Design & Construction
The 58’s hull shape is a study in performance-oriented compromises. The waterlines are narrow and slightly splayed into an asymmetric form that creates lift and boosts form stability, while the inboard sides flare into a hard-angled box chine just above the water to increase interior volume. Below the waterline, the bow is slightly bulbous—what Catana calls a “tulip bow”—adding buoyancy forward to limit pitching. The keel type is a set of high-aspect daggerboards rather than low-aspect fixed keels, keeping draft to 4 feet 7 inches with boards up and extending to 10 feet 2 inches when down. The structure carries very little solid volume forward of the mast, a deliberate choice to preserve sailing motion. Construction relies on fiberglass laminate set in vinylester resin, vacuum-bagged over a Divinycell PVC foam core. The hull gets an additional inner skin of Twaron aramid fabric over the core to improve stiffness and impact resistance, and the deck joint is bonded then glassed over to form a monocoque structurecite:SOURCE 1. Solid laminate appears only where hardware is mounted, while furniture components and floor sections are also cored with Divinycell foam. A total of 21 internal bulkheads use Nida-Core honeycomb coring for lightness and strength.
The design’s weight story is complicated. The original lightship design displacement was published at 35,840 pounds (86 D/L ratio), with a generous SA/D of 26.39 under main and jib and a nominal hull speed of 15.6 knots. After litigation—an owner sued when he discovered his boat was heavier than advertised—Catana stopped publicizing the lightship figure and published very conservative numbers. The post-litigation displacement is 52,910 pounds, yielding a D/L ratio of 127 and an SA/D under main and jib of 20.35cite:SOURCE 1. Even so, the boat’s ratios remain in long-legged cruising territory, with a capsize screening value of 3.18 and a comfort ratio of 15.15.
Under Sail & Handling
Every Catana 58 was delivered with a carbon-fiber mast, though aluminum was theoretically available. The sail plan pairs a fat-roached mainsail and solent jib for windward work with a long fixed bowsprit for flying a lightweight screecher or asymmetric spinnaker. The 582 version upgrades to Kevlar-fiber standing rigging and carbon booms and bowsprits; earlier 581s use aluminum booms and sprits with stainless-steel rigging. Mainsail control comes from a twin-sheet bridle rather than a traveler, and much of the running rigging is led through a large tunnel under the cockpit and bridgedeck saloon to a central electric cockpit winch, concentrating line handling in one spot. This arrangement keeps the deck tidy, but lines that jump the winch and disappear up the tunnel can only be retrieved through ports under the bridgedeck that are inaccessible while sailing, as one tester learned during a transatlantic passagecite:SOURCE 1.
The two helm stations sit right aft on the outboard hull corners, well clear of the central hardtop bimini that shelters the cockpit. None of the sail controls are within reach from the helms, so the boat cannot be singlehanded without an autopilot, though a capable couple can manage it fairly easily. The upside is a much better feel for the boat and an unimpeded view of the sailscite:SOURCE 1.
Performance reports from a transatlantic delivery in a 582 give a clear picture of the boat’s capabilities. Beating into 25 knots apparent wind gusting to 40, the boat maintained apparent wind angles of about 40 degrees while carrying 7 to 10 knots of boat speed under a triple-reefed main and full solent jibcite:SOURCE 1. Off the wind, a chute easily produced double-digit boat speeds once apparent wind climbed above 15 knots, and with 20 knots or better on the quarter, the main and screecher kept the speed in double digits with the solent belayed to the windward bow. Reportedly, the boat can hit 20 knots off the wind when the breeze pipes up to 35 knots or harder.
Interior & Accommodations
Despite a low-profile bridgedeck saloon with a relatively small horizontal footprint, the volume is still quite spacious. The galley sits at the back of the saloon, and a sliding window panel gives the cook direct access to the cockpit. Heavy cruising systems are part of the norm; these boats typically carry generators, watermakers, a hydraulic dinghy lift, large engine banks, and washer/dryerscite:SOURCE 1. The 582 version—later marketed as the Catana 58 Ocean Class—raises the finish level with leather upholstery and lots of high-gloss hardwood veneer.
Accommodation layouts vary. In some arrangements, the owner’s stateroom takes up the entire starboard hull, while in others it concedes space forward to a small segregated crew cabin. The port hull is given over to guests, with twin singles aft and a double berth forward. One layout separates those two guest cabins with individual entries and en suite heads; another version sees them sharing an entry and using noticeably smaller headscite:SOURCE 1.
Known Challenges
The flat bottom of the prominent box chine sits close enough to the water to increase resistance and produce underbody slamming in a seawaycite:SOURCE 1. The rig’s single-point electric winch and tunnel routing become a liability if a line gets lost while underway, because retrieval is impossible without stopping the boat. Helm stations that are remote from the shelter of the bimini offer scant protection in rough weather, and the layout forces reliance on autopilot for any kind of singlehanded work. On top of this, the weight controversy shadowed the model: an owner sued Catana upon finding his boat heavier than advertised, and the yard responded by publishing far more conservative figures. A potential buyer should therefore treat any early lightship displacement claims as optimistic, and look carefully at how a particular boat has been loaded.
Production History
Two distinct versions exist. The simpler 581 appeared in 2000; the more luxurious 582 followed in 2001 and was later marketed as the Ocean Class. Of the 27 hulls built over nine years, 18 were the fancier 582 variant. The last new hull left the mold in 2008, and the French builder Catana SA has not built a 58 sincecite:SOURCE 1.
The Verdict
The Catana 58 is a big, swift cruising cat that feels like a sailor’s boat when the breeze fills in, thanks to daggerboards, carbon spars, and a powerful but manageable sail plan. The interior is genuinely comfortable in Ocean Class trim, and clever details like the galley pass-through make living aboard easy. However, the remote helm positions, the runaway line problem in the tunnel, the tendency to slam off the box chine, and the murky displacement history keep it from being a completely polished package.
Pros
- Stiff, performance-oriented hull form with daggerboards and generous sail area delivers impressive off-wind speeds
- Carbon mast and Kevlar/carbon rigging on later versions reduce weight aloft
- Central electric winch and tunnel-routed lines keep the deck clean and handling concentrated
- Spacious bridgedeck saloon and flexible accommodation layouts with luxurious finish on 582s
- Build quality includes Twaron aramid inner skin, monocoque deck joint, and honeycomb bulkheads
Cons
- Flat chine bottom close to the water increases slamming and resistance
- Running rigging tunnel can trap lines that are impossible to retrieve while sailing
- Helm stations remote from sail controls and from the hardtop bimini shelter
- Cannot be singlehanded without autopilot
- Original lightship displacement figures proved inaccurate; post-litigation weight is significantly heavier
