Thank you! We try to be as honest and concise as is possible. Of course we have biases too but I think it is pretty clear that choosing a boat is very personal and something that I think is a great feature might not resonate with someone else. Happy "hunting" for your perfect boat!
A good video to demonstrate the effectiveness of the drainage of the foredeck would be to have a frontend loader with a bucket full of water dump its' load onto the boat and time the drainage! That would shut the doubters up.
Great information on this beautiful catamaran I love the looks for the forward deck I was never a real big fan of the front nets on a catamaran. Glad to see Bali went for it.
I would have loved an overall shot early on in the video so I had a sense of how the boat was laid out. Also the length and width. Nice enthusiastic tone to the video and I liked seeing the map of where you traveled. Very cool, thank you.
Seeing those lovely conditions from your passage across the Atlantic, I'm looking forward to our East to West transatlantic voyage this fall. When we made our passage from the US to Europe, we frequently had waves coming over our deck!
Love the boat, the bow and overall engineering. Looks very comfortable and well equipped to explore the oceans. Thanks for the information. Great video.
Great idea, love it. Never understood why we had nets, other than the weight issue, but as you stated very well, current construction materials and techniques no longer require it. I hope all Catamaran manufactures take note and start offering a solid foredeck!!! Also, for liveaboard cruisers, we want as much room as we can get. And the fact there is no noise and spray filling the foredeck prooves it to be a valuable asset.
@@allenmartin9531 Interesting theory but I don't buy that a small amount of net will actually prevent "pitch polling" on a catamaran. Pitch Polling refers to the boat capsizing end over end (aft over bow) in heavy surf. I am guessing the theory goes that the net allows water to flow through it at the bow when the bow is pointed down at a steep angle on a VERY large wave of say 10 meters or larger? However, that is a very rare occurrence and I have NEVER heard of a Catamaran pitch poling in over 40 years of sailing. And especially in today's technical environment with weather predictions being 3-7 days ahead of us and with GPS we can avoid the type of weather that MIGHT cause a pitch poling event to occur, and I emphasize "MIGHT" very heavily. Also, the WAY CATS ARE DESIGNED, with heavy diesel engines in the rear and the weight balanced or centered in the middle of the boat and the BOW being the lightest location, I just don't buy that a catamaran will ever "pitch poll" in 99% of seas and weather, just isn't going to happen. You have a greater chance of rolling either left or right from a rogue wave off the beam then you do from an aft wave causing a "pitch poll" incident. In my opinion, the advanced design and engineering that goes into a catamaran today will alleviate any need for netting at the bow to prevent the minuscule possibility of a rogue wave from the aft causing the boat to pitch poll stern over bow. The extreem conditions are preventable with todays technology and there is no concern to have nets at the bow.
Well said, a solid connection between both hulls right up to the bow also gives more rigidity, less twisting of the hulls as waves move each hull independently. The amount of broken twisted bulkheads we are seeing in production cats without rigid foredecks is a symptom of this.
You're welcome! No it is not Mikey but we will gladly take him for a sail! LOL We happen to also ride motorcycles all across the country and are big fans of the choppers!
The original purpose was penetrating waves and water washing over the front of the boat.as boats go modern catamarans are relatively new, so during the 60s and 70s conservative design was used for safety it's only recently that the forward wave piercing design have changed that. But the hundreds of Gemini catamarans have no trampoline nets so even that's not new
You have hulls with axe bows and they have to dive into the waves to reduce stomping! A solid foredeck will cancel this advantage. And a solid foredeck will expose a really big area to the waves so the noise of wave slapping will massively increase! I'm glad you like this foredeck, but for me this will ever be a no-go!
Pascal, thank you for the comment. I believe we addressed the "slapping" issue. The slapping on a catamaran most often occurs under the bridge deck and chest area, not where the nets are and therefor not on the angled underbody of the Bali. The slamming is no more or less excessive than any other similar cat but I understand your preference.
Think you missed the obvious: It is not the axe bow that makes a hull plunge but rather how WIDE the hull is. On racing, performance cats, the hulls are NARROW. This cat has very WIDE hulls which means very little plunging into waves and therefore very little spray over the bow and very little slap. Cheers
Marc, that's great! Having sailed most of the Bali range offshore, it has become clear to me that there are more benefits than negatives. I must admit that even though I was originally against the solid foredeck design, I also changed my mind after trying it out for myself.
@@Catamaranguru I really appreciate you sharing your insight + experience with Bali. What are your thoughts regarding ventilation in the cabins (especially the aft cabins).
