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Just Catamarans

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Catamaran sales and service. Lightning repairs. Electronic upgrades Diesel engines. Generators, air conditioning, watermakers upgrades HH Catamarans Outremer catamarans Leopard catamarans Lagoon catamarans Gunboat catamarans Fountaine Pajot catamarans …

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850 NE 3rd St

Dania Beach, FL 33004

Serving Dania Beach Area

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I am SO impressed!! This is our second visit to Just Catamarans. Our first visit 7 years ago was for the commissioning of our new catamaran where we added several upgrades to our sailing cat. That work was wonderful. So, when we were ready for our refit, we decided to come back. And once again, JC exceeded our expectations! From electronics to power, from the little aesthetics to heavy remodel items, not to mention their connections to specialized contractors, these guys know their stuff AND keep the work moving along on a fair timeline. I would not hesitate in recommending JC for anyone looking to get work done on their cat. Special thanks to Rafael, Andrew, Colt, Dennis and Dennis, Roman, Josiah, Ryan and Ryan, Chris, Lucas and the rest of the JC crew who worked on Boldly Go! Cheers!

Use them if you like to being lied to straight to your face and then have them renege on you quickly thereafter. Would never use them. Fortunately, I learned this about them on a small purchase before I spent tens of thousands on an aftermarket installation as others have. Caveat emptor!

Nothing but positive things to say about Just Catamarans! They helped us commission our brand new boat, and restored her to top condition after a direct lightning strike. We also added a ton of upgrades like water maker, lithium batteries and solar. Laurent reimagined our whole electrical system so the boat can fully run on batteries overnight. The whole crew is dedicated to quality work. What we appreciate most is the stellar communication, texts and calls are getting returned timely and without fail. Customer service is simply awesome. We had, and still have, a great experience with Just Cats, and recommend them highly!

I hope that your experience, if you choose to work with Just Catamarans, is much better than our experience. We spent $48,500 USD on service items with Just Catamarans, after we purchased our catamaran through Just Catamarans. Both the purchase and the service were handled very unprofessionally. The quality of the work was very low and we had to constantly follow-up. We tried MultiTech after our nightmare experience with Just Catamarans and were pleasantly surprised; we spent $6,068 USD with MultiTech. Good luck!

See all photos from Kevin K. for Just Catamarans

Jan 29, 2019

Thank you for your post. We cannot apologize enough for failing to meet your expectations during your recent stay with us. Please rest assured, we truly value your feedback.

I had an unknown alarm sounding in the salon area and I could not figure out where the sound was coming from. I called Laurent and he was able to walk me through a checklist to figure out the issue. Even though the alarm which was a water maker alarm was not part of his work he was able to point me in the right direction and the issue was resolved. Thanks for always being there to help . You are the best!

Laurent and the guys have again raised the bar and I call them the best of the best! Quick and professional work ethic and they get the job done the right way. I highly recommend Just Catamarans.

We used Just Catamarans to perform warranty work on our 2017 Leopard 51 powercat. We threw everything on the list of requests, from small items like countertop cracks to large fixes like our dinghy lift. Laurent Facchin was our project manager. After completing a week-long trip aboard our cat post-completion of the warranty work, I have nothing but good things to say about both Just Cats and Laurent: -- Most important, every item on our lengthy list was addressed. Nothing was overlooked. -- The workmanship was excellent. If you have used many boatyards, you know that work quality can vary. Just Cats' standards are high, and it showed in the quality of their work. -- Communication was great throughout the process. Sometimes we threw extra requests in and they were always responded to and handled. -- Turnaround was surprisingly rapid. Just Cats is a busy boatyard, and our work fell into their busy season, but all of the tasks were completed in time for my planned trip. Just Cats even cleaned the boat immediately prior to my arrival. -- Lastly, there was no quibbling over what constituted warranty work and what we needed to personally pay for. Both Leopard and Just Cats stand behind their product. I would give Just Cats 6 stars if Yelp offered an A+ ranking option.

Dec 4, 2018

Thank you for the kind words Jim - we are humbled to receive the 6-star rating. :) We are grateful to have Laurent on our team.

I first met Jim Ross when I submitted an offer for a 2006 Leopard 47 via email. As a career international airline pilot, I conduct most business via email as I am rarely in the same time zone as the company with whom I am dealing. Just Catamarans and Jim Ross made the purchase of our catamaran very smooth and my first offer was accepted via online document signing. Funds transfer via wire transfer was also very straight-forward and secure. We moved to survey and sea trial swiftly. I met Jim in Ft. Lauderdale at the boat with my surveyor and a seasoned delivery captain. It was immediately apparent that Jim was an expert in boating and catamarans especially. I was impressed with his easy personality and attention to detail on the catamaran. I came to JustCatamarans without a buyer's agent so he acted as mine. Although I was initially skeptical at being represented by the listing agent, Jim was an honest and impressive agent and acted ethically on my behalf and the seller's behalf. The generator would not run sufficiently to power any systems. After the initial offer to pay for a new fuel injector pump, I asked for a bore scope and compression test to evaluate the generator. He completed this quickly and determined the generator unserviceable and found a replacement bid with Just Catamarans maintenance side for $17,500. This was a big deal for me and I was impressed that Jim was an honest broker for both sides and found quick and reasonable solutions. The buyer only offered to pay half but Jim arranged for Just Catamarans to buy the other half to seal the deal. Wow, but that's Jim..honest, hard working and always finding solutions. After the sale, our experience remained positive and friendly with Jim. Jim graciously helped move the boat for repairs and coordinated dockage until we arrived for our summer aboard our new boat. When I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale with my family in tow, Jim was there to welcome and greet us aboard our new catamaran. Jim Ross is truly the best broker around and I highly recommend him. Thank you Jim for your outstanding professionalism, expertise in boating and friendly nature! James & Ingrid aboard S/V Southern Star Headed to the Bahamas, 3 boys & 2 dogs SailingSouthernStarWithKids.com

