La Grande Motte the rise of the trimaran

AT the end of April 2019, I ventured to the south of France to attend the 10th International Multihull Boat Show at La Grande Motte. This was my second consecutive visit to the show. This show is now firmly established on the calendar of everyone with any interest in the subject of multihull cruising yachts: catamarans or trimarans.

This time I noticed a major difference in the offered array of multihull designs. For the first time the multihull boat show included a large contingent of trimarans, big and small. This is a significant change as the cruising catamaran industry is an established one with many interested buyers, while trimarans, in general, have been a less sought-after yacht.

There were five trimaran companies with boats presented on the marina; these included Neel, Dragonfly, Rapido, Tricat and Libertist. Interestingly, the Corsair brand was tacked away at the back of the Seawind marina berth, with no real presence among the other trimarans.

This shift