Design and Construction
The Windelo 50 structure uses volcanic basalt fiber in its woven rovings and a core of recycled PET foam sandwich, with the freeboard in PET/PVC and the deck in basalt and PET foam sandwich. By structural need, 45% of the catamaran is PVC and 55% is recycled PET, and the builder presents the recycled PET core as having half the carbon footprint of virgin PVC foam. Interior furniture is a lighter composite with two-layer FSC plywood on either side of PET foam. The hulls are sharp, the look is sporty and sleek, and daggerboards with a 35-inch bridge clearance separate the boat from more basic production models while helping it point higher.
Rig and Handling
A fractional sloop with a powerful rig, the Windelo 50 carries 1,453 square feet of upwind sail area and a self-tacking jib that let test sailors hold 6.2 knots when pinched to 40 degrees AWA in 15 knots of true breeze. With the daggerboards about a quarter down for grip, the same 15-knot session produced 9 knots at 60 degrees AWA over a 2-foot chop, and a large Code 0 drove 10 knots at 110 degrees AWA when wind puffed to 17 knots. Owners report a transatlantic ARC passage touching 15 knots of boatspeed, and the manufacturer describes the boat as light, responsive, and highly efficient in light winds yet reassuring in heavy weather, borne out by the claim that she sails under canvas from just 4 knots.
Accommodations
The open nacelle creates a central living space where galley, cockpit, and helm are seamlessly connected, and the forward helm is a fully enclosed station with twin wheels about six feet apart, three winches, line organizers, and skylights over each wheel for mainsail visibility. The salon places the nav station to port and galley to starboard, though the galley may be moved aft or into the forward starboard corner; a watch berth, chart table, and multiple possible layouts support the ergonomic brief. The owner's suite occupies the port hull with a large forward head, central desk, and athwartship aft bed with foot room to avoid climbing over a partner, while the starboard hull holds a narrow forward cabin and a double aft. There is no aft cockpit as such — the salon is the aft cockpit, with a narrow terrace and a molded transom section that extends the nacelle at rest and carries the dinghy davits.
Known Issues
Visibility aft is the boat's clear blind spot. Testers noted the view forward is excellent, but the solid bulkhead between the galley and starboard helm completely blocks whatever is happening behind, and the bulkheads aft of each wheel make sightlines to the swim steps nearly zero without a backup camera. Boats.com records that getting onto the aft deck quickly to handle lines is not easy either. Separately, one tester observed the anchor chain hanging below the longeron rather than riding in a well above — a detail worth checking on any individual boat.
Refits and Ownership
Early boats accessed the salon from the aft terrace via a garage-style door lifting to the cabintop like Bali catamarans; Windelo has since moved to traditional glass sliders. The deck and cabintop were redesigned, lengthening the hardtop by roughly 3.5 to 4 feet, deepening the cockpit seats, and adding solar room that raised energy generation by 30%. Production is planned at 10 boats per year, with the company booking units out into 2027, and the model is offered in Adventure, Yachting, and Sport versions — the Sport adding a carbon mast and boom.
The Verdict
The Windelo 50 is a genuinely different bluewater cat: a sustainability-led design with basalt/PET structure, a forward enclosed helm, and real light-wind performance backed by electric-hybrid propulsion and serious solar/hydrogen regen. The trade-offs are concentrated in aft visibility and awkward line handling at the transom, inherent to the no-aft-cockpit layout.
Pros
- Basalt fiber and recycled PET structure with documented lower carbon core
- Sails from 4 knots; 9 knots at 60° AWA and 15-knot reported transatlantic bursts
- Forward enclosed cockpit with seamless galley-helm-salon connection
- 53.8 kWh lithium bank, ~6,000 W solar, hydrogeneration, 1.5-hr generator recharge
Cons
- Solid bulkheads block aft visibility; near-zero view to swim steps without camera
- No aft cockpit; quick aft-deck line handling is difficult
- Anchor chain observed riding below longeron rather than in a well