First thing I want to say is, I really wanted to be writing a very positive review right now. Unfortunately, my recent buying and service experience was a lot less than acceptable. Many promises and expectations were made and not kept of fulfilled. From small discrepancies in arguably insignificant closing fees, to substantial changes in tax liabilities and service costs. My last experience with Just Catamarans was a service on my saildrives (new seals and boots), repair of a small crack on a fiberglass hatch (which I removed and installed myself), and a minor fiberglass repair on my bow. Grand total was just over $4000. I was told it would be a little more than $2000, which was understandable. Upon complaint, I was told, "its all in black and white". "We gave you really good pricing". I was there personally for the entire service from beginning to end, from my observation, they are charging over $300hr for fiberglass repair and service. They wouldnt put my boat back in the water until I paid them. If you have doubts about my story, I intend to provide even more detail once we set sail. Part of me wants to forget about this experience, but I feel like people need to know the reality of Just Catamarans. They are not out for you best interests. They are simply used car salesmen taking advantage of people. Its been a horrible way to start what I have worked towards my entire life.

Thanks for your post. We cannot apologize enough for failing to meet your expectations during your recent stay with us. Please rest assured, we truly value your feedback.

ITS CHEAPER TO GET A PRO TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. Just Catamarans quoted us for the work we needed and then over-delivered at that same price. There was no extra hours tacked on at the end, no surprise costs or unexpected charges. Dealing with Just Catamarans was the absolute best transaction we've ever had with any repair of any kind. Laurent Facchin was our Service Manager and he made regular trips to the boat to check the work and spent as much time as we needed to understand the work. Every member of the team that showed up to the boat was professional, courteous and incredibly skilled with many years experience at that task. We had generator, battery, inverter and plumbing work and each tech was an expert in their field and understood our boat thoroughly. When you pay experts to do a job you end up SAVING MONEY because the job is done quickly and only ONCE. We've seen far too many other people stumble around the boat learning their trade at our expense. This is not the case when you hire a team that already understands your boat and the systems on your boat. Amazing is the only word that comes to mind. These guys are the best and their speed and expertise means you get high quality and high value.

I trust the team at Just Catamarans 99%. Nobody is perfect. Yes they may make a mistake now and again, but it's with the mistakes and solutions that you find the true integrity of a business. We have a Leopard 43 that we've converted from a coastal cruiser into a blue water voyaging vessel. With Kent's (the owner) watchful eye he's helped guide us to make the best decisions for our sailing needs. From solar install, to stainless work, to a complete navigation refit. Our first experience with Just Cats was about a year ago. They did the first wave of work before we sailed to the Bahamas. After 6 months of sailing in the Bahamas we chose to backtrack to Ft. Lauderdale to get one more wave of repairs and upgrades done before sailing to Panama. I guess that's the biggest compliment we can give to Just Cats: We trust the team enough to sail out of our way to come back...and we'd do it again. Now we are just a few days out from completing all our upgrades and our boat is (slowly) coming back to life. We're excited to hit the water again and we trust that all the work was completed to the best of their ability and to our 99% satisfaction. I would (and do) feel confident to recommend anyone with a Catamaran to come here for service.

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Just Catamarans

850 ne 3rd street suite 207, dania beach, florida, united states, 33004, just catamarans reviews ( %countitem ).

This company is disgusting to the core. I purchased a $4XXXXX catamaran through them and have never been so shocked by a companies poor ethics. Numerous hidden fees came to light during the sales process after they were specifically asked to provide all the fees. There were over $2000 in undisclosed fees. I was promised that sales tax wouldnt be collected as long as I took the boat out of the US within 3 months and paid for a tax stamp exemption. This was untrue and cost me an additional $18000 and wasnt disclosed until AFTER I was contractually obligated to purchase the boat. After purchase was complete, I was told that they would take care of some items that came up during survey using a credit that was applied to my account. I added a couple of small items and told it would only cost me a couple hundred more. It ended up costing me $2000 more to fix a cracked fiberglass hatch and a ding to the hull. Absolute robbery! They would not release my boat from the yard until I paid them. Then part of the work they did on my boat failed completely. They refused to resolve it though offered to partially refund me, which they still havent done to date. After all of that, I came to find out that my boats mast and rigging was greatly jeopardized and was not reported by the surveyor they highly recommended and pushed on me with the line "he is the only one available". Just Catamarans assured me multiple times that rigging was "done right" as they had done all the service work on the boat for the original owners. Turns out, there are more than $35000 in repairs necessary. Lastly, they have removed my detailed review from google and had a lawyer send me a cease and desist. Well thats not going to happen. People need to be made aware of this company. We are not the first to go through this. But they manage to silence people like me by strong arming with legal suits. Product_Or_Service: Leopard 46 Catamaran

Repair I want them to resolve the issues with my saildrive seals. I want them to cover costs to repair my standing rigging and mast. I want my review on google to be shown to the public.

The allegations from this individual are patently untrue. Our company has written contractual documentation signed by the complainant as well as numerous emails to and from this person. Due to his threatening behavior in person at our offices, by telephone, and in writing through emails our company has been forced to turn this matter over to an attorney. Our attorney has sent a letter demanding that he and his family Cease and Desist from his defamatory and threatening behavior and our staff has been told to call the police should he enter our premises or engage any of our staff. Furthermore all contact should be through our attorney. Accordingly we cannot address this matter through Revdex.com. We have been in business for many years and this is the first time we have retained counsel. Additionally I have in my possession documentation from others who have done business with complainant stating that his behavior was abusive and threatening to them in the same way stated above. They too felt it necessary to consult their attorney.

