Design and Construction
The 47 is a carbon-infused catamaran, and that choice was not cosmetic. Six non-carbon boats were built before Catana began using carbon fiber in its infusion molding to reduce weight by approximately 1,500 pounds from earlier hulls anchor. The laminated hulls are a sandwich of infused Airex closed-cell foam, glass, and polyester and vinylester resin for osmosis protection, with Twaron forward for collision protection and below the waterline for strength, and carbon fiber at critical points to take chainplate and structural loads. The deck is also an infused foam sandwich, and the inner skin of the bimini top, cabin top and structural bulkheads are built from infused carbon fiber and foam to reduce weight aloft. The whole of the range is now built using the infusion process, and the builder abandoned Nidaplast in the bulkheads in favour of Airex anchor. Tulip-shaped bows achieve a fine entry when sailing on the wind and lots of forward buoyancy when running off it, while twin daggerboards, when lowered, provide up to 8 feet of draft for lateral resistance and lift to weather; when fully raised, the 3.5-foot draft creates less drag for downwind work.
Rig and Handling
The square-topped main and 145-percent genoa provide the requisite sail area to get the boat moving in light to moderate breezes, yet still offer abundant reefing options for more interesting conditions. All sail-control lines are led aft to a pair of powerful winches amidships and sheet winches near at hand, and the rack-and-pinion Lewmar steering was smooth as silk in period testing. On the water, the boat sailed on Chesapeake Bay sped off on a beam reach at nearly 9 knots in just over 12 knots of breeze, and closehauled the GPS speed over ground still read in the high 7s. BOTY judge Alvah Simon said he liked sailing the Catana 47 because everything was exactly where it needed to be, a sentiment that matches the boat’s brief as a fast, elegant and efficient cruising catamaran built for the performance-minded voyager.
Accommodations
Below, the 47 is laid out as a serious liveaboard voyager rather than a bare charter shell. The boat carries an owners suite, two guest cabins, and a lavish galley, with a genset, watermaker, and electric winches listed among its standard long-range equipment. The beam of just over 25 feet gives the accommodation volume that such a cruising program expects, and the displacement of roughly 24,000 pounds is kept manageable by the carbon strategy above. This is a boat intended to support two couples or a family for months at a time without resorting to shore-side infrastructure.
Known Issues
Period judging of the boat surfaced a few caveats worth weighing. While inspecting the boat, Cruising World’s BOTY judges noted an exposed electrical panel and other electrical issues that caused them to pause anchor. They also felt that engine controls should be present at both of the helm stations, set outboard on either hull, as visibility to port under power was compromised from a single station. A buyer or owner should treat the electrical routing and the helm command layout as items to verify and possibly upgrade rather than assume.
Refits and Ownership
The 47’s construction method lends itself to continued service: the infusion-built sandwich structure with Twaron and carbon reinforcement is a modern baseline, and the daggerboard arrangement means routine haulouts should include board inspection and lift-line care. The standard fit of a genset, watermaker, and electric winches means many examples will have had those systems serviced in normal cruising use; the exposed panel noted by 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 point the same direction: fast, controlled passagemaking without surrendering livability. The exposed electrical work and single-station engine controls are real but addressable faults.
Pros
- Carbon-infused structure sheds approximately 1,500 pounds versus early hulls
- Twin daggerboards give 8-foot draft to weather and 3.5-foot draft offwind
- Strong sail area and reefing range from square-top main and 145-percent genoa
- Three-cabin layout with lavish galley and long-range gear as standard
Cons
- Exposed electrical panel noted by period judges
- Engine controls not at both helm stations in as-tested configuration
