fountaine pajot catamaran reviews

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Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 review: This could be the yard’s most popular catamaran yet

• July 30, 2020

This Elba 45 looks set to be one of the most popular Fountaine Pajot cruising catamarans yet. Sam Fortescue travels to Portugal to find out why

Product Overview

Manufacturer:, price as reviewed:.

Such was the hype surrounding this yacht that Fountaine Pajot had sold over 100 Elba 45 hulls before the first one even emerged from the mould. The customer response persuaded the La Rochelle-based catamaran builder to start work on a second set of tooling so that it could complete more than 50 of these yachts each year.

True, at 45ft LOA, it is bang in the sweet spot for cruising cats, but even so it is almost unprecedented to have pre-sold the first two years’ worth of production.

Armed with that knowledge, my expectations were high as I crossed the protected waters of the Río Sado just south of Lisbon in Portugal for the sea trials. And though I certainly wasn’t disappointed by what I saw bobbing at the dock, it takes more than a glance at the Elba 45’s lines to understand the appeal she exerts.

That’s not to say that first impressions aren’t good. As with most modern catamarans, the Elba 45 has towering topsides, especially towards the bow, so has quite a physical presence. Couple this with the extensive glazing of the saloon and the large hull lights, and you have a modern-looking boat. Olivier Racoupeau’s design is aerodynamic in the way that Lagoons, for instance, are not: she has slightly back-swept forward windows and a flowing curve to the coachroof.

The new Elba 45 is the next generation of the successful Hélia 44, with faster hulls and greater interior volume

There are a few small details which give away the degree of careful thought that has gone into this new model. There is a useful skirt to the transom wings so that you can step easily aboard from the side, for instance. And on this model, the davits had been replaced with the optional ‘transformer’ bathing platform (€17,200), which can hydraulically raise a tender up to 3.2m long, and 150kg in weight.

The headroom under the hard top is also excellent. It all adds up to about two years of design work across some 150 meetings between Berret-Racoupeau and Fountaine Pajot. “The 45 is the core of the market of Fountaine Pajot, so we were not allowed to make a mistake on something that didn’t work,” Racoupeau tells me phlegmatically. “It’s always such a big challenge to innovate or take a risk.”

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Design challenges

Although Racoupeau designed the Elba 45’s hugely successful predecessor, the Hélia 44, he went back to first principles on the new boat, testing a range of new hull shapes with lower drag. “We reduced it [drag] by 10% and that helps the boat sail better at medium and high speed, and more efficiently under engine,” Racoupeau explains. “It may not sound like much but, for us, that’s a big deal.”

Lounging space on the flybridge has been increased threefold in the new model

The design team even managed to make the hull some 15cm longer and 15cm beamier in the process, introducing a small chine in the aft section. “This kind of hull shape will be used on future Fountaine Pajot designs,” Racoupeau confirms.

Another big focus for design work in the new boat has been the flybridge. The Hélia, too, offered a lounging space under the boom next to the helm station, but the Elba 45 has really gone to town.

Seating for four or five and a big sunpad cover more than 10m2 – nearly three times the area offered by the Hélia. On an overcast day in Portugal, you don’t really get it, but it’s not hard to imagine dinner with a view up here, and it means good company for the helmsman mid-ocean.

There’s a console with drinks holder and a convenient little recess for belongings, and still space for solar panels along the trailing edge of the hard top. The trade-off is a slightly higher boom, which in turn raises the centre of effort of the sail, creating more lateral force.

“We have really enlarged the flybridge with more comfortable areas and relaxing areas,” says Racoupeau. “At the same time, I really wanted to keep the classic Fountaine Pajot steering position in the middle, where it’s safe. I didn’t want to put it on the flybridge.”

That helm strikes an effective compromise between an outright flybridge, which adds cachet for some, and a bulkhead steering position peeping over the coachroof. There’s room for two behind the wheel, and a roomy pit ahead of it for someone to grind away at three large Lewmar 50 coachroof-mounted winches.

There is plenty of room to keep the helmsperson company

If you were single-handing, you’d need to engage the autopilot to move round and trim, but all the sheets and control lines apart from the optional gennaker or code sail come back to the helm station, mostly on nice short runs that keep friction down. Even the genoa sheets come back across the coachroof: great for sail handling, but posing a risk with their flailing in the tack.

Elsewhere on deck the Elba 45 boasts an impressive range of outdoor space, with the emphasis on eating in the cockpit and lounging either there, on the flybridge or on the foredeck sunpads. The deep cockpit offers sofas and a sunbed so you can choose where and how to conduct your afternoon siesta. And you can opt for a built-in plancha grill or a barbecue next to the transom seating unit.

