Our History - World Cat

Our History

True To Our Name, You’ll Find Our Boats On Virtually Every Ocean And Lake In The World.

Over 80,000 customers across the globe can be found enjoying our catamarans. They’ve chosen our boats because World Cat delivers a smoother, more stable, more enjoyable experience from entertaining at the dock to navigating the deepest waters.

The origin of World Cat can be traced back over a quarter of a century to the beginning of our Glacier Bay Edition boats in America’s Pacific Northwest. Today, World Cat is the largest maker of power catamarans in the world. Located in Tarboro, North Carolina, our boats are precision crafted in a state-of-the-art 140,000 square foot facility.

While we build an array of boats in different sizes and configurations, each is a reflection of our mission to deliver the smoothest ride on water – making boating more enjoyable and giving boaters the comfort and confidence to cruise, fish, dive, and explore the water world around them.

From the South Pacific to Siberia, World Cats have safely carried thousands of boaters over tens of thousands of miles. Shouldn’t you share in that experience?

Standing on the front of a catamaran
Multiple Catamarans on the water
Catamaran near iceberg
  • 1986

    First Glacier Bay models are created

  • 1988

    First ocean test of Glacier Bay prototype

  • 1990

    First tooled production model, the Glacier Bay 248, is introduced at the Seattle International Boat Show

  • 1995

    Glacier Bay 260 becomes the first outboard-powered boat in history to win the Bermuda Challenge – running from Norfolk, VA to Bermuda, nonstop

  • 1998

    Two 26-ft. models travel 1,328 miles from Oahu, HI to Midway Island in seas as high as 10’ to set an offshore world record in winning the Pacific Challenge

  • 1999

    Models 2680-90 debut, making a 2,700-mile run up the Pacific Coast to Alaska, and then a run across the Bering Strait from Nome to Siberia and back

  • 2001

    World Cat is acquired and added to the group

  • 2003-04

    Glacier Bay Model 3470 completes an 8,400-mile trip from Seattle, WA to Portland, ME

  • 2009

    Glacier Bay is acquired

  • 2010

    Livingston Skiffs is acquired and added to the company

  • 2011

    Carolina Cat line is introduced

  • 2015

    World Cat corporate brand is consolidated, with Carolina Cat folding into World Cat, and Glacier Bay becoming Glacier Bay Edition

  • 2016

    Introduction of innovative CC-X hull design with the first model in this class, the 280CC-X

  • 2017

    Introduction of the 280DC-X

  • 2019

    Introduction of the new flagship and first model of the Custom Yacht Division, the 400DC-X: the largest dual console power catamaran to ever hit the market.

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