Team Malizia Launch Malizia 4

After two years of design and construction, Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia are celebrating the launch of their highly anticipated new IMOCA race yacht, Malizia 4.

Built for the next generation of offshore racing, the boat will carry the team into upcoming editions of The Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe, combining cutting-edge technology with the experience gained from years of racing around the world.

Early on Monday morning, Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia celebrated a major milestone as their new IMOCA race yacht, Malizia 4, touched the water for the first time in Lorient, France. The launch marks the beginning of the team's next sporting chapter after two years of design and construction involving over 150 people and over 85,000 hours of work.

"Today is a very emotional day for all of us," said Boris Herrmann, skipper of Team Malizia as he was surrounded by many of the people who have put hundreds of hours in designing and building the boat. "For months we have watched Malizia 4 take shape from drawings to being built piece by piece, and now seeing her finally in the water is very special. I’m incredibly proud of the team and what we have achieved. It makes me ecstatic to see her.”

Following the splash near the CDK shipyard in Lorient La Base, Malizia 4 will go to the nearby Quai Papin, where operations will continue at 08:30 with the installation of the mast, boom, outriggers and rigging. Once the boat is at Quai Papin, the public is welcome to watch the operations from a safe distance. From noon onwards, the team will carry out a series of static tests, applying loads to the boat to verify that all systems are responding as expected. They will conduct the IMOCA class’ mandatory 90-degree stability test either tomorrow morning at 08:30, before beginning preparations for the yacht’s first sea trials in the coming days.

“A boat is not only a machine, it's also something that you have an emotional relationship with,” Herrmann added. “I'm already seeing it now. I find her so beautiful with her aggressive lines and distinctive Malizia colors, and I'm already very excited for the first sensations when we start sailing. I feel that with the other sailors too, everyone is really eager now to get on the water.”

Malizia 4 has been designed around one guiding philosophy: creating a versatile IMOCA capable of performing across the widest possible range of conditions.

"Our previous IMOCA was very strong in heavy downwind conditions, and we wanted to keep that,” commented the German skipper. “At the same time, we wanted to build a boat that is also fast upwind, fast in light winds, quick through transitions, and flies early thanks to powerful foils."

The new boat is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between three IMOCA teams. Team Malizia, TR Racing (skipper Thomas Ruyant, launched in June 2026) and Team Banque Populaire (skipper Loïs Berrehar, to be launched in 2027) joined forces to develop and build three sisterships. Combining their expertise and ambition, the teams have worked alongside naval architect Antoine Koch, design office Finot-Conq and structural engineering firm Gsea Design. The sisterships are an evolution of Koch’s previous IMOCA design (ex-Vulnérable, now Allagrande Mapei).

The new boat has a narrower, flatter hull and significantly less rocker than Team Malizia’s previous boat. As defined by the IMOCA class rules, the hull measures 60 feet (18.23 m) in length and is fitted with a 6-foot bowsprit. As on Malizia - Seaexplorer, Schütz’ CORMASTER® honeycomb material has been used in the hull and deck structures.

Those paying close attention will notice the blade, a new distinctive feature along the underside of the black and red hull. “Its purpose is to reduce the wetted surface when the boat heels”, explained technical director Pierre-François Dargnies. “The blade creates a boundary that helps the water separate cleanly from the hull and reduce drag.”

The yacht is fitted with the IMOCA one-design rotating carbon mast supplied by Lorima. The Generation 2 mast stands 27 metres above deck (28.5 m from waterline to the top of the mast) and is 20 kg heavier than the previous version, bringing the total weight of mast, boom and rigging to around 540 kg. As on the previous boat, ropes are supplied by technical partner Gleistein Ropes.

“The foils were designed with a clear objective: to match the downwind performance of Malizia – Seaexplorer in heavy conditions, while staying competitive with boats such as MACIF in flat water and light winds”, said Pierre-François Dargnies. “Built by C3 Technologies, their shape is a compromise between our previous C-shape foils and flatter designs that perform better upwind and in transitions.”

Painted Monaco red like the foils and keel, as with all appendages on previous Team Malizia boats, the V-tail rudders of Malizia 4 are another visible evolution, designed to improve trimming the boat.

Conceived for both The Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe, Malizia 4 features a fully enclosed cockpit with large panoramic windows, two winch tables with larger winches, and a cleaner layout that improves movement and efficiency. At first glance, one of the most visible differences in the cockpit are the steering wheels instead of a tiller.

“Our goal is to win The Ocean Race and for that we think we need to hand steer, which can bring a bigger gain than a new hull or foil shape,” explained Boris Herrmann. “The biggest difference is made by us sailors, at least in certain conditions. That means the steering needs to be ergonomic, sheltered so you can stand there for longer periods, and responsive enough to feel the boat and really enjoy steering it.”

Two bunks are located in the aft cabin. Two additional bunks, as well as the chair and computers for navigation, are positioned in enclosed spaces on either side of the cockpit, creating living spaces very close to the cockpit. The sail locker at the front of the boat is accessible through these side enclosed spaces.

Team Malizia will first compete in the fully-crewed The Ocean Race Atlantic from New York to Lorient (starting 1st September), before Boris Herrmann takes on the Route du Rhum solo, followed by The Ocean Race with a crew in 2027 (start on 17 January 2027 in Alicante, Spain) and ultimately, Boris Herrmann’s third Vendée Globe in 2028-2029.

Read the full story on the Team Malizia website here - https://www.team-malizia.com/news/boris-herrmann-and-team-malizia-launch-malizia-4-their-new-generation-imoca-race-yacht