For all that, though, the most noticeable fruits of Racoupeau’s redesign are found inside. “Volumes in the saloon and in the cabins are much bigger,” Racoupeau claims. I don’t have a Hélia on hand to make the comparison, but one thing strikes as soon as I enter the saloon: this boat is all about liveability and interior space.

A new lounging area has been created at the forward end of the saloon, whose wrap-around windows are larger than ever

At 17m2 area, the saloon may not have changed shape much, but it has been reconfigured to make the galley more open and improve stowage. The boat is no Tardis, though, so of course there is a compromise that won’t suit all. “From our personal experience, we saw that we make less and less use of the chart table,” Racoupeau explains. “We go there for information, but not to sit down and work like we did in the past.”

So the chartplotter and instrument panel has been demoted from the front of the saloon to a smaller area around a technical cabinet on the starboard side of the aft door. You can still pull up a chair and consult the read-out – which is now just a step from the bottom of the helm station stairs – but there’s no dedicated space to spread out a chart and get to work with the plotter and dividers.

This is an issue that divides sailors. But if you, like me, rue the loss of the chart table, then at least the coffee table or the flat surfaces behind the sofas would serve.

The galley has shifted to the aft end of the saloon, and the chart table demoted to a shelf by the instruments

Interior size matters

The volume previously dedicated to the chart table has been used to increase the saloon and galley. “We have introduced the concept of the meridienne,” says Racoupeau, “a place where people can have a drink, read something on the iPad, lounge in a chair; always staying in the middle of the area to be able to discuss, share with friends.”

This is a successful ploy, with the deep, comfy L-shaped sofa looking more like something borrowed from the superyacht world than standard yacht seating.

The galley is well equipped, with the sink along the aft bulkhead of the saloon and the hob to port, punctuated by the stairs down to the cabins below. Splitting the galley in this way may not be ideal, but it does create more space, and keeps the connection with the cockpit via the swing-up aft window and fold-away door.

The cockpit layout is flexible and convivial thanks to the opening doors and windows that connect it to the saloon

The standard boat offers a large 190lt refrigerator to starboard, and an optional 130lt refrigerator or 90lt freezer by the sink. Freshwater capacity is a reasonable 700lt, and there is an option to include a 60lt/hr 12V watermaker for bluewater cruisers , or a beefier 180lt/hr model on the 220/110V system.

Two basic interior configurations are offered – the maestro (owner’s) version, which dedicates the whole port hull to a double cabin with fold-out TV, dressing table, truly copious clothes storage and a large shower room and heads.

The alternative is the charter-friendly four-cabin, four heads set-up, costing an extra €4,000. There is also room for a single crew berth in the starboard bow and a crew heads to port, although this would chip away at very handy sail locker space.

Racoupeau’s redesign has also opened up the vestibule between the two starboard cabins by removing the wooden ceiling that divided this space from the saloon on the Hélia. “It gives the feeling of more room, with more fresh air in the corridor and in the hull,” he says. “From my point of view this is the worst place in normal catamarans: dark and enclosed.” It sounds like a small detail but, strangely, he’s absolutely right.

The double cabins all feature semi island beds

The quality of the finish is as you would expect in a series yacht, all in a light grey oak for the furniture, dark oak flooring and a choice of neutral upholstery as standard. It all feels very sophisticated and urban, but arguably lacks a bit of warmth. Luckily, there are plenty of options.

However, the area in which Fountaine Pajot excels is in its hull lay-up, using a sophisticated vacuum infusion process for consistent high quality. They use polyester and vinylester resin over glass, with a final coat of epoxy primer under the antifouling. The spacious transom engine compartments reveal how neat and tidy that finish is.

The yard also insists on some good additional design features, such as the way the stub keels are mounted. They are simply glued into a deep recess moulded into the hull, so there are no keel bolts to rip out in the event of a grounding or of striking a submerged object.

In the ‘maestro’ version, the owner’s suite fills the port hull offering a large amount of storage space

Those keels provide helpful ballast low down to make the boat more stable, but they also slightly improve tracking to windward. During our test, we didn’t see more than 12 knots of true wind, so the boat was only occasionally hard pressed as gusts punched their way down the steep mountainsides. However, she managed a decent 40° off the apparent wind without making excessive leeway, judging by the wake astern.

The Elba 45 is fun to sail in that nippy way catamarans are: you look down and realise that you’re barrelling along at 8 knots without even trying. With the fully battened main and the standard 120% genoa, we managed an easy 7 to 8 knots beating into around 12 knots of true wind.

Powerful mainsail

It is designed with an 18.1m mast with double diamond stays for a good amount of bend and a more powerful mainsail shape. There is also an option to have a lighter carbon fibre mast. It all adds up to a maximum 74m2 fathead main and a 45m2 genoa.

