Fusion Catamarans Have Sailed Home

From humble beginnings in Airlie Beach in North Queensland to a major composite manufacturer in Composite Marine Industries/Cobra in Thailand, Fusion Catamarans have come full circle and returned their manufacturing back to South East Queensland, Australia. 

With a major restructure and change of direction at CMI/Cobra, Fusion Catamarans made the decision to bring Fusion production back to Australia. This move will mean that the Fusion cat will be  Australian built and source materials and labour from local suppliers. The same quality standards that have been a part of the Fusion process and product will be religiously maintained so new owners can be assured they will be receiving the same high quality parts that Fusion is renowned for. Fusion remains a cat for all occasions, whether it is for coastal cruising, chartering or blue water/world sailing.

The Fusion catamaran has been described as a kit catamaran but this is not strictly correct in the true sense of the word, yes, the Fusion does have the parts to make a catamaran but those parts are presented in an almost finished state and as large pre-prepared sections to save thousands of hours of build time compared to a traditional conception of a kit. Other kits are presented with pre-cut panels that need to be joined and extensively prepared to form the required larger sections of the boat, then the fibreglassing and extensive painful fairing process starts before painting, gel-coating etc.

The Fusion build process gives the owner / builder or professional builder a great head start to the construction process by giving them quality gel-coated finished parts. This approach does inevitably cost a little more but takes away the labour intensive fairing and sanding part of the exterior build and advances the build so much further in a short time.

Xyzzy with custom windows and cockpit.

To date some 76 Fusion cats have been produced by their owners or built by professional boat builders. Of the 76 Fusions built to date around a third of these were owner builds. Many of these ‘home built’ Fusions are a real credit to their owners and of a very high standard, exceeding the quality of finishes offered in many of the production builds available on the market today. Whether it is the owner builder building their dream, or a staged build, or a turnkey catamaran to hop on board and sail/power away the Fusion assembly process can cater for all.

Fusion has extended its appeal across the world with kits having beed shipped to Canada, USA, Brazil, Korea, Argentina, Thailand, South Africa and Europe, so if you are cruising around the world you might come across a Fusion catamaran or two on your travels.

Two Fusions are currently under construction in Maryborough by their owners as owner builds, one is a Fusion sail version and the other a Fusion power cat. Both owners have plenty of great ideas on how they want their Fusion to look and perform and are customising the builds to suit their specific needs.

The sail build is this couple’s first boat building experience and after much deliberation the Fusion was chosen. Build time, finish, size and performance were all taken into account. Old mate has basically said he will stop full time work to devote all his time on the cat build while his partner ‘slaves away’ bringing in some extra cash for some of those nicer things or extras that crop up from time to time throughout the build. Lengthening the rear cockpit area, a carbon fore beam and high spec rotating carbon wing mast are just some of the enhancementss they are incorporating in their Fusion. Fibreglass itch from grinding glass that all builders talk about is soon forgotten when the conversation turns to some of the wonderful places in the world their dream Fusion is going to take them.

Two Fusions moored beside each other, closest is the Fusion XT and the rear is a standard Fusion 40.

The owner of the power cat build has previously owned a professionally built Fusion XT and after having enjoyed the cruising scene has found the need for some more speed. Retired from being a pilot with hobbies in building and restoring muscle cars and speed boats, the progression to a Fusion power cat was inevitable. Big engines and extra length in the salon and cockpit areas are planned.

Both builds are progressing well and have accelerated the build process by taking advantage of the moulded interior furniture option.

Artist's impression – extended powercat.

Questions floating around the traps have been – are Fusion still going? do they still exist, etc, well we have been quietly here all the time, not selling big numbers, but catering for owners who are looking for a sail catamaran that looks like a sailing boat (not a house boat) that has exceptional sailing abilities or a power cat with one of the best power to weight/speed ratio of any cats on offer. Fusions can be customised for every owners desire right here in Australia before your eyes.

For information on a Fusion catamaran check out the website
www.fusioncats.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Fusion personal are available for help and advice.