- Founded
- 1995
- Headquarters
- BSM de Keroman, Rue du commandant l'Herminier Bloc K1, 56100 Lorient, France
- Shipyard location
- Lorient, France
- Official website
- https://ocean-rider-catamarans.com/
Brand Overview
Lorient builder of fast, light cruising catamarans since 1995, now part of the Grand Large Yachting group — two tiller-steered boats, the 52-foot ORC 52.2 by Barreau-Neuman and the 18.4-metre ORC 57 flagship by Marc Lombard.
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
ORC — Ocean Rider Catamarans, the yard formerly known as Marsaudon Composites, whose old web address now leads to the ORC site — says that since its creation in 1995 it has built a reputation for fast cruising catamarans on a philosophy of simplicity, summed up as 'simple by nature, fast by design, pleasant by definition'. It belongs to the Grand Large Yachting group and works from BSM de Keroman in Lorient. The range is two boats. The ORC 52.2 is a 15.84-metre blue-water catamaran by Barreau-Neuman with an interior by Franck Darnet Design, a new roof window, reworked sugar scoops and enlarged openings, a standard weight of 10.5 tonnes, draft of 1.50 or 2.95 metres and a 25.80-metre air draft; the yard stresses its SA/D and DLR ratios and that it is sailed with two fingers on the tiller. The ORC 57, the flagship by Marc Lombard Yacht Design, is 18.39 metres long and 9.61 metres wide with a light weight of 11.9 tonnes, helm seats and tillers, an elevated watch bunk and a layout personalised for each owner; the yard says she starts sailing in 6 knots of true wind. Through the group, owners have access to brokerage, training and blue-water support.
Who sails them
ORC owners are experienced sailors who want catamaran space without giving up the feel of a light, fast boat — short-handed couples and families planning fast blue-water cruising or a circumnavigation, and sensation-seekers who also take the boats racing.
Signature models
The tiller-steered light cruising catamaran is the signature — today the ORC 52.2, the yard's new 52-footer, with the larger, made-to-measure ORC 57 as the flagship.
Strengths
ORC is known for light displacement and high power-to-weight ratios, tiller steering with a direct feel, simple systems by design, deep and shallow draft positions, an experienced composite yard in Lorient, and the brokerage, training and blue-water services of the Grand Large Yachting group.
Considerations
Each page prints only a short 'Key data' block — no engines, tanks, cabins or CE category — and the brochure is behind a request form; the 52.2 gives hull length but no overall length; each ORC 57 is personalised, so layouts vary; the pages carry only a few photographs; and the Marsaudon Composites name no longer appears on the builder's site.
Analysis generated 10/18/2026
Part of
Also in the catalogue
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 2
- Length range
- 18.39 m
- Hull forms
- Sailing Catamaran 2
Models by this brand
2 models
History
ORC says that since its inception in 1995 its shipyard has developed a reputed know-how in building fast cruising catamarans, with a philosophy based on simplicity. The yard holds that simplicity is a timeless value that offers nothing but benefits, and that over the years it has become a real 'art de vivre' for its customers, who sail on all the seas and oceans of the globe. Its stated aim is to give owners the maximum of pleasure — a word, it notes, that shares its roots with the French 'plaisance', yachting. Its motto sums up the approach: simple by nature, fast by design, pleasant by definition.
History written fromocean-rider-catamarans.com/en/welcome-to-orc/· Welcome to ORCread 10/18/2026