@@marcthibodeau Bali typically do not have deck hatches on any walkway - while they are nice to act as a wind scoop they do leak and are a safety hazard with people stepping into them and getting injured. Bali compensated by having side opening port lights and in most models a port light in the back for air flow. It should be noted that the Bali port lights are in a recess on the sides which allows you to leave them open when it is raining which is a nice feature - in answer to your question the airflow is not as good as with a deck hatch but is in my opinion manageable since there are also fans to circulate air.
The Chine design is brilliant I think; it should be very fast in level seas. I'd love to see a polar chart for the boat. Also, you mentioned in two videos that you haven't had spray - but that you have taken water. Putting your sales face aside for a bit, the skupper looks very capable but how often do you get water into the skupper and at what sea-state (wave height, etc.)
The point of shedding water off the deck is to get rid of the weight. If the water's going into a locker, it's still on the boat - the boat is still bearing the weight of it.
The water does not go into a locker, is enters a scupper in the deck and is immediately purged out the bottom of the bridge deck. The scupper system is very effective and able to purge a full foredeck in under 15 seconds - The scupper and drainage hole in the bottom of the bridge deck on our Bali 5.4 is large enough for me to insert my head and shoulders, to give you an idea of size.
A great boat for the tropics or the Caribbean where you don't get big waves..... I would like to see one survive down south, like The Great Australian Bight, Bass Strait or South Africa..... We have waves with no backs to them, when you sail off one and fall into a hole and the bows spear strait into the face of the next wave your Bali solid foredeck will be two meters underwater, it will stop dead and the cat will pitchpole..... But in the roaring 40s there aren't to many helicopters to come and rescue you... Nets are there for a reason, they are a safety aspect of a true blue water cruising catamaran. The Bali is a great charter/party boat and while the marketing campaign raves on about weight and usable space etc in the end it's all hype.... Buyer beware...
Hi Rustie, thank you for the comment. We are very familiar with the conditions down south. That is our home waters. But like we said, don’t knock the design till you’ve tried it. We disagree with your assumptions but you are of course entitled to your opinion.
Any boat can be trashed by the ocean at its worst! So its most likely a captains error or freak unforecast weather that is their undoing. Rustie, you might remember a catamaran flipping over a year ago near Port Stephens. The design of the cat could not stop that happening.
I'm more concerned about the door to the inside to be frank. Towards the end of the video you close the door and I can't see any special locking mechanism or feature to seal the door properly. What was your experience with that?
The door closes inwards. Apart from the handle, it has two additional bolts, one goes up and another down at the top and bottom of the door. If you take a wave over the bow, the water will press the door against the gasket / seal and flange. It did happen to us once and there was no water ingression at all.
Rented a Bali 4.3 in BVI recently with the intent to purchase a Bali 4.6. Nope. Bali does not make sailboats - they are RV's on the water that happen to have sails on top. Operations like raising the Main and furling the Jib are three person tasks on the 4.3 because of very strange design decisions, like primary winch Toe Switch that is on the inside vertical wall, and a Jib Sheet winch that is 12' away from the furling winch. The Bali electrical system controls are scattered and not easily accessible. After sailing both, the lowly Moorings 4000 kicks Bali's ass for ease of use and pure sailing performance, at a way lower price. You can't put a furling Genoa on a single line jib system so performance really suffers for supposed ease of tacking on the Bali. Single line sail controls really limit your ability to control and shape the sails. There are quality issues throughout on the Bali we rented. Like a leaking roof from rain water, persistent electrical issues, a Gooseneck nut that dropped off allowing the boom to swing free from the mast (no aircraft style safety cotter pin on bolt) and an anchor chain that piles up very quickly causing the Windless to release the chain completely.. If your looking for cocktail comfort at the mooring ball then get a Bali. That said, the mattresses were cheap and hard - like a low budget RV. I now looking at the FP Elba 45 instead since that model has a modern interior space, unlike the Lagoons etc where the Nav Station is the dominate Saloon feature. Like we need a big chart table in the middle of the room to plot our whale hunting expedition. lol BTW, the Bali front cushions stay wet and slimy underneath and are a nightmare to deal with when operating the anchor.
