Bali Catamarans Sailing Catamarans
Bali 4.0 Catamaran, the First Small Bali and How It Holds Up
Catana's 2016 to 2018 forty-footer that shrank the Bali open-plan concept, with a tilting aft door, solid foredeck and a surprisingly willing rig.
- Length
- 39.2 ft11.93 m
- Beam
- 22.1 ft6.72 m
- Draft
- 3.7 ft1.12 m
- Cabins
- 3 (owner version) or 4 (charter version)
- Used price
- $260K to $380K
On this page
- Overview
- Where the Bali 4.0 catamaran came from
- The tilting door and solid foredeck, the two ideas that define it
- How it sails, and what Sail magazine measured
- The 2015 Paris duel with the Lucia 40
- Owner suite, three cabins or four
- Known issues to check on a used 4.0
- Bali 4.0 for sale, what to pay and what to expect
- Specifications
- Price and value
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Used buyer checklist
- Rivals
- Our verdict
- FAQ
The Bali 4.0 is a 39-foot 2-inch cruising catamaran from Catana's Bali brand, launched at the 2015 Paris boat show and built until the 4.1 replaced it, with a solid foredeck, a tilting saloon door and three or four cabins.
- Coastal cruising couples who host friends
- Bahamas and Caribbean island hopping
- Buyers on a budget who want the Bali layout
Bali 4.0 by the numbers
- Sail area to displacement
- 20.1Plenty of sail for the weight, the boat should feel lively in light air.
- Displacement to length
- 147Light displacement for its length, quick but sensitive to added cruising weight.
- Theoretical hull speed
- 8.3 knDisplacement hull speed for the waterline. Light catamarans regularly sail faster than this because their slim hulls do not make a large bow wave.
- Length to beam ratio
- 1.77 : 1Catamaran overall proportions. Wider platforms resist pitching and heel.
Where the Bali 4.0 catamaran came from
Catana, known for three decades of fast daggerboard catamarans, created the Bali brand for a very different customer. Olivier Poncin's brief, as Cruising World reported it, was oversize and entirely open living spaces, a forward cockpit and sunbathing area, real energy self-sufficiency and competitive prices. The Bali 4.5 and 4.3 came first; the Bali 4.0 debuted at the Paris boat show in December 2015 as a scaled-down version of that recipe, the major difference being a raised semi-flybridge helm instead of a full flybridge.
The 4.0 was built in Catana's La Rochelle plant and sold strongly to charter fleets. A May 2018 item in Bali's news archive is titled for the 100th Bali 4.0, and by then the improved Bali 4.1, unveiled in September 2017, was taking over. If you see a Bali 40 catamaran advertised, it is usually this boat or its successor; check the build year and look for the 4.1's fixed aft platform to tell them apart.
The tilting door and solid foredeck, the two ideas that define it
Nearly every other cruising cat separates the saloon from the cockpit with a fixed bulkhead. The Bali 4.0 does not. The entire aft bulkhead tilts up and out of the way with hydraulic assistance, turning saloon and cockpit into one flush living area that catamaranguru measured at more than 270 square feet. Sail noted Bali had dropped the electric mechanism in favor of this simpler manual system, which owners should welcome. Close it and lock it with barrel bolts for passages, and you still have a normal sliding door to get in and out.
Forward, there are no trampolines. The bridgedeck is solid fiberglass all the way to the bows, built from box sections, with a dinette, wraparound settees and a sunpad. The center windshield pane drops down so the cook can pass drinks straight from the galley. CW's charter test called this a design trade-off: exemplary social space in exchange for weight in the ends of the boat, and with fixed low-aspect keels and a modest main, a boat that is simpler to sail than it is likely to win races.
How it sails, and what Sail magazine measured
Sail's tester was pleasantly surprised. In 8 to 10 knots of breeze on the Chesapeake, the 4.0 made about 6 knots close-reaching and nearly 8 knots on a beam reach in the puffs, tacking through about 80 degrees without fuss thanks to the self-tacking Solent jib on its traveler. The square-top main generates plenty of weather helm on its own, so plan to reef both sails together, and the boom is high enough that a step stool helps.
