Lloyd Stevenson Catalyst Chase B79 launches Team Australia’s Cup campaign

Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders has completed B79, the latest Catalyst Chase to emerge from its Auckland boatyard. Commissioned by Team Australia, the vessel will serve as a coaching, safety and technical support platform throughout the 38th America’s Cup campaign in Naples in 2027, where it will operate across the Golfo di Napoli and beyond during what promises to be one of sport’s most closely contested competitions.

Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders in Auckland has completed B79, a Catalyst Chase support vessel built for Team Australia’s 38th America’s Cup challenge in Naples in 2027. The boat combines two Mercury Marine 425-horsepower Verado outboards with a hull designed to move coaching teams, safety personnel and technical staff across the Golfo di Napoli during months of competitive racing without the fatigue that comes from punishing seaways.

The Catalyst Chase lineage carries weight in professional sailing. These purpose-built support vessels have evolved through successive iterations, each generation refined by experience gained in previous campaigns. B79 follows that trajectory: the white topsides and cabin contrast with a dark hull bearing Team Australia’s star, while the covered wheelhouse protects the operator from Mediterranean elements. Below, the open aft cockpit provides flexibility for equipment loading and personnel transfer, the kind of operational detail that separates a functional boat from one that genuinely accelerates a team’s competitive edge.

The twin Verados tell us about the design philosophy. Twin 425-horsepower outboards bring enough thrust to respond quickly to race development needs and sufficient range to operate across a full day of sailing. Verado technology offers fuel efficiency and responsive throttle control, qualities that matter when positioning precision matters. The hull itself handles a cross sea without punishment, a non-negotiable quality when your job is delivering people and equipment day after day.

Lloyd Stevenson’s Auckland boatyard carries decades of experience building vessels for professional sailing programmes. That knowledge shapes every detail: how the hull moves through water, the positioning of cleats and grab rails, the sight lines from the helm, access for Verado maintenance when every hour counts. B79 is not simply a transport platform. It is a floating command centre, a rapid response system and a safety net for a team competing at the highest level of professional sailing.

The boat will launch in January 2027, timing that allows B79 to work up properly in Waitemata Harbour before making the journey to Italy. Team Australia will then have time to integrate the vessel and its crew into campaign operations, testing protocols and refining how coaches, safety personnel and technical teams use the boat to maximum effect. B79 serves as a floating command centre, a rapid response platform and a safety net for a team competing at the highest level of professional sailing.

The 38th America’s Cup represents the pinnacle of competitive sailing. Every marginal gain in support infrastructure, every hour saved in coach deployment, every safety protocol refined through better vessel handling contributes to campaign success. B79 exists to provide those gains. Lloyd Stevenson has designed and built it to that standard, which is the only standard that matters when a nation’s sailing programme is on the line.

Imagery courtesy of Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders (@lloydstevensonboatbuilders).