VEYA Yachts debuts new premium power cat brand with VEYA 53

VEYA Yachts stepped into the premium power-cat fight with a pitch that felt more considered than flashy. Backed by Fountaine Pajot and Couach, the new brand leaned on two very different but complementary French lineages and used that mix to argue that the market still had room for a calmer, more coherent kind of catamaran, one built around space, balance, silence and technology.

That positioning matters because the upper end of the power-cat market has become crowded with builders chasing either brute performance or yacht-like dressing without always giving owners a clear identity. VEYA’s answer was the VEYA 53, the first model in a line that was originally known as CODE 07. The boat was developed by Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design and presented as a 16.50-metre cat with a beam of about 26ft 3in, three cabins for up to six guests, and an interior-exterior flow meant to make the boat feel open rather than oversized.

The layout pushed that idea hard. VEYA described the 53 with fluid circulation, visual continuity and a closer connection to the sea, while trade reporting pointed to seating on all three sides of the cockpit, a bar leading into the saloon, a sunken foredeck lounge and a flybridge designed to feel convivial instead of sprawling. It was not being sold as a brute or a chase boat with cushions; it was being framed as a family-and-entertaining cruiser for owners who want catamaran volume without the visual heaviness that often comes with larger motor yachts.

The propulsion and range options backed up the premium brief without drifting into excess. Reports said the VEYA 53 could be specified with twin 440hp or 550hp Yanmar engines, carried a standard 2,000-litre fuel capacity and could take an additional 800 litres as an option. One industry report also said four hulls were already in motion, with hulls 1 to 3 in production and hull 4 being laminated, while annual output was expected to land at 12 to 15 boats per model.

The rollout has been deliberate. VEYA first unveiled the brand at the Miami International Boat Show in 2025, then showed the concept at Cannes and La Grande-Motte later that year. By April 23, 2026, the company said the VEYA 53 was moving forward through construction, with a world debut targeted for the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026 and a Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show appearance also planned. Romain Motteau has fronted the venture, with Yvan Eymieu named as brand director and managing director, and that combination of fresh branding and deep boatbuilding history is exactly what VEYA is betting will set it apart from the rest of the premium field.