VESSEL REVIEW | Ian Rush II – French coastal fishing boat with hybrid monohull and catamaran design

French builder Plastimer delivered the coastal fishing vessel Ian Rush II to Roscoff owner Franck Brossier in late 2025, following her launch at Penmarc’h, Finistère, on December 4 that year.

Built at the yard’s Saint-Guénolé facilities, the vessel is equipped for netting, potting, and scallop dredging. She uses Plastimer’s patented hull concept, which combines a monohull bow with a catamaran-like aft section. The vessel therefore retained the working stability associated with a catamaran while using a monohull bow for smoother passage through waves.

Brossier’s intended fishing programme covers monkfish, ray, octopus, and scallops. Although based at Roscoff, Ian Rush II is registered in the Morlaix maritime district.

Design delivering stability and the ability to carry greater loads

The hull has an overall length of 9.95 metres (32.6 feet) and an overall beam of 4.5 metres (15 feet), with a gross tonnage of 12.68.

Monique Fürstenberger, co-owned of Plastimer, said the two bows of a conventional catamaran will create challenging structural loads as the hulls twist in a seaway, and these can adversely affect the hull structure. The single-bow arrangement was therefore incorporated to minimise the negative effects of twisting while giving the vessel the necessary stability for carrying out safe fishing operations.

Part of owner's fleet upgrade program

Propulsion is provided by a Baudouin engine rated at 129 kW (173 hp). Meca Marine Propulsion undertook the vessel’s propulsion work, while Dominique Mao was responsible for painting.

Brossier’s earlier Ian Rush was a wooden vessel built in 1971. The new vessel is 0.81 metres (2.66 feet) longer and 0.96 metres (3.15 feet) wider than the earlier namesake, while her listed engine rating is seven kilowatts (9.4 hp) lower.