Francis Lapp and son Nicolas (third and second right) with family and friends

Sunreef Yachts staged the debut of the Ultima 55 at this year’s Dubai International Boat Show, a hugely successful four-day event for the shipyard, which builds catamarans in Poland and the UAE. As well as the Ultima 55, Sunreef displayed the solar-electric 80 Sunreef Power Eco powercat Athena Too and the 80 Sunreef Power Red Azalea in Dubai Harbour, the show’s venue since 2022.

“The exhibited yachts generated significant interest, leading to numerous onboard visits, robust customer engagement and confirmed sales including three units of the Ultima 66, a Sunreef 60 [sailing catamaran] and a 100 Sunreef Power,” stated Sunreef, which opened its Middle East office in Dubai in 2023.

However, the star of the Sunreef display was the Ultima 55, which had its official world premiere on the third day of the five-day show.

The Ultima 55 world premiere attracted VIP guests

Sheikh Rami bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid Al Qasimi and Rashid Shaneen were among VIP guests at the evening event. Francis Lapp, founder and President of Sunreef, and son Nicolas Lapp, who spoke before the show at the Annual Dubai Boat Show Leisure Yachting Conference, were among shipyard management at the Ultima 55 unveiling.

The Ultima 55 on show was the first model to be completed at Sunreef’s new production facility in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost of the UAE’s seven emirates. “It was a proud moment for the Sunreef UAE shipyard as the first yacht produced in Ras Al Khaimah made its debut amid widespread acclaim,” Sunreef stated.

The Ras Al Khaimah facility is currently dedicated to production of the Ultima series of powercats, which include the 44, 55, 66, 77, 88 and 111 models.

Sunreef’s Ultima 55 was a star of the 31^st Dubai International Boat Show

The first Ultima 55 embarked on sea trials in mid-February, just days ahead of its world premiere. The coupe-style powercat has a beam of 18ft 4in and features an open aft deck with two sunpads and fold-down sides. The lower deck can include two or three double cabins plus a single cabin for either a guest or crew.

Sunreef was founded by Francis Lapp in Poland in 2002 and has two shipyards in the north-coast city of Gdansk. It acquired its first overseas shipyard by signing a cooperation agreement with Ras Al Khaimah Maritime City and securing a 65,000sqm land reserve, beginning production in 2023 and hosting the official opening of the production facility in March 2024.

sunreef-yachts.com