Yamaha's first production boat CAT-21 Catamaran (1960 model) Reconstructed

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) has used its state-of-the-art boat-building technologies to reconstruct the FRP catamaran-hull powerboat “CAT-21” released by the company initially in 1960. This reproduction of the CAT-21 is completely faithful to the original 1960 design plans and it is now on display for the general public at the head office’s Communication Plaza (Iwata, Shizuoka Pref.) as part of the Corporate Founder Genichi Kawakami Memorial Exhibition that opened July 19.

The CAT-21 (Overall length: 6.90 m, Overall width: 3.33 m) was Yamaha Motor’s first production boat, released in May 1960 along with the “Run-13.” Adopting the catamaran type hull that was becoming dominant at the time on the U.S. boat racing scene, The CAT-21 was characterized by its particularly wide beam and other unique design aspects. Being a time when the Japanese were just beginning to take an interest in marine leisure, the CAT-21made an impressive debut as a large, deluxe high-performance powerboat made of what was then the new material FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastics). In 1961, this new model provided a big stimulus for the fledgling Japanese marine leisure industry by won the 1st Tokyo-Osaka 1,000 km Marathon race and was later displayed at Chicago Boat Show. Truly, this is a model that helped lay the foundation for today’s Yamaha marine operations.

The man who supervised the development of this memorable first Yamaha Motor boat was the company’s founder, the late Genichi Kawakami, who passed away this May. Many aspects of Mr. Kawakami’s product-creating spirit can be seen in the CAT-21. This is why it has been reconstructed four decades after its debut especially for the Genichi Kawakami Memorial Exhibition.