Under power it is the most maneuverable midsize cruising cat the reviewer had handled: rudders well aft in the prop wash, a turning circle under one boat length, and 8 knots at 2,300 rpm with low sound levels. The rig uses an aluminum mast, Antal hardware and a Profurl furler, and all lines lead to the raised starboard helm, where Sail strongly recommended electric winches for halyards and sheets.
The 2015 Paris duel with the Lucia 40
The Bali 4.0 shared its December 2015 Paris debut with Fountaine Pajot's Lucia 40, and Catamaran Guru's side-by-side look captures the choice buyers still face. The two were similarly priced and both built and finished well. The Lucia offered a low boom for easy mainsail handling, wide flat decks, trampolines forward and a mast under 64 feet for the Intracoastal.
The Bali countered with a lighter, more maneuverable boat, more than 270 square feet of flush cockpit and saloon once the door was raised, a solid foredeck lounge and a fold-down transom that doubles as a swim platform. Catamaran Guru's writer preferred the Lucia's interior styling but found the Bali's ideas more exciting, and that split still defines the two boats on the used market.
Owner suite, three cabins or four
In the owner's version, the entire port hull is a suite with a large double berth aft, a big head with a separate shower forward and generous storage, including a dry bilge locker for cans and bottles. The starboard hull holds two double cabins, sharing a head in one version and each with an en suite in another. A four-cabin layout serves the charter trade. The galley runs along the forward bulkhead with an Eno stove and an upright household Liebherr fridge, and the saloon seats a crowd.
Sail flagged one real oversight: no overhead grab rails in the saloon for rough water. Joinery is Alpi composite veneer, neatly tabbed in, and the boat was certified CE Category A for ten people.
Known issues to check on a used 4.0
CW's eight-day charter in the Caribbean found two genuine weaknesses. The anchor exits the hull several feet aft of the bow, so attaching a bridle required someone in the dinghy. And when the boat sailed upwind in waves, seawater entering through the anchor roller soaked the forward compartment, where the propane tank, generator and generator starting battery showed corrosion. Sail also noted the foredeck lounge lacks grab points forward of the cabin, and that the steps to the forward table are narrow.
None of these is a deal breaker, but on a boat that may have spent its first years in a charter fleet they deserve a close look, along with the door hinges and struts, saildrive seals and the lowering transom davit platform, which Sail rated among the best dinghy systems it had seen.
Bali 4.0 for sale, what to pay and what to expect
Cruising World reported $450,000 sailaway in the US in October 2016. Ten years on, Bali 4.0 listings are scarcer in the US than 4.1s, many boats having stayed in European and Caribbean charter fleets. We estimate private sale values of roughly $260,000 to $380,000 in 2026, below the $440,000 that 2018 and 2020 Bali 4.1s were asking, with the gap justified by the 4.1's aft platform and later build.
Annual ownership for a 40-foot cat in the US, including insurance, dockage or a mooring, haul-out and antifouling, rigging and sail care, and engine service, usually runs about $28,000 to $55,000. Budget early for standing rigging if it is original, and for lithium and solar upgrades if the boat still relies on a generator for its electric toys.
Bali 4.0 specifications
| Length overall | 39.2 ft11.93 m |
|---|---|
| Waterline length | 38.6 ft11.77 m |
| Beam | 22.1 ft6.72 m |
| Draft | 3.7 ft1.12 m |
| Displacement | 18,959 lbs8,6 kg |
| Sail area | 893 sq ft83 m² |
| Fuel capacity | 106 gal4 L |
| Fresh water | 211 gal8 L |
| Cabins | 3 (owner version) or 4 (charter version) |
| Berths | 6 to 8 |
| Heads | 2 or 3 in owner versions; charter layouts vary |
| Maximum persons | 10 |
| Standard engines | 2 x 20 hp diesels with saildrives |
| Optional engines | Up to 2 x 40 hp |
| Maximum power | 80 hp |
| Cruise speed | 8 knots |
| Hull type | Twin-hull cruising catamaran with solid composite foredeck |
| Keel | Fixed low-aspect stub keels |
| Rig | Fractional sloop, aluminum mast, square-top mainsail and self-tacking Solent jib |
| Hull construction | Vacuum-bagged PVC foam-core sandwich |
| CE design category | A |
| Builder | Catana Group (Bali Catamarans), La Rochelle, France |
| Naval architect | Xavier Faÿ |
| Other design credits | Olivier Poncin (concept); Hervé Couëdel (design) |
| Production | 2016 to 2018 |
| Status | Discontinued |
Figures come from builder documentation and independent tests where available. Displacement is usually quoted light, so a loaded cruising boat will weigh more. Compare these specs with another model.
