Design and Construction
The Aura 51 was drawn by Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design and is built in La Rochelle, France, where larger catamarans from the range benefit from a slipway and where the Aigrefeuille site includes a shallow testing tank in which finished boats are floated to check for water ingress. Hulls are built in high-quality vinylester and fiberglass with foam and balsa cores for strength and rigidity, while smaller parts including the coachroof are injection molded and vacuum infusion is used everywhere else. The composite construction pairs balsa core in the hulls with Divinycell foam in the deck. The keels are polyester, glued into a recess in the hull, and the two stub keels are designed to resist leeway. Bridgedeck clearance is just shy of three feet—enough to avoid slamming—though testers noted two little ledges where the bridgedeck meets each hull that catch waves under sail.
Rig and Handling
A bulkhead helm sits high on the starboard side, with the steering wheel a few steps up from the cockpit and no flybridge wheel; rudders are hydraulically controlled, removing any physical connection from helm to rudder. Sail control is simple, with all active lines led in two swaths to three big Lewmar Evo winches on the coachroof, aided by a pair of Spinlock rope clutches and a dedicated pod just forward of the helmsman. A stubby bowsprit angled slightly skywards tacks a gennaker or Code 0, and 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, with three color-coded slab reefs reachable from the helm. Under a 1,023-square-foot main and 635-square-foot genoa, testers found her making over 4 knots closehauled in 5- to 8-knot winds, nearly 6 knots beating into 12, and touching 9 knots on a reach. With standard 60-hp Volvo Penta D2s she tops 8–9 knots in flat water at about 3.3 gallons per hour; the 75-hp option adds roughly 2 knots for over 5 gallons per hour.
Accommodations
The cockpit-saloon deck plan is a continuous living space that opens broadly to the exterior, encouraging natural movement between inside and out and suiting family cruising and entertaining. Cabin configurations run from a four-cabin maestro devoting a full hull to the owner up to six en-suite cabins, with the Double Maestro offering two owner’s suites and two double cabins, each pair with its own bathrooms. The two aft-most cabins have private companionways emerging through L-shaped Plexiglas hatches to the aft deck; in the double-maestro test boat, master staterooms aft in each hull accessed via interior or gullwing doors, with guest staterooms forward. The straight-line galley lies inside to port around an island workspace, and the main dining table is in the cockpit. One tester observed no dedicated navigation station, which struck him as an oversight on a boat this size. Styling is by Isabelle Racoupeau, and the Millesime 2027 version presents a calm atmosphere with all fabrics from recycled materials.
Known Issues
Testers flagged two practical compromises. The bridgedeck ledges at each hull junction catch waves when sailing, a minor but noted nuisance. More consequentially, the helm layout creates blind spots to port, particularly when coming alongside a portside berth—a real consideration in tight marinas given the 26-foot-6-inch beam.
Refits and Ownership
The Aura 51 incorporates the latest energy-management technologies in the range, with production, storage, and consumption monitoring grouped in a dedicated interface for daily ease. She can carry up to 2,000 watts of integrated solar, and the Smart Electric version pairs electric motors, folding props, a generator, and lithium-ion banks storing 54 kWh, with hydrogeneration recharging in 48 hours under sail. An ODSea+ propulsion package offers 2x25 kW motors, 32 kW generator, and 2x27 kWh battery park, upgradable to 2x32 kWh. Fountaine Pajot aims for carbon-neutral boats by 2030, and an all-electric version was in the water by publication.
The Verdict
The Aura 51 is a considered evolution of the big French cruising catamaran, trading the Saba 50’s volume for a more fluid, better-detailed liveaboard platform with genuine light-air performance and a quiet, well-engineered hull. The blind spots and bridgedeck ledges are minor; the lack of a nav station is the chief layout quibble.
Pros
- Strong light-air sailing for a 40,000-pound cat, with simple, well-led controls
- Modular cabin layouts from owner’s maestro to six en-suite cabins
- Advanced energy packages with hydrogeneration and large solar array
- Quiet running and careful build verification at the factory
Cons
- Port-side blind spots at the helm when berthing
- Bridgedeck ledges catch waves under sail
- No dedicated navigation station in reviewed layouts
