Jason Ker

A Designer Known For His Irc Monohulls And America’s Cup Boats, Ker Has Made The Successful Switch To Cruising Catamaran Design. Sam Fortescue Finds Out How

As the cruising multihull revolution accelerates, it was only going to be a matter of time before some big design names from the monohull world started to take an interest. But perhaps surprising that it should be a naval architect whose signature appears on three America’s Cup boats, and whose name is a byword for IRC raceboats.

Jason Ker is a veteran of Ben Ainslie’s last Cup campaign, plus a German and a South African one before it. The Winchester-based designer has named a successful line of one-design racers and one-offs after himself, running from the Ker 9m up to the 16.52m CX Ker 55. He has even ventured into the superyacht arena with a radical 68m trimaran concept. So perhaps it is logical, then, that his first major foray into the cruising catamaran market is with composite wizards McConaghy, whose range of 50- to 90-footers aims to set a new standard for performance.

“Mark Evans of McConaghy and experienced multihull broker, Ole John, had committed to developing a range of catamarans together with the launch model being the MC50 catamaran. However they were unsure about the design direction they had started down with another designer,” Ker explains.

We’d worked on a number of yachts together, including the Ker 40 and 46, so they called me and asked for a concept – in two days! That was a Friday, and we got the basic idea over to them on Saturday night. When you have an opportunity, sometimes you just have to jump on it.”

Ker’s experience of designing cruising boats accounts for just a fraction of his output over the years. He did a Southerly in 2004, the Salona 60 and 67 and the now-defunct Bavaria C65. But he understands the market, and didn’t hesitate. “I had some ideas of what I would want if it was my boat. I go on sailing holidays with my wife and kids.”