Itacatamarans: ITA 14.99 conquers the Venetian Arsenal

14.99 meters long, 7.80 meters wide and with a displacement of 12 tons and 260 kg, the
brand-new Itacatamarans ITA 14.99 is proudly displayed in the incomparable historical context of the Venice Boat Show. Emilio Caprini, founder of the shipyard, reveals that this project is the result of his extensive experience as a monohull user, which turned into the search for an ideal boat, a catamaran. But finding nothing on the market that met his requirements, he decided to have one designed for him by emerging designer Francois Perus: hence a series of successes among admirers who want to buy this uncompromisingly built boat.

He tells us that a couple of owners, after testing this catamaran in severe conditions, once back in port, decided on the spot to buy it because of its performance, feeling of well-being and safety on board, which were decidedly superior to others they had previously tested.

The difference between Itacatamarans and its foreign competitors, which are used to building ocean-going vessels, is that the design and finishes are typical of real yachts and fully Italian in taste: the attention to detail, the accurate study of the elements, the furniture, the fabrics, everything is designed to give that refined and timeless atmosphere typical of Italian products.

Available in 5 versions, the unit exhibited in Venice features two guest cabins with a shared head, a master cabin with private bathroom, a large sail locker and a sumptuous dinette with panoramic galley: all with truly unexpected headroom and volumes. All these features made the Ita 14.99 conquer the ” Multihull of the Year 2020″ award at the last Paris Boat Show.

Completely built in composite, with structural reinforcements in carbon, the boat uses neither plywood nor balsa, so it is ligthweight but sturdy at the same time. The hulls are moulded in one piece, as is the deck, and are then joined by complete fibreglass bonding to achieve very high rigidity.

The mast of this model is made in aluminium while the other four units launched had a 21.50 meter carbon mast and a stunning sail plan: 90-square-meter square top mainsail, 48-square-meter self-tacking jib, 140-square-meter gennaker and a 120-square-meter Code 0. Performance is thrilling, with upwind angles of up to 35° and top speeds of up to 20 knots when sailing upwind.

The draft is variable: from 130 cm with the keel raised on the upwind leg to 2.5 metres with the keel lowered on the downwind leg. But the boatyard’s greatest pride is the safety that this boat conveys to its owner: even in gusts of over 40 knots, there is never any need to let go of the mainsail quickly to avoid any possible risks!

Just think that this Itacatamaran is capable of sailing upwind in total safety with just a jib in a 40-knot wind at a speed of up to 12 knots. The feeling of safety is the plus that surprises those who try the boat out and is especially appreciated by woman owners, the Italian shipyard’s trump card.

Cockpit

All the rigging, such as halyards, sheets and reefs are located in the cockpit and it is not even necessary to go to the bow to assist in hositing the gennaker or climb up to the boom to trim the mainsail: everything has been designed for oceanic sailing where this aspect if really primary, as is the air space under the base of the hull which, with a height of 95 cm above the water, does not impact the waves.

A very important feature, both from an aesthetic and a technical point of view, is the elimination of the central uprights in the large saloon windows, with 8mm panes of glass integral with the structure, which is only possible with a truly solid and rigid hull.

Carbon fiber is extensively used in the elements that are subject to the greatest stress, such as the bowsprit, the martingale, the tender davits, all the areas around the mainsails (9 layers of carbon overlapping  each other!) and the longitudinal and transverse reinforcements. Clearly, the ideal owner of this ITA 14.99 is not a Sunday sailor, but a technical and long-experienced ocean sailor.

This catamaran is offered for sale, with complete sailing equipment and high-end OneSail sails, at a very aggressive price which does not exactly reflect its qualitative value. The boat is powered by twin Oceanvolt 15 kW electric engines combined with a solar panel array on the deckhouse roof but is also available with hybrid or diesel propulsion.