- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- United States (company); yard in Knysna, South Africa
- Shipyard location
- Knysna, South Africa
- Official website
- https://www.kineticcatamarans.com/
Brand Overview
Builder of all-carbon performance cruising catamarans, founded in 2018 — the 16.5-metre KC54 and the new K6 in 64-foot and 68-foot lengths, designed by Simonis Voogd in the Netherlands and built in Kinetic's own yard in Knysna, South Africa.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Kinetic Catamarans was founded in 2018 and describes itself as a US company with its yard in Knysna, South Africa: a joint venture between Bob Hayward, a US real estate developer and entrepreneur, and Leon Scheepers, a South African boatbuilder with long experience of multihull production. Its stated aim is luxury performance cruising catamarans of the highest quality and reliability, built entirely in carbon for the weight saving and strength, with performance carbon rigs and sail plans yet set up for a cruising couple to sail short-handed. All the boats are designed by Simonis Voogd Design in the Netherlands; the electrical systems are drawn up with Cay Electronics, the rig and sailing set-up with Rigging Projects, and the sails come from North Sails. The KC54 is 16.5 metres long and 8.3 metres wide, with a forward sailing cockpit that doubles as a lounge, a coachroof-stepped carbon mast, three helms (one inside the salon), carbon centreboards, twin Yanmar diesels with Integrel E-Drives for hybrid electric motoring, and a three-cabin owner's or four-cabin layout. The K6 takes the same idea to two purpose-built lengths, 19.5 and 20.75 metres; tooling for it began in 2026. Every boat is semi-custom, with layout, finishes and sailing set-up chosen by the owner, and the yard puts weight on after-sales support wherever the boat is.
Who sails them
Kinetic owners are experienced sailors, often a couple, who want to sail fast and far on their own — sailing when others motor, as the yard puts it — without giving up a spacious, light salon with a 360-degree view, and who want to shape the layout, finishes and rig of their boat with the yard's design team.
Signature models
The KC54 defines the brand: an all-carbon 54-footer with a forward cockpit, a coachroof-stepped mast, a three-helm set-up and hybrid E-Drives, built in Kinetic's own yard in Knysna, where KC5407 'Ness' was the latest to touch the water; the K6 is the next step up, one design in two lengths.
Strengths
The builder points to all-carbon construction for lightness and stiffness, a generous, balanced sail plan with a choice of Performance or Turbo rig and of in-boom furling or slab reefing, push-button controls for short-handed sailing, three helm stations, centreboards with position sensors, hybrid electric motoring, and semi-custom interiors from its own design team.
Considerations
The specifications on the model pages are printed as images, not text; the K6 is shown only in renders of the 64-foot version and gives no cabin count; the engines are named as 'Yanmar 80' and 'Yanmar 110' without a power figure; and displacement is given as a target lightship weight alongside a 'realistic cruising weight' several tonnes heavier.
Analysis generated 10/18/2026
Part of
Kinetic Catamarans · since 2018
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 3
- Length range
- 16.5–20.75 m
- Hull forms
- Sailing Catamaran 3
- Cabins
- 3–4
Models by this brand
3 models
History
Kinetic Catamarans was founded in 2018 and, in its own words, has established itself as a creator of innovative, quality performance catamarans. It is a US company with its yard in Knysna, South Africa, and a joint venture between two keen sailors: Bob Hayward, a successful US real estate developer and entrepreneur, and Leon Scheepers, a respected South African boatbuilder with wide experience of multihull production. Their vision is luxury performance cruising catamarans of the highest quality and reliability, and their philosophy that time on the water is precious: the boats use all-carbon construction for its weight saving and strength, carry performance carbon rigs and sail plans, and are set up for short-handed sailing, with only leading equipment and suppliers, attention to detail and after-sales support meant to take the complexity out of owning a boat of this kind. The designs come from Simonis Voogd Design BV in the Netherlands; the electrical systems are designed with Cay Electronics (USA, Tortola), the rig and sailing set-up with Rigging Projects (UK, the Netherlands), and the sails by North Sails.
History written fromkineticcatamarans.com/about· Our Storyread 10/18/2026