The Evolution of VOODOO
After 30 years building luxury boats and superyachts for international clients, Dave Pachoud (co-founder of Voodoo Yachts) knew exactly what he wanted when the time came to build his own perfect boat. Dave’s list of criteria was short but his mix of demands left him with some seemingly insurmountable design challenges to overcome.
As an experienced seaman with thousands of ocean miles under his belt, Dave wanted a boat capable of crossing oceans. Trips to Australia and the beautiful Pacific Islands were on the agenda from his home in New Zealand. This meant the boat had to be very safe, capable and stable. It seemed simple enough but there were a few other demands which made the design project a bit more difficult…
Dave wanted his new boat to cocoon his family in luxury, to be breath-taking to look at, and to be fast. Not just typically fast, but blisteringly fast. And to top it off, he wanted his boat to set new standards in fuel efficiency. Many times Dave had been on a passage in fair weather, thinking he could do any speed at all if only the boat had the performance and range to take advantage of the weather window.
So the design team were faced with creating an expedition-capable vessel that looked like a sports car, performed like a race car and had the luxury of a five star hotel.
Building on their enduring relationship, Dave invited naval architect Roger Hill to collaborate with him on the design. The team were quick to settle on a catamaran; they knew from decades of building cats that there was no other hull configuration that could possibly deliver on the brief. But what came next saw the VOODOO project take a different direction.
In early 2010 the design team started exploring the use of a hydrofoil between the hulls. Within a very short time they realised their impossible brief had suddenly come into focus and was actually possible.
The performance of foils is without dispute. But in a boat that had to safely cross oceans, that performance couldn’t compromise safety. To resolve any concerns, the wing was created as a separate composite structure so in the event of a strike, it would break away from the boat leaving the hull intact.
Within one year of being penned, the XpeditionWing was a reality, and performing miracles under VOODOO 1. Stories of Dave’s ocean exploits with the original Voodoo spread like wildfire across the boating community. Within a very short time Voodoo had found a new owner and Dave had a list of people wanting to buy a Voodoo of their own. Often, it was seeing the original Voodoo breeze past them at 40 knots that compelled other boat owners to chase her down to find out what they’d just seen. Of course they had to wait till she had stopped before they had any chance of climbing on board for a look.
What the team had achieved with Voodoo was thought to be impossible and inhabits a niche place in the market for a very special owner. Voodoo owners aren’t typical boat owners, they’re genuine ocean adventurers. Like Dave, there’s now a boat that’s just perfect for them.
In early 2010 the design team started exploring the use of a hydrofoil between the hulls. Within a very short time they realised their impossible brief had suddenly come into focus and was actually possible.
The performance of foils is without dispute. But in a boat that had to safely cross oceans, that performance couldn’t compromise safety. To resolve any concerns, the wing was created as a separate composite structure so in the event of a strike, it would break away from the boat leaving the hull intact.
Within one year of being penned, the XpeditionWing was a reality, and performing miracles under VOODOO 1. Stories of Dave’s ocean exploits with the original Voodoo spread like wildfire across the boating community. Within a very short time Voodoo had found a new owner and Dave had a list of people wanting to buy a Voodoo of their own. Often, it was seeing the original Voodoo breeze past them at 40 knots that compelled other boat owners to chase her down to find out what they’d just seen. Of course they had to wait till she had stopped before they had any chance of climbing on board for a look.
What the team had achieved with Voodoo was thought to be impossible and inhabits a niche place in the market for a very special owner. Voodoo owners aren’t typical boat owners, they’re genuine ocean adventurers. Like Dave, there’s now a boat that’s just perfect for them.
THE PACHOUD STORY
Voodoo Yachts evolved out of Pachoud Yachts, a Kiwi custom luxury composite boat building company. It is a story of family, the Kiwi attitude of innovation, and a deep love for the water.
Pachoud Yachts was founded in Rotorua, New Zealand, in 1987 by Dave Pachoud. Starting with a team of just three, Dave’s dream of creating high quality, high tech custom boats became a reality. Dave built the first launch with his wife, Judy, her father, Harold, and some help from family and friends. The 36ft monohull motor launch was such a success that it attracted three buyers who wanted the boat for themselves. Dave sold it to one of them, bought a shed, hired staff and set about building new, larger boats for the other two. And so, with family roots and humble beginnings, Pachoud Yachts was born.
Coming from a nation of boaties (New Zealand has one of the highest rates of boat ownership in the world), Dave took his Kiwi style to the international stage. The team soon became experts at building luxury catamarans in advanced composite materials. As publicity increased and their client base expanded to the far reaches of the globe, Pachoud Yachts outgrew their Rotorua facility and moved to a new purpose-built waterfront shipyard in Tauranga. Many of the team moved with the business and Dave’s brother and sister joined as well.
