The Looping 50 is an off the shelf performance catamaran plan designed by French architect Patrick Luscher.
There are Loopings from 42 to 60 foot sailing around the world, and the designs have a reputation as fast, seaworthy ocean crossing yachts.
Patrick Luscher´s background is in aeronautics and he is a specialist in light structures with shapes that offer the least resistance to flowing water or air. He swapped a life at Airbus to one on the ocean, and the range of Looping catamarans was born.
Instead of the usual choice of Balsa or foam core for the hulls, Cattleya's construction is made a lot stronger and safer against collision as the hull are built in high quality, knot-less Red Cedar strip planking, completely encapsulated in glass and with Kevlar lamination in the bows and beneath the waterline, as well as Sicomin carbon fibre in specific areas. This system and choice of material was favoured by Patrick Luscher and on the original plans. Many Looping Catamarans including his own were built this way to enhance the design for serious offshore voyage.
Bulkheads are made of glass-encapsulated marine plywood, and for added stiffness, all the furnitures are glassed in with the structure of the boat to reinforce its stiffness and solidity.
The deck is of 30,, Airex C70 closed-cell foam from Sicomin, glass encapsulated in small sections to prevent delimitation.
There are two crash boxes in the bows which provide water-tight areas closed from the rest of the boat in case of collision.
The type of construction and the materials chosen by the architect ensure, in addition to lightness and rigidity, a long life, with easy maintenance and repair if needed.
The design, with its high freeboard beneath the bridge, minimises 'slapping' and enhances comfort at sea.
Built for speed without having to use daggerboards, with its weight intelligently centred, long, profiled mini keels, elongated transoms and slender hulls of a similar profile as Outremer Catamarans, the Looping 50 provides surprising upwind abilities and an incredible turn of speed. Throughout their 12000nm voyage, Cattelya's crew covered consistently 200nm / day without effort and without ever trying to push the boat. Many Looping owners have graduated from production catamarans like Catanas to a custom Looping because of the excellent balance between performance and liveability.
A WORD FROM THE OWNERS:
"We bought Cattleya in 2017 to go travelling with our three children. Now that our kids reach their teens we feel we have to go back home and are therefore selling the boat after memorable moments with her.
Cattleya was built in 2009 in Sète, south of France, in the warehouse where Patrick Lusher - a renowned French naval architect - was at the same moment making his own boat.
The catamaran had during its first eight years only sailed in the Mediterranean waters of Spain and France. Her former owner/builder would have dreamt of sailing further and had the boat built and equiped for that purpose. Unfortunately, he was refrained by personal circumstances which eventually led him to selling his boat.
We were looking for a fast sailing catamaran, comfortable and secure for family travelling. We had travelled on a monohull two yers before through the Atlantic Ocean with a rally (Jimmy Cornell’s Barbados 50). We had seen a few “catamarans de série” arrive after the three week or so navigation with severe structural damages.
We were hence searching for a strongly built boat made for sailing far and fast rather than staying in a port most of the time.
We had heard about the Looping 50 performances and were aware that boats made in stipplanking had a reputation for being particularly strong as every element in the boat including the furniture is stratified together with the structure.
We were keen to meet Cattleya’s owner who showed us photos of the construction and explained to us how, under the supervision of the architect, he built the boat with stratified red cedar reinforced with Kevlar below the flotation line. With its remarkable finitions, Cattleya, although custom-made, looked better than most of the well-known brand boats.
Cattleya seemed like an obvious choice to us and we were quick to decide upon acquiring her. This was in 2017.
From then, the boat has taken us safely from France to The Fiji, through the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, via amidst other places, the Spanish Balearic and Canaries islands, Africa, the Carabeans, Panama, the Galapagos and French Polynesia.
At sea, Cattleya has proved as easy and fast as expected. We have had averages of around 200 nautical miles a day during long crossings, sailing peacefully, without searching for performance. We crossed both the Atlantic Ocean - between Africa and the Caribbeans - and the Pacific Ocean- between the Galápagos Islands and French Polynesia - in 14 days each.
