French Born World Bound
As someone who spends at least ten minutes everyday dreaming of the moment I set out on a circumnavigation of the globe, I tend to look at a lot of boats for sale. And for some reason, practical or otherwise, I have always been drawn to ocean going sailing catamarans. Maybe it’s the speed I desire, or the privacy of the hull cabins, the lack of a heeling angle, or perhaps the idea of staring across the wide beam and into the horizon. Whatever it is that captivates me draws me to consider every sailing cat I see as a potential future purchase. Over time I have bounced from one model to another and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Prout, Privilege, PDQ. Seriously researching, polling opinions, weighing options. Well, it’s happened again.
Oh, the feeling of falling in love. The rush of excitement, the obsession, the surety, the wistful daydreaming has returned. And the object of my desires? The Fountaine Pajot Mahe’ 36. A boat after my heart.
The Mahe’ is one of the newer models from Fountaine Pajot, a French manufacturer of both sail and power catamarans started in 1976 by Jean-François Fountaine. With a reputation for quality and design FP, as it’s often referred to, now dominates the world cruising catamaran market.
The Mahe’ was released in 2006 as an attempt to use FP’s experience in design and manufacturing to deliver an exquisite cruising catamaran within an affordable budget. And the result could not be more pleasing. From the sleek lines to the smart finishes, combining tested performance and modern technique, the Mahe’ stands out from the crowd in the entry-level cruising catamaran market. This is definitely a boat I could circle in the world in.
For a more complete and technical review of the Mahe’, read the review in Cruising World Magazine, July 2007, by Andrew Burton.
I saw the Mahe 36 at the Fort Lauderdale Boat show, and I must admit that she shows well. That being said, I have no idea about her construction.