The larger headsail keeps boat speed up in light winds and means that there is less need for a dedicated reaching sail. Unfortunately we weren’t able to test this claim because our boat, rushed down to Portugal for sea trials, didn’t have the correct mast.

Nonetheless, there is the option of a central longeron which protrudes beyond the bow to provide a tack for reaching and downwind sails, at a cost of €5,850. The sail itself costs about the same again and should have made speeds of 10-11 knots feasible in the conditions we had.

I found the wheel a little undersized for the boat, and too sticky – something that could no doubt be rectified. A feature I liked better was the ingenious hook sheave mounted on the car that pulls the mainsail up the mast. Thanks to the sheave, there’s a 2:1 purchase on the halyard already, but the hook pulls the headboard of the square-top main in close to the masthead. It doesn’t engage until the halyard is nearly bowstring taught, keeping the sail loose for a low-friction raise.

Standard propulsion comes from a 40hp Volvo Penta diesel in each hull, coupled with fixed props. You can upgrade to 50hp units for a relatively modest €1,000 per engine, which would make a worthwhile option if you’re expecting to spend a lot of time motoring. And for less than €1,900 ex. VAT you would certainly want to upgrade both with the 18in Volvo folding prop to reap an extra knot or so of boat speed.

A greener option?

Fountaine Pajot realises its boats are large chunks of non-recyclable plastic, but is nevertheless trying to cultivate greater eco awareness. Solar panels and water management systems aim to make the boats less polluting, while the manufacturing process aims to use fewer dangerous chemicals and waste is minimised and recycled.

But the biggest potential green win comes from a tie-up between FP and Volvo Penta, which is using the smaller Lucia 40 as a testbed to co-develop their own electric propulsion system.

This would undoubtedly be a comfortable boat on which to make an ocean crossing – the design work by Racoupeau and Fountaine Pajot has seen to that. But remembering that old adage about the 85% of the time that bluewater cruisers spend at anchor, the Elba 45 excels at offering big volumes for living on the water. You may spend a bit more time on passage compared to a more performance-orientated cat, but comfort ensures you’ll barely notice.

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Fountaine Pajot Elba 45

Description

The Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2019. This cruising cat is going head to head with one of Lagoon’s most popular models: the Lagoon 46 – the replacement for the 450, which came in both a flybridge (450F) and raised helm version (450S).

So how does the replacement to the Helia 44 from FP stack up?

Liveability

Fountaine Pajot are known for continuous improvement of their range rather than radical redesign, so it should come as no surprise to discover that the new 45 has incorporated many of the popular features of her larger and smaller siblings.

• Even more space than her predecessor, the Elba 45 boasts some of the biggest living space in her class.
• The Fly Lounge is clever. You get the lounging space at anchor, a helm that is connected to the aft cockpit and a lower boom than you would see on a flybridge cat.
• She’s pretty nippy off the wind, a good compromise between comfort and speed
• The keels are mounted and glued into recesses which is a good safety feature should you ground the boat. They should just shear off with minimal damage to the hulls.
• The flybridge means a slightly higher boom, which means a higher centre of effort on the mainsail.
• She’s no stellar performer upwind, but that’s true of most production cruising cats.

This 45 feet yacht, with its inverted bows keeps that signature raised helm station that you’ll see on many of their other boats, plus a fly “lounge” on the bimini that has proven so popular on the Saona 47.  This is a neat trick as the bimini lounge gives you most of the benefits of that great view at anchor without the windage or raised boom of a full flybridge cat like the Lagoon 450. And that means its easier to get to the boom of you encounter any problems under way – with the reefing lines for example.

There is space for four or five and a big sun-pad cover more than 10m2 and you still have space for solar panels. The price you pay is a slightly higher boom, which the centre of effort of the sail. However, the boom is still a lot lower than you would find on a flybridge cat like the Lagoon 46. This is a neat compromise.

There’s still room for two on the helm seat, and plenty of space to work on your 3 large Lewmar 50 winches.

There’s also a foredeck lounging area, although this looks more like an add on and not as much of a feature as, say, a Leopard with its forward cockpit accessible from the saloon.

The cockpit has several sofas, a sunbed, benches and a  long dinner table. And then there’s the hydraulic dive platform aft, which carries the tender when you are under way. This is a cat with plenty of space and the space really “flows” on this boat. We didn’t feel like we were dodging things to get from one zone to the next.

Big windows and hatches bring a lot of natural light and ventilation inside the boat, both in the saloon and in the hulls. The forward window swings up in its entirety connecting you to the forward cockpit and nets. You can’t get much better ventilation than that! (Make sure it is securely closed when you are underway though).

As an option, you can replace the davits with the ‘transformer’ hydraulic bathing platform (around €17,k), which can raise a tender up to 3.2m long, and 150kg in weight.