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Address: 850 Ne 3rd Street Suite 207, Dania Beach, Florida, United States, 33004

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Finding Balance in High Performance

• By Tim Murphy
• August 22, 2022

Today’s rich market of cruising catamarans spans a broad spectrum from payload to performance. On the one side are boats whose credentials as well-appointed floating condominiums outshine their sailing performance; on the other are souped-up hull-flying speedsters with load cells and dump buttons more suited to a young, athletic professional crew than to the average cruising couple. 

For more than two decades, Phil Berman has sought to find a satisfying middle ground in the world of cruising catamarans. His latest offering, the Balance 482—with its downwind sail area of 2,900 square feet and a light-ship displacement of under 25,000 pounds on a 48-foot waterline—might not be the most extreme thoroughbred catamaran on the market, but it has power and sophistication, and a backstory worth understanding.

In 1999, Berman—Hobie Cat world champion of 1979, and a longtime sailor of cruising catamarans himself—founded the Multihull Company. Initially, it was a consulting service that served only as a buyer’s broker. Before long, though, he began taking listings on brokerage catamarans and hiring other brokers to serve a growing list of clients. 

Over the ensuing years, Berman ­attended hundreds of surveys and sea trials of catamarans built by every major yard around the world. Along the way, he developed strong perspectives on what worked and what didn’t, in both ­production and design.

“I’ve never been a fan of balsa core,” Berman says, “particularly balsa-core decks. No matter what happens, you’re inevitably going to have water incursion in any fitting that’s attached through the deck, especially hatches.”

The fabrication and installation of bulkheads always catch his attention: “I think bulkheads should be made out of composite material, not marine plywood.” He prefers bulkheads cut on CNC machines to close tolerances and entirely tabbed with fiberglass. “Bulkheads shouldn’t be moving or floating,” he says. “I’d go on surveys, and I could hear them moving. I’d lift up floorboards, and I could stick a finger between the bulkhead and the hull, and it would get crushed if I left it there too long.”

It wasn’t just catamaran ­construction that bothered Berman, but also sailing performance. His big epiphany came during the sea trial of a 50-something-foot French production cat off Palm Beach, Florida. 

“I was trying to go to windward in 17 knots of wind,” he says. “I couldn’t sail faster than 6½ knots, and I couldn’t point higher than 55 degrees. I just had this weird revelation: Like, man, we’ve lost the balance. And that was the day when I decided that I really ought to try to design a different kind of catamaran.”

Of course, not every catamaran he saw turned him off. For a few years in the early 2000s, he imported the French-built Switch 51. “I loved that boat in its day,” Berman says. “It was foam core with composite bulkheads, handmade foam-core furniture. It had nice living accommodations in the hulls, and it was physically attractive.” And it sailed well.

In the middle of the 2000s, Berman distributed Dolphin Catamarans, designed in France by Philippe Pouvreau and built in Brazil by Junior Pimenta. Those boats came close to the balance Berman was looking for, but they still had things he wanted to change. 

“I did some redesign on that boat, but the one thing I learned is that once you tool a boat, you can’t go back,” he says. “Changing tooling is so costly.”

From 2008 to 2011, Berman represented Catana in the United States. By then, he knew that in the cats that sailed well, daggerboards were a common denominator, not shallow-draft fixed keels. Still, there was one detail common to the French performance catamarans that irked him: “All the French thought you had to have two wheels out on each hull. That was the sporty way to go. But I always looked at it as an affectation, because if you’re voyaging, you’re not standing there or sitting there steering your boat; you’re on autopilot. But when you do have to steer your boat, when you have to come into a harbor, or if you’re daysailing, you have this massive exposure—either to the cold or the wet or the sun.”

Berman’s strong preference for true cruising cats was a single bulkhead-­mounted helm station. But even that idea had its problems. 

“What was really evident to me was that on smaller or medium-size boats, you had to pop up some kind of enclosure over it with isinglass for foul-weather sailing,” he says. “And it’s in the wrong place to be sailing because you’re higher up in the fulcrum, and you have to walk up and down there. Aesthetically, that’s a disaster. I like things to be clean and elegant, spare and unadorned. Understated is always better, you know?”

These were some of the ideas that Berman pulled together when he started Balance Catamarans a decade ago. In fall 2013, he brought the first of these cats to the US boat-show circuit: the Balance 451. Designed by Roger Hill in New Zealand and built by Lee Xiangong in China, the 451 exhibited some of the DNA we see in today’s Balance cats: slim hulls, wave-piercing bows, composite bulkheads, and foam-cored hulls, deck and hardtop. At the time, Cruising World ’s Boat of the Year judges saw a lot to like in that boat, but also saw evidence of a designer, builder, creator and boat owner from three continents pulling in different directions. “I would have done this differently,” was a common refrain we heard.

With the South African-built 526, Balance Catamarans hit its first home run in the eyes of the Boat of the Year judges— winning not only its category , but also the overall prize in the 2017 contest. 

“We’re not creating a charter cat, and we’re not creating a racing cat,” Berman said at the time. “We’re creating a high-performance cruising cat for a couple to sail on.” 

In the Balance 526, he had found the ideal middle path he’d been seeking all those years.

