HERITAGE
Our story
It’s 1968 in Santa Ana, California, USA…
… and sailboat designer Tom Roland is tinkering. A project that he names the Alpha Cat 18, the unofficial start of what 7 years later, in 1975, will become NACRA – North American Catamaran Racing Association – a brand that nearly 50 years after its founding continues to be one of the leading international multihull brands in the world.
Tom Roland’s name is synonymous with legendary and truly revolutionary catamarans. His vision in design and construction have an immense impact on the multihull world. From incredibly lightweight and easy-to-use cats to bridge the gap between racing and recreation, to highly tunable sail plans to gain that small edge – many of those early innovations are now the standard in modern cat sailing. His ‘teardrop’-shaped hulls are still the basis for many cats to this day. The team of engineers and constructors at Nacra Sailing continue this vision – innovation to empower sailors.
Nacra today
Present day in The Hague, the Netherlands
On a typical warm and sunny California day, sailboat designer Tom Roland was tinkering on something. A project that would be named the Alpha Cat 18. This 5.5m cat was the unofficial kick-off for what 7 years later, in 1975, would become NACRA – North American Catamaran Racing Association – a brand that nearly 50 years after its founding continues to be one of the leading international multihull brands in the world.
CLUB, RESORT, FAMILY & LEARNING
Released in 2022, the Nacra 500 MK2 is the next hi-tech iteration of the ever popular Nacra 500. A perfectly balanced, lightweight cat that’s easy to maneuver, offers high speeds and high buoyancy, while staying focused on both safety and performance. With its new design, we made it incredibly easy to use – fully optimized minimal rigging means you’re up and running in record time.
Completely redesigned following the latest innovations and using new technologies, the MK2 is built to Olympic standards – with more performance upgrades available. It’s not a cruiser, it’s not a racer – the Nacra 500 MK2 is a true next gen sailing experience.
The future
Global domination
On a typical warm and sunny California day, sailboat designer Tom Roland was tinkering on something. A project that would be named the Alpha Cat 18. This 5.5m cat was the unofficial kick-off for what 7 years later, in 1975, would become NACRA – North American Catamaran Racing Association – a brand that nearly 50 years after its founding continues to be one of the leading international multihull brands in the world.