2024 Karve 50, an offshore catamaran packing 2400hp, revealed

The boat to launch the brand? A 15.25-metre catamaran simply called the ‘50’ that on paper promises some serious performance – it will pack quad 600hp Mercury V12 Verado outboard engines and have a top speed of around 70 knots.

Beck told boatsales the idea for the Karve 50 came after a years-long search for a boat that suited his needs failed to turn anything up.

“It’s built for places like Port Phillip Bay,” Beck said. “Port Phillip Bay can be an awful bit of water, and we wanted to build a boat that could cross the bay in any weather at high speed.”

The new boat is designed in Australia and is being built at one of South Australia’s commercial boat yards. The build has already started, with the boat expected to be rigged with its engines and ready in time for a debut at the 2024 Melbourne Boat Show.

Beck said the long-term aim for Karve was to add a 30, 40 and a 60 to the model range, with the 50 selected as the first model off the line just because it was the smallest boat he could build with four Mercury V12 Verados.

The new build will be fully integrated with Simrad electronics. Mercury has already signed off on the project.

“We looked at the whole market and decided they [the 30, 40, 50 and 60] were the best sizes,” Beck said. “We went bigger with the first boat just so we could get those four 600s.”

The Mercury outboards were chosen because of the ease of maintenance compared with inboards, both in terms of servicing and ease of replacement.

Photos posted to social media yesterday give little away, although we can see the 50 will have high, steeply raked stems and a pickle fork-styled bow enclosed in a high railing.

Each hull will have four bunks built into them, as well as a full bathroom suite with a separate, enclosed head and shower.

The Karve 50’s pilothouse is fully enclosed, with deep windows all around and a forward-leaning windscreen to help clear spray. Converting lounges here will provide sleeping space for another four people.

The pilothouse roof extends over half of a large and uncluttered cockpit with dive doors on either side of the gunnels.

Aft, the Karve 50 features an open transom, with a large pad extending between the Mercury V12 Verado outboard engines mounted in pairs on each hull.

“The commitment to durability and robustness, combined with modern technology, positions the Karve 50 as a reliable choice for both work and leisure purposes in coastal and open ocean environments,” a statement announcing the brand’s launch said.

“The advantages of catamarans are well known, including stability, fuel efficiency, and shallow draft, and are clearly emphasised in the design.

“These features make the Karve 50 well-suited for various applications, from private use, military, law enforcement, and search and rescue operations.

“The customisation options further demonstrate the commitment to meeting the diverse needs of different customers,” it said.

“This is innovation in the global marine industry and takes advantage of trusted designers, Mercury’s new 600s and the latest technology."

Beck said the Karve 50 was designed with significant input from the marine industry, and would feature offshore-friendly engineering such as spreading the 5800 litres of fuel across four tanks so that if one tank was contaminated, that engine could be isolated.

There are no interior images yet because the layout is still in a state of flux. However, Beck says whatever Karve settles on will buck convention, so don’t expect to see a traditional layout. “We’ll probably take feedback and change things along the way,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Karve 50 is likely to appeal to US buyers, where its circa $US1.5 million price tag is expected to give it a significant price advantage in the market.

The Karva 50 will be based at Sandringham, with the boat expected to be fully commissioned by Christmas. Beck says hull No.1 is built as a demonstrator, and will be available for inspection by prospective buyers.

Beck says he is not daunted by the challenge of launching a new boat brand. "I deal with skyscrapers," he says. "I've built buildings with 2000 apartments in them. If I can do that, I can build a boat."