The Cape Town Connection

Evident in the Balance 526 was a wholesome partnership. To create that boat, Berman worked with builders and a designer who’d all grown up together in South Africa on the outskirts of Cape Town. Brothers Jonathan and Roger Paarman—world-class surfers and composites experts—and a couple of others had founded Nexus Yachts in Cape St. Francis in 2007. Before that, Jonathan had learned the composites trade by building surfboards and Hobie Cats in the 1970s, and then ran the factory floor for Voyage Yachts in the early 2000s. Over the years, Jonathan built Gunboats and other performance boats of carbon fiber and epoxy, including some that sailed in the Volvo Ocean Race. 

Designer Anton du Toit also came by his trade honestly, sailing around the world with his family for 14 years, beginning at age 13. Through those years, he worked in boatyards, getting to know boats from the bottom up. Later on back in Cape Town, he worked for designer Angelo Lavranos and boatbuilder Southern Wind.

A close look at the Balance 526 reveals multiple creators working together, and all pulling toward a single goal without clunky compromises. Around the time the first 526 hull was launched in 2015, Berman described the different build processes: “In China, Lee Xiangong builds our boats. Lee went to a university of boatbuilding, but he isn’t a lifelong sailor. Lee is going to do exactly what I tell him to do.” 

The result was that communication took longer, particularly when the New Zealand-based designer got looped in, and it took longer to finish any given project. 

Working with his South African ­partners was different. “Jonathan Paarman isn’t going to do exactly what he’s told to do,” Berman says. “If he thinks something is stupid, he’s going to let me know about it right away—because he’s a sailor. He intuitively knows.”

Clean lines are the defining trait of the Balance brand, beginning with the 526. For that model, Berman and du Toit started from the sailing performance they wanted the boat to achieve: steady speeds of 10 to 12 knots in ocean-cruising mode with a shorthanded crew (and with potential for higher speeds when pushed). The way to achieve that, they determined, was to keep the hulls’ beam-to-length ratio at 1-to-12. Other builders employ chines or bumps above the waterline to create more interior volume for wide fore and aft island berths in every stateroom, but the Balance team chose a form with clean lines that wouldn’t impede the flow of water over the hull. 

Trade-offs from the narrow hulls are evident in the raised athwartships king berths forward, as well as steps down into the hull that require you to start with your right foot as you descend. Boat of the Year judges found these to be elegant compromises in light of the boat’s exemplary sailing behavior.

Construction of the 526 is a sandwich of fiber over a core of closed-cell foam. The fibers are E-glass with carbon reinforcement in the high-load areas. Given that the cost of carbon fiber is several times that of fiberglass, this was a reasonable choice for a boat that isn’t intended to compete at the grand-prix level. 

That said, the resin throughout the boat is all epoxy—the best boatbuilding resin available. The cores are vacuum-bagged for thorough bonding throughout the structure; this includes such smaller parts as interior bulkheads and furniture. The result is a good blend of above-average strength-to-weight ratios and cost containment. 

It’s a boat that takes 25,000 labor-hours to build, nearly five times that of a similar-­size catamaran from a high-production builder. The Nexus yard has the capacity to build four 526s per year.

The 526 was the model in which Berman solved one of the catamaran ­market’s most vexing problems. What about the helm? On some cats, the helm exposes the sailor too much to the elements; on others, it isolates the helmsman from the rest of the crew, or it ­dangerously impedes visibility. 

The Balance’s Versahelm is a single articulating pedestal that can be pinned in different positions: up above the cabin top, with full view of the sail plan and in easy reach of all sailhandling controls; or down at the level of the cockpit sole, where the helmsperson has full protection from the elements, and full visibility through the saloon windows to all four corners of the boat.

The Balance 482, which debuted at the 2021 United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, is an entirely new boat that retains fundamental traits from the Balance 526, but it takes the ­cost-containment steps a bit further.

“The Balance 482 is a scaled-down version of the 526, but it’s a newly engineered and newly tooled boat,” Berman says. “We took all the learnings of the 526 and packed them into this boat. One goal of this boat was to find a way to bring the price down from the 526. This is a vinylester foam-core boat, whereas the 526 is an epoxy boat. And we’re using more molded parts. The 482 runs about $400,000 less than the 526.”

For the Balance 482 and a newer 44-footer set to debut in the US this fall, Balance is working with Cape Town builder Mark Delaney. He’s a second-­generation boatbuilder who studied marine technology in the United States and then returned to Cape Town to join his father in running Two Oceans Marine, which the elder Delaney founded in 1989 to build semiproduction power catamarans. Over the ensuing years, Two Oceans transitioned to building high-end custom powerboats and sailboats from 70 to 110 feet. Projects included sophisticated yachts built of carbon fiber and epoxy.

Working with Berman, Delaney started a new company called Balance Catamarans Cape Town to build the Balance 482 and Balance 442. “We’re gearing up to build 12 boats of each model a year,” Delaney says. “Eventually, 18 boats per year is where we’d like to get to.”

Delaney’s boatbuilding operation employs 400 staff and, with rare exceptions for specialized tasks, does everything in-house, including electrical systems, painting and interior furniture. Part of the cost-containment regimen for the 482 and 442 models is to use polyester and vinylester resin instead of epoxy, which is four times more expensive. But because Delaney’s production line is set up to build in epoxy, the yard is able to use some of those practices in the 482 and 442. 

Post-curing is also part of the build process, heating the composite parts after layup to mitigate print-through months and years down the road.

“We still post-cure the hulls like we would on epoxy boats just to try to help, because all these guys are painting their hulls,” he said. “It gives the boat a little more protection against the UV.” 

Delaney’s lamination team also takes the step of “thermoforming” the PVC foam core. The traditional method for making flat sheets of foam take the complex curves of a sailboat hull is to score the foam, leaving open channels called “kerfs,” which the resin then fills during layup. By contrast, thermoforming starts with uncut foam, to which the laminators apply heat to take the curves. Together with vacuum-bagging, this technique ­ensures a thorough bond between fiber and core without the added weight in resin to fill all the kerfs.