If you are looking for a pure sailing cat that has almost zero compromise on comfort and REAL high quality at around the same price of the Bali, FP etc. Look at the Nautitech open 40 or open 46. Thank me later... p.s disclaimer - I am a Nautitech dealer (in Israel), that 100% believes and loves my product. Don't know where you're from but probably not a potential client for us, so you can take my word for it as a sailor and not a salesman ;)
@ zebulon b you are wrong,those old folks did the atlantic crossing in this bali 5.4 in about 405 hours,witch was 8-th places,right behind 3 marsaudon,1 outremer,1 swiss cat,1 grainger and 1 lagoon 52,so i think they sail verry good. With a different crew i bet the jump 3-4 places in front.
I think it is a good concept. Sunreef motor has done this for there motor yachts for a long time. I heard that they are looking into doing this. I think they have a better chance of achieving this idea better due to the height of there hulls specially on there 60-80 foot range.
Yes, I guess you are! LOL I actually mention the older generation cats in this article about solid foredecks catamaranguru.com/brokerage/catamaran-reviews/the-argument-for-or-against-bali-catamarans
Couldn´t find one comment here from the person who really have sailed the cats upwind or waves with solid foredeck... Done it, seen it. Solid foredeck is ment to people who sail out from port with nice weather and for entertainment purposes. Of course its all and only pluses you can count... Well, we all know that cats are not good for upwind sailing, but solid front is totally new quality and by my mind its just a question of time when disasters starts to happen. Just want to warn you, dear friends, that if you are really preparing to come back to Europe with that cat or make mistakes on your weather planning/routing , I can only wish you luck. You show to the people few tiny holes the water supposed to leave from deck. Is that a joke??!! Its not enough even for heavy rain!!! Now simple calculation of schoolboy: your deck is abt 40m2. One considerably small wave will bring at least 80-100tn of water on your foredeck. Just imagine how fast it will flow away from this holes??!! And then imagine what position your boat will be in the moment when the waves will turn over your nose. And then again and again and again.... Think abt the conditions, waves, wind and abnormal load of water on your nose! I really want to believe that design engineers has done big work to complete such thing, so they probably give you some good advice in which conditions such construction can really work and it has been probably put into the description of the boat´s sailing and seaworthiness capacities..
I find the Bali Cats intriguing. Some of my concerns have been calmed down a lot with this video. In a year plan to do some serious extended cruising. I will be sailing with a crew of 4 women between the ages of 19 and 24. Having adequate sun pads that are in optical line from the helm position is critical. Could the deepest part of the forward cockpit be sealed off forming a small hot tub? This would be wonderful after hard day of sailing for the captain and crew to relax in a hot tub. The benefits to the captains moral would be epic. Also is their space for a small fridge and ice maker up forward. Having cold beverages within reach of the captain and crew when in the hot tub would save time and effort from having to go into the galley for drinks and ice. I am looking at this from the aspect of crew safety and moral as any good captain would do. Thank you for the video. I never had concerns of Bali build quality due to the reputation of Cantata, but still a few, very few questions about the solid for deck. I do think my crew would love it. Be happy, be safe.
@@larryboles629 no problem I like trains I don't like nails screws hold better,and I gotta dewalt,impact driver so tell the crew if it falls down I'll screw it back up.😁
@catamaranguru I'm curious how you compare the performance of flying your genoa and code-0 goosewing compares to the spinnaker. With two headsails, do you even need a spinnaker anymore?
Hi Mark, wing and wing with Code Zero and Jib is only good for dead downwind sailing. The spinnaker gives you much wider down wind angles and is more effective than wing and wing in all conditions in my opinion for performance. We like to use wing and wing when we are short handed and want the ability to reduce sail area fast if the wind picks up. For most conditions we like to use the asymmetrical with a dousing sock. We believe that you need to have an asymmetrical for light conditions in your sail wardrobe.
Very interesting video, it answers some questions, but I would love to know more about performance, speed and also sail handling, someone mentioned that the design was not very friendly in that aspect.
We raced across the Atlantic with the ARC Rally last December and we pretty much cleaned up until we blew out our spinnaker. We were sailing way out in front of the fleet right along with the performance cats. This is a heavy cruising cat and we were fully loaded -full diesel tanks, full water tanks, provisions for 8 people. After we lost our spinnaker we sailed goose winged with Code Zero & Genoa which slowed us down quite a bit but even so, we placed 4th in multihull class. If we had the full use of our spinnaker, we may have placed much better in the race.