We remember a 23 knots speed peak near Gibraltar in strong winds although we generally sail rather conservatively.
The boat is light and still amazes us with the lightness of the winds she necessitates for sailing. When most would have to start the engines, we often appreciate silent sailing.
Cattleya is easily sailed solo which is good for us, with sometimes the Captain being the only one up for as we have three kids on board.
The boat is comfortable and we feel at home. As friends often mention when getting aboard, It’s luminous and fresh (the ventilation system is structural) with good visibility on the outside.
We love it when she flies in calm waters and low winds.
We love having her as a nautical base camp from which we go kite surfing, surfing and bodyboarding, windsurfing, diving etc.
The kids love sleeping on the large and comfortable trampolines, with many friends sometimes.
We love having « apéros », dinners, parties with sometimes over 20 people on board.
We love the yoga sessions on the roof, the dolphins observations seating on the «poutre avant », fishing from the conveniently long « jupe arrière ».
The list could be long.
We hope you will have the same pleasure travelling with her! " Fiji. July 2022.
BROKER'S COMMENT:
Having come across Loopings on the cruising route across the Pacific before and always found them fascinating, I was delighted when Laurence and Lucas approached me to help find a new home for their beautiful Cattleya. There are all sorts of catamarans out there, but I believe that few tick as many boxes at the Looping 50. It is for this reason that they are so highly sought after, and mostly by serious sailors, (including ex-professional racing sailors and even ex owners of Outremers or Catana), and who, like Cattelya's family have spent the time to research the good and the less good of each performance cats before deciding on a Looping.
The Looping 50 is fast and able track high and true, yet without having to worry about daggerboards. It is high on the water to keep you dry and make the ride more comfortable in choppy waters, light yet strong, easy to maintain and perfectly suited to passage-making whilst also making a comfortable home at anchor for your family with its giant cockpit opening on a wide and beautiful salon with level galley.
Cattleya is beautifully appointed and presented in turn-key condition, with low hours, very reliable engines always immaculately maintained, a brand new rigging with full mast removal and check just two months ago, a good range of recent cruising electronics and everything on board that you need to just move in and start your own adventure today.
Our list of praises for this remarkable yacht could go on and on, so please read on for the full inventory and watch our detailed video feature, which was filmed in location at the time of listing in July 2022, so you can be reassured that all the media presentation for this yacht is exactly as she looks like today. This video, with her owner's Luca's presentation and walk-though, is a mine of info, a full view of the interior, down into the engine room, the decks, hatches, etc.
If you would like more info please get in touch!
For a bit of info about ourselves, we are a boutique-style brokerage devoted to high quality cruising yachts and to the cruising community. Ex- cruisers ourselves we just strive to help others begin their journey on the ocean.
If Cattleya has got under your skin, get in touch! Our team can organize a private video viewing with you as well as have all the time in the world to answer your questions, put you in touch with the owners if you wish, assist with organising your visit, purchase, delivery home if needed, insurance, berthing, crewing, etc.
CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTION:
he hulls are built strip planked red cedar. The hull layup is double diagonal with longitudinals inside and outside cold molded with epoxy resin and glass. The hull design is unique with no bilges. Instead she is built with foam under the floors to the hull (No bilge odours, squeaky floors or maintenance.)
Bulkheads: There is a forward collision bulkhead on both hulls. The second full bulkhead aft is also sealed from the rest of the hull. The engine room bulkhead is sealed from the hulls. These bulkheads provide watertight integrity in the event of hull failure from a collision, etc. Plywood ring frames, secondary bulkheads, and cabinet work bonded to the hulls complete the structure.
Crossbeam: The main beam is red cedar wrapped with carbon fibre and with a carbon fibre strut bonded to deck and hull.
Keels: Keels are formed of plywood saturated in epoxy, foam filled and fibreglass (Kevlar) sheathed to the hull with no keel bolts.
Steering: Foam cored fiberglass rudders on alloy shafts. Steering uses a single wheel with hydraulic system. The both autopilots are connected with two different electopumps. A manual tiller arm is also on board on the transom steps in an emergency.
