Outremer expands hybrid propulsion across its catamaran range

Outremer has moved hybrid propulsion from a select-option strategy to a range-wide decision, and that is the real shift for performance-cruising cat owners. The French builder now offers hybrid across its entire lineup, instead of limiting it to the Outremer 45 and Outremer 52, a change that points to growing demand for longer range, lower noise, better charging options and real redundancy without giving up offshore pace.

The brand is not naming technical partners, which leaves room for different system choices depending on model, layout and owner priorities. That flexibility matters on a catamaran, where battery capacity, charging strategy, weight distribution and propulsion redundancy can shape both passagemaking and day-to-day use in a marina. For buyers, the message is clear: hybrid is moving away from a special-order experiment and closer to a normal box to check on a serious cruising cat.

The strategy also fits the broader direction of Grand Large Yachting, which links Outremer with six French-made cruising brands and says its mission centers on offshore sailing, safety and support. Outremer has built offshore cruising catamarans since 1984, and its current range shows why a modular propulsion approach makes sense. The Outremer 48 is now listed as the successor to the 45, with a 4-ton payload and 10 possible interior layouts, while the 57 and 64 sit as the newest larger models in the line.

Outremer has already tested electric and hybrid ideas before this wider rollout. A factory Outremer 45 delivered in 2020 to Jimmy Cornell carried electric propulsion from Oceanvolt, whose hybrid systems combine diesel and electric power for long-range sailing and have been fitted to monohulls, multihulls and commercial vessels. The yard’s sustainability work has also gone beyond propulsion: Outremer said its 5X was the first time flax fiber replaced fiberglass in an Outremer 5X, and the first boat of that size at 18.28 meters to do so. The last 5X, named Big Five, was delivered in early May 2023 to German owner Joern, ending production of the model.

Grand Large Yachting has also deepened its materials work through a 2025 partnership with Nova Carbon to integrate recycled carbon fiber into shipbuilding. Taken together, the hybrid expansion, flax-fiber build and recycled-material push show a builder preparing for a future where performance cruising is expected to be cleaner, quieter and more system-flexible, not merely diesel-powered by default.