Design and Construction
The Antigua 37 comes from Fountaine Pajot’s long collaboration with Joubert-Nivelt, the naval architects behind the company’s first production catamaran in the early 1980s. She measures 11.20 meters overall, with an 11.00-meter waterline and a beam of 6.30 meters.
The hull is fiberglass, and the keel configuration is described as “without drift”, rather than the daggerboards or fixed fin keels found on later performance cruisers. Standard draft is just 0.90 meters, suiting the boat to shallow anchorages and island cruising.
Displacement is 5,000 kg, carried largely in the hull structure and fit-out. With no ballast, the Antigua 37 relies on her beam and twin-hull form for stability rather than lead low in the hulls. Her 6.30-meter beam also provides the horizontal living space that defines this type of cruising catamaran.
Rig and Handling
The Antigua 37 has a sloop rig carrying 145 m² of sail. That’s a substantial sail plan for a 37-foot catamaran and reflects her cruising purpose in moderate trade-wind conditions.
Twin 18 cv Yanmar diesels provide power for docking and maneuvering when the wind doesn’t cooperate. Independent engines allow a short-handed crew to position the boat precisely in tight marinas, a defining advantage of cruising catamarans.
Her shallow draft supports shoal-water cruising. The wide beam also makes her forgiving in confined water, though the “without drift” keel form trades upwind bite for simplicity and access to shallow areas.
Accommodations
The standard accommodation layout has four cabins, two toilets, and ten berths, underscoring the Antigua 37’s role in charter and family cruising. Four separate cabins spread between the two hulls provide private quarters for two couples or a family with children.
The ten-berth capacity shows that the boat was designed to carry a full complement of guests rather than prioritize owner-only simplicity. Two heads serve that capacity without crowding the saloon, while the beam-driven floor plan provides the open communal space associated with catamarans, all within an overall length of 11.20 meters.
Verdict
The Antigua 37 is a straightforward cruising catamaran from Fountaine Pajot’s Joubert-Nivelt era: broad, shallow, and designed to house people rather than win regattas. Her sloop rig and twin small diesels suit island hopping, while her 0.90-meter draft gives access to anchorages that a deeper-draft monohull couldn’t reach.
The standard four-cabin, ten-berth layout remains practical for charter-derived resale. This isn’t a performance hull, however. The “without drift” keel configuration and absence of ballast place the Antigua 37 firmly in the volume-cruiser camp.
Pros
- Wide 6.30-meter beam and a four-cabin, ten-berth layout provide serious cruising capacity
- Shallow 0.90-meter draft and “without drift” keel configuration allow shoal-water access
- Twin 18 cv Yanmar engines support confident close-quarters handling
Cons
- “Without drift” keel configuration and lack of ballast place her in the volume-cruiser camp
- Tankage figures aren’t established in the available specification records
