Bali Catamarans: Built for the Charter Holiday

The latest Bali 5.2, new Bali 4.3 and much larger Bali 7.0 demonstrate where this builder is heading. And from our perspective as charter sailors, the interesting developments aren't about squeezing out another knot of boat speed. They're about outdoor living and energy management – two things that can make a very real difference to a sailing holiday.

Built Around How People Actually Charter

Let's put Bali catamarans in context.

We see them primarily as charter and coastal cruising boats. If our priority was crossing oceans, we'd be looking for quite different design characteristics. In fact Bali's sister brand Catana has traditionally occupied that performance and bluewater end of the market.

But most charterers aren't crossing the Atlantic. They're sailing from Corfu to Paxos, hopping between Croatian islands, exploring the Bahamas or spending a week around the coast of Sicily. They sail or motor for a few hours, drop anchor and then spend most of the day enjoying the boat and their destination.

That's where the Bali concept makes a lot of sense.

Moving the Living Space Forward

The previous generation of cruising cats transformed life aboard by opening the saloon into the cockpit. Bali took that further with its lifting rear door and solid foredeck, creating another outdoor seating area ahead of the saloon. Charterers loved it.

The new generation takes another step by paying closer attention to how those areas are actually used.

On the Bali 5.2, the galley becomes part of a very open central living space serving the boat's different social areas. The substantial forward cockpit provides another genuine gathering place rather than simply somewhere for a couple of people to escape to.

At anchor, we particularly like the forward position. There's a panoramic outlook and, with the boat naturally lying into the breeze, one of the best places aboard to find some cooling airflow.

Then there's the rooftop. These areas continue to grow, combining the helm with a substantial lounging and social space and providing valuable hardtop area for solar generation.

For a large charter group, having several places where people can gather – or get away from one another – matters.

Bali 5.2 man deck

Bali 5.2 flydeck

Bali 4.3 new 2027

Bali 7.0 new 2027

The Quiet Revolution is Electrical

The less obvious change may ultimately be the more important one.

Modern charter boats use a lot of electricity. Refrigeration, watermakers, entertainment systems, induction cooking and especially air conditioning have traditionally required long periods of generator operation. Nobody particularly enjoys listening to a generator at anchor, especially overnight.

The new Bali 5.2 uses a 48-volt electrical architecture with lithium battery storage and the option of around 4.2kW of integrated solar. The principle is to generate and store substantially more power during the day and use that stored energy to run the boat's domestic systems later.

Solar contributes, as does engine charging while the boat is motoring. A generator still forms part of the system, but increasingly its job becomes charging batteries efficiently when required rather than running continuously simply because somebody wants the air conditioning on.

For charter use, that's a major improvement.

The Bali 5.2 Leads the New Generation

At present the Bali 5.2 is the new-generation model we're most likely to see our clients chartering, with the new 4.3 following and the 7.0 occupying quite another end of the market.

The 5.2 is particularly interesting for larger groups. Charter configurations extend to five and six cabins, with provision for professional crew where required. Combine that accommodation with the huge saloon, forward cockpit and rooftop and you have a lot of holiday living space in a 53-foot boat.

Is it the catamaran we'd choose to sail across the Atlantic? Probably not. But for a couple of weeks cruising the Greek Islands, Croatia or the Caribbean with family and friends, we'd judge it by a different set of priorities.