Aquila Catamarans has opened the doors to one of the most advanced boatbuilding facilities in the world with a new four-part series titled Inside the Factory.
Alain Raas, Global Brand Director of Aquila Catamarans, takes viewers into the heart of the Sino Eagle Shipyard in Hangzhou, China. Spanning roughly 110,000 square metres, the factory operates more like a self-contained ecosystem than a traditional shipyard, bringing design, research and development, manufacturing, and assembly together under one coordinated roof.
Aquila’s origins are rooted in the entrepreneurial drive of founder John Xiong, who grew up in a fishing family and learned carpentry from his father. He began applying those skills to building wooden boats, driven by a curiosity about how he could make them faster, lighter, and stronger. That curiosity turned into action in the mid-1980s, building rowing shells that quickly proved competitive. From there, the evolution into composites, performance craft, and eventually yachts was less a leap and more a steady progression. By the late 2000s, Aquila as we know it began to take shape.
The tone of the series is clear: transparent, technical, and grounded in real production. It shows how modern boatbuilding works when design, research, engineering, and manufacturing are tightly connected.
Episode 1
In Episode 1, Global Brand Director Alain Raas takes us through the history of Aquila, the design philosophy behind one of the world’s most diverse catamaran lineups, and into the R&D centre where every new model is conceived, tested, and pushed to its limits — so the only surprises customers experience are the good ones.
Episode 2
This episode moves deeper into the logistics behind the operation – how over 10,000 parts are managed, stored, and delivered into production, alongside in-house fabrication for stainless steel, woodworking, and upholstery.
Episode 3
Step inside the lamination shop with Alain Raas, where every Aquila hull takes shape and strength gets built in. He walks through the vinylester resin infusion process, the single-shot hull and deck construction that sets Aquila apart, and the strength and weight advantages it delivers on the water.
Episode 4
The series finale. In Episode 4, Global Brand Director Alain Raas walks us through Aquila’s assembly line at Sino Eagle Shipyard, where stringers, bulkheads, mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems, and finished interiors all come together into a completed catamarans ready to ship to their new owners. We see how every boat is tracked in real time through Aquila’s production system, get an up-close look at the patented Aquila tender crane (standard on the 42, 46, 50, and 54 Yacht), and hear from Tommy Qian and Nick Harvey to talk production data and the global dealer network.
For owners and prospective buyers in Portugal, access to this world comes through Alura Yachting, the exclusive dealer for Aquila Catamarans in the country, connecting this level of design and manufacturing directly to the local market and bringing the brand’s full range within reach on the Atlantic coast.
Because Out There Starts Here.
Get in touch
To learn more about Aquila Catamarans and explore the full range:
+351 917 220 004