The Owner suite and guest cabins are quiet and comfortable with en-suite shower rooms depending on the version.

Fountaine Pajot boats are nimble for cruising cats if you keep the boats light. In terms of performance, you are looking at something between a Lagoon and a Nautitech, but make sure you don’t overload her. All the sheets and control lines (gennaker or code 0 excepted) come back to the bulkhead helm station.

The mast is set forward and integrates well into the saloon down below. This gives you a well balanced sail plan with the overlapping genoa (there is no self tacking jib unlike much of the competition) that remains well powered up even in lighter winds without having to fly a code 0 or gennaker off the bowsprit.

Off the wind in a decent breeze you could be seeing speeds in the low teens in the right conditions.

She won’t be able to compete with a dagger-board cat upwind like an Outremer 51 , for obvious reasons, but that’s the case for any keel cat: that’s your trade off for all of that space. You are likely to hit her sweet spot at around 60 degrees to true. If you need to get upwind faster, you can always stick on the leeward engine at low revs and charge your batteries up.

This boat is a great set up for owners who want a solid performing boat that will be very comfortable at anchor. The design cleverly maximises all the available space, with the stand-out features being that lounge on the bimini at anchor and the size of the cabins down below.

The saloon and cockpit flow together very nicely and the helm station is well connected, with all the lines coming back making her an easy boat to sail short-handed. There’s something to be said for their strategy of continuous improvement on these boats!

Other Options

You might want to look at the South African competition (read our Leopard 50 review for example) and of course the Lagoons are worth a look too in this category. Nautitech will give you more speed but there is a trade off on comfort.

Instagrammers

If you want to follow a couple of Elba 45s sailing around, try the following:

Stargazer Follow the Iqbal Family and friends aboard the SV Stargazer, their Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 catamaran.

Dreams Follow an Aussie family on the 45. Dean, Megs, Jude and Addie set sail!

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Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 Catamaran Review

The SABA 50 is the biggest sailing catamaran of the Fountaine Pajot core sailing range before the flagship range, the Sanya 57 and the Victoria 67 . Designed by the naval architect Olivier Racoupeau, the Saba 50 has the same excellent optimization of space and weight as the highly successful sistership, Helia 44. The designers also paid the same special attention to comfort, elegance, and performance. The result is quite simply a beautiful sailing catamaran that sails remarkably well and is priced at +/- 593,000 Euro base price, well below the main competitors. Don’t miss the walk-through and test sail video of Saba 50 below. See our 50ft Catamaran Models Comparisons .

Contact Us For More Information.

SABA 50 Sailing Catamaran Specifications

Length: 14.98m Beam: 7.98m Draft: 1.15m Light displacement: 15.7t Main sail area: 74.05m² Genoa area: 52.60m2 Mast clearance: 22,44m Engines: 2x50HP or 2x75HP Fuel tank: 940 liters Water tank: 700 liters / 185 US gallons Naval architect: Berret – Racoupeau

Full Specifications and Brochure

Favorite Saba 50 Features

• Volume optimization: huge living areas
• Design = livable & sociable cockpit-saloon area
• Performance cruising catamaran
• Huge forward and upper lounge
• A protected high-visibility steering station connected directly to the cockpit & lounge deck
• A lot of brightness
• Best value for money on 50′ market

Estelle Cockcroft

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will this be at the Annapolis boat show???

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Highland 35, the all-purpose power catamaran by Fountaine Pajot

The Highland's excellent passage through the water gives it steady performance as well as very good sailing comfort!

The most you’ll get from a Highland? A range of 1,000 miles at 6 knots.

The central T-shaped area ideally houses the saloon, the galley, and helm station. Everything is within reach and it is very easy to move around.

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• Available in issue # 155

Boat Test price $3.00 Inc. tax

Add several tests to your cart

and get an extra discount!

Maximum living space, stability and low fuel consumption are the keywords to describe the Highland 35. These are the important advantages which definitively launched the power catamaran industry. And today, this powercat could be a great deal!

Successor to the Greenland 34, with which Fountaine Pajot launched themselves into the 10 meter power catamaran market in the early 2000s, the Highland 35 became the entry-level boat in a full range, which included the Summerland 40, the Cumberland 44 and the Queensland 55. If the biggest models are catamarans with imposing dimensions, the kid-brother with his 10.35 meter overall length and especially a beam of 4.40m is the go-anywhere, super-versatile boat par excellence. The buyers were not mistaken: with 68 units built between 2005 and 2011, it has brought happiness to many former sailing enthusiasts but also and especially to boaters eager for autonomy and comfort, as well as charter bases looking for something economic to operate and especially easy to maneuver short-handed while having record habitable space. A catamaran that offers the ability, (thanks to a beam of only 4.40 m), to return to port in the evening! From the beginning, it was available in two versions: DUO (two double cabins and two heads compartments) or TRIO (two double cabins in the starboard hull and a large one for the owner to port).

