A new day-charter for Ocean Voyager
The Ocean Voyager brand, integrated into the Grand Large Yachting group since 2015, is a major player in day charter yachts. But its range of catamarans had not evolved for many years. However, the sector is tending to develop and in recent years we have seen the arrival of new players on the market, such as the people of DayOne in La Rochelle. Ocean Voyager has decided to launch a rejuvenation of its offer with a new 40-foot multihull, the Optimo 40. "We started from the function by working on the deck layout and more modern forms with Franck Darnet (Editor's note: design firm specialising in water sports, which already works with the Grand Large group). Pierre Delion then joined the project for naval architecture aspects," explains Bruno Voisard, who is working on the development of Ocean Voyager for Grand Large Yachting.
Optimo 40 in standard version
A multi-version catamaran
The Optimo 40 is available in several versions to meet the needs of shipowners and different regulations. With a length of 11.99 m and a width of 6.85 m, the catamaran has a light displacement of 9.4 T. The standard propulsion system consists of two saildrive bases on 30 HP engines. Its sail area upwind is 93 m². It can accommodate up to 35 passengers, but in its basic version has only 20 seats.
As an option, the customer can add an additional bar or seats, increase tank capacity, cover the deck with a bimini or provide hull decorations.
Deck plan of the Optimo 40 in standard version (20 passengers)
Deck plan of the Optimo 40 in 35-passenger version
Ambitions in a growing small day-charter market
The choice to develop a 40-foot catamaran is no coincidence: "In my last years at Nautitech, I sold several Open 40s for the day-charter. I have seen the demand for this slot, where there are no boats specifically designed for day trips. The real competitors are refitted racing boats," says Bruno Voisard, "In addition, being just below 40 feet, you are "transport proof", which is important for boats made in Sri Lanka."
While Ocean Voyager currently produces between 4 and 5 boats per year, the brand's objective is to achieve an annual rate of around ten day charter multihulls.