Design and Construction
Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design drew the Aura 51, and Fountaine Pajot builds it in La Rochelle, France. The range’s larger catamarans benefit from a slipway there. At the Aigrefeuille site, finished boats are floated in a shallow testing tank to check for water ingress.
The hulls use high-quality vinylester and fiberglass, with foam and balsa cores for strength and rigidity. The composite structure combines balsa-cored hulls with Divinycell foam in the deck. Smaller components, including the coachroof, are injection molded; vacuum infusion is used everywhere else.
The polyester keels are glued into recesses in the hulls, and the two stub keels are designed to resist leeway. Bridgedeck clearance is just shy of three feet—enough to avoid slamming—although testers noted two little ledges where the bridgedeck meets each hull that catch waves under sail.
Rig, Helm, and Performance
The bulkhead helm sits high on the starboard side, a few steps up from the cockpit. There’s no wheel on the flybridge. Hydraulic steering controls the rudders, so there’s no physical connection between the helm and rudders.
Sail handling is straightforward. All active lines run in two groups to three large Lewmar Evo winches on the coachroof, aided by a pair of Spinlock rope clutches and a dedicated pod just forward of the helmsman. A short bowsprit, angled slightly upward, provides a tack point for a gennaker or Code 0. An optional bowsprit arrangement carries the hardware for a code-zero-style headsail.
The square-top, full-battened mainsail sets on a 76-foot spar. Three color-coded slab reefs can be handled from the helm. With a 1,023-square-foot main and 635-square-foot genoa, testers recorded more than 4 knots closehauled in winds of 5 to 8 knots, nearly 6 knots beating into 12 knots, and as much as 9 knots on a reach.
Under power, the standard twin 60-hp Volvo Penta D2s produce 8–9 knots in flat water while consuming about 3.3 gallons per hour. The optional 75-hp engines add roughly 2 knots, with consumption rising to more than 5 gallons per hour.
Living Space and Cabins
The cockpit and saloon form a continuous living area that opens broadly to the exterior. The arrangement encourages easy movement between inside and out and suits both family cruising and entertaining.
Cabin plans range from a four-cabin Maestro layout, which gives one entire hull to the owner, to six en-suite cabins. The Double Maestro version provides two owner’s suites and two double cabins, with each pair having its own bathrooms.
The two aftmost cabins have private companionways opening through L-shaped Plexiglas hatches onto the aft deck. On the Double Maestro test boat, the master staterooms were aft in each hull and could be entered through interior or gullwing doors; the guest staterooms were forward.
Inside, the straight galley runs along the port side around an island workspace, while the main dining table is in the cockpit. One tester found no dedicated navigation station and regarded that omission as an oversight on a boat of this size.
Isabelle Racoupeau designed the interior styling. The Millesime 2027 version has a calm atmosphere, with all fabrics made from recycled materials.
Energy and Propulsion Options
The Aura 51 incorporates the latest energy-management technologies in the range. Monitoring for energy production, storage, and consumption is grouped in a dedicated interface for everyday convenience.
The boat can carry up to 2,000 watts of integrated solar. The Smart Electric version combines electric motors, folding propellers, a generator, and lithium-ion battery banks storing 54 kWh. Under sail, hydrogeneration can recharge the system in 48 hours.
An ODSea+ propulsion package includes two 25 kW motors, a 32 kW generator, and a 2x27 kWh battery park, upgradable to 2x32 kWh. Fountaine Pajot aims to produce carbon-neutral boats by 2030, and an all-electric version of the Aura 51 was afloat by the time of publication.
Practical Compromises
Testers identified two practical compromises. The ledges where the bridgedeck meets each hull catch waves under sail, creating a minor but noticeable nuisance.
More significantly, the helm arrangement creates blind spots to port, particularly when coming alongside a portside berth. With a beam of 26 feet 6 inches, that’s a real consideration in a tight marina.
The absence of a dedicated navigation station is the main interior-layout concern noted in the reviewed configuration.
The Verdict
The Aura 51 is a considered evolution of the large French cruising catamaran. It trades the Saba 50’s volume for a more fluid, better-detailed liveaboard platform, while offering genuine light-air performance and a quiet, well-engineered hull. It also retains the original concept of comfort, reliability, and ease of use as inseparable from the pleasure of being at sea. The portside blind spots and bridgedeck ledges are minor shortcomings; the lack of a navigation station is the chief layout quibble.
Pros
- Strong light-air performance for a 40,000-pound catamaran
- Simple, well-led sail controls
- Modular cabin plans, from an owner’s Maestro layout to six en-suite cabins
- Advanced energy packages with hydrogeneration and a large solar array
- Quiet running and careful factory build verification
Cons
- Portside blind spots at the helm when berthing
- Bridgedeck ledges catch waves under sail
- No dedicated navigation station in the reviewed layouts
