Design and Construction
The 44 SC’s most distinctive feature isn’t an exotic deck layout but its underlying hull geometry. The hulls have particularly slim waterlines and fine-entry bows, favoring reduced resistance over the greater volume found in many cruising cats.
Both the hull and deck are built of solid fiberglass. The design has a spade rudder and twin keels, while the nacelle incorporates a watertight glass window. This detail reflects the builder’s intent for visibility and structural closure between the hulls.
With a beam of just under 24 feet and a loaded displacement near 17,000 pounds, the 44 SC is a moderate-displacement catamaran. Its capsize ratio of 3.73 and comfort ratio of 8.71 place it among considered cruising configurations rather than bare coastal racers.
Rig and Handling
The 44 SC carries a fractional sloop rig with a sleek sail plan and roughly 1,060 square feet of working sail area. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 25.65.
During testing off La Grande-Motte in calm seas and 6-to-8-knot winds, the boat showed the low-speed manners expected in a light-air multihull trial. Its slender hulls and fine entries are the kind of geometry that rewards a gentle breeze, without the blunt forward sections that pound in a seaway.
Propulsion and Performance
The 44 SC’s standout engineering feature is its asymmetrical hybrid powertrain. On the boat shown at La Grande-Motte, the port hull contained a diesel-electric hybrid engine, while the starboard hull carried a pure electric motor. The system was developed with Hybrid Marine, a British specialist in hybrid propulsion for workboats and sailboats.
This wasn’t merely a showpiece installation. The propulsion system was validated during an impressive 10,000-mile voyage from Vietnam to France. Engaging an electric motor at 30 percent of its maximum power produces a one-knot increase in boatspeed—a meaningful assist when clawing off a lee shore or making a quiet marina approach.
Accommodations
The available documentation focuses on the boat’s structure and systems rather than its interior arrangements. The sources don’t specify berth counts or describe cabin finishes.
The watertight nacelle window is the only interior-adjacent construction detail on record. It indicates a deliberate closure between the hulls rather than an open bridgedeck void.
Verdict
The Max Cruise 44 SC is a thoughtfully engineered catamaran. Its slim hulls and validated asymmetrical hybrid drive give it a genuine point of difference in the midsize cruising-multihull market. The documented 10,000-mile passage under hybrid power is a rare real-world endorsement for a boat of this type and era.
Pros
- Asymmetrical hybrid propulsion, with a port diesel-electric engine and starboard pure electric motor, developed with a specialist firm
- Slender waterlines and fine-entry bows designed to reduce resistance
- Hybrid system proven during a 10,000-mile voyage from Vietnam to France
- One-knot boatspeed gain from electric assistance at 30 percent power
Cons
- Available sources don’t document the interior accommodations
- No stated production end year or total hull count
