Lightwave Yachts was established in 1996 after Louise Overell’s husband, Roger (a shipwright by trade and Lightwave Yachts managing director) and his business partner at the time, built a catamaran that offered both comfort and high performance. If it sold, the plan was to build another one. When Lightwave started, it had to compete with six other Australian multihull manufacturers. But today, it is the country’s only surviving local multihull manufacturer. Overell attributes this longevity to the high quality of the product and the ability of the business to diversify. In 2021, the business moved to a larger manufacturing facility 50km south of Brisbane, and the team grew by 20 per cent. These changes allow Lightwave to increase the production of catamarans from three to four or even more per year. Each Lightwave catamaran is built to order.