*ARE YOU KIDDING ME!* No trampoline nets to lounge and nap on? Seriously though the aesthetics of the nets on a 50+ performance cat can't be beat. For the 30-40 fixed keeled, fly bridge cruisers there's not much net anyway, so I think they wouldn't be missed. *CHEERS!*
Mark, these boats sail all over the world including Australia, UsA, Caribbean, Med etc. and so far we dont believe it is a problem at all. We have not heard of any problems with the foredeck from anyone and while we are not THE experts, I think these boats are fine sailing boats. The issue really for a lot of people have been the high booms rather than any foredeck problems. But the high boom simply goes with a flybridge and is something one has to accept or go with a lower profile boat.
It's an amazing improvement of space utilization but WTH? In this day and age, there are countless ways of showing the most probable performance issues. We have digital (computer) simulators, we have wave tanks, and hell, you could take two different designs during the worst times of the year in the worst locations (not the preferred method) to demonstrate. Some "yahoo" saying that other's concerns are unfounded based on one trip is ludicrous. Yes, there are many solid deck boats out there but few if any that are tempted by challenges of that level which means 99% of the time, NO WORRIES! However, can catamarans fore-deck or nets, handle the "amazingness" of nature like some of those expedition monohulls and still provide its "Cadillac" ride quality? Why can't y'all put your money where your mouth is and prove it through testing? Or is this just like the warranties on the products put on the boats and y'all wash your hands of responsibility?
Finfan Thank you for the comment. So let me address it here as follows: 1. Certainly Bali has tested this design exhaustively - it is required to be able to get an EU rating. The naval architect and composite engineers are experienced and qualified professionals and cannot knowingly release a product with features that are in danger of sinking the vessel. Certainly most cruising catamaran manufacturers are reducing the nets to merely a token net thanks to lightweight construction. Bali is a large manufacturer and hundreds of these vessels have made safe ocean passages so far. Stating hypotheticals and what ifs is just not helpful. We suggest that you give it a try before making judgments. 2. Even though this was our longest voyage (6,000nm and 3 months) on a Bali, it is not our only voyage on a catamaran. We have sailed this design boat several times in different conditions and our findings were the same. FYI we have been involved with catamaran design and have sailed many of the modern design cats for the last 25 years. We didn't just jump on this cat and decided that it was the best thing ever. We did our research. Read some of the articles we authored on www.catamaranguru.com. 3. We are very familiar with the southern oceans which used to be our sailing grounds for years. We are well aware of the dangers of Mother Nature. I believe that this boat will do just fine with skilled sailors onboard. Technology is such that we can predict the weather in a certain area to a large degree and can mostly choose what weather we want to brave in any vessel. Besides, we have no intention of sailing in the roaring forties with any vessel and will always try to avoid dangerous situations no matter the vessel. I hope this will allay some of your concerns.
I enjoy your videos! Very informative and easy to understand! Also the fact that you are never hesitant to answer any questions!
Thank you! We try to be as honest and concise as is possible. Of course we have biases too but I think it is pretty clear that choosing a boat is very personal and something that I think is a great feature might not resonate with someone else. Happy "hunting" for your perfect boat!
A good video to demonstrate the effectiveness of the drainage of the foredeck would be to have a frontend loader with a bucket full of water dump its' load onto the boat and time the drainage! That would shut the doubters up.
Great information on this beautiful catamaran I love the looks for the forward deck I was never a real big fan of the front nets on a catamaran. Glad to see Bali went for it.
I would have loved an overall shot early on in the video so I had a sense of how the boat was laid out. Also the length and width. Nice enthusiastic tone to the video and I liked seeing the map of where you traveled. Very cool, thank you.
Seeing those lovely conditions from your passage across the Atlantic, I'm looking forward to our East to West transatlantic voyage this fall. When we made our passage from the US to Europe, we frequently had waves coming over our deck!
Love the boat, the bow and overall engineering. Looks very comfortable and well equipped to explore the oceans. Thanks for the information. Great video.
Great idea, love it. Never understood why we had nets, other than the weight issue, but as you stated very well, current construction materials and techniques no longer require it. I hope all Catamaran manufactures take note and start offering a solid foredeck!!! Also, for liveaboard cruisers, we want as much room as we can get. And the fact there is no noise and spray filling the foredeck prooves it to be a valuable asset.
Given how much stuff a lot of the luxury cats have on them I never quite understood weight being a huge issue to require the use of nets.
Nets reduce the chance of pitch poling when you stuff the bow. A solid deck is a big lever. The video above is in pristine conditions.
@@allenmartin9531 Interesting theory but I don't buy that a small amount of net will actually prevent "pitch polling" on a catamaran. Pitch Polling refers to the boat capsizing end over end (aft over bow) in heavy surf.