How much does a Bali 4.0 cost?
Cruising World reported a sailaway price of $450,000 delivered to the United States in October 2016. We found few live 4.0 listings in 2026, so our used band is set below current asking prices for the Bali 4.1, where 2018 and 2020 boats were each listed at $440,000. Owner-version boats that never chartered, recent rigging and sails, solar and lithium upgrades and a working watermaker sit at the top; tired ex-charter four-cabin boats at the bottom.
Estimate your yearly cost
A planning estimate using common rules of thumb: insurance near 1.5 percent of value, maintenance near 3 percent, haul out and bottom paint by length. Your marina, region and use will move these numbers. Open the full cost calculator.
Versions and options
- Bali 4.0 owner version
- Three cabins with a full port-hull owner's suite; starboard hull with shared or two en suite heads.
- Bali 4.0 charter version
- Four cabins for fleet use; often fitted with air conditioning and a generator.
- Bali 4.1 (successor)
- Unveiled in 2017 with a fixed aft platform linking the hulls, new transom seating and side lockers.
Bali 4.0 timeline
- 2015Bali 4.0 debuts at the Paris boat show in December
- 2016US launch; Sail and Cruising World review it, sailaway price $450,000
- 2017Bali 4.1 unveiled as the successor
- 2018Bali's news archive marks the 100th Bali 4.0
Strengths and weaknesses
What owners like
- Huge open saloon and cockpit once the door is raised
- Solid foredeck lounge with a drop-down window to the galley
- Sails better than its boxy profile suggests
- Very maneuverable under power
- Excellent lowering davit and swim platform
What to weigh up
- Anchor roller lets water into the forward locker
- No overhead grab rails in the saloon
- High boom and heavy main
- Weight forward costs performance
- Fewer US listings than the 4.1
Used Bali 4.0 buyer checklist
Take this list to a viewing. Your ticks are saved in this browser so you can come back to it.
Always commission an independent marine survey and an engine survey before you buy. How a marine survey works.
Rivals to consider
Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40
Debuted at the same 2015 Paris show; trampolines, lower boom and a more conventional layout.
Leopard 40
South African charter favorite with a forward cockpit and a strong US resale network.
Compare side by sideLagoon 39
Best-selling French charter cat of the same era with a traditional bulkhead.
Nautitech 40 Open
Sportier open-plan cat with twin aft helms for sailors who want more feel.
Our verdict on the Bali 4.0
The Bali 4.0 is the boat that proved the Bali open-plan idea could work at 40 feet. It sails better than it looks, maneuvers beautifully under power and gives a couple more living space than almost any cat of its length, at the cost of a few rough edges that CW and Sail spotted early. For a buyer who knows those weak points and inspects for them, a well-kept owner-version 4.0 is one of the most livable ways to get a cruising catamaran under $400,000.
Bali 4.0 questions answered
How long is the Bali 4.0 catamaran?
It measures 39 feet 2 inches overall with a 22-foot-1-inch beam and about 3 feet 8 inches of draft.
When was the Bali 4.0 built?
It debuted at the Paris boat show in December 2015 and was built from 2016 until the Bali 4.1 took over around 2018.
How much is a Bali 4.0 for sale?
We estimate about $260,000 to $380,000 in 2026, depending on year, layout and charter history; it cost about $450,000 new in 2016.
Is the Bali 40 catamaran the same as the Bali 4.0?
Usually yes; the Bali 40 Catspace is a later, different 40-foot model, so check the exact model name.
What is the difference between the Bali 4.0 and 4.1?
The 4.1 adds a fixed aft platform linking the hulls, a transom bench, larger side lockers and new davits.
More sailing catamarans to explore
Fountaine Pajot Isla 40
Sailing Catamarans, 39 ft
Used $360K to $560K
Leopard 40
Sailing Catamarans, 39 ft
Used $250K to $400K
Broadblue 385
Sailing Catamarans, 39 ft
Used $150K to $330K
Bali 4.1
Sailing Catamarans, 40 ft
Used $360K to $470K