Story by TMC Editor / September 18, 2023
The Multihull Company is thrilled to unveil the new Tao 452, an exciting addition to the world of blue-water performance cruising catamarans. Meticulously engineered and crafted to perfection, the Tao 452 is set to redefine the catamaran experience for sailors worldwide.
If you’ve ever felt the need for more sailing performance from your current production charter catamaran or been disappointed by cramped living spaces in racing vessels, the Tao 452 is your answer. This exceptional catamaran has been expertly designed to strike the ideal balance between on-anchor comfort and on-water performance. It’s swift, robust, secure, incredibly comfortable for extended stays, user-friendly to operate, and straightforward to maintain.
The Tao 452 represents a natural evolution from Hill’s earlier 421 design, which later evolved into the Balance 451. With a slimmer hull fineness ratio, extended and sleeker bows and sterns, and the addition of dual high aspect ratio daggerboards alongside two shallow fixed mini-keels guarding her rudders and sail drives, the Tao 452 takes performance and comfort to new heights.
Intriguingly, despite its nearly four-foot increase in length, the Tao 452’s weight remains remarkably similar to that of the original design with its fixed keels. This remarkable achievement is the result of innovative engineering, including an ultralight foam core composite hardtop bimini and the use of vinylester resins, foam cores, carbon fiber, and buoyant high aspect ratio daggerboards.
“The Tao 452 is a natural evolution of this boat’s lifespan and represents TMC’s continued commitment to the boat and her place in the market,” said TMC CEO Will Miller. “All of us here at TMC were such huge fans of this boat when it was being sold and marketed as the Balance 451. So when Balance made the decision to move their production entirely to South Africa, it gave us a really interesting opportunity with this boat to give it a second life – and Tao was born.”
“It’s amazing to be able to work with Startown Marine again to reintroduce the Tao 452,” Miller continued. “The Tao 452 is engineered to be the swiftest yet most spacious and luxurious mid-sized performance production catamaran available today in her price category.”
For those who share a genuine passion for sailing, who revel in mastering all points of sail, and who seek unwavering reliability even in the most adverse weather conditions—the Tao 452 is unequivocally the vessel of choice.
Experience the Tao 452 for yourself and witness the future of catamaran by scheduling your appointment to see her at The Annapolis Sailboat Show from October 12 – 15, 2023.
Your team delivered on every mark. You’ve got an amazing broker in Mark Wattrus and I’m confident you will have continued success moving forward together. He was available 24/7 whenever I had questions. We had a great initial visit on the boat and his marketing plan and photos were superb
I bought a yacht that I had never seen. I did this because I trusted my broker Andrew Holland. It was not an easy job for Andrew, as I am an experienced boat builder and owner of previous yachts, but work in West Africa. Imagine how hard it was to communicate what I was looking for. Andrew came up with exactly what I wanted. He dealt with time delays, all my questions at odd hours, and was there for the survey. He reported honestly and professionally. After buying the yacht, I arrived at the boat on a Sunday night, after dark, after travelling from West Africa to the Caribbean, and found it was better than expected. He never pulled punches and made me aware of shortfalls. I expected to spend my one month leave working on the boat, but actually spent less than one week, and was able to spend 3 weeks sailing – wonderful bonus.
Thank you Andrew for putting up with all my questions, all my worries and all my crazy out of the time zone concerns – you were totally professional, but also I know that if and when we meet up, it will be like a friend finally meeting. You are always welcome on Aseka.
Outstanding company with professional subject matter experts. If I were to buy or sell cruising sailboat, particularly a catamaran, Andrew would be my go to broker.
I have been sailing since I was a child and attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy. But when my wife and I began the process of purchasing an ocean cruising/racing catamaran, I realized that this is a world unto itself. Obviously, we needed to find someone knowledgeable to help us make an informed decision. More importantly, we needed someone honest and willing to put our interests before his or her own. I was lucky to work with Phil Berman at The Multihull Company. He repeatedly shunned the fast buck, choosing instead to work the long road to connect us with the “perfect boat”. I would be glad to recommend Phil and his company to anyone planning to purchase or sell a performance sailing machine.
Andrew Hodgdon was our broker when we bought our 2018 Lagoon 450F in Antigua in April 2922. He provided great service and was very attentive to our needs. We would highly recommend Andrew and the Multihull Company.
Successful relationships cannot exist without it. At The Multihull Company we base every relationship on a firm commitment to earning and retaining our client’s trust.
Advice of any kind is valuable only when grounded in hard-won expertise. It too, must be trustworthy. Trust and expertise define the heart and soul of The Multihull Company. We are a team of skilled professionals who thrive on providing expert, trustworthy advice and service to catamaran and trimaran sailors around the globe.
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