I am guessing the theory goes that the net allows water to flow through it at the bow when the bow is pointed down at a steep angle on a VERY large wave of say 10 meters or larger?
However, that is a very rare occurrence and I have NEVER heard of a Catamaran pitch poling in over 40 years of sailing. And especially in today's technical environment with weather predictions being 3-7 days ahead of us and with GPS we can avoid the type of weather that MIGHT cause a pitch poling event to occur, and I emphasize "MIGHT" very heavily.
Also, the WAY CATS ARE DESIGNED, with heavy diesel engines in the rear and the weight balanced or centered in the middle of the boat and the BOW being the lightest location, I just don't buy that a catamaran will ever "pitch poll" in 99% of seas and weather, just isn't going to happen.
You have a greater chance of rolling either left or right from a rogue wave off the beam then you do from an aft wave causing a "pitch poll" incident.
In my opinion, the advanced design and engineering that goes into a catamaran today will alleviate any need for netting at the bow to prevent the minuscule possibility of a rogue wave from the aft causing the boat to pitch poll stern over bow. The extreem conditions are preventable with todays technology and there is no concern to have nets at the bow.
@@MichaelBuck i'd call it a large amount. you don't need it unless you're optimizing for rough blue water and are going to plow it a lot.
Well said, a solid connection between both hulls right up to the bow also gives more rigidity, less twisting of the hulls as waves move each hull independently. The amount of broken twisted bulkheads we are seeing in production cats without rigid foredecks is a symptom of this.
You did a great video! I am sold on the solid foredeck ! ⛵ 👏🏻
Thank you! Yes, I think most sailors are now okay with that
Verify helpful video. Very thorough.
Thank you for this video!! Great catamaran.
Very Informative. Question, the big guy in Black, is that Mikey Teutal from OCC chopper?
You're welcome! No it is not Mikey but we will gladly take him for a sail! LOL We happen to also ride motorcycles all across the country and are big fans of the choppers!
That's some awesome footage of the hulls moving along
The original purpose was penetrating waves and water washing over the front of the boat.as boats go modern catamarans are relatively new, so during the 60s and 70s conservative design was used for safety it's only recently that the forward wave piercing design have changed that. But the hundreds of Gemini catamarans have no trampoline nets so even that's not new
You have hulls with axe bows and they have to dive into the waves to reduce stomping! A solid foredeck will cancel this advantage.
And a solid foredeck will expose a really big area to the waves so the noise of wave slapping will massively increase!
I'm glad you like this foredeck, but for me this will ever be a no-go!
Pascal, thank you for the comment. I believe we addressed the "slapping" issue. The slapping on a catamaran most often occurs under the bridge deck and chest area, not where the nets are and therefor not on the angled underbody of the Bali. The slamming is no more or less excessive than any other similar cat but I understand your preference.
@@Catamaranguru At the end it's nice to have the choice: you can have your solid foredeck and I can have my nets (hopefully one day...)
@@UbuntuBirdyMovies you bet! LOL
Think you missed the obvious: It is not the axe bow that makes a hull plunge but rather how WIDE the hull is. On racing, performance cats, the hulls are NARROW. This cat has very WIDE hulls which means very little plunging into waves and therefore very little spray over the bow and very little slap.
Cheers
@@w8stral So, every monohull with an axe bow is a construction fail? Their hulls are even wider than any catamaran hull...
Great video Stephen! I've always been against the idea of a solid foredeck; however, after watching this I am now a believer :)
Marc, that's great! Having sailed most of the Bali range offshore, it has become clear to me that there are more benefits than negatives. I must admit that even though I was originally against the solid foredeck design, I also changed my mind after trying it out for myself.
@@Catamaranguru I really appreciate you sharing your insight + experience with Bali. What are your thoughts regarding ventilation in the cabins (especially the aft cabins).
@@marcthibodeau Bali typically do not have deck hatches on any walkway - while they are nice to act as a wind scoop they do leak and are a safety hazard with people stepping into them and getting injured. Bali compensated by having side opening port lights and in most models a port light in the back for air flow. It should be noted that the Bali port lights are in a recess on the sides which allows you to leave them open when it is raining which is a nice feature - in answer to your question the airflow is not as good as with a deck hatch but is in my opinion manageable since there are also fans to circulate air.
The Chine design is brilliant I think; it should be very fast in level seas. I'd love to see a polar chart for the boat. Also, you mentioned in two videos that you haven't had spray - but that you have taken water. Putting your sales face aside for a bit, the skupper looks very capable but how often do you get water into the skupper and at what sea-state (wave height, etc.)
