Design and Construction
Catana's reputation was built on fast cruising cats, and the C70 does nothing to soften that lineage. The hull stretches to 20.86 meters overall with a beam of 9.49 meters, proportions that place it firmly in grand-prix cruising territory rather than the live-aboard barge category. Displacement comes in at 26.5 tonnes, a figure that, given the waterline length, yields a displacement-to-length ratio that rewards the hull's slippery form. Construction relies on sycamore veneers laminated to sandwich panels, with glass or carbon specified by location — a thoughtful hybrid that keeps weight low where it matters while controlling cost in panels where carbon would be overkill. The deck and structural components benefit from this selective use of advanced materials, giving the C70 a stiffness-to-weight ratio that a production builder would find difficult to match.
Rig and Sail Handling
The sailplan that rises above the C70's hulls is audacious by any measure. The mast climbs to 26 meters (85 feet) — a towering rig for any bluewater cruising catamaran. The working canvas includes a mainsail of 143 square meters and a genoa of 93 square meters, and the wardrobe extends to a 200-square-meter gennaker for downwind passages. Multihulls World described a sailplan on the limit of being overpowering, but what fun in light airs — which is precisely the intended character. Catana's engineers devoted considerable attention to making this rig manageable short-handed: the leads of the reefing lines, mainsheet, and topping lift were all subject to careful design to keep the sail-handling station clear, with everything accessible from a single position to port. That kind of ergonomic discipline is what separates a fast boat from a fast boat that can actually be sailed by two people across an ocean.
Accommodations and Interior Finish
The "Arcadia" brief called for a yacht that could compete aesthetically with superyacht interiors without sacrificing the performance brief. The sycamore-grain wood laminated into the sandwich panels carries into the interior surfaces, giving the saloon a warmth that contrasts with the functional character of the rig overhead. The accommodation plan runs to three or four double cabins, a configuration that supports both private long-distance passages and the kind of charter-friendly layout that makes the C70 commercially viable when not in owner use. Water tankage of two 400-liter tanks provides a meaningful range for extended passages, and 2,000 liters of fuel capacity for the twin auxiliary engines ensures that calms and marina maneuvering in a hull of this size are dealt with confidently rather than anxiously.
Performance Heritage and Builder Pedigree
The C70 did not emerge in a vacuum. Catana's lineage runs directly through Christophe Barreau's Arctic voyages aboard a C40, off-piste cruising in Patagonia aboard a C45, and non-stop circumnavigations at southerly latitudes by Bruno Nicoletti — first single-handed on a C44, then with his brother on a C471. That chain of increasingly ambitious offshore passages shaped the design philosophy applied to the C70: not a coastal cruiser scaled up, but a genuine bluewater vessel enlarged to carry the amenities that a private owner at this level demands. The yard's willingness to build the 92-foot Orion demonstrates that the C70, while the most ambitious standard model, sits within a culture of extreme builds rather than at the edge of its builders' competence.
Known Considerations for Prospective Owners
As a semi-custom build, the C70 was produced in limited numbers. Each hull reflects individual owner specifications, which means that structural and systems decisions vary from one boat to the next in ways that a production model would not. Buyers should expect to find meaningful differences in carbon versus glass laminate choices, interior layouts, and systems integration between hulls. The twin drivetrain pushing a 26-tonne displacement hull is adequate for maneuvering and motoring, though the combination of light construction and aggressive sailplan means the C70 rewards a crew with offshore multihull experience rather than forgiving rookie errors in challenging conditions. The capsize screening ratio derived from these dimensions is characteristic of a fast, relatively light catamaran — the boat is designed for competent sailors who respect weather windows.
The Verdict
The Catana 70 is among the most resolved large performance cruising catamarans to come out of France: a yacht where Marc Lombard's naval architecture, Catana's racing-influenced construction philosophy, and a demanding client brief converged into something that genuinely delivers on both axes. It is fast when the wind is soft, manageable short-handed despite an aggressive rig, and finished to a standard that makes the saloon as convincing as the logbook.
Pros
- Exceptional light-air performance from a 26-meter mast carrying a 200-square-meter gennaker in the wardrobe
- Selective glass/carbon sandwich construction keeps weight low without unnecessary cost
- Ergonomically designed sail-handling station allows short-handed ocean passages
- Three or four double cabins in a luxuriously appointed interior rare at this performance level
- 2,000-liter fuel capacity for confident motoring in a large hull
Cons
- Semi-custom production means hull-to-hull variation demands careful pre-purchase inspection of systems and laminate choices
- The aggressive sailplan and light displacement demand experienced offshore multihull crew — not a forgiving platform for the inexperienced
- Limited build numbers reduce parts-interchangeability and make finding comparable references difficult during surveys