A good range

Thanks to its two Volvo Penta D2 diesels at 75 or 11...

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CatamaranReviews.com

Fountaine pajot catamarans.

Founded in 1976 by Jean François Fountaine and Yves Pajot, Founaine Pajot has 40+ years of experience building catamarans and has lead the way with innovative injection moulding techniques. Fountaine Pajot develops unique cruising catamarans that are seaworthy, performance oriented, innovative in design and use of space. Fountain Pajot currently makes 150-180 catamarans a year and has a variety of models to choose from. Currently, Fountaine Pajot offers seven different models ranging in length from 40 feet to 67 feet. Pricing for Fountaine Pajot catamarans start at $100,000 for a used Fountain Pajot Athena 38 to 2,500,000+ for a Fountain Pajot Algeria 67. For more information on pricing for a new Fountain Pajot please contact the builder or an authorized dealer.

Fountaine Pajot Models

The Saona 47 is a luxury cruising catamaran, a product of Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design. Marking its 40 years in production, Fountaine Pajot launched the Saona 47 with all the distinguishing features of the shipyard in April 2017. DESIGN – INTERIOR & EXTERIOR DECK The Saona 47 is particularly known for its characteristic multi-decks, offering three different levels starting from the flybridge lounge or sunbathing area and ending on the aft cockpit with an elevated helm station on the level in between. The upper deck lounge of the Saona 47 offers great views of the sea and the sky along with the comfort of lounge mattresses and cushions. It is large and spacious and ideal for a family to relax

Architecture by Daniel Andrieu and interior design by the Pierangelo Andreani Studio, Fountaine Pajot launched the MY 44 in early 2017 with the promise of it being the shipyard’s most successful power catamaran. True to their word, Fountaine Pajot did unveil a power catamaran with not only an extremely spacious saloon and accommodations but also a remarkably fuel-efficient sailing experience. DESIGN – INTERIOR & EXTERIOR DECK Fountaine Pajot completely reconceptualized the use of space on a catamaran. Instead of the traditional transoms, the MY 44 boasts a fixed and a hydraulic teak beach that stretches full beam and is controlled with a remote. From the platform, a couple of steps lead up to the deck from both port and starboard

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Aura 51 review

Aura 51 sea trial review by sam fortescue, may 2022.

Sam Fortescue meets Fountaine-Pajot’s latest cruising cat, blending comfort and sustainability

AURA 51 Full information and prices     AURA 51 review - PDF magazine article

Place of the Sea Trial : La Rochelle, France Journalist : Sam Fortescue

If you can sell over 150 catamarans off-plan before construction has even begun, you have the confidence of your owners. Fountaine-Pajot’s Aura 51 has achieved just that, and it is perhaps one of the most extraordinary marketing feats in modern boatbuilding.

So when the chance came to sneak an exclusive test-sail on the first hull to hit the water, I didn’t need convincing. After a gale-racked February, March at last brought sunshine and gentle breezes to the French Atlantic coast, where the shipyard is based. With the promise of a balmy 12-14 knots and double-digit temperatures, I climbed aboard a train bound for La Rochelle.

Now, there are some 5,000 boats berthed in the city’s Port des Minimes , but it didn’t take long to find the Aura 51. A towering mast allied to her principal dimensions of 51ft LOA and 26 ft 6in on the beam make her one of the larger sailing boats here. Sleek, harmonious lines with some reverse sheer to the deck and the athletic aft sweep of the slim coach roof give her the unmistakeable Fountaine-Pajot look. There’s the long-term design input of Berret-Racoupeau to thank for that, and the yard’s love of an elegant line. In fact, as we manoeuvred out of the marina later, the family resemblance was driven home by a full pontoon of Fountaine-Pajot catamarans awaiting their final commissioning.

AURA 51 Full information and prices  

An easy sailing

Although a large boat with towering topsides, the new Aura 51 is surprisingly simple to handle. Two-up for our test sail, we stepped easily aboard at the skirt and had the boat ready to depart in a few short minutes. There was a tricky moment manoeuvring the boat out of the marina, where a dredger had strewn a straggle of piping across the entrance. But from the bulkhead helm station, offset to starboard, visibility is excellent and my skipper jockeyed the twin throttles and wheel.

There is also an option for a camera feeding into the 12in Garmin display on the console. After slipping over the shallow approaches to the port, it took no time to wrap the main halyard round one of the three Lewmar Evo winches at the helm and hoist the sail. The 120 per cent genoa is on a manual furler whose line comes off a block near the quarter and doubles back up to the helm station on the bulkhead to starboard.

