Design and Construction
The Catana 90's construction reflects a considered approach to damage control at sea rather than mere weight saving. Engines and generators are placed in separate watertight compartments, not beneath the beds as documented, a layout that isolates mechanical failure from living spaces and limits flood propagation through the hull. A brand-new independent bilge pump system adds 10 pumps across four additional watertight compartments, extending that compartmentalized philosophy to active dewatering. Above the waterline, the bimini hardtop is made from sandwich structure, and the deck carries a carbon fiber gangway and a pair of carbon fiber davits rated at 500 kg safe working load for the tender and solar array. These are structural choices that serve the boat's stated role as a flagship voyager rather than bare comfort.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a fractional sloop carrying a square-top mainsail and staysail with carbon fiber battens, built from a lightweight carbon/Technora blend in the form of an Evolution Sails custom membrane mainsail of 257.5 square meters and a 60 square meter staysail installed in December 2022. A 304 square meter Code 5 furling gennaker flies from the bowsprit, and hydraulic furlers on the Yankee and Code 5 sails were freshly serviced in Germany, with a brand-new Facnor top swivel fitted in 2024. Titanium chainplates anchor upgraded Kevlar cap and inner shrouds new in 2022, while stainless steel forestays and new Kevlar shrouds complete the standing rigging. Reefing and sheet systems are led back to the cockpit so adjustments are made from the helm, and a hydraulic mainsheet system is controlled from both helm stations, with a ball-bearing double car traveler for precise trim. Halyards and sheets are upgraded to lightweight Dyneema, with new Marlow mainsheet and staysail sheets from 2023, and Harken hydraulic winches handle primary, halyard, mainsheet, and daggerboard duties — main halyard winches controllable from both helms with emergency stops and thermal monitoring. The daggerboard configuration gives the boat a shallow-mode draft of 5 feet 5 inches for anchorages and a deep 15 feet 5 inches for windward performance.
Accommodations
Orion's interior is organized around three ensuite cabins plus two additional W/Cs and two dedicated showers, with soaring ceilings up to 8 feet and extra-wide steps and doors for movement between spaces. The port aft cabin converts from twin beds into a full king, and the captain's quarter can take a Pullman berth for flexible crew arrangements. The owner's stateroom holds a walk-around king with a fully sprung mattress, an artisan-built desk with hidden power connections, a new 32-inch curved monitor from 2024, and under-bed compartments adding 33 square feet of finished storage; the owner's ensuite is one of the largest yacht showers by superyacht standards. Throughout, hardwood floors and Alcantara ceilings sit beneath soft furnishings on walls and ceilings for sound absorption, with dimmable LED lighting, 12 hatches, and 22 oversized stainless steel portlights with screens and blinds. The salon centers on a large L-shaped couch with plush leather cushions and a lockable wine and beer storage area, while the navigation station carries a custom electrically adjustable leather seat added in 2022. Artisan-built desks added that same year and curated artwork commissioned by the first owner's wife give the boat a personalized rather than production feel.
Equipment and Systems
The boat's independence at anchor rests on over 10,000 watts of solar panels with dedicated MPPT controllers, modern lithium house batteries of 1,800Ah at 24V installed in 2024 that saved over 1,000kg versus the older AGM they replaced, and 16kW of AC from four Mastervolt inverters with five chargers. Two Sea Recovery Aqua Matic watermakers with new 2023 membranes, a Beko 8kg washing machine, a 2022 Sharp condenser dryer, and multiple Frigoboat, Frigomar, and Electrolux refrigeration units support long passages. Connectivity runs through Starlink from 2023, Iridium Go, and a GX 70 touchscreen, with a B&G Hydra 3000 system distributed to master suite, captain's cabin, nav station, and each helm, plus dual autopilots and a mast-mounted camera from 2022. The galley is fitted with Corian countertops, a Gaggenau 5-burner stove, Bosch oven, a 2024 Bosch Series 6 microwave with grill, and a dishwasher.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
The available documentation records no defects or structural faults for the Catana 90 as a class; the facts describe a single refitted example rather than fleet-wide corrosion or failure modes. Prospective owners should note that the boat's complexity — hydraulic winches fully revised in 2023, separate watertight machinery compartments, and an independent 10-pump bilge network — implies a high standard of systemic maintenance rather than a known weakness. The current owners' decision to return Orion to France for a complete refit underscores that even a flagship benefits from periodic factory-level attention.
The Verdict
The Catana 90 is a flagship-grade voyaging catamaran that translates Catana's performance-cruising lineage into a 90-foot platform with superyacht-scale accommodations and a rigorously compartmentalized hull. The documented example shows a boat engineered for autonomous passage-making, from lithium and solar independence to redundant watermaking and bilge control, wrapped in an interior detailed to a personal rather than production standard.
Pros
- Separate watertight engine and generator compartments with an added 10-pump independent bilge system across four more compartments
- Daggerboard draft range from 5 ft 5 in to 15 ft 5 in for shallow access and windward capability
- Carbon/Technora square-top membrane rig with cockpit-led reefing and dual-station hydraulic control
- Three ensuite cabins plus convertible and Pullman berths with 8-foot ceilings and 22 oversized portlights
- 1,800Ah lithium house bank and over 10,000W solar with 16kW inverter capacity
Cons
- No documented class-wide issue list; complexity of hydraulic and watertight systems demands disciplined ownership
- Refit-dependence evident: even a flagship required a full return-to-builder refit under current ownership
