Sunreef Ultima 55 Open: More details emerge of new hybrid powercat

Sunreef Ultima models will feature modern, adventure-oriented styling with reverse bows, forward-raked windscreens and cockpits with large roof overhangs. They are primarily aimed at the dayboat and weekender market.

Stand-out features for all the Ultima models will include big foredeck terraces, luxurious semi-open saloons and folding aft bulwarks that transform the already wide aft deck into the kind of beach club areas normally only seen on much larger craft.

The Ultimas will also have masses of storage space for boating water toys like Seabobs, SUPs and foil boards. This new catamaran range will kick off next year with the launch of the Sunreef Ultima 55 Open but provisional plans for a 45, 66 and 77 are in the pipeline.

The Ultima 55 has an LOA of 54ft 5in and a beam of 18ft with the platforms raised but this expands to 24ft 11in once lowered. It can be ordered with either three or four cabins. Key options include a crew cabin for one and a hydraulic platform for the tender.

Sunreef is not revealing much detail about the much-vaunted hybrid propulsion package at this stage, save to say that it will be powered by twin 350kW electric motors fed by a combination of a powerful battery bank and diesel generators.

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This should deliver a top speed approaching 35 knots and a range of around 180nm at 25 knots. The battery bank can be charged directly from shore power or the onboard generators as well as being constantly topped up by solar panels on the wheelhouse roof.

Sunreef tells us the first batch of 10 Ultima 55s has already been sold, and that hull number one is currently under construction at a new facility located in the United Arab Emirates. The same site will build all future Sunreefs of 70ft and below.

The first Sunreef Ultima 55 is scheduled to be launched next spring and will have its world premiere during the 2024 Cannes Yachting Festival. Prices have yet to be released into the public domain but we are told to expect a well specified version of the 55 to cost in the region of €2.4 million, excluding taxes.

“For a company that made its name selling big, beamy sail and motor cats with multiple cabins, this is quite a radical move,” comments MBY editor Hugo Andreae. “Then again, it’s not hard to see why a motor cat makes the perfect platform for a fast day boat thanks to its inherent deck space, natural stability and low drag hulls. They’ve even managed to make it look half decent!”