Design and Construction
The Apache 41 is a solid-fiberglass catamaran with a centerboard keel arrangement described as lifting keels, giving a draught that draws just 3 feet when the boards are raised. That shallow draft, paired with the 16,000-pound displacement recorded for the design, defines the boat's character: a heavy, stable platform built for passage-making rather than racing. The reputation for stability and safety is well earned by the type, and many of these boats have crossed oceans under their own keels. A capsize screening figure of 3.1 and a comfort ratio near 12.65 place her among conservative cruising multihulls, while the 153 displacement-to-length ratio confirms the heavy hulls that trade acceleration for load-carrying steadiness.
Rig and Handling
The Apache carries a generous rig as a masthead sloop, with 710 square feet of sail area supporting a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.89. Yet the high displacement suppresses any pretension to pace: the design shows only modest performance due to a high displacement, and her hull speed of just over 8 knots reflects the drag of two full-length hulls. What she offers instead is the secure motion and predictable behavior of a beamy cat with full standing headroom on the bridgedeck, a platform that feels settled when heeled and reassuring in a seaway.
Accommodations
Below, the Apache 41 was laid out for extended family cruising. There is space for eight berths distributed across the hulls and bridgedeck, with two heads serving the accommodation. Full standing headroom on the bridgedeck removes the cramped feeling common to smaller cats and lets the central living area function as a genuine salon rather than a passageway. The 19.5-foot beam gives the boat volume that a monohull of similar length cannot approach, and the eight-berth count confirms a boat planned for weeks or months aboard with a full crew.
The Verdict
The Apache 41 is a 1960s family cruising catamaran that trades sparkling performance for ocean-crossing stability, shallow draft, and genuine volume. Her lifting keels and 3-foot raised draft make her at home in anchorages a deeper boat avoids, while the solid-fiberglass construction and conservative ratios speak to a design meant to be lived aboard and sailed far. She will not win a race, but she was never meant to.
Pros
- Reputation for stability and safety, with many ocean crossings to her name
- Lifting keels give a 3-foot shallow draft for gunkholing and easy haulout
- Space for eight berths and two heads with full standing headroom on the bridgedeck
- Generous masthead-sloop rig and beamy solid-fiberglass catamaran structure
Cons
- Only modest performance due to high displacement and heavy hulls
- Shallow-draft centerboard configuration less efficient upwind than fixed keels