The result? “The sailing performance was excellent,” said 2022 Boat of the Year judge Gerry Douglas, “and the structure of the boat throughout was exemplary.”

Flattening the Learning Curve

This was the boat and these were the relationships Kevin and Sandy Hutton took on when they ordered Hull No. 1 of the Balance 482. In fact, in Kevin’s case, the relationship went back further than that—to the Southern California Hobie Cat circuit of the late 1970s.

“Phil Berman and I had a lot of parallels because he worked at Hobie Newport and I worked at Hobie Long Beach,” Kevin says. “I was the snotty kid looking up at the guy who was winning all the races.”

Sandy, a longtime powerboater, was no stranger to complex machines, but a performance cruising catamaran was new.

The couple brought different backgrounds to the process of learning to run the boat. Sandy had worked as a flight nurse and knew about the design of complex machines from her time at Bell Helicopters dealing with aircraft for medical evacuations. Kevin’s background was in emergency medicine and flight medicine; he and his brother and father had bought and restored a series of down-and-out sailboats, culminating with a Catalina 400 they owned for many years and sailed along the California coast. 

To learn the Balance 482, they hired Richard and Jessica Johnson, both licensed captains, former Sea Education Association instructors, and two-time circumnavigators. The four of them went sailing for a week this past winter, after the boat was shipped from Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

“It got off the ship on October 4, and we had to be in Annapolis for the boat show by October 12, so we power-sailed up the coast, and got there in four days and 17 hours,” Kevin says. 

They’d made it around Cape Hatteras just before a 60-knot blow that thrashed other boats making the same trip just behind them.

“We really shook her down,” Kevin says. “That was her first passage, and it was the roughest passage I think I’d ever sailed in. We came up the Chesapeake double-reefed and with the jib, and we were doing like 12 knots beating into the wind. It was lovely going—everything that was promised. It gave me a sense of confidence in the boat, knowing she could take that beating.”

Today, they’re relishing the relationships they made throughout the project of building the boat. “This all started just as COVID kicked in,” Kevin says. “We were all supposed to go to South Africa in August 2020. Everything had to shift to virtual. But I can’t say enough about Mark and his team, who really made it as seamless as you can. We got weekly reports. We’d schedule calls on Zoom or WhatsApp, and Mark would just be standing on our boat, walking us through it. So in some ways, we almost got to be more part of it.” 

Through their blog, they’ve gotten to know many of the other Balance owners.

I met Kevin and Sandy in the Bahamas this past February in the middle of their training week. For more than 20 years, Kevin has served as a physician at the all-volunteer medical clinic on Cat Cay, a private club. He now directs the clinic.

The Huttons had been sailing all night from Fort Lauderdale and hadn’t slept all day, instead using the daylight to practice anchoring and other techniques with the Johnsons. That night over a dinner of fish tacos, they were awake and alive and ebullient about the adventures and the community they were stepping into.

Sandy was still on her big learning curve, such as when she was on watch during the entry into Cat Cay harbor, being shown tips and techniques that included use of the chart plotter. Just as they approached the harbor entrance, she juiced the engine throttle.

“What are you doing?” the instructor asked.

“You said, ‘Zoom in,’” she replied.

Clearly, the Huttons are poised and ready to have some fun on the water. “I probably need a good solid year of getting comfortable,” Sandy says. “I think it’s just going to be a balance of how much time to be away from home, I can see myself wanting to spend more time on the boat.”

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484-413-2132 balancecatamarans.com

Tim Murphy, CW editor-at-large and longtime Boat of the Year judge, visited Nexus, Two Oceans and other South African boatyards in 2015. (See “Artisan Cats of South Africa,” July 2016.) He sails his 1988 Passport 40, Billy Pilgrim , on the US East Coast and in the Bahamas.

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12 Best Catamaran Sailboats

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 28, 2023

The appeal of the catamaran sailboats in terms of speed , stability, and the ability to embark on long-range cruising has made them hugely popular with today's sailors. But what are the best catamaran sailboats?

Even though catamaran sailboats have become increasingly popular in the last few years, they have a truly rich legacy as one of the most sought after vessels for bluewater cruising.

Thanks to their incredibly wide beams and bigger daft, catamarans have become remarkably favorable for sailors looking to go for long-distance voyages, overnight cruising, and day sailing.

And if space is paramount for you when out there on the water, a catamaran sailboat is the only way to go as they offer extraordinary space to allow you to spend more time on the water with friends and family.

But even with all these amazing features, you're probably still wondering; what are the best catamaran sailboats?

Like their monohull counterparts, choosing the best catamaran sailboat can be quite overwhelming since there are lots of them out there. They come in a wide variety of designs and sizes ranging from small catamarans to huge ones.

The best catamaran sailboats can easily clock 250-mile voyages, offer incredible performance, and have layouts that can be easily optimized for individuals, charter markets, and great accommodation. In essence, the best catamaran sailboats offer respectable performance and offer good load-carrying ability.

That being said, here are some of the best catamaran sailboats that you can get your hands on.

Table of contents

Best Catamarans

{{boat-info="/boats/manta-42"}}

Even though many multihulls are no longer built in the United States these days, the Manta 42 is a true American-built catamaran that brings good living and good value into one package. Designed cleverly for easy handling, this American built catamaran is a great choice for a liveaboard cruiser for sailors looking to go for long-distance voyages. Thanks to its trademark high bows and an enormously curved incorporated forward crossbeam, this catamaran is easily recognizable even from a distance.

