Design and Construction
The 47 carries a beam of just under 26 feet against a 47-foot 5-inch overall length and a 46-foot waterline, with a displacement of 24,441 pounds — figures that place her among the lighter, beamy cruising cats of her era. Multihulls World notes that the hulls are taken directly from the late Nautitech 475 mold, yet the nacelle is radically different, and the fine forward sections echo those of the smaller Nautitech 40 in the same builder's range. She is assembled in Lorient. The low wetted surface that follows from this hull geometry is credited with cutting drag and helping her make progress in light winds, while the same design brief is said to permit respectable upwind performance anchor. Inside, the joiner-work is deliberately spare: flat-panel furniture and minimal detailing are used to shed unnecessary weight rather than to impress with cabinetry.
Rig and Handling
From the helm the boat reads as powerful and light, a fractional-sloop catamaran without daggerboards. The mast stands about 59 feet above the waterline, carrying a 893-square-foot mainsail and a 344-square-foot genoa per the builder's specification, while the published sail area sums nearer 1,057 square feet. Twin stern steering stations put the helmsman out over the transoms, where testers found he could feel the wind, and all sail controls are close to hand from those stations. During a trial off Les Minimes in the sheltered Pertuis with a 15 to 20 knot breeze, the catamaran was logged sailing at just under ten knots anchor. The shallow 3-foot 11-inch draft suits island cruising rather than windward bite.
Accommodations
The bridgedeck saloon flows beneath a fixed canopy that extends the deck's sweeping lines and shades the cockpit, which is given over to lounging and entertaining rather than sail handling. The galley is "up," set at the aft side of the saloon so it opens straight onto both the cockpit seating and the broad U-shaped dining area — a social arrangement that keeps the cook in the conversation. In the port hull are two spacious cabins, each with a queen berth and a private head; the starboard hull can mirror that layout or be opened into a single suite. Both hulls carry extra berths in their peaks for occasional guests or crew.
Engines and Systems
A pair of 54-horsepower Yanmar diesels sit in separate aft compartments, each reached through a deck hatch rather than an interior panel. The 116-gallon fuel and 237-gallon water capacities support extended independent cruising for a boat of this size. Cruising World's review confirms the twin-engine, twin-steer layout as central to the boat's hands-on character.
The Verdict
The Nautitech 47 is a light, beamy performance cruiser that trades interior ostentation for weight discipline and open social spaces. Her reused 475 hull molds and reworked nacelle make her a transitional design — familiar underbody, modern deck — and her shallow draft, easy helm access, and ten-knot light-air pace suit passage-making more than close-winded racing.
Pros
- Low wetted surface and fine forward sections aid light-air speed
- Twin helms with all sail controls in easy reach
- Galley-up layout links cockpit and saloon for entertaining
- Flexible sleeping plans: port twin cabins, starboard twin or suite, peak berths
Cons
- No daggerboards, so limited upwind draft and bite
- Spare interior joiner-work may feel austere to some buyers
- Engine access only through deck hatches, not interior panels
