Built for sailors planning to circle the globe or undertake similarly long passages, the 47 combines a deliberate weight-control program with a daggerboard hull form. Carbon infusion keeps weight down, while the daggerboards provide the lateral resistance needed for sailing to weather.
Design and Construction
The Catana 47 is carbon-infused, and that choice wasn’t cosmetic. Six non-carbon boats were built before Catana began using carbon fiber in its infusion molding, reducing weight by approximately 1,500 pounds compared with the earlier hulls. Carbon infusion reduced weight by approximately 1,500 pounds.
The laminated hulls use a sandwich of infused Airex closed-cell foam, glass, and polyester and vinylester resin for osmosis protection. Twaron is used forward for collision protection and below the waterline for strength, while carbon fiber reinforces critical points carrying chainplate and structural loads.
The deck is also an infused foam sandwich. To reduce weight aloft, the inner skins of the bimini top and cabin top, along with the structural bulkheads, are made from infused carbon fiber and foam. The whole range is now built using the infusion process, and the builder abandoned Nidaplast in the bulkheads in favor of Airex.
Tulip-shaped bows provide a fine entry when sailing on the wind and plenty of forward buoyancy when running off it. Lowered, the twin daggerboards increase draft to as much as 8 feet, providing lateral resistance and lift to weather. Fully raised, they reduce draft to 3.5 feet and create less drag for downwind sailing.
Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling
The square-topped mainsail and 145-percent genoa provide the sail area needed to get the boat moving in light to moderate breezes, while offering plenty of reefing options when conditions become more demanding.
All sail-control lines lead aft to a pair of powerful winches amidships, with sheet winches close at hand. In period testing, the rack-and-pinion Lewmar steering was described as smooth as silk. BOTY judge Alvah Simon said he liked sailing the Catana 47 because everything was exactly where it needed to be.
On Chesapeake Bay, the test boat reached nearly 9 knots on a beam reach in just over 12 knots of breeze. Closehauled, its GPS speed over ground remained in the high 7s. Those results fit the boat’s brief as a fast, elegant, and efficient cruising catamaran for the performance-minded voyager.
Accommodations and Cruising Equipment
Below, the Catana 47 is arranged as a serious liveaboard voyager rather than a bare charter shell. It has an owner’s suite, two guest cabins, and a lavish galley. A genset, watermaker, and electric winches are listed among its standard long-range equipment.
A beam of just over 25 feet provides the accommodation volume expected of such a cruising program. At the same time, the carbon construction helps keep displacement to roughly 24,000 pounds. The boat is intended to support two couples or a family for months at a time without relying on shoreside infrastructure.
Known Issues
Period judging raised several caveats. During their inspection, Cruising World’s BOTY judges noted an exposed electrical panel and other electrical issues that gave them pause.
They also believed engine controls should be fitted at both helm stations, which are positioned outboard on either hull. With controls at only one station, visibility to port under power was compromised. Buyers and owners should therefore verify the electrical routing and helm-control arrangement and consider possible upgrades rather than make assumptions about either system.
Refits and Ownership
The infusion-built sandwich structure, reinforced with Twaron and carbon, provides a modern baseline for continued service. Because the boat uses daggerboards, routine haulouts should include inspection of the boards and care of their lift lines.
With a genset, watermaker, and electric winches fitted as standard, many examples will have had these systems serviced during normal cruising use. The exposed panel identified by the judges is the kind of detail a careful owner can enclose during a systems refit.
The Verdict
The Catana 47 is a thoughtfully engineered performance cruiser that trades a little interior convention for a genuinely light, weatherly catamaran hull. Barreau’s replacement for the 471 succeeds as a voyaging platform because its carbon infusion, daggerboards, and clean sail-control layout all serve the same goal: fast, controlled passagemaking without giving up livability.
The exposed electrical work and single-station engine controls are genuine faults, but they’re addressable.
Pros
- Carbon-infused construction saves approximately 1,500 pounds compared with the early hulls
- Twin daggerboards provide 8 feet of draft when sailing to weather and 3.5 feet offwind
- Square-topped mainsail and 145-percent genoa provide ample sail area and a broad range of reefing options
- Three-cabin layout with a lavish galley and standard long-range equipment
Cons
- Period judges noted an exposed electrical panel
- The as-tested boat didn’t have engine controls at both helm stations
