BALI 4.0: THE CATAMARAN DESIGNED BY OLIVIER PONCIN. FIND OUT THE APPOINTMENTS TO VISIT HER

What we are witnessing in recent times seems to be an unprecedented revival of catamarans even in this part of the Mediterranean, the Italian coasts, where these boats have never been so successful than in neighboring France. It’s a growing interest that reflects in a greater presence at the nautical appointments and exhibitions that, from spring to the next autumn boat shows, will full the coming weeks.

Among the Italy’s most popular catamarans, thanks to the presence of Adriaship that imports them, stand out the Bali, a range launched in 2014 by Catana Catamarans shipyard. In particular, they Bali 4.5, the 4.3 and the Bali 4.0 will join the first autumn boat shows which will take place in Cannes and Genoa next September. To find out or, as in the case of the Bali 4.0, rediscover them, let’s start from the latter that, before the others, will take part to the Vela Festival from 4th to 7th May in Santa Margherita Ligure.  

Built in La Rochelle (in the Tunisia-base production site only the Bali 4.0 catamarans with 4 cabins are built), the catamaran was designed by Olivier Poncin who has immediately wanted to draw attention on innovative design by proposing two unconventional ideas. The most significant and distinctive one concerns the implementation of a second forward cockpit that, thanks to its size and furniture, performs the function of the main cockpit in terms of livability. On the other hand, the second idea is represented by the aft tip-up hatch which creates a certain continuity between the bow and the stern. The final result represents one of the main characteristics of this catamarans, namely a rarely achieved standard of livability for a multihull of this size. 

Centrally located between the two cockpits, the dinette houses the galley, equipped with an upright fridge, the lunch table and, next to the forward window, a chart area where the autopilot allows to manage long-distance navigation also from the inside.

Two high steps lead to the flybridge, where we find the pilot station and two sun pads, one of which also acts as a sofa positioned next to the helmsman’s station.

Sleeping quarters envisage three possible layouts. In our opinion, the most comfortable one is the master version, equipped with three cabins and two bathrooms, where a hull is totally dedicated to a single cabin with an oversized bathroom. Another version includes three cabins and three bathrooms while the third one, more suitable for boat charter companies, has four cabins and four bathrooms.

In addition to more spaciousness, the master version also benefits from larger stowage volumes (even though we have to admit that they are sufficient in all the layouts available) that actually allow to embark clothing and pantry with no problem in this version with three cabins and two bathrooms.

While sailing, the Bali 4.0 ensures excellent performances. And we know that since we tested her in Loano some months ago under hard conditions, with a 25-knot wind and gusts up to 35 knots. Despite these conditions, the boat proved to be always stable and “reassuring” as well as easily steerable under power during mooring phases. The Bali 4.0 is a sturdy reactive boat featuring a hull designed for cruising experiences as well as excellent performances: during our test we indeed reached over 9 knots.

The two 40 hp engines (the shipyard also envisages the possibility to install two 20 Hp ones, maybe a little undersized for a boat like this) made the Bali 4.0 reach a cruising speed of 7 knots.

For multihull enthusiasts, the first appointment to visit the Bali 4.0 is in Santa Margherita Ligure from 4th to 7th May and then at the Cannes Yachting Festival and the Genoa International Boat Show next September.

Technical Specifications