Christophe Barreau of Barreau-Neuman designed the boat, with Patrick Le Quément as design consultant and Darnet Design responsible for the interior. The 51 evolved from the Outremer 49, launched in 2009 to immediate success. Owner feedback gathered in 2013 led Outremer to stretch the hull to 51 feet. Built in La Grand-Motte, France, the boat has proved itself on all the seas of the globe as powerful yet easy, with unequaled resilience.
Design and Construction
The 51 uses the same basic molds as the Outremer 49, but several changes distinguish it. The hull edges were squared off to echo the larger 5X. The sugar-scoop transoms were extended by about a foot, and their inner walls were removed to make dinghy boarding easier. The cabin-top sheer was also redrawn, with nearly vertical saloon windows and front glass tucked beneath an eyebrow.
Construction combines a PVC foam, E-glass and resin sandwich above the waterline with solid laminate below it and beneath deck fittings. Exotic materials are confined to the rig. The result combines performance with cost-effective but sophisticated construction, while the hull is shaped to carry every comfort element demanded by a bluewater program.
Rig, Sail Plan and Handling
The standard aluminum spar carries a conventional full-roach mainsail, although most owners choose the square-headed alternative. A self-tacking jib is standard. A popular upgrade is a carbon-fiber rotating wing mast, which lowers the center of gravity and improves light-air performance.
The sail plan can be configured to suit different crews. For simplicity, there’s a self-tacking solent and a downwind gennaker. More demanding sailors can choose a genoa, staysail, gennaker or spinnaker. A furling screecher is stored in the starboard bow locker for light-air reaching, while a hank-on, self-tacking staysail sets on a detachable stay in stronger winds.
Electric winches handle the main halyard and genoa sheets. Although the mainsail area is slightly larger than the Outremer 45’s, all maneuvers remain accessible. On the test sail, setting the screecher took the boat past 10 knots, while owners have recorded 20 knots. Sailed conservatively, the target is a 7.5-knot passage average. The boat can also be ordered with a pair of tillers as a backup to the wheel.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The short bridgedeck trades saloon volume for a larger, safer cockpit. That leaves less lounging room than on a charter-oriented catamaran of the same length, but the well-protected, U-shaped cockpit is particularly suited to young children. Its two-part table folds out for meals or converts to a berth, alongside a usable side table.
Below, the three-cabin layout devotes the port hull to the owner. It has a queen berth aft, a head and shower forward, and lockers between them. The starboard hull contains two cabins that share a separate head. A charter version offers four cabins and two heads.
The galley sits aft to starboard, keeping the cook involved in the conversation. The saloon settee doubles as a passage berth, and the navigation station in the forward starboard corner provides near-panoramic visibility while on watch.
A 2018 facelift reduced weight, redesigned the interior, upgraded the finishes and reworked the galley. The boat visited for the article had light oak and white panels over a dark wenge sole.
Ownership, Payload and Updates
The 2013 owner survey prompted the change from 49 to 51 feet. In 2018, Outremer refined the cockpit living area and interior without altering the proven hull.
Owners who moved to the 51 from monohulls report no regrets about its performance, while the tiller bars provide the sensations of a light dinghy. One round-the-world couple called it the best compromise of performance, comfort and speed for a demanding circumnavigation completed in two and a half years.
With more than three tons of payload, the boat can absorb a tender, watermaker, washing machine, generator, air conditioning and similar equipment. Its load capacity is substantially greater than the Outremer 45’s, despite only three feet separating the two models.
The Verdict
The Outremer 51 is a light, fast bluewater catamaran that doesn’t punish its crew for choosing speed. It combines the upwind ability of daggerboards and a configurable rig with a protected family cockpit and a hull built to carry a substantial payload.
This is less a floating condominium than a serious passage-making boat. Its short bridgedeck limits the saloon accordingly, but that trade-off is central to the design.
Pros
- Benchmark family world cruiser with major international awards
- Configurable rig, from a simple solent to a carbon rotating wing mast
- More than three tons of payload and greater load capacity than the Outremer 45
- Protected U-shaped cockpit and owner-stateroom layouts
Cons
- Short bridgedeck limits saloon space compared with charter catamarans
- Exotic rig options and bespoke layouts add complexity for some buyers
