A new name in luxury power catamarans is about to get real. Veya Yachts — a joint venture between French multihull specialist Fountaine Pajot and motor yacht builder Couach Catamarans — will show the Veya 53 for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026, with a second outing at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that autumn.
The partnership is the interesting part. Fountaine Pajot has been building sailing and power multihulls for over 40 years, while Couach's boatbuilding lineage goes back more than a century. The yachts are constructed at Couach's shipyard in Gujan-Mestras on the Bay of Arcachon, south-west of Bordeaux, with naval architecture from Berret-Racoupeau, the La Rochelle firm known across the multihull world.
So what do you actually get? A 16.5-metre catamaran with nearly 8 metres of beam and a shallow 1.10m draught — handy for anchoring close to beaches. Twin 550hp Yanmar diesels provide the muscle. The layout leans heavily on outdoor living: a foredeck lounge, a panoramic flybridge and a large aft cockpit give guests several separate spots to spread out, plus a hydraulically operated bathing platform for getting in and out of the water. Below that sits a 2,610-litre garage big enough for paddleboards, wingfoil gear and dive kit — a clear sign this is aimed at people who plan their holidays around the water rather than the marina bar.
Below decks, buyers choose between three- or four-cabin layouts. The owners' suite gets panoramic sea views, and the connected galley and saloon are arranged for couples and families planning longer stretches aboard. The whole design philosophy is summed up by the brand tagline, 'Room for Adventure'.
Why catamarans, though? Power cats offer the twin-hull benefits of volume, privacy and stability at anchor, but the source makes a less obvious point about how they move: without the resistance hump of a conventional monohull planing boat, the Veya 53 can run efficiently at a range of cruising speeds rather than one narrow sweet spot. That translates to a steadier, quieter ride underway — worth knowing if anyone in your family gets queasy.
For travellers, this matters in a broader sense too: the power catamaran segment is growing fast, and boats like the Veya 53 are pushing charter and owner expectations upward — more space, more toys, better livability. If you're the kind of holidaymaker who books a crewed or bareboat charter in the Med or the Caribbean, expect designs like this to trickle into fleets over the next few years. And if you happen to be in Cannes between 8 and 13 September 2026, the yacht will be on display at Vieux Port, with viewings bookable through the Veya website.
This one's for buyers and serious charter fans, not casual beach-readers — but it's a good window into where motorboat design is heading: multihull stability, superyacht-style detailing, and enough garage space to kit out an active week on the water.
