Bali Catamarans and the Open-Plan Cruising Cat

How a performance cat builder reinvented itself

Catana Group built its reputation on fast, daggerboard-equipped Catana catamarans, a niche product with a loyal following but limited volume. In 2014, under Olivier Poncin, the group launched Bali as a separate brand aimed squarely at the volume market where Lagoon, Leopard and Fountaine Pajot dominate. The first boat was the Bali 4.5, and it arrived with two ideas that defined the brand.

The first was the solid foredeck. Instead of trampolines, a Bali has a molded forward cockpit with lounges, which adds usable living space and stiffens the structure. The second was the tilting aft door, a large glass panel that swings up to open the whole salon to the cockpit. The result feels more like a floating apartment than a traditional cruising cat.

From the Catspace to the 5.8

The range now runs from the compact Catsmart and Catspace up to the larger Bali 5.2 and 5.8, and we cover the three models most American buyers shop. The Bali Catspace, built from 2019 and launched at around 298,500 euros ex VAT, is the 40-foot entry boat and has been a hit with first-time catamaran buyers in North America.

One step up, the Bali 4.2 arrived in 2021, announced at a base of 365,000 euros. Together with the Bali 4.6 it took over from the brand's first two boats, the 4.3 and 4.5. The 4.2 offers a three-cabin owner's version with a full starboard suite or four cabins for charter, plus a rig that differs from the rest of the range, and in 2023 one sailed 40 days from the Mediterranean to Martinique. A new, larger Bali 4.3 now sits above it.

The Bali 4.6, in production since 2021 as the direct successor to the 4.5 and drawn by Xavier Fay, is the 47-foot model that charter fleets in the BVI and USVI bought in large numbers. With up to five cabins it is the core charter and owner-version cruiser of the range.

Bali boats are not designed to point high or sail fast in light air. Buyers should see them as comfortable, roomy coastal and island cruisers that motor-sail more than a performance cat would.

• Catspace, compact three- or four-cabin entry model, about 40 feet
• Bali 4.2, the 42-foot owner and charter boat
• Bali 4.6, the core charter and owner-version cruiser
• Bali 5.2 and 5.8, larger owner and charter flagships

Charter boats, private boats and what to check

A large share of used Balis in the US come out of charter programs, which pushes supply up and prices down compared with privately owned boats. Typical asking prices run from about $380,000 to $560,000 for a Catspace, roughly $400,000 to $620,000 for a Bali 4.2 and $620,000 to $850,000 for a Bali 4.6. Owner versions with low engine hours sell at a premium, and buyers should not assume a charter boat is a bargain until a survey proves it.

Bali is sold through dealers rather than factory-owned stores in the US, so service quality depends heavily on the individual dealer and the charter base where a boat lived.

• Seals and gas struts on the tilting aft door
• Drainage and deck hardware in the forward cockpit
• Saildrive seals, engine hours and charter maintenance logs
• Bulkhead tabbing and furniture fastenings after charter use
• Flybridge hardtop and helm area for leaks