We were soon skimming southwest on a beat towards the glittering Ile d’Oléron. To make the most of the 95 square-metre square top main, we opened up the foot a little using the mainsheet traveller. We also toyed with the trim of the 59sqm genoa, whose sheeting point on the coachroof gives a nice tight sheeting angle for upwind work.

Once the tell-tales were flying cleanly, I glanced down at the Garmin instruments and found to my surprise that we were frothing along at nearly 6 knots beating into 12 knots of wind. From my perch up on the navigator’s seat, on the level, the boat’s motion betrayed no speed at all. Even pinching to around 32 degrees apparent, we lost less than a knot of pace. 

Suited to shorthanding

Sail control is made extremely simple by the way that all the active lines come back in two swathes to the winches at the helm. It means you have a winch for the mainsheet, another for the genoa sheet and a third for controlling the traveller. With the mainsheet feeding in athwartships, it is straightforward to get some elbow grease on the line, while the deep fall of the rope tidy bags make for easy stowage. Only the genoa halyard is at the mast, where you need to fit a block and tackle to tighten or loosen the captive loop.

In no time at all we had covered 7 nautical miles, first tacking upwind, then bearing away on to a balmy reach where we touched 9 knots of boat speed. I kept checking the Garmin for reassurance, but make no mistake: this boat is a mile-eater.

The gennaker stows neatly in the vast locker under the forward cockpit seating. It is short work to tack the sail to the stubby bowsprit which tilts upwards just ahead of the genoa.

The sheets run back to the quarter, then double back up to optional extra winches on the edge of the cockpit. I asked Erwan about reefing and he said that new owners are told to put in a first reef at 18 knots of true wind. “In time, you learn the feeling of the boat,” he told me. “When she feels like she’s sitting back, you put a reef in the main. After that it’s a few turns in the genoa to keep the rig balanced.” The three single-line reefs are nicely colour-coded for quick reference.

An ocean of living space

If liveability is the key to the catamaran’s incredible rise in popularity, then it is not hard to understand the success of the Aura 51. It has a protected 16 square metre flybridge, flush decks and a hydraulic platform aft that carries the tender under way and launches swimmers or divers at anchor. Careful thought about the boat’s ergonomics have ensured that the platform closes up nicely to the transom skirt for easy access.

Working with the team at Berret-Racoupeau , the yard has also done a tremendous job of uniting the inside and outside spaces. The layout pivots on the galley, which serves both areas, creating an incredible sense of space. “We really wanted to bring the galley into the cockpit. It’s a very smart space,” said Erwan.

Flexibility is the name of the game here. Deep upholstered sofas fill the forward and starboard side of the saloon, where they can do service for watchkeeping, movie nights or a cup of coffee with friends. If it’s too cold outside, you can slot in a removable table and eat indoors. FountainePajot calls the long seat on the centreline the ‘meridian’, and it occupies a primary importance. “Sitting here on a nightwatch, you can keep an eye on the instruments and scan the horizon in comfort,” said Erwan. “You can also check the mainsail through the new skylight and there is a tablet charging point in the armrest for remote control.” The TV round the corner from the instrument panel can be set to repeat the chartplotter display.

In the cockpit, a beautiful teak table seats eight in comfort, and there’s a plancha grill on the transom. The table can easily be extended to 12 places with a fold-out leaf and fill-in seat. There’s also a raised sunbed here and a sofa on the transom, giving copious lounging space.

With the aft doors fully slid back, there is a 10ft opening with the galley island in the middle. It naturally splits traffic between the galley and the saloon, and puts the work surfaces and the waste bin within easy reach from outside. These are the small points of detail that come from years of experience and real-world boat use. Just like the proximity of the big interior navigation display to the helm station, making it easy to nip down and check on.

A Maestro with flair

One of the big selling points of the Aura 51 is the flexible configuration of the cabins in either hull. The options run from the four-cabin maestro version with an entire hull devoted to the owner up to six carefully matched cabins. The design team has pulled off a real feat here, finding a way to make those six cabins fully ensuite – the first time it has been done on a 51-footer.

The trick is that the two aft-most cabins have their own companionways that emerge through an L-shaped plexiglass hatch onto the aft deck. Separated from the rest of the interior, these cabins would be ideal for older children or guests wanting their own space. They are proving popular with charter models.

But most owners will opt for either a full or double maestro layout. In the full version, the double bed is positioned aft with a view out through the hull windows. There follows a succession of cupboards, deep clothes storage, a desk and finally a separate heads and shower room with twin basins, giving the sort of space that monohull sailors can only dream of aboard. The double maestro makes two VIP cabins of the space aft and two good doubles forward.

