Bali Catamarans' development department is buzzing with activity: the young French brand is presenting one new boat after another. After the Bali 4.5 and the Bali 4.3 (première at the boot trade fair in Düsseldorf) the Bali 4.0 is now the third cruising catamaran in the series to be announced. And that in just a few months.
We first heard about Bali Catamarans in the summer of 2014. As a new company within the Catana Group, the shipyard is to take over the construction of pure cruising catamarans. As its own brand, Catana will continue to serve the sportier catamaran segment. Bali Catamarans already has two production sites in Canet-en-Roussillon on the French Mediterranean coast and in Marans near La Rochelle.
The special feature of the new Bali catamarans is their platforms between the hulls, which are laminated all the way through to the bows. This makes a specific feature of the Bali concept possible in the first place: the large front cockpit with lounge area and sun loungers integrated into the platform. Even the small Bali 4.0 will have this feature. In this form, it is unique on the catamaran market.
The steering position is raised to the side. All sheets, trim lines and halyards converge here and can be operated by the helmsman alone. Similar to the competitor Lagoon 39 (test in YACHT 12/2013), the mast of the new Bali 4.0 is also positioned conspicuously far back. The main boom is comparatively short, while the mainsail is heavily flared at the top. Despite the standard self-tacking jib, the surface area of the headsail is still large enough.
The actual saloon is comparatively small and functionally reduced to the galley and a small navigation system. The actual lounge area is the completely covered guest cockpit. A large table with space for at least six people is permanently installed. Bali Catamarans has thus essentially orientated itself on the exciting living concept of the Open 40 from Nautitech (test in YACHT 18/2014). For the interior fittings in the hulls of the Bali 4.0, the shipyard offers a total of four layout options as an owner's boat with three cabins and two or three heads or as a charter version with four cabins and up to four toilet rooms.
The prototype of the Bali 4.0 is currently under construction, with series production scheduled to start in summer 2015. The shipyard has already quoted a price: 308,805 euros gross and ready to sail. Within the 40-foot cruising catamaran class, this puts the Bali 4.0 on a comparable price level with the Lipari 41 from Fountaine Pajot (317,700 euros). The Lagoon 39 is slightly cheaper at 277,700 euros, while the Open 40 from Nautitech Yachts costs more with a base price of 336,500 euros.
The websites of the Bali Catamarans shipyard and the German distribution of Jacobs Yachts in Sierksdorf
