Cape Town boatbuilder Jacobs Bros is building its first sailing catamaran, a custom 60ft aluminium cruising yacht that also introduces hybrid propulsion to the yard’s projects.
The commission takes the family-run business into a new vessel category after a history of building recreational and commercial aluminium boats, including ferries and ocean-going expedition monohulls. Its largest previous build was a 74ft monohull.
The client supplied a custom design after initially considering construction in Asia. The project then developed from initial contact to contract over the past year, with the owner visiting Cape Town to observe construction.
Parallel hybrid arrangement
The yacht will use a parallel hybrid arrangement, with a diesel engine coupled to an electric motor and generator in one hull, and an electric motor in the other, the first time the yard has used this system.
Construction is taking place with the hull structure upside down, the yard’s preferred approach.
The catamaran will then need to be assembled at another venue closer to Table Bay where it is due to be launched due to logistical constraints moving a vessel of this size from the yard’s inland location in Cape Town’s southern suburbs.
The brothers have retained much of the workforce from the company’s previous premises at the family home with approximately 80% of the team transferring from the earlier yard, providing continuity as the business tackles its first sailing multihull.
The project broadens the yard’s construction experience while retaining aluminium as its core material. Alongside the catamaran, a smaller workboat is nearing completion in an adjacent warehouse.