The styling is by Isabelle Racoupeau, and reflects neutral colours and natural textures. Grey and cream upholstery contrasts with pale oak cabinetry and dark oak flooring, reinforcing the sense of chic living. There are plenty of standard options, plus the possibility of going off-piste with a custom finish through Fountaine-Pajot Service.

Every cabin has been carefully designed to offer at least two sources of natural light – flush deck hatches overhead and large hull windows. Opening hatches and portlights ensure there is always natural ventilation available, although there is of course a heating and aircon package available too.

More than just ecological awareness

Such features are small but significant factors in reducing the carbon emissions associated with building and using the boat. Fresh air and natural light reduce reliance on power-hungry artificial solutions, and mean that the boat can run longer off its own power.

If we want to continue to enjoy all that the oceans can offer, we must act now. For us, this means changing our way of conceiving our yachts and completely re-seeing the experience of boating by combining comfort, pleasure but also performance with a minimised impact on the environment. Romain Motteau, Deputy CEO Fountaine Pajot.

For this reason, the Aura 51 has a 2000W array of Solbian solar panels built flush into the lightweight coachroof, as I discover when I get aboard. In the fickle March sunshine, they were generating an easy 20A according to the Scheiber digital boat management system, which replaces the traditional switch panel. The next step this summer is to fit an Aura 51 with electric propulsion and just a small genset as backup.

Romain Motteau’s vision extends further, though. Visit the huge Fountaine-Pajot site in Aigrefeuille, just outside La Rochelle, and it’s the smell rather than the spectacle which you’ll notice first. Where most production halls are redolent with the styrene released as a by-product of lamination, the air here is rigorously scrubbed. Meanwhile, the use of injection moulding for smaller parts (including the coachroof/bimini) and precisely dosed infusion throughout, means less raw material is used for a stronger end result.

Under a programme dubbed Odysséa 24, Fountaine-Pajot has launched a plan to build boats that are net carbon neutral by 2030. And it plans to help its owners use the boats in a more efficient way through hand-over training. It is also bringing its suppliers into the circle asking them to manufacture and design more eco-efficient products.

Perhaps this is another reason that the model has been named ‘Aura’. “The name evokes a halo of light, a vital force, and positive energies,” explained head of marketing Hélène de Fontainieu who has proposed the name of every single one of the yard’s new models for 15 years. “This new catamaran signed by Fountaine-Pajot becomes the symbol of the commitment of the shipyard in its environmental transition.”

Appropriately enough, Aura was also a minor Greek deity whose name means ‘breeze’. The powerful rig of this new boat allows you to make the most of such lighter winds, while the spacious flybridge lounge and forward cockpit let you enjoy the breeze in a different way. With the Aura 51’s enormous stowage capacity and bluewater vocation, expect to see this emissary of the gods in an anchorage near you soon.

Technical features

Constructeur : Fountaine Pajot Architects : Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design LOA : 15,54 m / 51ft Beam: 8,08 m / 26.6ft Draught : 1,30 m / 4.4ft Displacement: 18,1 t Mainsail surface: 95 sqm Genoa surface: 59 sqm Motorisation: 2 x 60 HP Fuel tank capacity: 2x450 l Water tanks capacity: 900 l

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Fountaine Pajot’s Samana 59: Sailing the Sweet Spot

• By Mark Pillsbury
• November 1, 2022

With a length overall of 61 feet, 7 inches and a beam of just over 31 feet, Fountaine Pajot’s Samana 59 is a big boat. As I wandered fore and aft, upstairs and down, while sailing on a sun-splashed morning on Chesapeake Bay with Cruising World ’s Boat of the Year judges , I found multiple places to stop and take in the surroundings. 

The view from the flybridge was expansive; in the cockpit, the gurgle of the wake passing by was hypnotic. It was a little early in the day to kick back on the foredeck sun cushions, and besides, my feet kept taking me back to the owner’s stateroom in the starboard hull, where an athwartships queen berth sat amidships. Leaning on its edge, I could look directly out the long, rectangular port in the hull and see waves dancing by. 

Yep, I thought. That would be the place to be.

Fountaine Pajot is a longtime player in the French catamaran industry. Its more-recent models have tacked in the direction of luxury accommodations, but it hasn’t forgotten its performance roots. Besides looking good, most of the FPs I’ve encountered have sailed well too, the Samana included.

Designed by Berret-Racoupeau—FP’s collaborator for nearly a decade—the Samana has stylish good looks. Its sheer rises from slightly raked-back bows and then tapers downward from the mast aft to the transoms. The lines of the cabin top are repeated in miniature on the Bimini over the ­flybridge, giving the boat a somewhat space-age look, while displaying the same visual DNA that Olivier Racoupeau employed in the rest of the FP range. The boat we visited in Annapolis, Maryland, all tricked out with gear for the show, carried a price tag of $2.8 million.

