Menu

Breaking news: ORC to launch the ORC52.2!

Launching a new catamaran is always an exciting moment for a shipyard.

Celebrating the one-year anniversary of its acquisition by Grand Large Yachting group, the Lorient-based ORC has created a momentum during the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024 by introducing the ORC52.2 to the numerous visitors and worldwide media attending the show.

Based on the ORC50 – of which 26 units were built – the ORC52.2 is both a visible evolution of the exterior, but also a kind of revolution of her interiors.

While her silhouette has been fine-tuned by the naval architect Christophe Barreau, her interior design has been revamped by Franck Darnet: minimalist yet contemporary and warm.

With already a first unit ordered, the ORC52.2 is starting a promising career, and will seduce not only the discerning sailors looking for blue water adventure, but also those in the quest of sensations at the helm. The ORC52.2 is what an ORC will always be: a simple, light and fast catamaran.

Have a look here at the first renderings and let us know what you think!

The ORC Team

Owners Stories: « the faster you sail, the shorter the time becomes »

Our customers sailing on their ORC always have amazing stories to share. You’re already familiar with the ORC57#3, aka “Avel Vaez”, since we launched her last February and have shared the beginning of her adventures.

Her owner has made her available for charter. She spent the whole summer in Greece and will be in the Caribbean waters this winter.

The video shows one of her charter clients, at the helm, coached by the skipper.

Under 40 knots AWS (apparent wind speed), with 2 reefs in the mainsail and a J2, the ORC57 gently cruises at 20 knots.

Her skipper says:

“Sea state could not allow us to reach top speeds. Avel Vaez was taking off on the wave crest, and her sharp bows piercing the next wave. For the crew and the passengers, speed was exhilarating, but the spray was a reminder of the reality! No creaking on board (except the winch when we’d ease the sheet), just the sea banging on the hulls. As one of the passengers remarked: the faster you go, the shorter the time becomes!”

Christian, skipper ORC57#3 Avel Vaez

Clearly, at 20 knots, time becomes shorter, especially when you sail from island A to island B within a day!

Sometimes, one would love to have this special time last a bit more and enjoy more time at the helm…or benefit from this shortened transit time to spend more time on land and explore the surroundings.

A true dilemma!

What about you? What do you prefer? Let us know here!

Did you know? #4 Displacement-Length Ratio (DLR)

A few weeks ago, we’ve explained here the SA/D ratio.

Another ratio is also commonly used to compare the efficiency and power of cruising yachts: it’s the DLR or D/L ratio. It is a pretty good indicator of the “sea motion” for a yacht, since it will figure how a hull will behave in/on the sea, should it be a long frequency swell or in choppy conditions.

Once again, please note that these ratios have originally been created to compare monohulls, but they could be used for multihulls, too. In both cases, a lower figure would mean excellence, a higher one a relative mediocrity.

In this ratio, with no surprise, a high displacement will boost the value, where an important length will lower it down. For the record, a ratio of 90 is considered “ultra-light” for a monohull, where a ratio of 360+ will be considered “ultraheavy”.

Why is this ratio interesting when comparing fast cruising catamarans?

Because it will underline the fact that, with a given length, a decent displacement will become a factor of performance. And in the case of a fast cruising cat, we’d better have hulls not going too much into the waves, as it would generate a resistance synonym of suddenly decreasing speed. Speed that can be gained by a light displacement will enable the cat to stay on the waves and not in them, and to stay on top of the crests in choppy seas.

Here is the formula:

If you’re looking to acquire a fast cruising catamaran, we invite you to take other catamarans numbers (length at the waterline and light displacement) and to compare their ratios to the ones of the ORCs.

  • For our ORC50, the DLR is 78.
  • For our ORC57, the DLR is 59.

So, what’s your conclusion?
Let us know here!

Fair winds,
The ORC Team

Composite: a default-less result thanks to ORC quality control

A composite-built boat is synonym of quality and sustainability. To guarantee these criteria, we, at ORC, have put in place extremely rigorous control processes. Among the potential defaults we look for, air bubbles in the composite are on top of the list. No worries, our external expert is here to spot them!

Air bubbles: the worst enemy of solidity

Air bubbles in the composite are not visibly by the human eye, but they could jeopardize the resistance and life duration of a piece. These micro-cavities are potentially weak points, since they could later crack, especially under the effect of effort and load constraint. This is why detecting them in advance is a crucial step in the building process.

The expert’s tool: ultrasound scanner

Our external expert used high-tech tools to detect air bubbles. The ultrasound scanner enables him to visualize the interior of the infused pieces and detect potential anomalies.

These waves pass through the material and are reflected when they encounter an interface, such as an air bubble, a crack or a change in the density of the material.

Careful repair for an optimum reliability

When an air bubble is detected by our external expert, our teams promptly react and proceed to a repair. Our technicians will make sure that the solidity and waterproofing are indisputable. This process ensures every single piece is compliant with our quality standard..

Peace of mind for the owners

Thanks to its meticulous quality control, ORC offers to its future owners a guarantee of tranquility and safety. When you acquire a boat from our shipyard, you know that she’s going to last and be safe.

Air bubbles are not welcome in the composite boat building process! At ORC, thanks to the joined effort of our external expert and our reputed teams, using state-of-the-art technology, we do best on a daily basis to offer impeccable products.

Visit our shipyard to better understand how we proceed!

Composite boat building techniques / Talents@ORC, episode 2: infusion

Building a composite fast cruising catamaran consists in a succession of steps, but is also the output of a know-how. 

In this new original series of videos, you’ll discover in each episode one of these steps, giving birth to each ORC, but also the people and talent behind this knowledge. 

Today, let’s discover what “infusion” is all about, with Sebastien.

Infusion consists in injecting resin to seal a fiberglass and foam sandwich. Let’s see how:

If you’re interested in knowing more, come and visit us and meet with our team, let us know here

See you soon!

The ORC Team