Shift Yachts Unveils 54+ Catamaran, Aimed at Serious Owner-Cruisers

Shift Yachts has entered the sailing-cat market with the 54+, a first model that reads less like a styling exercise and more like a deliberate owner-cruiser. The New Zealand-based brand is led by Paul Hakes and James Hakes, the father-and-son team with deep HH Catamarans roots, and the boat had been under development for about 16 months before its reveal.

That lineage matters. HH Catamarans was formed in 2012, and Paul Hakes stayed involved for 12 years before leaving in 2024. The new venture now carries that performance-cat pedigree into a fresh badge, which is exactly why the 54+ is being watched so closely. Shift is not trying to pretend it invented the category; it is trying to prove that it can extend a proven idea into a new brand with enough seriousness to stand on its own.

The numbers back up that ambition. The Shift 54+ measures 16.45 meters, or 53 feet 12 inches, with a 7.77-meter beam, or 25 feet 6 inches, and a light displacement of 10.38 tonnes, or 22,883 pounds. Sail area is substantial, with a 102-square-meter mainsail and an 82-square-meter genoa, while propulsion comes from twin Yanmar 4JH57 engines with a hybrid option available. Yanmar lists the 4JH57 at 57 mhp, or 41.9 kW, a specification that gives the boat a credible bridge between performance cruising and cleaner auxiliary power.

The design language is just as pointed. Wave-piercing bows, asymmetrical daggerboards, forward-set engines for better weight distribution and a CE Category A rating all suggest offshore intent rather than marina theatrics. Shift says the brief was to create the “ultimate couples cruising catamaran,” and the layout follows that logic with two pivoting helm stations, twin aft benches, two convertible dining and lounge areas, fold-down swim platforms, a forward-facing nav station and a large central galley island.

Cabins are moved forward to open the aft cockpit, a move that should matter to owners who want a social, uncluttered living area instead of a compromise-heavy charter plan. That focus on private use, long-distance comfort and performance places the 54+ in a familiar premium segment, but the family history, hybrid option and hard-edged sailing package give it a sharper identity than many new launches. The earlier HH44 was already talked about as a game changer; the Shift 54+ now becomes the test of whether that philosophy can travel cleanly into a new brand and still feel genuinely owner-driven.