Only eleven were built. The design carries a 57-foot waterline within a hull form more than 28 feet wide, yet weighs just 25,500 pounds—less than many 44-foot production cats and without the roughly 15,000 pounds of ballast carried by a similarly sized monohull. That low weight, combined with a 12:1 waterline-length-to-beam ratio rather than the roughly 9:1 common among many charter cats, underpins both its passagemaking ability and the sudden acceleration characteristic of performance cats.
Design and Construction
White’s construction brief called for structural honesty without compromises driven by the accommodations. The hulls have no bump-outs, steps, chines, or bulges intended to enlarge the interior.
The laminate uses epoxy resin with triaxial E-glass over Core-Cell and AirLite foams. The builder vacuum-bagged the panels, using an impregnator to control the resin-to-glass ratio across nearly 3,000 square feet. Three main crossbeams tie the hulls together, with carbon-fiber flanges, while longitudinal carbon bands reinforce the hulls themselves.
Even smaller structural components received careful attention. Curving translucent engine mounts, fuel-filter and steering-cable brackets, and dorade vents were molded in biaxial E-glass over male molds.
Two 9-foot-by-1-foot belly fins help protect the hulls during a grounding and allow the boat to sit on a beach or in a yard. Bridgedeck clearance is a generous three and a half feet above the water.
Rig and Handling
The Atlantic 57 is a cutter-rigged composite catamaran. Its forward cockpit puts the wheel and all sailhandling controls directly behind the mast, adjoining a 16-foot-wide bridgedeck pilothouse. The helmsman works a carbon-fiber wheel, often with two fingers.
Deep, foam-filled asymmetric daggerboards are worked up and down to provide lift to windward. A self-tacking staysail and a 933-square-foot, high-aspect battened mainsail handle the close-reaching work, while an asymmetric cruising spinnaker serves downwind. Harken electric winches manage the main halyard, mainsheet, traveler, and runner loads.
In 10 knots of breeze, the boat sails to windward under staysail and main at 7.2 knots. With the masthead genoa set, she reaches at 10 to 11 knots in about 14 knots of wind. Chris White subsequently sailed her upwind in 30 knots under staysail and a single-reefed main, reporting 13.5 knots.
Performance Underway
Owners’ accounts support the passagemaking pace measured by the magazine. Nogal, owned by Frank Middleton, covered 3,700 miles from the Canaries to Caicos in 17 days. The boat was hand-steered throughout, averaging 9 to 11 knots and surfing at 20 knots. The design is also credited with 350-mile days.
Under its twin 54-horsepower Yanmar diesels, the Atlantic 57 motors at 10 knots at 2,500 rpm while using about a gallon an hour. On one engine, it motors at 8 knots.
Accommodations
The Atlantic 57 provides 1,052 square feet of usable living space, about 68 percent more than a contemporary 57-foot center-cockpit monohull. Vertical- and plain-sawn cherry joinery is finished in high-gloss varnish.
Each hull has an identical master cabin amidships, with a roomy vanity, head, and toilet area arranged for maximum privacy. Farther aft, both hulls contain a double berth, dresser, seat, and hanging locker.
The starboard hull houses a 9-foot galley with a 9.3-cubic-foot refrigerator and a 7-cubic-foot freezer. The corresponding space in the port hull is a workshop with a stainless-steel bench, vise, tool drawers, and slide-out toolbox.
The bridgedeck pilothouse includes an inside steering station with 360-degree visibility, a navigation workstation, and a saloon with a dinette and cocktail table beneath bronze-tinted tempered glass.
A 16-by-8-foot “back porch” has built-in seating, dinghy davits, and a vinyl-coated bimini. The dinette table can be moved outside and set on fold-down legs for open-air meals. The forward 16 feet of each hull, behind two collision bulkheads, stores sails and fenders.
Equipment and Systems
The electrical system is divided into 12- and 24-volt DC circuits, with both 120- and 220-volt shore power. A 920-amp-hour battery bank is backed by a Fischer Panda ACG 4000 genset.
A Spectra Newport 400 watermaker produces 17 gallons per hour. Other systems include air-conditioning, diesel forced-air heat, freshwater electric toilets, saltwater deck washdown, a large refrigerator and freezer, and a full navigation and communications suite.
Known Issues
Eight days into Nogal’s Atlantic crossing, the A3 blew out. No structural or systems defects appear in the record.
The Verdict
The Atlantic 57 is a rare combination: a light, sharp performance catamaran that doesn’t sacrifice voyaging integrity or livability simply to achieve impressive numbers. White’s refusal to let the accommodations bulge the hulls, together with the carbon-reinforced structure and a forward cockpit that puts the crew close to the rig and wind, makes it a considered choice for serious passagemaking.
Pros
- Exceptional lightness and a 12:1 hull proportion for a 57-foot catamaran
- Documented crossing averages of 9–11 knots, with 20-knot surfs
- 1,052 square feet of living space, including private, identical cabins in each hull
- Carbon-reinforced structure and grounding-protective belly fins
Cons
- Documented failure of an A3 spinnaker-type sail during a long crossing
- Only eleven built, limiting availability in any market
