ILIAD Catamarans secures two 53F orders at Sanctuary Cove show

Sanctuary Cove was more than a brand-building stop for ILIAD Catamarans. The yard left the 2026 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show with two orders for the ILIAD 53F and several more deals moving across its range, a sign that the show translated into real buying rather than just booth traffic.

That matters in this segment because the 53F is not selling on flash alone. ILIAD positions it as an award-winning long-range cruising power catamaran, and the pitch is built around the kind of numbers serious buyers understand immediately: 2,500 nautical miles of cruising range on the 53F, and up to 4,000 nautical miles across the broader line, depending on model, at roughly 1.5 litres per nautical mile at about seven knots. In a market where range, fuel burn and liveaboard comfort can decide a deal, that is the sort of message that lands.

The company presented the 53F at Sanctuary Cove with The Yacht Sales Co., its Asia Pacific dealer, as the four-day show ran from 21 to 24 May on Australia’s Gold Coast. The commercial result suggests the regional demand is still there for a power cat that promises real autonomy, family-friendly space and enough volume to make extended coastal cruising feel practical instead of cramped.

ILIAD has been leaning into that message across multiple markets. The brand, established in 2016, now spans the 53F, 53F OffGrid Hybrid, 53S, 60 and 75, and it has been pushing harder in North America as well. When the company appointed Atlantic Yacht & Ship, Inc. as its exclusive dealer in the United States and The Bahamas, it said it was seeing “astonishing interest” from that market.

Sanctuary Cove also gave ILIAD a stage for what comes next. The company is lining up the ILIAD 53F OffGrid Hybrid as a world-premiere model, pairing the 53F platform with advanced e-Motion hybrid technology, Volvo D6 480HP engines, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries and integrated generator functionality for quieter, lower-emission cruising. That gives the show result a sharper edge: the brand is not just converting interest into orders, it is using the 53F’s momentum to build a bigger story around range, efficiency and offshore capability.

ILIAD has already shown that Australian boat shows can move the needle for it. At Sanctuary Cove, that effect was plain again, with the 53F turning foot traffic into signed orders and the rest of the line still in play.