World Cat wins North Carolina’s coolest thing made in NC award

World Cat put its manufacturing trophy front and center in June, and the timing made the win feel bigger than a badge on a homepage. The Tarboro builder was already pointing visitors to June demo and owner events, but the real headline was its 2025 North Carolina Chamber Coolest Thing Made in NC award, earned in the medium-business category for its powered catamaran boats.

The recognition carried real weight. The NC Chamber announced the winners on October 2, 2025, the day before National Manufacturing Day, after a statewide competition that drew more than 45,000 votes and 188 nominations. World Cat shared the category with Siemens Mobility and Ordway Glass Company, placing the catamaran brand inside a broader manufacturing conversation rather than a boat-only prize list.

That matters for World Cat because the company has spent years selling more than a hull shape. It says it traces its roots to Glacier Bay Edition boats in the Pacific Northwest and calls itself the largest maker of power catamarans in the world. It is based in Tarboro, North Carolina, in a 140,000-square-foot facility, and a TowneBank profile says the company started in Greenville in 1998 with 19 employees and three models before moving production to Tarboro in 2002. That same profile puts current employment at about 300.

The award now lands alongside a very active product story. World Cat’s 2026 updates brochure highlighted a new 265CC-X, a new 265DC-X, a standard fixed transom on the 265s and a new windshield on the 280DC-X. The 265CC-X page lists 400 maximum horsepower and says the model is 3X faster than a similar-size monohull and 35% more spacious than a monohull. The 265DC-X is billed as an all-new dual-console built around stability, safety and performance.

That combination is the real signal for buyers watching the catamaran market. The award says the brand has manufacturing credibility in North Carolina. The new model-year details say World Cat is trying to turn that credibility into showroom traffic, dealer attention and a fresher line in 2026, with the 265s and 280DC-X doing the heavy lifting.