Trade-A-Boat — February 2018

T

he first thing

you notice about

the Aquila 44

is the volume

of the foredeck

over the front third of the

sponsons. Oceangoing cats

typically leave this area

open or netted, allowing the

front sections of the bows to

move deeper into and out

of the swell while avoiding

slamming, or worse, digging

in of the foredeck.

Enclosing the area

between works only if

the displacement of the

sponsons is great enough to

stop the bows from dropping

too deep or if the foredeck is

high enough to steer clear of

trouble, but Aquila has taken

its solution from merchant

shipping – bow bulbs.

They add displacement

forward of the bow and

waterline length, and they’re

noticeable underway lifting

the bow and piercing the

water, shearing it around the

hulls more cleanly, improving

efficiency. It’s an excellent bit

of engineering that also gave

the designers more freedom

to maximise floor space.

Adding bulbs to the

boat, even if they add some

buoyancy at rest, still changes

the centreline balance so

the team added stern infills

under the boarding platforms

to equal out their effect. This

too adds to a waterline length

that must be somewhere

north of 46 feet all told.

Cat owners rule the roost

when it comes to useable

space, especially when

sponsons become large

enough to accommodate

berths. The Aquila 44 has this

but the design, courtesy of

those bulbous bows, takes a

step further with a full-beam

bow master, something I’ve

not seen on a catamaran

under 50ft. By sinking the en

suite into the port sponson

and a neat study-cum-robe

area into the starboard side,

the master feels exceptionally

airy. Twin guest rooms feature

double beds and as standard

come with en suites.

The main saloon focuses

on entertainment, with a

large lounge framing an

extendable dining table. The

galley is well equipped and

with extra refrigeration below

decks, you have everything

needed to live aboard. A

stand-out feature has to

be the full-sized opening

window with fold-down

bar. It makes the best use of

bench space and doubles as a

servery to the rear lounge.

Wide and featuring plenty

of grabrails, side access to

the bow is safe and secure.

Here you’ll find one of my

favourite design features –

the bow-to-bridge stairway.

Non-slip tread is moulded

into the cabin roof and leads

to the bridge by one moulded

and two floating steps.

The bridge again puts

entertaining first. The helm is

central, thanks in part to the

need for access to the bow

steps, and shares seating with

yet another large lounge. That

brings the total seat space

easily over 10, including the

dining area aft of the helm.

Power comes by way of

upgraded twin 300hp Volvo

D4 turbo-diesels. At a long-

range cruise of 7kts, the twin

550lt tanks offer 600nm. At

fast cruise, expect 200nm.

The 44 will find favour with

long-distance cruisers and

those looking for a viable

charter option.

Aquila 44

SWEET-MOVING CRUISING CAT

STORY TIM VAN DUYL

PHOTO ELLEN DEWAR

quick specs

Aquila 44

PRICE AS TESTED $1.24m

MATERIAL FRP

TYPE Powercat

LENGTH 13.44m

BEAM 6.56m

ENGINE 2 x 300hp Volvo

Penta D4-300 turbo-diesel

FUEL 1100lt

WATER 680lt

FOR MORE INFO

Visit multihullcentral.com

86 tradeaboat.com.au