Hydraunautic Details Integrated Hydraulic System for Gunboat 80 No. 2

Hydraulics developed around the yacht

Hydraunautic has disclosed further details of its work on Gunboat 80 number two, a performance sailing catamaran for which the French specialist developed a bespoke hydraulic installation. In a company project report published on 8 October 2026, Hydraunautic said the assignment covered the overall hydraulic architecture and the manufacture of major equipment, including an aluminium reservoir, pumps and manifolds.

The Gunboat 80 is a lightweight, high-performance sailing platform, so machinery selection has consequences beyond the space occupied by individual pumps. The supplier says its design placed particular attention on integration, weight and optimising how the complete installation fits within the vessel. The report describes a component and systems-engineering contribution; it should not be read as the launch announcement for the catamaran or evidence of an independent sea-trial result.

Combining hydraulics with automation

Hydraunautic also worked on the electrical architecture and control system, developing a programmable logic controller and human-machine interface. Bringing power transmission, electronics and operator interaction under one engineering brief can reduce the risk of incompatible interfaces or unclear responsibilities when several separate suppliers are involved.

In practice, hydraulic system integration demands more than calculating pump capacity. Hose routing, manifold access, oil cleanliness, thermal performance, filtration, pressure relief and leak containment all affect the reliability of a yacht's installed equipment. A control system must also be designed around the behaviour of the valves and actuators it commands, including what happens after a sensor fault, pressure loss or power interruption.

What performance catamarans demand

Modern large sailing catamarans may use hydraulic equipment in deck operations and other highly loaded functions where reliable, accurately controlled movement is required. Designers must balance flow and pressure requirements against electrical generation, battery demand, weight distribution and the noise experienced near accommodation.

An integrated solution can be particularly important in a compact hull arrangement because pipe and cable runs share constrained spaces with ventilation, structural elements and service access. Refit teams often encounter the downstream consequences of inaccessible fittings or undocumented control logic, while new-build yards have an opportunity to establish testing arrangements and maintenance access from the start.

Hydrau 360 and the supplier's role

Hydraunautic markets the Hydrau 360 approach as a coordinated engineering service covering hydraulic, electrical and automation elements rather than merely selling isolated hardware. The business is based in Canet-en-Roussillon in southern France and serves performance leisure vessels, racing projects and other marine equipment applications.

For naval architects and yacht technical managers, the Gunboat project illustrates the value of treating controls and hydraulics as a combined system from the specification phase. The supplier has not disclosed a complete actuator list, power figures or an independent performance comparison, so those should not be inferred. The accompanying original project photograph was published by Hydraunautic with credit to photographer Robin Christol.

For future maintenance, integrated control architecture should be accompanied by clear as-built diagrams, alarm descriptions and a documented method to isolate hydraulic functions safely. A fault affecting an electrical input can appear to be a mechanical problem if technicians do not understand the control sequence. Commissioning tests, accessible pressure points and a suitable supply of critical spares are therefore important parts of the handover, particularly for sailing yachts operating far from specialist service centres.