On deck, the Samana has a versatile cutter rig with a slightly overlapping jib and large genoa, both set on electric furlers. Upwind, roll out the jib, and coming about is a fairly straightforward chore (with a little help from electric Antal winches). Off the wind, furl the small sail, and deploy the big genoa for more power when reaching. During our test sail, in 9 to 10 knots of breeze, the speedo hovered in the 6-knot range on a reach. Our speed was slightly less than that closehauled—not a big cat’s favorite point of sail. I’d guess that in the Caribbean trade winds, where a boat like the Samana is likely to be found, the ride would be a bit more spirited.

The Samana’s fiberglass hull is resin-infused and balsa-cored for strength and stiffness; the deck and several smaller parts are injection-molded, which gives them a finished look top and bottom. Bulkheads are all cored composite structures and are tabbed to the hulls using fiberglass cloth and resin. Aluminum plates are placed in the laminate wherever hardware is to be installed, and they get drilled and tapped for assembly.

Living space aboard the Samana is well-thought-out and can accommodate a crowd. The cockpit has a dining table to port and a settee opposite. A ­second couch spans the transom, with a fridge, grill and sink adjacent to it, to starboard. At anchor, a hydraulic swim platform can be raised for sunbathing or lowered to the water. On the foredeck, there’s more space to kick back on a pair of U-shaped seating areas that can be reached by walking up the wide side decks, or from the saloon, which has a beefy, ­watertight door front and center.

The boat in Annapolis had what FP calls the ­Maestro layout, with the galley up in the saloon. Counter space takes up nearly the entire port side of the main cabin, with all the appliances you’d ­expect to find in a long-legged cruiser. There are ­multiple fridges and a freezer, and a five-burner stove and ­oven. The cooking area is open but separated from the rest of the living space by an island with ­additional counter and stowage. 

Opposite is a U-shaped couch surrounding a table that can be raised for dining indoors or lowered for cocktails and coffee. In the forward starboard corner of the saloon, there’s a forward-facing nav station and seat that would be a nifty spot to stand watch when it’s snarly outside.

The Maestro configuration puts the owner’s ­stateroom in the starboard hull, where it takes up about two-thirds of the space, with sleeping accommodations forward and a head and shower aft. A ­five-step companionway and hatch provide a private entrance from the deck; a second ­companionway from the saloon separates the owner’s stateroom from the en suite guest stateroom forward.

A galley-down Maestro version is also available, with the galley replacing the center of three staterooms in the port hull. Access to the aft stateroom is from the cockpit. 

There is also a six-stateroom charter version ­available, giving an owner lots of options for how the boat can be used. 

No matter the layout, given the Samana’s size and systems, it is likely that most owners will have a ­full-time captain and crew, whose quarters are in the ­forepeaks of both hulls.

For an owner who plans to live aboard and sail, friends and family will find all the comforts of home aboard the Samana. And if chartering is in the plans, pick the layout that will prove the most alluring, and the new FP is bound to be a breadwinner.

Mark Pillsbury is a CW editor-at-large .

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New sail Catamaran for sale - BLUE VIBES

2024 fountaine pajot tanna 47 (47ft)-vessel summary.

BASIC SUMMARY

Dimensions & specifications, hull and deck configuration, engine details.

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Boat Description

Aboard, with her U-shaped galley across from the cockpit and large opening bay door, the Tanna 47 offers a heightened feeling of space, letting in light and focusing on elegance, highlighting the boat’s interior design. The exceptionally innovative galley/saloon area features over 1400 liters of storage space, and the new layout allows for an extremely user-friendly saloon with a lounger, and ergonomic watchkeeping station for when you’re under way. Her “Lounge deck” layout creates a friendly atmosphere and an incomparable benefit…ergonomics when sailing. You can sail serenely short-handed with easy access to sailing maneuvers, all the while maintaining contact with your crew. Fully equipped with A/C, Generator, Watermaker, all US Specifications.  

*This yacht is available to go into an income earning charter program in the BVI.  Ask for a charter income proforma to review.*

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors to investigate such details as the buyer desired validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice. Photos may not properly reflect the current condition of the actual vessel offered for sale. In some cases stock photographs may have been used.

Mechanical Disclaimer

Engine and generator hours are as of the date of the original listing and are a representation of what the listing broker is told by the owner and/or actual reading of the engine hour meters. The broker cannot guarantee the true hours. It is the responsibility of the purchaser and/or his agent to verify engine hours, warranties implied or otherwise and major overhauls as well as all other representations noted on the listing.

Dinghy Disclaimer

All dinghies are considered separate vessels and should have separate titles and documents. There is no guarantee as to the title of the dinghy on this vessel so Buyer accepts that while he may receive the dinghy included in the transaction, he may not receive the proper title to it.