Early production began with six non-carbon hulls before Catana committed to infused carbon fiber construction, trimming roughly 1,500 pounds from those initial builds and fundamentally changing the character of the boat underway. The entire range also adopted infusion molding across the board, abandoning Nidaplast in the bulkheads in favor of more performance-oriented core materials, with quality control extending to the earliest stages of lamination.
Hull Design and Construction
The laminated hulls are a carefully engineered sandwich: infused Airex closed-cell foam core bonded with glass and a combination of polyester and vinylester resin for osmosis protection. Twaron fiber is used forward for collision resistance and below the waterline for structural strength, while carbon fiber is placed at chainplate attachment points and other high-load zones. The deck repeats the infused foam sandwich approach, and the bimini top, cabin top, and structural bulkheads are built from infused carbon fiber and foam specifically to reduce weight aloft — a detail that meaningfully lowers the center of gravity and contributes to the boat's light-air responsiveness.
Tulip-shaped bows give the 47 a fine entry on the wind while providing generous forward buoyancy when running off, a balance that matters on long ocean passages where sea states rarely cooperate with one point of sail. The overall aesthetic reads unmistakably Catana — the company's lines have long been recognizable at first glance — while the construction advances reflect a builder pushing to improve on its own prior work.
Rig and Sail Plan
The 47 carries a square-topped mainsail paired with a 145-percent genoa, a combination that gives the boat the sail area needed to generate meaningful speed in light to moderate conditions while still offering a practical range of reefing configurations for heavier weather. The square-topped main and oversized genoa produce the drive required to keep 24,000 pounds of fully equipped cruising cat moving without demanding strong breeze.
Performance on the water is genuine. In testing on Chesapeake Bay in just over 12 knots of wind, the boat reached nearly 9 knots on a beam reach and held speeds in the high 7s going to weather — results that impressed experienced judges accustomed to separating marketing claims from delivered performance. The Lewmar rack-and-pinion steering was described as smooth throughout the testing, and all sail-control lines lead aft to powerful winches amidships with sheet winches within reach at each helm, keeping the crew compact and in control during maneuvers.
Daggerboards and Windward Performance
One of the defining features of the 47's performance is its twin daggerboard system. When fully deployed, the daggerboards provide up to 8 feet of draft, generating the lateral resistance and hydrodynamic lift that allows the boat to make meaningful progress to windward — a traditional weakness of cruising catamarans. When sailing downwind, the boards retract to a 3.5-foot draft position, reducing drag and letting the hulls run cleanly.
This duality is a core part of the Catana design philosophy: a boat that can be genuinely sailed in all conditions rather than defaulted to the engine on any upwind leg. The combination of the daggerboards with the square-topped rig and the reduced displacement from carbon construction means the 47 sits in a different category of performance from the charter-oriented production cats that dominate the same size bracket.
Accommodations and Interior
Despite its performance focus, the Catana 47 does not ask owners to sacrifice comfort for speed. The interior can accommodate an owner's suite, two guest cabins, and a lavish galley. Genset, watermaker, and electric winches are fitted as standard expectations on fully outfitted examples. BOTY judge Alvah Simon noted that "everything was exactly where it needed to be" — a concise endorsement from someone who had sailed the boat through its paces and found the layout genuinely functional rather than merely well-photographed.
The helm stations are set outboard on either hull, giving an open-water sightline forward and to starboard from the primary position. That placement does, however, create a visibility challenge to port when maneuvering under power — a limitation the Cruising World judges flagged as worth attention, particularly in close-quarters situations.
Known Issues and Build Observations
The Cruising World BOTY panel identified two areas of concern during their inspection. An exposed electrical panel was noted as a quality concern, and the overall electrical fit-out gave the judges pause — a relatively common friction point on production boats where electrical system completeness does not always match hull and deck craftsmanship. Judges also felt engine controls should be present at both helm stations, not only one, given that visibility to port under power was limited from the standard position.
These are the kinds of issues that conscientious buyers and surveyors should check on pre-purchase inspection, and that owners often address in the first years of ownership. They do not reflect on the fundamental structural integrity or sailing performance of the boat, both of which the same judges found to be genuinely impressive.
The Verdict
The Catana 47 is a performance cruising catamaran built for sailors who want to cover ocean miles efficiently without accepting a stripped-out racer or a sluggish charter-oriented platform. The carbon infusion construction, the daggerboard system, and the square-topped rig combine to deliver real windward ability and impressive light-air speed in a boat that still carries the accommodations expected of a flagship 47-footer. Catana's decision to bring the entire range to infusion molding and tighten quality standards in construction gives the 47 a structural foundation that justifies serious bluewater use. Compromises exist — primarily in electrical system execution and the single-station engine controls — but these are correctable, and the core of the boat is sound.
Pros
- Genuine windward performance enabled by retractable twin daggerboards
- Carbon-infused construction significantly reduces displacement versus earlier hulls
- Square-topped main and large genoa drive the boat in light to moderate air
- Functional, full-featured interior that does not require sacrificing comfort for speed
- Sail controls logically positioned for short-handed offshore passages
Cons
- Electrical panel and wiring execution noted as below the standard of the hull and deck construction
- Engine controls fitted at only one helm station, with limited visibility to port under power
- Six early non-carbon hulls predate the weight-savings program and represent a different performance baseline
