Hi Reader,

For our upcoming British Virgin Islands fishing trip next month, I picked a Lagoon 46 for a few reasons:

• I've sailed it several times before, including for last year's trip, so there should be few surprises
• I prefer the design of the Lagoon 46's flybridge over other cats
• It's one of the most common models in BVI - this let me find a catamaran with exactly the features I was looking for

What features? In addition to the flybridge, it has a generator to power the air conditioning, watermaker, underwater blue lights, hydraulic swim platform, and a hard-top bimini.

Not all of those are must-haves for me, but I had the pick of the litter with off-season pricing, so I could afford to be greedy.

So, which features are worth paying for? After chartering catamarans for 10 years, here's my opinion on each of the most notable ones you may come across.

Flybridge ⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓

What is a flybridge? It's an area up top with seating and/or lounge space where most of the crew can hang together. Sometimes, the helm station is also integrated.

If you book a 45+ foot catamaran, you are usually guaranteed to have a flybridge. On a 42-foot cat, there may be a lounge area for two underneath the boom, but I wouldn't consider that a flybridge.

This is a must-have for me - the flybridge is our main hangout area during our charter trips when we are on the move. I prefer the layouts on Lagoons and Balis where the helm station is integrated, not offset to port or starboard. Another benefit of these versions? You get a bimini with shade for everyone, not just the skipper.

Outdoor speakers ⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓

Yes, believe it or not, I've chartered a catamaran without outdoor speakers. Crazy, right? We had to use a portable one, and it was less than ideal.

It's rare, but worth checking for this one.

Air conditioning and generator ⚓⚓⚓⚓

This is another must-have for our crew, and I recommend it if you have the budget. Adjusting to sleep on a catamaran charter usually takes a day or two, and it's made more challenging if you are tossing and turning in a stuffy cabin. Sleeping well for us is crucial while on vacation.

If you're on a catamaran charter in the winter months when the trades blow stronger and cooler, it's possible to get away without the AC.

Of course, there are downsides to using the AC. The main one is the constant hum of the generator. The units can also be finicky, sometimes requiring troubleshooting and maintenance calls from the base.

Watermaker ⚓⚓⚓⚓

In destinations such as the Exumas or Spanish Virgin Islands, with fewer opportunities to top off tanks, a watermaker is a sensible choice.

If you adhere to good water discipline, it's possible to make it a week without topping off. The biggest water savers are using saltwater for dishes and taking navy showers (turning off the water when soaping up).

I appreciate not having to worry about water usage rates, and I prioritize booking cats with this feature.

Bimini cover ⚓⚓⚓⚓

An often overlooked feature, many crews don't realize that their flybridge areas underneath the boom are sometimes not covered at all.

Look for models with integrated helm stations, such as the Lagoon 46.

I take it a step further and find yachts with hard-top bimini covers. This helps for several reasons:

• The coverage area is usually larger than soft-tops
• You can climb on it to access the boom/mainsail
• It gives you a better handhold when sailing in spirited conditions

Underwater blue lights ⚓⚓⚓

Underwater lights are great if you like to fish. It's always fun to see what marine critters will show up. Plus, they look cool!

Hydraulic swimming platform ⚓⚓

Another nice to have. I appreciate it more from the fact that it makes raising the dinghy much easier, especially compared to a system with a manual winch.

Electric winches ⚓⚓

At a minimum, most cats will have an electric winch to raise the main. Sometimes, they will also have electric winches for the jib, but not always.

I also would like to see an electric winch for the dinghy davit system, but sometimes it's hard to confirm this feature.

Forward hatch in the salon ⚓⚓

This is another nice to have, and many yachts in the 50+ foot range might have, especially Balis.

Garage door-style salon ⚓⚓

This is a feature unique to Balis. There is one table, and the garage door opens up to create an indoor/outdoor space. Side windows also slide open.

I enjoy the setup, but it's not for everyone. Keep in mind the salon is not air-conditioned since the garage door is not airtight.

​

Teak decking ⚓

Looks nice, I guess? But, it's not something important to me on a charter.

Solar panels ⚓

These might help you run the engines less for battery re-charging, but I really don't pay attention to this feature when choosing a cat for week-long charters.

Bow thrusters ⚓

I've seen these on a Bali 5.4, but we were advised not to use them. With twin engines, catamarans can spin on a dime already.

If I'm really concerned about my ability to dock a bareboat catamaran in certain conditions, I would ask the charter base for assistance.

Bow thrusters? I don't need them.

Self-tacking jib ⚓

This is a nice feature since it requires less work from the crew, but I've recently found many of the jib clew control systems are broken. This prevents proper sheet position management and sail trim. In that case, I'd rather just have a traditional jib sheet setup.

This isn't an essential feature for me.

​

That's it for this time!

Have a great week! - Matt Weidert

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