Design Brief & Intent
The core objective behind the Decision 35 was to deliver ultimate light-air efficiency without resorting to the astronomical budgets associated with open-class development. Sébastien Schmidt’s design team engineered a platform capable of sailing at double-digit speeds in mere puffs of breeze, utilizing an incredible power-to-weight ratio. To maintain class parity and control costs, the boat was established as a strict one-design fleet, meaning racing success relied entirely on tactical skill and crew coordination rather than technological spending wars.
This boat represents the complete antithesis of the cruiser-racer multihull. There is no interior joinery, no cabin, and zero accommodations. The hulls are incredibly narrow, high-aspect semi-canoes designed purely for hydrodynamic efficiency and low drag. Structurally, the platform features an innovative central "rig pod"—a structural "canoe" or pod extending from the front beam—which was designed to handle the massive compression and tension loads of the rig while keeping weight to an absolute minimum. This arrangement replaced the incredibly complex, heavy, and expensive truss systems of its predecessor, the famous lake prototype Le Black, striking a compromise between high stiffness and production scalability.
Construction & Structural Architecture
The construction of the Decision 35 represents a tour de force in advanced composite engineering of the early 2000s. Rather than using standard wet-laid fiberglass or heavy production resins, the builders at Decision SA utilized autoclave-cured prepreg carbon fiber skins over a Nomex honeycomb core. This specialized process produced hulls with carbon skins less than one millimeter thick, bringing the total dry displacement of the platform down to a featherweight 2,755 pounds (approximately 1,200 kilograms).
To build the initial run of boats under tight deadlines, the shipyard constructed a massive custom oven capable of curing an entire boat’s components simultaneously in a single ten-day cycle. The cured carbon shells were then bonded to high-modulus carbon crossbeams on a high-precision steel jig. The spars, including a 20-meter rotating carbon wing mast, were optimized to handle upwind sail areas of up to 1,600 square feet and downwind gennakers approaching 2,280 square feet. High-aspect-ratio carbon daggerboards and balanced rudders completed the performance package, allowing the boat to point exceptionally high and slice through flat water with negligible resistance.
Sailing Performance & Handling
The physical sensation of sailing the Decision 35 is electric, governed by engineering ratios that defy standard yacht metrics. With an astronomical sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 133.5, the boat does not merely sail; it accelerates instantly in the lightest of drafts, easily exceeding true wind speed. The displacement-to-length ratio of 27.49 reflects its ultra-light displacement relative to its waterline length, ensuring that the hulls remain on top of the water, generating minimal wave-making drag. Conversely, the comfort ratio of 1.95 serves as a clear warning of the boat’s violent acceleration, quick motion, and lack of inertia in a seaway—it is a physical, demanding platform that requires an athletic, coordinated crew to sail safely.
At the helm, the Decision 35 is ultra-responsive, responding to millimeter changes in tiller position. The rotating wing mast can pivot up to 45 degrees to optimize airflow across the mainsail, allowing the crew to continuously twist and shape the rig to match changing wind angles. Upwind, the boat behaves with the agility of a dinghy but with the power of a 46-foot platform (measuring 46.16 feet overall due to its long, integrated carbon bowsprit). Sailing the D35 at its limit is an exercise in high-tension balance; the boat is highly sensitive to crew weight placement, and the threat of a pitchpole or capsize is ever-present in gusty conditions, requiring constant vigilance on the mainsheet and traveler.
Market Snapshot & Economics
Due to its highly specialized nature, the Decision 35 occupies a unique niche on the secondary brokerage market. It is a rare sight outside of European lake-racing hubs, with only a small number of hulls ever produced. Because the class has largely migrated to next-generation foiling multihulls in active Grand Prix circuits, these legacy carbon machines occasionally appear on the market, offering unparalleled speed-for-dollar value.
For prospective owners, the purchase price represents only a fraction of the operating budget. The economics of owning a Decision 35 are closer to running a small racing team than maintaining a recreational yacht. Maintaining high-modulus prepreg carbon structures, high-tension standing rigging, and delicate carbon-epoxy foils requires specialized boatyard knowledge. Furthermore, because these boats are raced at the absolute limit, sail replacement cycles are rapid, and the cost of maintaining a competitive inventory of carbon-aramid sails is significant.
Modernization & Upgrades
While the class was built as a strict one-design, veteran campaigns and subsequent private owners have continuously upgraded these platforms to keep them competitive in open lake classes and long-distance distance races like the Bol d’Or.
- Rig and Control System Modernization: Many teams have updated the original mechanical control lines with ultra-low-stretch Dyneema running rigging and high-efficiency ceramic-bearing block systems to reduce friction and control load deflection.
- Electronics and Telemetry: Upgraded sail-monitoring systems, carbon-housed load cells on the forestay and shrouds, and modern GPS/wind telemetry arrays have become standard, allowing tacticians to monitor platform twist and rig tension in real time.
- Foil and Rudder Refits: While the class rule originally restricted the use of fully lifting hydrofoils to preserve the pure tactical nature of the design, several privately campaigned boats have seen modernizations to their daggerboard cassettes and rudder gantry systems to accept high-performance surface-piercing foils or T-foil rudders for enhanced high-speed stability.
The Verdict
The Decision 35 is a legendary, uncompromising racing instrument built for sailors who prioritize raw velocity and tactical racing over all else. It remains one of the most efficient light-air multihulls ever created, representing an era of pure, un-foiled catamaran speed. For the right program, it offers a level of performance that few modern boats can match, provided the owner has the budget and the crew to handle its extreme nature.
Pros:
- Incredible light-air efficiency and acceleration.
- High-end prepreg carbon and Nomex construction for maximum stiffness and minimum weight.
- Highly responsive, tactical handling that rewards skilled crew work.
- Excellent performance-to-cost ratio on the secondary market compared to modern foiling platforms.
Cons:
- Zero cruising accommodations, amenities, or protection from the elements.
- Highly physically demanding and requires a highly experienced crew to avoid capsize.
- High ongoing maintenance costs, particularly regarding specialized carbon repairs and high-tech sails.
- Extremely scarce outside of European inland racing lakes.