ACCOMODATION AND COMFORT:
Salon / dinette and galley (on same level).
18m2 salon
Wooden dining table decorated in marquetry. Very good condition.
Watch berth or couch to watch TV on the side
Entertainment: TV, Radio/CD 4 Bass Reflex speakers
Chart table 1.60mx0.60m
Galley:
Insulated freezer 14 cm 140 liters (-30°)
Large worktop for food preparation
3-burner cooking stove with electric oven / combi microwave oven
Double sink
200-litre refrigerator (new 2022)
4.5kg washing machine
All angles are rounded
3 steps down into side hulls (not very steep), with handles or ramp
Structural ventilation system
Port hull:
1 cabin with berth 1.50m wide, wardrobe, drawers, desk, lockers.
1 cabin with berth 1.30m wide, wardrobe, drawers, desk, chests.
1 shared bathroom with shower and electric toilet
Owner's starboard hull:
1 cabin with berth 1.50m wide, drawers, desk, large wardrobe, lockers.
1 spacious bathroom with shower + 1 separate bathroom with electric toilet.
Large closet and other storage facilities
OUTDOOR FACILITIES:
Cockpit:
18m2 Centred cockpit, slightly to port
Partially removable table
A very large locker under the cockpit and 4 other lockers in the cockpit
Forward:
2 large partitioned and watertight forepeaks (crashbox) accessible by exterior panels.
Storage lockers for sail bags, fishing equipment, diving, surfing etc.
3 Lockers at the front of the mast in addition to the anchor locker
Full cockpit weather protection with Batyline sun shade for the salon and all around the cockpit.
Winter or rain cockpit protection with canvas enclosure and clears.
ENGINES:
2 X NANNII Diesel 4150HE, only 1000h each approx. immaculate condition. Sail drive and GORI folding props.
SAILS AND RIGGING:
Sails:
Mainsail 80 m² full batten Ronstan (2010) Delta Voile
Gib self-tacking 37 m² (2010)
Gennaker 90m² (May 2020)
Symmetric spinnaker (2010)
Fittings:
Quality fittings (Ronstan)
3 Andersen 46ST Winches
1 Harken 48 electric primary winch
Mast:
Aluminum Soromap
Self stiffened by 3 spreaders
18 meters high
Boom:
Soromap Aluminum 6 meters long
Rigging:
All new May 2022: Top off the range Hamma Regatta stainless steel and rigging fittings:
Forestay 16.1m, Cap shrouds 15.6m, Diamonds, Guignol, lower shroud 10.5m, Martingal
Stainless steel chainplates thru-bolted to the hulls with easy access from inside and out.
ANCHORING:
Quick 1500w electric windlass, double control at panel and forward deck.
Spade 30kg main anchor (2017), Delta 25kg secondary anchor 60 meters of galvanised chain diameter 10mm (2019), plus rode.
TENDER:
Highfield (2017) RIB with protective chaps.
Yamaha 15CV 4 stroke outboard
ELECTRONICS:
Autopilot Raymarine SmartPilot
Raymarine Tridata ST60+, Wind ST60+, smartpilot ST 6002. ST 70 at the navigation table
Radar Furuno 1715
Maxsea Electronic Seamaps on chart plotter
AIS Vesper Marine Watchmate
VHF Icom M330 (new Mai 2022)
Raymarine speed ST70
Raymarine depth sounder and wind instruments
SAFETY:
SeaSafe 8 person liferaft
EPIRB
IOR auto-inflating Dan Buoy
Jacklines
Escape hatch in each hull
Trampolines replaced with new fine mesh (more comfortable and safer) New 2022
Detailed construction plans for the boat available and included in the inventory
ELECTRICS:
3.5Kw Mase Genset
9 X solar panels (4 X 140w and 5 X 100w) with charge controller
Victron Pure Sinewave Inverter 120A
4 X house batteries AGM (New May 2022)
Separate batteries for engine starts and for windlass
Victron battery charger
240V and 12V electrical systems
WATERMAKER:
60l' h Aquabase. New membranes and pump, fully serviced and rebuilt 2022
Disclaimer: The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.