Catana 53 Specs, Sea Trials and the Used Market in 2026

Catana 53, the boat that changed how a Catana looks

When Yachting World toured the Catana 53 in June 2017, it noted that Catana now had two distinct styles: the older, rounded look of the 42 and 47, and the boxy, angular shape of the big 62 and 70. The 53 brought that newer look down to a size owners could handle themselves, with reverse bows, high topsides, a sharply raked coachroof and long, curved daggerboards. Catana says its own design office developed the boat after months of study and listening to its most committed owners, helped by several outside architecture studios.

The design brief did not change, only the packaging. The Catana 53 is a fast, stiff, owner-operated ocean cruiser rather than a charter platform, and Catana never offered a charter-specific version. Cruising World's judges sailed it after the 2018 Annapolis show and named it Best Cruising Multihull Over 50 Feet for 2019.

Helm, cockpit and saloon on a single level

The most important feature on the Catana 53 is a floor plan. Cockpit, saloon and helms share one level, so the person on watch can go from the nav desk to a wheel in a few steps without climbing to a flybridge. The helms are fold-down seats set outboard near the transom of each hull, with clear sight of the sails and conversation with the cockpit. In bad weather four sliding glass doors close the saloon, the Webasto heating or air conditioning goes on, and the boat can be steered from inside: SAIL noted a secondary autopilot control at the forward-facing nav station.

Large front windows with opening sections ventilate the saloon at anchor, enlarged coachroof windows give a view of the opposite bow from inside, and hatches in the bimini let you check the main without stepping into the rain. Visibility from the aft helms to the far bow is still not as good as from a raised helm, which is the price of keeping the boom low and the helmsman in the fresh air.

From 4 knots in a whisper to 22 knots on video

Three magazine tests give a consistent picture. Cruising World tacked upwind at 7.9 knots in 15 knots of breeze under the self-tending jib and saw about 10 knots on a beam reach with the screecher unrolled. SAIL, in only 7 knots of true wind, sailed at 4-plus knots at 40 degrees apparent and 5 knots at 60 degrees, impressively close for a catamaran, and tacked through the wind without backing a sail. The test boat's owners reported 200-plus mile days crossing the Atlantic, a 9 knot average and a video of the boat at 22 knots.

The engine of all this is a mainsail of nearly 1,200 sq ft per SAIL, on a boat Cruising World measured at a displacement-length ratio of 97 against about 180 for mainstream cruising cats. The main is sheeted to a double-ended bridle across the transom; its blocks hang on soft shackles that can be moved outboard, which Tim Murphy described as a beautiful vang built into the system. A long optional bowsprit carries a top-down furler for a Code 0 or asymmetric.

Divinycell, vinylester and carbon where it counts

Catana infuses hulls, decks and bulkheads with foam core and vinylester resin, adding carbon and Twaron where strength or stiffness is needed. Murphy summarized it as Divinycell core, vinylester and E-glass through most of the boat with carbon at structural points and well-placed crash bulkheads, a sensible use of technology without being extreme. SAIL adds that carbon reinforces the chainplates and mast step and that the build cut nearly a ton compared with the 53's predecessor.

In cruising trim the boat is heavier than the brochure suggests. The owners of SAIL's test boat put it at a little over 32,000 lb, and said it loads up in a squall and moves forward like a train, stiff rather than skittish. Under the master berth even the stowage is finished on both sides, and an air gap between headliner and structure limits condensation, a detail long-term liveaboards notice.

Owner's or family layout, and the crew cabin forward

Cruising World's test boat was the owner's version. The starboard hull is the owner's suite with an island queen aft, drawers amidships and a head with separate shower forward. The port hull has two single bunks in the aft cabin and a double forward. A large forepeak locker can become a crew cabin or stay as gear storage, and the family version adds a fourth double cabin forward in the starboard hull. SAIL reports that the head layout can be customized.

On the bridgedeck the galley is the star. On the test boats it took up much of the starboard side in a large U with an island, and SAIL's boat carried four Vitrifrigo refrigeration drawers, a bottle cooler and acres of counter. Outside, a table to port seats six, a daybed sits opposite and a couch spans the transom; a second table just inside the saloon continues the dining area.

Engines, a quiet saloon and controls at both wheels

Catana lists twin 60 hp saildrive engines, but many boats are more powerful: SAIL's test boat had 75 hp turbo Volvo Pentas and a 2019 boat now for sale has 80 hp Yanmars. With nearly 29 ft between the engines the boat pivots easily, and unlike older Catanas there are engine controls at both helms. SAIL recorded 9.4 knots at 3,000 rpm wide open and an economical 7.4 knots at 2,200 rpm, and suggested motoring at 6 knots on one engine on long passages.

Sound may have decided the award. Judge Ed Sherman measured under 70 dB in the main saloon at 3,000 rpm, and the panel called that relative silence golden. Tanks hold 860 liters of fuel and 800 liters of water per Catana. SAIL's boat also had an 11 kW Cummins generator and 50,000 BTU of six-zone climate control.

Buying one: few boats, high specs, long delivery trips

Catana kept the 53 on its website until at least 2023, alongside the newer Ocean Class, and the current catana.com range shows only the Ocean Class. Production numbers are not published and the fleet is small, so most buyers will be looking at one or two boats at a time, often in the Mediterranean. The 2019 boat in Menorca at about 1.3 million euros is a realistic marker. Budget for a delivery or ship passage to the US and for an independent survey of the daggerboard trunks, the infused structure and the systems, since owners of these boats tend to sail them far.