The point of shedding water off the deck is to get rid of the weight. If the water's going into a locker, it's still on the boat - the boat is still bearing the weight of it.
The water does not go into a locker, is enters a scupper in the deck and is immediately purged out the bottom of the bridge deck. The scupper system is very effective and able to purge a full foredeck in under 15 seconds - The scupper and drainage hole in the bottom of the bridge deck on our Bali 5.4 is large enough for me to insert my head and shoulders, to give you an idea of size.
I absolutely love the Bali, Question... how are the cushions upfront secured? Thanks for the great informative video.
Mo Bi there are tracks on the deck that the cushions are secure with.
A great boat for the tropics or the Caribbean where you don't get big waves..... I would like to see one survive down south, like The Great Australian Bight, Bass Strait or South Africa..... We have waves with no backs to them, when you sail off one and fall into a hole and the bows spear strait into the face of the next wave your Bali solid foredeck will be two meters underwater, it will stop dead and the cat will pitchpole..... But in the roaring 40s there aren't to many helicopters to come and rescue you... Nets are there for a reason, they are a safety aspect of a true blue water cruising catamaran. The Bali is a great charter/party boat and while the marketing campaign raves on about weight and usable space etc in the end it's all hype.... Buyer beware...
Hi Rustie, thank you for the comment. We are very familiar with the conditions down south. That is our home waters. But like we said, don’t knock the design till you’ve tried it. We disagree with your assumptions but you are of course entitled to your opinion.
Any boat can be trashed by the ocean at its worst! So its most likely a captains error or freak unforecast weather that is their undoing. Rustie, you might remember a catamaran flipping over a year ago near Port Stephens. The design of the cat could not stop that happening.
@@SoundzAlive1 well said.
There is simply no denial it will be more susceptible to waves, risk is weighed everywhere on all designs though.
just thank you!!!!
I'm more concerned about the door to the inside to be frank. Towards the end of the video you close the door and I can't see any special locking mechanism or feature to seal the door properly. What was your experience with that?
The door closes inwards. Apart from the handle, it has two additional bolts, one goes up and another down at the top and bottom of the door. If you take a wave over the bow, the water will press the door against the gasket / seal and flange. It did happen to us once and there was no water ingression at all.
100% CORRECT SIR!! The only reason they have trampolines is to reduce weight on the nose. If they keep it light, there no reason it can't be there.
Sailing SV Salacia it’s actually to stop pitch pole down waves also
I thought it was also because big waves can cause damage to the front of the hull if the water can't escape anywhere?
Bali really seems to be making great boats. I like their forward thinking and innovation.
Rented a Bali 4.3 in BVI recently with the intent to purchase a Bali 4.6. Nope. Bali does not make sailboats - they are RV's on the water that happen to have sails on top. Operations like raising the Main and furling the Jib are three person tasks on the 4.3 because of very strange design decisions, like primary winch Toe Switch that is on the inside vertical wall, and a Jib Sheet winch that is 12' away from the furling winch.
The Bali electrical system controls are scattered and not easily accessible. After sailing both, the lowly Moorings 4000 kicks Bali's ass for ease of use and pure sailing performance, at a way lower price. You can't put a furling Genoa on a single line jib system so performance really suffers for supposed ease of tacking on the Bali. Single line sail controls really limit your ability to control and shape the sails.
There are quality issues throughout on the Bali we rented. Like a leaking roof from rain water, persistent electrical issues, a Gooseneck nut that dropped off allowing the boom to swing free from the mast (no aircraft style safety cotter pin on bolt) and an anchor chain that piles up very quickly causing the Windless to release the chain completely.. If your looking for cocktail comfort at the mooring ball then get a Bali. That said, the mattresses were cheap and hard - like a low budget RV.
I now looking at the FP Elba 45 instead since that model has a modern interior space, unlike the Lagoons etc where the Nav Station is the dominate Saloon feature. Like we need a big chart table in the middle of the room to plot our whale hunting expedition. lol
BTW, the Bali front cushions stay wet and slimy underneath and are a nightmare to deal with when operating the anchor.
