Sustainable & Elegant: Vaan R4 to Make North American Debut in Annapolis
Date: June 18, 2026
Fiberglass’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness—it’s indestructible. The Vaan R4 poses the question, what if a catamaran could be sailed hard, lived aboard comfortably, and one day melted down and remade into something else entirely?
This fall you can put that question to the test. The 42-foot Vaan R4, from Dutch builder Vaan, makes its North American debut at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, October 15-18.
Start with the hull. Vaan builds it from 60% recycled aluminum, the kind that once lived as window frames, traffic signs, and license plates, and when the R4 finishes a long life of its own, the whole boat can be recycled again. The thinking runs deeper than the metal. Cork and flax replace the usual cabin materials, a leather alternative even comes from pineapple leaves, and twin electric saildrives let you pull up to the dock without a drop of diesel.
Vaan designed the R4 to sail well in light air to keep that motor switched off. Solar panels feed the batteries, and the propellers spin power back in as the boat moves, so a good day on the Bay can top up the batteries that run your lights and stove.
What strikes you first, though, is the openness. The helm sits close to the water and close to the weather. And the cockpit slides open into the saloon until the line between inside and outside all but dissolves. Light pours in. The view does the decorating.
Come find it on the docks this October, and be among the first in North America to see what Vaan has been up to.