Design and Construction
Bali Catamarans built the 4.1 in Canet-en-Roussillon, to a design credited to Olivier Poncin and Xavier Faÿ. The boat measures just under 41 feet overall and has a beam of 22 feet 6 inches.
The hulls are foam-cored and vacuum-infused. A hard chine runs their full length, deflecting spray and adding a little extra interior volume below. Instead of the daggerboards found on Catana’s sportier multihulls, the 4.1 has fixed keels bolted into watertight recesses in the hull bottoms. Those recesses also serve as graywater holding tanks.
The solid foredeck is a structural member in its own right. The nacelle is set high and angled to soften pounding when the boat works to windward. Reviewers in Multihulls World noted that perceived build quality was progressing with this generation. They called the ski-shaped forward sections and their tunnel effect the boat’s major design accomplishment, adding that service experience across the range had disproved early doubts about the bold bow form.
Rig, Helm, and Handling
The helm is to starboard, at what is better described as an elevated steering station than a full flybridge.
A Z-Spars single-spreader aluminum mast carried 1,135 square feet of Elvstrøm canvas on the test boat. The sail plan centered on a self-tacking solent set on a furler and sheeted to a cabintop track just ahead of the mast. A bowsprit provides the tack point for a Code 0 or spinnaker.
Multihulls World found the boat agile, manageable, and pleasant even under main and solent alone, with good dynamic manners in breezes below 15 knots. SAIL Magazine’s testers recorded 6.5 knots under power in flat water at 2,000 rpm, increasing to just over 8 knots at the wide-open-throttle setting of 3,000 rpm.
Living Space and Layout
The interior is where the 4.1 takes its biggest step forward. A cantilevered glass-and-composite door lowers from the cabintop, joining the forward cockpit and saloon. It’s light enough for a small crew to operate by hand.
Forward of the door, an L-shaped dinette sits to port and a stand-up Liebherr refrigerator to starboard. Beyond are the galley with its Eno stove, a corner navigation desk, and a manually lowered window through which the cook can pass drinks to the forward lounge.
The lounge seats six and has a U-shaped settee with a table for five at cocktail hour. The Maxi Lounge treatment emphasizes abundant light and complementary spaces suited to all climates.
Aft, a fixed platform spans the hulls, allowing someone to walk from bow to stern without entering the cockpit. The revised davit system also creates room for an integrated transom seat outside the main cockpit. Enlarged side lockers flank the seat, and one can house an optional grill.
Belowdecks, buyers can choose among four layouts. These include:
- A four-cabin, four-head charter plan
- A three-cabin, three-head version
- Three-cabin, two-head arrangements in which the port-side owner’s suite includes a large aft double berth, a desk amidships, and a separate shower stall in the forepeak
Equipment and Systems
Tankage is generous for a boat of this size, with 110 gallons of diesel and 221 gallons of water.
The reviewed boat had a pair of 40-horsepower Volvo Penta diesels driving saildrives. Multihulls World praised the exemplary access to the engine compartments.
The davits are simple and smart in concept, although the test report noted that the dinghy’s outboard must be removed before hoisting. The dinghy is then stored at an angle, resting on one tube.
Verdict
The Bali 4.1 is a thoughtfully developed cruising catamaran that trades ultralight performance for liveaboard comfort and charter-ready practicality. Its rigid foredeck, fixed keels in watertight recesses, and sliding saloon door are distinctive solutions, while the self-tacking sail plan makes the boat easy to handle under reduced canvas.
The aft profile is functional rather than pretty, and the dinghy-stowage arrangement requires crews to remove the outboard. Against those drawbacks, the boat offers substantial accommodation volume, generous tankage, and excellent access to its machinery.
Pros
- Rigid solid foredeck adds structural rigidity and eliminates hull twisting
- Self-tacking solent and bowsprit rig make short-handed sailing manageable
- Cantilevered door joins the saloon and forward cockpit with minimal effort
- Four belowdecks layouts, including a spacious three-cabin owner’s suite
- Exemplary engine-compartment access and large water and fuel capacity
Cons
- A period review described the aft view as functional but visually harsh
- Dinghy davits require outboard removal and angled, single-tube stowage
- The elevated helm station isn’t a true flybridge