If you are looking for a pure sailing cat that has almost zero compromise on comfort and REAL high quality at around the same price of the Bali, FP etc. Look at the Nautitech open 40 or open 46. Thank me later... p.s disclaimer - I am a Nautitech dealer (in Israel), that 100% believes and loves my product. Don't know where you're from but probably not a potential client for us, so you can take my word for it as a sailor and not a salesman ;)
@ zebulon b you are wrong,those old folks did the atlantic crossing in this bali 5.4 in about 405 hours,witch was 8-th places,right behind 3 marsaudon,1 outremer,1 swiss cat,1 grainger and 1 lagoon 52,so i think they sail verry good.
With a different crew i bet the jump 3-4 places in front.
I think it is a good concept. Sunreef motor has done this for there motor yachts for a long time. I heard that they are looking into doing this. I think they have a better chance of achieving this idea better due to the height of there hulls specially on there 60-80 foot range.
That occasional bow slap is brutal though
Yup! We’ve experienced on each and every catamaran we’ve owned. Not fun at all.
So actually we are trendsetters with our 1990 Dean 365?! :-)
Yes, I guess you are! LOL I actually mention the older generation cats in this article about solid foredecks catamaranguru.com/brokerage/catamaran-reviews/the-argument-for-or-against-bali-catamarans
Is it possible or practical man this boat solo?
Couldn´t find one comment here from the person who really have sailed the cats upwind or waves with solid foredeck... Done it, seen it. Solid foredeck is ment to people who sail out from port with nice weather and for entertainment purposes. Of course its all and only pluses you can count...
Well, we all know that cats are not good for upwind sailing, but solid front is totally new quality and by my mind its just a question of time when disasters starts to happen. Just want to warn you, dear friends, that if you are really preparing to come back to Europe with that cat or make mistakes on your weather planning/routing , I can only wish you luck. You show to the people few tiny holes the water supposed to leave from deck. Is that a joke??!! Its not enough even for heavy rain!!! Now simple calculation of schoolboy: your deck is abt 40m2. One considerably small wave will bring at least 80-100tn of water on your foredeck. Just imagine how fast it will flow away from this holes??!! And then imagine what position your boat will be in the moment when the waves will turn over your nose. And then again and again and again.... Think abt the conditions, waves, wind and abnormal load of water on your nose!
I really want to believe that design engineers has done big work to complete such thing, so they probably give you some good advice in which conditions such construction can really work and it has been probably put into the description of the boat´s sailing and seaworthiness capacities..
I find the Bali Cats intriguing. Some of my concerns have been calmed down a lot with this video. In a year plan to do some serious extended cruising. I will be sailing with a crew of 4 women between the ages of 19 and 24. Having adequate sun pads that are in optical line from the helm position is critical. Could the deepest part of the forward cockpit be sealed off forming a small hot tub? This would be wonderful after hard day of sailing for the captain and crew to relax in a hot tub. The benefits to the captains moral would be epic. Also is their space for a small fridge and ice maker up forward. Having cold beverages within reach of the captain and crew when in the hot tub would save time and effort from having to go into the galley for drinks and ice. I am looking at this from the aspect of crew safety and moral as any good captain would do. Thank you for the video. I never had concerns of Bali build quality due to the reputation of Cantata, but still a few, very few questions about the solid for deck. I do think my crew would love it. Be happy, be safe.
Need any ABS,deckhands?
@@ronaldharris6569 How you look in a bikini?
@@larryboles629 after 6 beers pretty good just a little blurry.
@@ronaldharris6569 Coffee shot out my nose!! My sides hurt from laughing. I will need an engineer as the "crew" is afraid of chipping a nail.
@@larryboles629 no problem I like trains I don't like nails screws hold better,and I gotta dewalt,impact driver so tell the crew if it falls down I'll screw it back up.😁
My new favorite cruising catamaran.
@catamaranguru I'm curious how you compare the performance of flying your genoa and code-0 goosewing compares to the spinnaker. With two headsails, do you even need a spinnaker anymore?
Hi Mark, wing and wing with Code Zero and Jib is only good for dead downwind sailing. The spinnaker gives you much wider down wind angles and is more effective than wing and wing in all conditions in my opinion for performance. We like to use wing and wing when we are short handed and want the ability to reduce sail area fast if the wind picks up. For most conditions we like to use the asymmetrical with a dousing sock. We believe that you need to have an asymmetrical for light conditions in your sail wardrobe.
Very interesting video, it answers some questions, but I would love to know more about performance, speed and also sail handling, someone mentioned that the design was not very friendly in that aspect.
