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Lavranos Sailboats

Explore Lavranos sailboats and the details behind each model. If you are shopping for a Lavranos sailboat, we keep an eye out for Used Lavranos Sailboats.

Model ↕Listings ↓Year Built ↕LOA (ft) ↕Beam (ft) ↕Draft (ft) ↕Disp. (lbs) ↕Hull ↕Designer ↕Rig ↕Keel ↕
Lavranos Admiral 409 for sale200740 ft24 ft3 ft18,078 lbsCatamaranAngelo LavranosFractional SloopTwin
Lavranos Admiral 384 for sale199838.06 ft22.97 ft2.62 ft15,432 lbsCatamaranAngelo LavranosFractional SloopTwin
Lavranos Holiday 23—197923 ft8.22 ft5.43 ft2,866 lbsMonohullA. LavranosFractional SloopLifting
Lavranos L 26—198025.59 ft8.79 ft4.76 ft3,527 lbsMonohullAngelo LavranosFractional SloopFin
Lavranos Morgan 31—197830.52 ft10.33 ft4.76 ft11,984 lbsMonohullAngelo LavranosMasthead SloopLong
Lavranos Compass 47—198047 ft13.5 ft6.25 ft27,500 lbsMonohullAngelo LavranosMasthead SloopFin
Lavranos Admiral 50—200049.21 ft27.89 ft4.27 ft23,149 lbsCatamaranAngelo LavranosFractional SloopTwin

Lavranos sailboats: a design credit behind Cape Town's catamaran-building boom

"Lavranos" on a boat is a design credit, not a shipyard's mark. It belongs to South African naval architect Angelo Lavranos, whose catamaran designs were built by a scattering of separate yards rather than a single factory. Gunboat president Peter Johnstone told Cruising World that Cape Town's rise as a catamaran-building hub owed much to two local designers: Alexander Simonis and Angelo Lavranos. Three yards carried that design credit into production: St Francis Marine, Voyage Yachts, and Admiral Yachts.

Origins and ownership

St Francis Marine was founded in 1988 in St Francis Bay, South Africa, and by its own account remains owned by its original founders, having built more than 120 boats since. Its semi-custom Lavranos design, the St. Francis 50, won Cruising World's 2006 Boat of the Year award for Best Catamaran. At Admiral Yachts, David Bird served as managing director; the 38-footer's reputation was strong enough to presell more than 15 examples of the follow-on Admiral 40 before its first hull was even launched.

Construction through the eras

St Francis builds its catamarans in vinylester resin with an acrylic core and stitched fiberglass, adding carbon reinforcement at high-load points. Voyage Yachts keeps a 120-person workforce hands-on throughout construction, with very little automation in its approach. By the time of a 2007 Cruising World feature, Admiral Yachts had moved production into a new 65,000-square-foot facility with a staff of 65, and its catamarans carry National Marine Manufacturers Association certification. The Admiral 40 - designed by Lavranos Marine Design, built by Admiral Yacht Mfg, and expanded from the earlier Admiral 38 - uses hand-laid FRP laminate over a vacuum-bagged balsa core.

Lines and generations

Voyage's catalog runs 44 to 58 feet, entirely to Lavranos designs; about a third of its annual output of 12 or 13 boats goes to the builder's own charter fleet, with the rest sold mostly to American owners, and every hull - even the day-charter Voyage 450 - is sailed to the British Virgin Islands rather than shipped. The Voyage 580 and 440 are former Cruising World Boat of the Year winners.

Who Lavranos is for

A buyer drawn to the Lavranos name is really choosing among three separate South African catamaran builders united by one architect's plans: St Francis Marine's long, founder-owned continuity, Voyage's hands-on production run partly feeding its own charter fleet, or Admiral's rapid growth off a presold reputation. The design credit is the throughline; the builder is where the boat's actual story lives.

Frequently asked questions

01Did Lavranos build the sailboats that carry its name?+
No. Lavranos is the design credit of South African naval architect Angelo Lavranos, whose catamarans were built by separate yards - including St Francis Marine, Voyage Yachts, and Admiral Yachts - rather than by a single company operating under his name.
02What is Lavranos's connection to Cape Town's catamaran-building reputation?+
Gunboat president Peter Johnstone told Cruising World that Cape Town's rise as a catamaran-building hub owed much to two local designers: Alexander Simonis and Angelo Lavranos.
03What's the story behind the St. Francis 50's design credit?+
The St. Francis 50 is a semi-custom Lavranos design built by St Francis Marine, a St Francis Bay yard founded in 1988 that, by its own account, remains owned by its original founders and has built more than 120 boats; the 50 won Cruising World's 2006 Boat of the Year award for Best Catamaran.
04How does Voyage Yachts build its Lavranos-designed catamarans?+
Voyage's full range, from 44 to 58 feet, is entirely Lavranos-designed and built by a 120-person workforce that stays hands-on with very little automation. About a third of its annual output of 12 or 13 boats goes to the builder's own charter fleet, and every hull is sailed to the British Virgin Islands rather than shipped. The Voyage 580 and 440 are former Cruising World Boat of the Year winners.
05What do we know about Admiral Yachts' Lavranos-designed catamarans?+
The Admiral 38's reputation presold more than 15 examples of the follow-on Admiral 40 before its first hull was launched. By the time of a 2007 Cruising World feature, Admiral had moved into a new 65,000-square-foot facility with a staff of 65 under managing director David Bird, and its catamarans - including the hand-laid FRP, balsa-cored Admiral 40 - carry National Marine Manufacturers Association certification.