Design and Construction
The platform measures the best part of 60 feet by 30, with a beam of 29 feet 8 inches yielding a length-to-beam ratio of 1.95 and a displacement-to-length ratio of 127 at a displacement of 54,957 pounds anchor. The hulls carry close to 7 feet of freeboard and the typical reverse-hatchet bow seen across modern multihulls, with profile drawings indicating a chine just below the deck edge and another just above the waterline anchor. Twin shoal fixed keels reach down only 4 feet 10 inches. Bali's construction uses a rigid composite foredeck platform rather than a trampoline, and the fiberglass-with-PVC-foam-core hulls follow the builder's method; the signature tilt-and-turn aft "Bali Door" merges saloon and aft cockpit into one level. The 5.8's usable deck area is listed at 1,501 square feet, and about 1,583 square feet of living space sits at deck level.
Rig and Handling
All sail handling is done from the flybridge, forward of where guests lounge or dine, with the gooseneck of the main 16 feet 5 inches above the waterline and a broad track for a self-tacking jib anchor. A short fixed sprit handles light-air and off-the-wind sails. The promotional material lists standard sail area at 1,926 square feet for a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 21.32; adding the optional square-top mainsail and a code 0 brings 635 square feet more and lifts that ratio to 28.34. Twin 80-horsepower diesels back up the rig, with 317 gallons of fuel and 349 of water. Writing in Multihulls World, testers found the fairly lightweight platform performs well in light airs under gennaker during a calm-sea test in 6 to 7 knots at Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer.
Accommodations
Five different interior plans are offered, each palatial in execution, and the layout sleeps 14. Double-berth staterooms for six each have an adjoining head with shower stall, while an amidships port stateroom holds twin singles; forward in each hull a single-berth crew cubbyhole pairs with its own head. Up in the main cabin the galley and nav station are both plenty big, a U-shaped dinette sits to starboard and two reading chairs to port, and a forward door drops to a sunken lounge between the hulls with settees and a second table. The aft cockpit is transformed into an open-space lounge, and the hard-top bimini covers the entire flybridge for UV protection and integrated solar panels. The builder's promotional material calls the flybridge the rooftop everyone dreams of, an essential space for watching, relaxing, sailing, partying and chatting.
The Verdict
The Bali 5.8 is a volume-driven flagship catamaran that trades ultimate performance for an extraordinary onboard living experience and easy short-handed sail handling from the flybridge. Its lightweight construction and generous beam give it a low D/L and good light-air manners under gennaker, while the open-plan accommodation and rigid foredeck platform set it apart from trampoline-deck cruising cats.
Pros
- Unique usable surface area and volume for a multihull of this size
- All sail handling from the flybridge, clear of guest spaces
- Five interior plans sleeping 14 with en-suite heads throughout
- Rigid composite foredeck and tilt-up aft door for open-plan living
Cons
- Shoal fixed keels are small for the platform
- Standard SA/D of 21.32 is modest without the optional square-top and code 0
- Forward crew cubbyholes are tight berths compared with the main staterooms