In the 2000s and 2010s Pachoud Yachts’ reputation grew as they mastered technically challenging builds such as racing yachts, helicats, very high performance vessels and an incredibly high tech ocean row boat. Dave found he had a passion for developing luxury boats that pushed the boundaries of efficiency and capability, and so created a Research and Development department focused on advanced hydrodynamics and hydrofoil design. This drive eventually led to the development of the VOODOO design.
THE PACHOUD STORY
Voodoo Yachts evolved out of Pachoud Yachts, a Kiwi custom luxury composite boat building company. It is a story of family, the Kiwi attitude of innovation, and a deep love for the water.
Pachoud Yachts was founded in Rotorua, New Zealand, in 1987 by Dave Pachoud. Starting with a team of just three, Dave’s dream of creating high quality, high tech custom boats became a reality. Dave built the first launch with his wife, Judy, her father, Harold, and some help from family and friends. The 36ft monohull motor launch was such a success that it attracted three buyers who wanted the boat for themselves. Dave sold it to one of them, bought a shed, hired staff and set about building new, larger boats for the other two. And so, with family roots and humble beginnings, Pachoud Yachts was born.
Coming from a nation of boaties (New Zealand has one of the highest rates of boat ownership in the world), Dave took his Kiwi style to the international stage. The team soon became experts at building luxury catamarans in advanced composite materials. As publicity increased and their client base expanded to the far reaches of the globe, Pachoud Yachts outgrew their Rotorua facility and moved to a new purpose-built waterfront shipyard in Tauranga. Many of the team moved with the business and Dave’s brother and sister joined as well.
In the 2000s and 2010s Pachoud Yachts’ reputation grew as they mastered technically challenging builds such as racing yachts, helicats, very high performance vessels and an incredibly high tech ocean row boat. Dave found he had a passion for developing luxury boats that pushed the boundaries of efficiency and capability, and so created a Research and Development department focused on advanced hydrodynamics and hydrofoil design. This drive eventually led to the development of the VOODOO design.
In 2017 Dave’s son, Mitch Pachoud, joined the business, bringing experience from a range of other construction industries around the world. At this point Pachoud Yachts had built 56 new build yachts and carried out many more high-end refits. The tales of Voodoo’s adventures were spreading and orders for more of the same design were flowing in. In 2019 Dave and Mitch founded Voodoo Yachts together to give the Voodoo design the focus she deserved.
Dave and Mitch have always had a very personal way of dealing with clients, welcoming them into the Voodoo / Pachoud Yachts’ family and frequently developing close friendships over the build and subsequent years.
A family oriented business inside and out, the staff includes many Pachoud family members but also quite a few sibling, father-son and father-daughter teams.
They are a family of boaties with a true passion for the water and for nature. They’ve lived and breathed these boats and bring their vast experience on the ocean to bear in the form of continuous design improvements. They design and build such impressive craft because they spend so much time on them and intimately understand them. They are also proudly Kiwis. Much of the Voodoo Xpedition Foiler’s styling and layout draws its roots from the relaxed, easy going Kiwi way of living, and from their deep connection with the ocean. New Zealand is the perfect place for developing boats.
In 2017 Dave’s son, Mitch Pachoud, joined the business, bringing experience from a range of other construction industries around the world. At this point Pachoud Yachts had built 56 new build yachts and carried out many more high-end refits. The tales of Voodoo’s adventures were spreading and orders for more of the same design were flowing in. In 2019 Dave and Mitch founded Voodoo Yachts together to give the Voodoo design the focus she deserved.
Dave and Mitch have always had a very personal way of dealing with clients, welcoming them into the Voodoo / Pachoud Yachts’ family and frequently developing close friendships over the build and subsequent years.
A family oriented business inside and out, the staff includes many Pachoud family members but also quite a few sibling, father-son and father-daughter teams.
They are a family of boaties with a true passion for the water and for nature. They’ve lived and breathed these boats and bring their vast experience on the ocean to bear in the form of continuous design improvements. They design and build such impressive craft because they spend so much time on them and intimately understand them. They are also proudly Kiwis. Much of the Voodoo Xpedition Foiler’s styling and layout draws its roots from the relaxed, easy going Kiwi way of living, and from their deep connection with the ocean. New Zealand is the perfect place for developing boats.
Go further, faster
Immensely fast and utterly luxurious Voodoo yachts are the perfect high-speed vessels for the modern explorer. Utilising a unique foil-assisted catamaran hull the Voodoo is capable of cruising at speeds in excess of 40knts with genuine offshore passage making range.