It is designed with a uniquely fixed crossbeam, which is very different from conventional aluminum cross beams that support the tension of the forestay. This fixed crossbeam allows for a little bit of movement thereby helping in absorbing enormous twisting forces of the bows. As such, you have to keep in mind that there may be resultant stress crack particularly in the bow area of the vessel.

All in all, the Manta 42 is a superb offshore cruising catamaran that offers a good sail-area-to-displacement ratio as well as plenty of space and accommodation. The cockpit area is refined, luxurious, and is designed with additional stainless pushpit contraptions to help in holding objects such as wind vanes, dinghies, and solar panels. The boat's quality in terms of performance and stability is the benchmark of what a catamaran should be.

Fountaine Pajot Elba 45

{{boat-info="/boats/fountaine-pajot-elba-45"}}

Recently named the "Boat of the Year" for 2019 by Cruising World Magazine and Sail Magazine, the Elba 45 is the latest model in the incredible line of Fountaine Pajot catamarans. This boat was designed to replace the outgoing Helia 44 and stands to be one of the most popular catamarans with Fountain Pajot having sold over 100 Elba 45 hulls long before even the first one emerged from production.

This French-built cat brings to the fore a well-thought-out, safe, and dependable features with 10% less drag, efficient motoring, top-notch performance, and high speeds. It's also designed with fixed stub keels and slightly aft-raked bows, which are all essential in enhancing windward performance; something that most catamarans struggle with.

To improve on safety, the keels of this amazing catamaran sailboat are glued into a particularly designed recess in the hulls. This is to ensure that there are no keel bolts that can rip out and put the boat in danger if the boat gets grounded or in the event of a collision. The rig is also ICW friendly and is a true representation of a standard catamaran setup.

This is, without a doubt, a modern-looking cruising catamaran that has a low-profile lounging space on its deck, high topsides and bows as well as a more pronounced reverse sheer that's essential in minimizing the bulk of the windows while creating additional and useful volume below. This is a true catamaran that occupies a sweet spot for those looking to sail along the bay or for those adventurous sailors looking to set sail for more ambitious offshore cruising plans.

{{boat-info="/boats/leopard-48"}}

With its fine design, straightforward systems, and easy handling, the Leopard 48 has everything it needs to be ranked among the distinguished category of the best catamaran sailboats. This is an excellent multihull that is structured with advanced materials, designs, and innovations that are meant to be fun, spacious, and comfortable.

Designed in South Africa by Simonis-Voogd, is probably the best design in the Leopard family of catamarans. Its two hulls are vacuum-bagged using balsa core to offer maximum firmness while ensuring that the weight is on the minimum. This is done by articulately regulating the level of resin in the layup. With such types of hull shapes, this catamaran sailboat is very fast and can consistently clock 12 knots of speed against the currents.

The boat is also designed with shallow keels as they're filled with closed-cell polyurethane foam that's of great importance in increasing buoyancy and preventing water ingress. To enhance the safety of the vessel, the stern and bow both have bulkheads that are essential in keeping out that water if the sailboat is involved in a collision.

The hulls of this boat are deep and narrow, particularly below the waterline. They also curve higher up to practically reduce the wetted surface area while offering enough deck space and plenty of room for accommodations. Its cockpit is another excellent feature thanks to its lavish spaces that give you the chance of kicking back and relaxing.

This boat is designed to offer superior livability, quick and easy to handle features, as well as enough space for friends and family. It is designed with beautiful lines and immense practicality for those who want to go on long cruising voyages.

Antares 44i

While many people often believe that voluminous cruising catamarans should be used as charter boats, the Antares 44i brings a very different perspective altogether. Designed in Argentina as a complete bluewater catamaran, this is a boat that's specifically built for private boat owners looking for a sturdy and well-equipped bluewater cruiser. This is an absolutely gorgeous catamaran that has a fully-equipped cockpit just to ensure that you can safely operate it even when shorthanded.

Like most catamarans, the Antares 44i is designed with features that allow for long-distance voyages. It comes with a minimum bridge deck clearance of 30 inches, which is essential in mitigating bridge deck slap. The helm station is designed to offer excellent visibility over the coach roof without having to perch the helmsman high above the cockpit.

If you're planning to make those long-distance cruising to exotic places, you'll appreciate this boat's layout. The galley is put down in the port hull so that it doesn't compromise the size of the galley and the saloon. The forward-facing navigation station is up there with the best and is up to offshore standards. And that's not all; the Antares 44i comes with good mounting points for electronics, a large table, comfortable seats, and provides brilliant visibility outside.

This boat is perfectly suited for extended offshore cruising and is a great reminder for anyone who thinks that all catamarans are charter boats and all offshore boats are monohulls.

{{boat-info="/boats/dolphin-ocema-42"}}

Designed by Philipe Pouvreau in northern Brazil, the Dolphin Ocema 42 is a truly unique catamaran sailboat that goes against the conventional norm of catamarans. It is equipped with daggerboards, which are essential in enabling it to point higher on the wind while reducing the wetted surface when running or anchoring in shallow surfaces. This, however, requires a higher level of expertise in sailing. This is because lifting the daggerboards higher up will expose the rudders while the daggerboards can also interfere with the hulls in the event that the vessel runs aground.

But even with that, the Dolphin 42 balances incredible performance and cruising comfort in a very compact package; something that is not very easy in bluewater cruising. That's why it's designed using a foam core to make it lightweight by reducing weight wherever possible. This vessel will most likely never let you down if you want to circumnavigate the bluewater on a high-performance boat that is safe and comfortable.

So if you've been looking for a real sailing catamaran that doubles up as a very comfortable liveaboard sailboat , look no further than the Dolphin 42.

