Design and Construction
The 640’s hulls, decks, and structural bulkheads are vacuum-infused fiberglass-PVC foam sandwich structures, a method Privilège adopted across its modern range to replace earlier hand-lamination. The central rostrum pod forward is not merely a styling gesture; it reinforces the vessel’s longitudinal stiffness and houses the master cabin, a layout signature of the brand’s recent generations. Twin iron-ballasted keels and spade rudders complete the underwater profile, with a maximum draft of just over six feet keeping her accessible to shallow anchorages for a yacht of this size. Her capsize screening ratio of 3.04 and comfort ratio near 15.8 place her firmly in the long-distance cruising catamaran class rather than the performance racer end of the spectrum.
Rig and Sail Plan
The fractional sloop rig carries a mast 89.6 feet above the waterline, driving a 1,421-square-foot mainsail and a 947-square-foot genoa as standard working canvas anchor. Upwind flexibility comes from a 355-square-foot jib, while offwind reach is covered by a 1,894-square-foot gennaker and a 3,229-square-foot spinnaker. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 24.08 and a displacement-length ratio near 110, the 640 is tuned for loaded passage-making: she will not leap out of the water in zephyrs, but her sail plan is sized to keep her moving under cruising payload. A hull speed around 10.7 knots is theoretical maximum for the 63.3-foot waterline.
Accommodations
The standard arrangement provides four guest cabins plus a separate skipper cabin, a configuration that supports either private owner use or a professional crew on a delivery. Franck Darnet’s interior work, consistent with his role as Privilège’s primary interior designer since 2012, emphasizes the volume the 30-foot beam affords without resorting to the open-plan vagueness of lesser multihulls. The forward rostrum pod places the owner’s suite ahead of the saloon, isolating it from machinery and guest traffic. Tankage underlines the passage-making intent: 343 gallons of water across two tanks and 528 gallons of diesel in two banks, fed to a twin 110-horsepower Volvo Penta drivetrain for redundancy under power.
The Verdict
The Privilège 640 is a thoroughly modern, vacuum-infused cruising catamaran from a builder with decades of multihull lineage under Marc Lombard’s naval architecture. She is large, heavily equipped for autonomous voyaging, and laid out to carry both owners and crew in separated quarters. Her size and displacement mean she is a managed vessel rather than a casual daysailer, but the engineering and volume are directed squarely at serious offshore use.
Pros
- Vacuum-infused foam-core construction with vinylester osmosis barrier
- Forward rostrum pod adds structural stiffness and private owner suite
- Generous fuel and water capacity for long passages
- Twin-engine redundancy with 110 HP per side
- Four guest cabins plus dedicated skipper cabin
Cons
- 62,390-pound displacement limits light-air acceleration
- 63'12'' length demands professional-level dockage and handling
