and challenging ourselves”.

BALTIC 107 Catamaran – A 33m Superyacht

For its entry into the world of multihulls, the Baltic Yachts shipyard, internationally renowned for the high quality of its yachts combining luxury and performance for over 50 years, has chosen Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design.

Baltic Yachts’ experience and expertise promise high quality composite and a level of finish never seen before on a multihull. At the same time, the Finnish shipyard is at the forefront of innovation to reduce the environmental impact of its vessels, from construction to sailing, with extremely low noise levels and energy consumption, as well as hydro-electric generation under sail.

Commenting on this exceptional multihull, Olivier Racoupeau said:

‘With the Baltic 107 Catamaran, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design is particularly proud to bring the multihull into the world of the superyacht. Our team of enthusiasts immediately recognised Baltic Yachts’ values. It was only natural for us to design this exceptional catamaran, as we share the same vision as her owner. With a wealth of experience in multihulls, we have been able to combine elegant lines, high-performance shapes and volumes that allow us to reach any destination in the greatest comfort.’

Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design would particularly like to thank Henry Hawkins, Executive Vice President, and Kenneth Nyfelt, Sales Director, of Baltic Yachts, project managers Lars Gripenberg and Mikael Nyberg, as well as the owner and his representative, Patrick Sassier, for their trust.

BALTIC 107 – Main Technical Specifications

LOA : 32,9m
DWL: 31,5m
Beam: 13m
Draft: 1.70m / 5.00m
Light Displacement: 85 tons

Delivery: Summer 2027

Two new HANSE Yachts revealed at Cannes

Continuing to develop its new range at a steady pace, HanseYachts AG is unveiling not one but two new models at the Cannes Yachting Festival. For its new flagship, the HANSE 590, it is not hesitating to break the convention, to stand out from the crowd with an ever-higher standard of living. It has produced some unique pieces of furniture, such as the chaise longue in front of each helm station, or the chart table, whose original design is a real eye-catcher. At the opposite end of the range, the HANSE 360 offers impressive volume for a 36-footer. Presented in a version with three cabins, two bathrooms and a galley treated as a separate room, it has certainly caught the eye of the jury of the most coveted prize in the world yachting industry, as it has been nominated for the European Yacht of the Year 2025. The two new Hanses remain true to the brand’s heritage, synonymous with fast cruising and easy maneuverability thanks to particularly well-thought-out deck plans. With these two new yachts, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design confirms its ability to innovate to revitalise a range, in keeping with the brand’s DNA, always combining style, comfort and performance.

Fountaine Pajot ushers in a new era with the NEW 41

Romain Motteau, Managing Director, claims that ‘this is not the latest Fountaine Pajot, but the first of a whole new generation’. Thanks to the trust built up over the years, Berret-Racoupeau yacht Design has been able to be particularly innovative and creative in creating a catamaran that ‘completely renews the genre and sets new, much higher standards for 40-foot catamarans’, confirms Olivier Racoupeau. An exterior revolution, with a cockpit more open than ever to the sea, 2000W of solar panels on the roof, a huge sundeck forward, but above all an elegance of lines ‘usually reserved for much larger models’, says the shipyard. Larger is also the impression given by the accommodation, although ‘it’s very difficult to start with the smallest catamaran in the range’ admits Isabelle Racoupeau. However, the NEW 41 already boasts a number of innovations that will become even more important in future models, such as the magnificent double berths facing the large hull portholes, the roof windows that open wide at the front, and the attention to detail that translates into an exceptional level of comfort. Available in an electric version, but above all with particularly high performance under sail, the NEW 41 opens the way for carbon-free cruising. Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design is particularly proud to be working with our long-standing partner, Fountaine Pajot, in this direction.

Latest designs highlight at the CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL

At the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024, Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design will be unveiling the latest projects developed by its team for some of the world’s leading shipyards. With all the passion and creativity that drives us, these new models are designed in synergy with the identity and projects of each brand. The common denominator is an approach to design that applies to all Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design’s areas of expertise – from naval architecture to interior design, from structure to exterior styling. So come along from 10 to 15 September to Fountaine-Pajot, Hanse yachts, Allures Yachting, Garcia Yachts, Amel Yachts and Whisper, or any other place you prefer to meet us and discover our current and future creations.

An inspiring start to 2024 in boot Düsseldorf


Come and see us in Hall 7a / Stand E04 from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 January 2024.


Berret-Racoupeau yacht Design has been a regular exhibitor at the world’s largest boat show for 20 years, and will be delighted to welcome you to the Superyacht Hall.

Come and tell us what has inspired you among the 16 exhibition halls, discover the many projects our team is working on and let’s imagine the boat of tomorrow together.

Hall 7a / Stand E04 from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 January 2024.