{{boat-info="/boats/catana-50"}}

Regarded as the best built and most stylish cruising multihull, the Catana 50 is a very huge catamaran sailboat. Measuring about 50 feet long with a beam of about 26 feet, this is an amazing catamaran that will test your sailing skills as a single sailor or if you're planning to sail shorthanded.

This boat is designed with a rig that gives you the option of using either a screecher or a self-tending jib. This may seem complex since the sheets are led to winches near each wheel while all other controls lead to a centerline winch that's located in the cockpit. But even with that, this sailboat can be easily tacked once on the course.

This is a real performance-oriented catamaran with efficient hulls and rigs allowing for top speed. This vessel is also designed with a long waterline and a subtle underwater shape at the bow to help in increasing volume while minimizing wave drag. The stern platforms can help in stretching the waterline length while also providing easy access from a dock or a dinghy. The board trunks are also very strong and sturdy to protect the integrity of the hulls if a collision occurs.

In essence, this is a very modern catamaran that's designed to safely make long-distance passages with ease. It is subdued in terms of styling but this doesn't mean that it falls short as far as performance is concerned.

Atlantic 42

{{boat-info="/boats/atlantic-42"}}

Designed in 1993, the A42 has cultivated a legion of fiercely loyal fans thanks to its efficiency and aesthetic. This is the smallest of the Atlantic cruising catamaran line and is hugely popular with sailors thanks to its ease of handling, ocean-going capabilities, and superb use of space. From the forward cockpit, pilothouse to the sleeping cabins, and brilliant galleys everything about this cat is a true classic.

Unlike most catamarans, the Atlantic 42 is designed with a waist-high cockpit that's located forward of the pilothouse just behind the mast. It brings forth a solid construction thanks to the large metal girder-like bearers that run across the bulkheads. This helps the vessel in having the utmost strength, better air circulation under the engine, and a high level of flexibility as far as the size of the engine and its positioning is concerned.

Initially, the boat's style and its outlook were considered conservative but it soon became clear that it is built of high-quality materials and to last. The internal construction of the boat is impressive, to say the least. The exterior looks very beautiful and perhaps much more beautiful than most boats today. Its large aft cabin accommodation is a top drawer while the space separating en suite heads and shower compartments are considered a bonus.

{{boat-info="/boats/fountaine-pajot-bahia-46"}}

If you were to board the French-built Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46, you'll agree that the high-quality of workmanship, layout, and efficient use of space is quite exciting, to say the least. This cat remains very popular among sailors thanks to its easy handling features and incredible performance under the sails. Well, this may not come as a surprise to many of us given that the Fountain Pajot is known for building some of the most remarkable cruising catamarans out there that it can be quite overwhelming to narrow down to a single vessel, but the Bahia 46 simply stands out.

This vessel is designed with hulls that are broader than those of many other catamarans. It's also designed with centerboards and daggerboards that are meant to enhance its performance. These are essential in minimizing draft while ensuring reliability, generous bilge, and in helping to protect the rudders and propellers.

This boat is big enough to manage any type of serious offshore sailing. This is one of the best cruising catamarans for anyone looking for the right vessel for long-distance sailing. This vessel has a very more generous rig than most cruising catamarans, which is essential in enhancing its performance. The six-post Bimini is very strong and clean and can perfectly hold dinghies.

In terms of its look, the Bahia 36 is designed with gorgeous lines with the deck and hulls sculpted with lines that add a touch of elegance to the overall look of an already excellent catamaran sailboat.

Gemini 105MC

{{boat-info="/boats/gemini-105mc"}}

Whether you're looking for a comfortable catamaran vessel to take you for a weekend sailing trip or a long sabbatical vacation on the oceans, the Gemini 105MC is a very satisfactory liveaboard catamaran vessel that offers spacious accommodation, thoughtful design, and a stable cruising platform for anyone who wants to have some good time on the water.

Designed by the legendary Tony Smith, this is somewhat a sailing cottage. Like a land cottage, it is cozy, comfortable, and very safe. This is essentially a 35 feet catamaran that offers great value for any sailing looking for a reasonably-priced catamaran sailboat for the weekend or holiday cruising.

This boat is designed with incredibly slim hulls, which are teardrop-shaped with flat bottoms and smaller wetted surface area. This is to ensure that drag is minimized and to lead to more leeway under sail. Each of the boat's hull is designed with a kick-up centerboard is of great importance in enhancing the vessel's windward pointing capability. This boat also has its rudders raised to enable it to seamlessly cruise in shallow waters where most vessels would otherwise run aground.

The eccentric narrow beam, which measures about 40% of the boat's length, is very different from today's 50%. However, its low center helps in keeping its stable, upright, and of course, safe.

Lagoon 450 F

{{boat-info="/boats/lagoon-450-f"}}

If you're looking for a catamaran sailboat that offers prestige at its peak, look no further than the Lagoon 450. This cat is widely known for offering an all-around comfort without compromising its beauty, spaciousness, class, and elegance. This is an elaborate French catamaran that brings to the table fantastic craftsmanship while leaving nothing to chance.

This is a very safe 45 feet catamaran that's not just comfortable but also very luxurious. The deck layout is centered on an amazing flybridge, which has been redesigned and redefined to offer both the traditional and modern outlook. You can very easily access the bridge, engine controls, steering station in a matter of seconds. As a result, this boat is efficiently designed to give you the ultimate control of almost every situation while on the water.

The spacious and luxurious interior of this boat is worth experiencing. The cabins and saloons are perfectly lit. We're talking about four to six cabins, eight to twelve berths, and up to four bathrooms. In essence, this boat can comfortably sleep eight to twelve people. This boat is designed to offer ultra-modern accommodations and amenities that come with little but amazing touches; all designed to make your life inside the catamaran enjoyable.

