Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Django racing programme has a potent new asset at its disposal. Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders has launched a 50ft foil-assisted support vessel, also named Django, and the craft made an immediate impression, clocking 52 knots during its first sea trials.
Built as a dedicated chase and support boat for the reigning Maxi Grand Prix World Championship-winning team, the new Django is configured for offshore operations alongside elite sailing campaigns. Its foundations lie in the established New Zealand-built Catalyst platform, yet the design incorporates a number of distinctive departures from that proven formula. The most visually arresting of these are the sharply angled reverse-rake windscreens, which give the hull a more industrial, commercial-style character than earlier iterations of the concept.
The Catalyst lineage carries strong sporting credentials. Morelli & Melvin conceived the original design as a fast and capable support platform during the America's Cup, and Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders has since evolved the concept into a broader family of high-speed craft serving race management, luxury tendering and adventure cruising. Reviews of the Catalyst GT and other variants from the same builder have consistently highlighted the platform's lightweight composite construction, its offshore handling qualities and a ride comfort that sits well above what the speeds involved might suggest.
At the heart of the new Django is an integrated foil package developed to lift efficiency in open-water conditions and take the sting out of the ride when seas build. Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders says the system also extends cruising range, all while preserving the outright performance that defines the Catalyst series.
The pairing of superyacht-level refinement with raceboat-style speed has been a consistent theme in assessments of Lloyd Stevenson-built craft, and early signs suggest Django advances that progression. Further performance detail is expected once additional sea trials have been completed.
