{"id":59735,"date":"2025-05-23T14:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T18:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=59735"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:53:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T20:53:36","slug":"vision-444-es-seatrial-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/sailboats\/vision-444-es-seatrial-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Built to Thrill: Vision 444 ES Seatrial Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Vision 444 ES seatrial\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1542.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Vision 444 ES stretches its legs under ail during Boat of the Year sea trials on the Chesapeake Bay.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>There is something quite majestic about standing atop the Knysna Heads, the prominent headlands fronting the town of Knysna along South Africa\u2019s rugged southern shoreline. To \u00adseaward, the \u00addeep-blue waters of the wild Indian Ocean beckon. Inshore, the lagoon in the protected harbor is placid. It seems fitting that this port is where the Vision line of cruising catamarans is built and launched. The Vision 444 ES will be right at home in either venue\u2014as a liveaboard cat in calm waters or knocking off steady miles in the open ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"gkstfcayky\" src=\"https:\/\/cruisingworld.dragonforms.com\/gkstfcayky\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past two editions of <em>Cruising World<\/em>\u2019s annual <a href=\"\/boat-of-the-year-2025\/\">Boat of the Year contest<\/a>, we\u2019ve had \u00adup-close opportunities to inspect a pair of Visions. For 2024, the Vision 444 earned top honors as the <a href=\"\/sailboats\/2024-boat-of-the-year-best-cruising-catamaran-under-50-feet\/\">Best Cruising Catamaran Under 50 Feet<\/a>. This past fall, for the 2025 competition, we inspected the company\u2019s \u00adredesigned 44-foot sistership, <a href=\"\/sailboats\/boty-2025-best-midsize-multihull\/\">the 444 ES<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those letters stand for \u201cextended scoop,\u201d an important addition for a couple of reasons. First, the scoops lengthen the waterline with a stretched transom for boarding, diving, fishing and swimming. Equally important, according to company co-owner James Turner, the longer waterline and reconfigured hull forms have improved the boat\u2019s underway performance under sail and when motoring.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turner is a lifelong \u00adwaterman. He grew up on all manner of boats before getting into the marine business\u2014first in the charter trade and as a delivery skipper before transitioning to building high-performance sailboats and powerboats. With Vision, his latest venture, he\u2019s aiming to create high-end, user-friendly bluewater cats expressly for cruising couples. His passion is evident, and he has clearly given plenty of thought to every element of&nbsp;his vessels, from the build and ergonomics to systems and rigging. The finished products are marvels of engineering in every facet, right down to the rudders, which are calibrated to ensure smooth tacks and jibes. Vision is currently producing about 10 boats annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 444 ES is a good-looking craft with an almost futuristic mien. The waterline is maxed out, with slightly raked bows forward and those aforementioned extended transoms aft. The main cabin\/coachroof is positioned well forward, with wraparound turret-style \u00adwindows that are accented by a quartet of hull windows to port and starboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Vision 444 ES at the 2025 CW Boat of the Year testing\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CWBOTY2025_101624-1982.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">With fingertip control and impressive speed, the Vision 444 ES delivers a thrilling ride in 15-20 knots of breeze.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>A hard Bimini top extends over the cockpit, offering plenty of protection from the elements, and serves as an ideal base for the suite of 75-watt solar panels mounted atop it. A side-access door in the hull for easy boarding is a fabulous feature. The raised helm station is to starboard, beneath its own dedicated hardtop, with all sailhandling controls and running rigging close at hand. Visibility from this perch is outstanding. The winches and clutches are from Harken, Garmin supplies the instrumentation, and the full set of excellent North Sails come from the Cape Town loft.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The build is strong but light, with a resin-infused laminate that includes E-glass and a foam sandwich. The only carbon employed is in the steering wheel, davits and bowsprit. The 24-volt DC house \u00adsystem\u2014with a standard bank of lithium-\u00adion batteries\u2014is simple and straightforward. The twin Nanni diesels with saildrives are easily accessed through a pair of lifting lids. The diesels have their own dedicated toolkits and seats for service and maintenance. The fixed mini keels draw less than 4 feet.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the main cockpit, the galley is forward, handy to the U-shaped settee and dining table. To starboard, there\u2019s an excellent forward-facing navigation station. The owner\u2019s suite spans the length of the starboard hull, with a double berth aft and a terrific workspace\/shop forward. It has its own vice, workbench and tools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clear highlight of our Boat of the Year inspection, however, was the sea trial, conducted in 14 to 16 knots of northerly breeze on a fine fall afternoon on the Chesapeake Bay. Once the square-topped mainsail was hoisted via an electric winch, we commenced matters with the generous asymmetric kite, knocking off just under 10 knots on a romping beam reach. The helm required just a touch of the \u00adfingertips, and it was quite an appealing sensation to have that much power with such precise control. After \u00addropping the kite, we unrolled the self-\u200btacking jib. Closehauled, the boat notched speeds in the mid-7s, but as the breeze gusted into the 20- to 25-knot range, we recorded better than 9 knots upwind. It was a great sail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That test run added some \u00adfocus and context to the Vision\u2019s dual-purpose nature. Yes, it\u2019s an excellent liveaboard home in a protected \u00adanchorage. But where it really comes to life\u2014and where it will shine the brightest\u2014is under full sail in the open sea.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CW<em> editor-at-large Herb McCormick was a 2025 Boat of the Year judge.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Take the Next Step<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PRICE<\/strong>: $1.2 million (as tested)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CONTACT<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/visionyachts.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visionyachts.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Vision 444 ES catamaran blends liveaboard luxury with true offshore performance for adventurous cruising couples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":59737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Herb McCormick","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_image":false,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[167],"tags":[211,1996,2093,227,195,1973],"class_list":["post-59735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sailboats","tag-catamaran","tag-new-to-the-fleet","tag-print-may-2025","tag-sailboat-reviews","tag-sailboats","tag-vision-yachts"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}