{{boat-info="/boats/gunboat-62"}}

An original performance catamaran cruiser from the iconic Gunboat manufacturer, the Gunboat 62 has truly cemented its place as one of the best catamaran sailboats to ever grace the oceans. Honestly speaking, this cat-inspired a whole range of other incredible boats including HH66 Catamaran and the Balance 526.

This is a boat that can perform admirably well in storms with a speed of over 35 knots despite being built using epoxy and E-glass with carbon-fiber structural components. It's designed with a distinct angular outline than most catamaran sailboats of its size and category. This is a vessel that was built for people looking to add more stuff and more gear for their voyages. In other words, you can have all the gear and equipment on this boat and still outperform a racing monohull of the same size.

Thanks to its lightweight feature, this vessel can sail upwind at speeds of over 17 knots and pinch up to 30 degrees. Just for comparison, the Gunboat 62 can tack through 95 degrees and still outperform the best racing monohulls. This boat is designed with a comfortable helm seat that offers 360-degree visibility as well as plenty of storage space, a functional working surface, and a luxurious cabin. Like many performance catamarans, the Gunboat 62 can attain about 20 knots if the conditions are right.

Privilege 615

{{boat-info="/boats/privilege-615"}}

Combining elegance, comfort, and style, the Privilege 615 is a lovely catamaran sailboat that seems to be always ready for a long offshore voyage. The roots of this incredible cat can be traced back to the 1980s when Philippe Jeantot opened up a boat-building company in France. As one of the best productions from the company, the privilege 615 sports a flybridge that comes complete with twin wheels, a sprawling sunbed, and other excellent features that will make your bluewater cruising a breeze.

Whether you want the charter version or a privately-owned version, the Privilege 615 is one of the most versatile catamaran sailboats. Step inside this vessel and you'll instantly notice the quality of the wood finish and the elegance of design. The advanced navigation station is not only ultra-modern but is perfectly stationed at a dedicated corner where you can control everything while still having a conversation with your friends and family.

This boat comes with multiple sleeping configurations to ensure that you and your guests can live aboard the boat for months on end. Although the boat appears like some sort of maze on the inside, you'll easily get used to it when you enter the forward section. That's not all; this boat has gorgeous lines that make the exterior beautiful just like the interior. Its sleek profile, incredible volume, and versatile interior make it one of the best catamaran sailboats out there.

There you have it; these are the best catamaran sailboats out there. It doesn't matter the one you choose, these cats will make your day out on the water and will serve you just right for your offshore voyages or for day sailing along the bays.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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W elcome to Katamarans.com ! If you are looking for a catamaran charter or you are researching different catamarans to buy, we are sure you are going to love this site. We’re creating honest, in depth reviews on new and classic yachts and talking to owners about the pros and cons of their boats. Please Contact Us if you would like some help in finding your dream catamaran.

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Do you feel the need for speed ? Performance Catamarans like the Marsaudon Composites range, HH, Outremer and Gunboat are designed to blast away at 15 knots and over in the right conditions, and with the leeward daggerboard down, you’ll be pointing into the wind like a monohull and probably overtaking.

Cruising Catamarans

If you are after comfort and safety on a yacht that will get you where you want to go efficiently, this is your section. The living space on some of these cruising catamarans is outstanding. You’ll be spending 80% of your time at anchor anyway, so for many people it makes sense to have the optimum boat for when you are on the hook, with the ability to carry all of the toys

Luxury Catamarans

In this section, we are in the realm of the “Supercat”: luxury catamarans with no expense spared in the search for the ultimate in comfort and finish. Sunreef and Privilege are big players here, but the likes of Lagoon are muscling in on the action with top of the range boats like the 77.

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Review: MEN ON BOATS at Theatre In The Round

Running thru June 2, 2024

Theatre in the Round’s newest production of the comedic retelling of the Powell expedition to chart the Green and Colorado Rivers is a muddled and tragically flat production. Originally produced in 2015, Men on Boats , tells the mostly unfortunate but at times comedic story of these men and their endeavors to survive their journey.

Utilizing a rising trend in the theater world, Men on Boats gender bends all of the roles, having the entire male cast of characters played by women. Although conceived with that decision in mind, in the hands of this cast, it just doesn’t work. The majority of the comedy comes at the expense of how a group of manly explorers would react to various obstacles they encounter (a one armed man climbing a cliff, a hardened explorer reacting to a rattle snake for the first time, and the group going over a waterfall, among other events). Unfortunately, those moments don’t carry the same comedic weight when it is a group of women.

Men on Boats bulls itself as a comedy but it should be classified as a dram-odey instead. The material it deals with is often heavy and tragic but the show focuses so heavily on the comedy aspects that it comes across as feeling very one note, often making light of their downfalls. Thus forcing the audience to give up their ability to sympathize with the characters when they are dealt a debilitating blow and instead driven to releasing uncomfortable giggles because they were played for laughs, making the truly comedic moments of the show less impactful.

Among the cast of ten women, the major standout was Lois Estell who truly stole every interaction she was apart of. Magnetic and hilarious, Estell drew on her physical comedy just as much as her wild accents that she dons throughout the show. Although the remainder of the cast soldiers through, they simply can’t keep up to Estell’s prowess.

Staging a show that takes place on a river can prove  a difficult feat when in the round because the audience is never given enough of a change in the setting of the story to convey their movement but Theatre in the Round does their best by moving the actors around the theater, sometimes behind sections of the audience. A viable option but it forces some of the crowd to miss each location, thus tempering the experience.

Theatre in the Round’s Men On Boats unfortunately feels very meta at times, a boat going down and taking the crew (and audience) with it.

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