We raced across the Atlantic with the ARC Rally last December and we pretty much cleaned up until we blew out our spinnaker. We were sailing way out in front of the fleet right along with the performance cats. This is a heavy cruising cat and we were fully loaded -full diesel tanks, full water tanks, provisions for 8 people. After we lost our spinnaker we sailed goose winged with Code Zero & Genoa which slowed us down quite a bit but even so, we placed 4th in multihull class. If we had the full use of our spinnaker, we may have placed much better in the race.
How much did that Bali 5.4 cost?
justfly2525 it’s around 1.4 million US fully loaded with every option. The 4.8 is just under 1million
Absolut no go if you want to keep safe in very rough conditions doing passage making
*ARE YOU KIDDING ME!* No trampoline nets to lounge and nap on?
Seriously though the aesthetics of the nets on a 50+ performance cat can't be beat. For the 30-40 fixed keeled, fly bridge cruisers there's not much net anyway, so I think they wouldn't be missed. *CHEERS!*
D Max...evolution I guess. Kinda like wisdom teeth. 😁
Here's a reason for nets on larger performance cats capable of flying a hull - 'windage'.
I am the Eggplant, I am the Walnut - *COO COO CASHEW*
No video of it in the rain with waves breaking the bows and water collecting on the deck? Tough sell without that info.
We have videos of our B5.4 in the Med sailing in crappy conditions with rain, big seas, crazy weather and 40 plus knots of wind. Check it out.
I;d like to see the polars on this boat.
Why they do not show the front of the cat in high sea only the back, I wonder what are they trying to hide, I will pass on this one.
Great
Do you think the solid bow still isnt an issue on shorter length Bali types?
Mark, these boats sail all over the world including Australia, UsA, Caribbean, Med etc. and so far we dont believe it is a problem at all. We have not heard of any problems with the foredeck from anyone and while we are not THE experts, I think these boats are fine sailing boats. The issue really for a lot of people have been the high booms rather than any foredeck problems. But the high boom simply goes with a flybridge and is something one has to accept or go with a lower profile boat.
No wind motoring you can get away from the engines and noise
Any hobby horsing?
Nope, although, the only model that I have not sailed on is the Bali 40, so I am not too sure. But the rest of the models are all fine.
look s like picking more Wind Under to lift the cat…….
So whats the answer? LOL If the beam is less than 6m, then its a barge with twin bows
Bali catamaran advantage = solid foredeck, full size fridge, garage door style fully inclosed cockpit ...the rest need an upgrade
It's an amazing improvement of space utilization but WTH? In this day and age, there are countless ways of showing the most probable performance issues. We have digital (computer) simulators, we have wave tanks, and hell, you could take two different designs during the worst times of the year in the worst locations (not the preferred method) to demonstrate.
Some "yahoo" saying that other's concerns are unfounded based on one trip is ludicrous. Yes, there are many solid deck boats out there but few if any that are tempted by challenges of that level which means 99% of the time, NO WORRIES! However, can catamarans fore-deck or nets, handle the "amazingness" of nature like some of those expedition monohulls and still provide its "Cadillac" ride quality?
Why can't y'all put your money where your mouth is and prove it through testing? Or is this just like the warranties on the products put on the boats and y'all wash your hands of responsibility?
Finfan Thank you for the comment. So let me address it here as follows: 1. Certainly Bali has tested this design exhaustively - it is required to be able to get an EU rating. The naval architect and composite engineers are experienced and qualified professionals and cannot knowingly release a product with features that are in danger of sinking the vessel. Certainly most cruising catamaran manufacturers are reducing the nets to merely a token net thanks to lightweight construction. Bali is a large manufacturer and hundreds of these vessels have made safe ocean passages so far. Stating hypotheticals and what ifs is just not helpful. We suggest that you give it a try before making judgments. 2. Even though this was our longest voyage (6,000nm and 3 months) on a Bali, it is not our only voyage on a catamaran. We have sailed this design boat several times in different conditions and our findings were the same. FYI we have been involved with catamaran design and have sailed many of the modern design cats for the last 25 years. We didn't just jump on this cat and decided that it was the best thing ever. We did our research. Read some of the articles we authored on www.catamaranguru.com. 3. We are very familiar with the southern oceans which used to be our sailing grounds for years. We are well aware of the dangers of Mother Nature. I believe that this boat will do just fine with skilled sailors onboard. Technology is such that we can predict the weather in a certain area to a large degree and can mostly choose what weather we want to brave in any vessel. Besides, we have no intention of sailing in the roaring forties with any vessel and will always try to avoid dangerous situations no matter the vessel. I hope this will allay some of your concerns.