Nutshell compact leisure catamaran

Home is where the boat is

Imagine you could have an apartment anywhere in the world enjoying breath-taking views of marinas, bays, harbours, canals or lakes.

Now imagine you could take your apartment out for a sail, learn new skills and even take it with you to another country…

The Nutshell 26 compact cat for 2-people that can be moored anywhere a monohull fits. It can be towed behind an SUV, fitted into a container and launched down a beach with a custom trailer.

It has a sail that’s easy to manage and twin electric pod-motors that allow a novice sailor to manoeuvre it onto a dock. These electric motors run off batteries powered by the sun and only need a fraction of the maintenance required to run a diesel. In addition it makes the Nutshell one of the greenest boats around; with sealed waste-water management and zero emissions. You can take the boat into protected reserves inaccessible to traditional craft as they conserve the local environment.

The Nutshell 26 utilizes limited space more efficiently than a 28m2 New York apartment. It has a double bed, two fridges, a 2-burner stove, a fitted kitchen, en-suite loo and shower, seating for 4, a fold-out bed, an enclosable patio and panoramic views with a huge swimming pool. It comes with its own SUP, hammock and sun bed.

The mast can drop, allowing you to pass under bridges, and if you’re sailing in convoy with other Nutshells, you can easily ramp two or more boats together to enjoy a cold beer with friends.

You can sail up rivers, tow a dinghy, anchor in secluded bays, snorkel in clear waters, catch a fish and braai off the back of your boat.

We ‘braai’ in South Africa – you may know it as “barbequing”.

33 thoughts on “Home is where the boat is”

    1. Hi Stuart, for now all we have are renderings. The moulds are under construction and the first boat will be launched in December. I can stay in touch if you wish? I just need an email address. You can subscribe via a pop-up coming soon.

      Reply

      1. Phil, interesting concept, but one critical thing for climates like here (New Orleans) seems to be absent from your brochures: any type of air conditioning. There’s a massive inland lake here (Lake Ponchartrain), but when the wind is low, it’s 90*+ Fahrenheit and 90%+ humidity. Two questions: any plans for A/C? Any plans for a power-boat option that can achieve 6-8kt cruising & 12-14kt sprints? Perhaps ~35-40KW?

      2. Hi Brett
        With electric boats it’s all about battery capacity. An Aircon would limit range, but there’s no reason we couldn’t have a little Panda generator. There’s room in the hulls.
        RVshave the same issues and they run engines or plug in to generate electricity. If there’s shore power the problem goes away.
        I will ensure we can get vents into the headliner from a small unit in the hulls. For the noise…
        The electric motors come in 3 or 6KW. You’ll do 5kn with the larger engines. Outboards will give you more speed but it isn’t a planing hull (we need a keel for sailing) so max will be 6-7kn. Powerboat only could do 8kn.
        We can modify the moulds for a proper power boat – it’s quite easy – then we can do 10-12kn easily with small outboards. The pod would be too exposed without a keel.
        Hope this helps and thanks for the feedback. Very good points you make.

  7. i responded on Facebook but heard nothing more. i am VERY interested. My wife is from ZA, and we owned a home in Knysna. Currently living in Australia due to Covid.
    please respond to the following questions:
    Price for kit FOB ex Capetown
    I note the pics are computer animated. have you actually built one yet? If so where is it?
    If in Capetown can i arrange for a viewing?
    looking forward to hearing back from you asap.
    I could be interested in representing thid product in Oz.
    Jeff Bush
    bushhq2003@yahoo.com.au

    Reply

  9. Looks good as a computer rendering. As a sailor who has crossed the North Atlantic and the Southern Oceans all I can say is this belongs ONLY on small inland lakes and rivers.

    Reply

  10. Will there be a representative at the Annapolis sailboat show this coming fall? If so will you keep me informed as to that possibility. And of course what will the price be in the United States in US dollars?

    Reply

    1. Hi David, sorry we won’t be ready for Annapolis this year. At the moment we are concentrating on the domestic market with our prototype. We will be at the Cape Own boat show in October, next year, if we have a boat in the States, we could be represented.
      US$ price is $130,000, plus delivery (around $2200)

      Reply

  11. Very interesting design especially with the fully green propulsion, containerized transport and competitive pricing! I do see potential for Nutshell 26 in my region. Could you send me more info Phil? Thanks!

    Reply

  12. Hi guys ,I am a South African living in the Cayman Islands I also have a property in little Cayman and I love to support South African products ,it’s a two hour trip between islands and I’d really like something safe in the water as I have kids
    I also like the solar panel option ,pls drop me a mail on grant360@gmail.com

    Cheers
    Grant Stephenson

    Reply

Leave a Reply