Design and Construction
The Catana 401 was built by Catana SA using the yard’s pre-2008 construction approach, before vacuum infusion became standard. She is a solid-fiberglass catamaran with a solid hull core and a fiberglass deck.
Her overall length is 41.01 feet, with a 40.68-foot waterline, a 21.98-foot beam, and a displacement of 15,432 pounds. The daggerboard configuration gives her a maximum draft of 6.56 feet and a minimum draft of 2.3 feet. She has spade rudders.
Multihulls World described the 401 as the smallest model in the Catana range, benefiting from the shipyard’s accumulated experience and solutions proven on other models. The review acknowledged that the purchase price might initially seem discouraging, but judged the cost justified by the finish, quality of the amenities and fittings, and manufacturing processes.
A ready-to-sail Catana 401 was listed at 396,100 Euros plus VAT. Buyers could choose among ten different feature versions at no extra cost.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The 401 carries a fractional sloop rig with 1,022.57 square feet of sail area. Her mast rises 55.77 feet above the waterline, and her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 26.39, reflecting a lively rig for the category.
Her hull speed is cited as 8.55 knots, with a capsize ratio of 3.53 and a comfort ratio of 9.55. The daggerboards and spade rudders suit her performance-cruising brief.
The review tied the boat’s maneuverability directly to her size. Her 41.01-foot overall length is enough to provide appreciable comfort, while still keeping close-quarters handling manageable for a small crew.
Accommodations
The review credited the Catana 401 with appreciable comfort, helped by the roughly 12-meter platform and the 21.98-foot beam available within the 40-foot niche.
Catana’s ten no-cost layout variants allowed buyers to match the interior arrangement to their preferences without increasing the base price. The boat reviewed, Teresa III, represented one of these early configurations.
Production and Market Context
At the time of the review, five Catana 401s were already afloat and seventeen more were on order. This placed the boat in the early-production stage of the late-1990s Catana range. Production ended in 2003.
The 401 sat below the larger Barreau-designed catamarans of the era and brought some of their established solutions into a smaller package.
Verdict
The Catana 401 is a compact, well-finished performance cruiser that packages lessons from the yard’s larger models into a 40-foot footprint. She offers manageable short-handed handling and unusual layout flexibility without adding to the base price, although her initial purchase price was high for a boat of this size.
Pros
- Smallest Catana of her era, while drawing on solutions developed for larger models
- Maneuverable with a small crew
- Ten no-cost feature versions
- Solid-fiberglass construction
- Daggerboards suited to her performance-cruising role
Cons
- Purchase price could seem discouraging at first
- Limited production run, ending in 2003
