Charter first
A week, crewed
From about €15,000 a week in Greece
- A skipper and a cook, you choose the islands.
- The honest way to find out if you love it.
- June and September cost 5% to 12% less than August.
Attainable luxury · Sailing catamarans
Six sailing catamarans you could actually own
Not superyachts. Boats with three to six cabins, room for crew and a price that starts below a London townhouse. What each is like, what it costs to run, and how to charter one first.
Alix Greenman, Unsplash
The short answer
The sailing catamarans worth the dream
Prices checked 18 October 2026
The six sailing catamarans we would shortlist are the Leopard 52 (from €899,000), the Bali 5.4 (about $1.2m new, about £1m used), the Lagoon 55 (from €1.58m, about €2.1m ready to sail), the HH50 (from about $1.7m), the Fountaine Pajot Samana 59 (used from about €2.25m) and, second-hand, the Sunreef 60 (around €2.65m for a 2021 boat). All six sleep at least six in their own cabins, and all six can be chartered or seen before you buy.
Why a catamaran and not a monohull: two hulls sit flat at anchor and under sail, so nothing slides off the table and nobody spends the week leaning. The saloon and cockpit share one level, and every cabin gets its own bathroom. The trade-off is width: a 50-foot catamaran is about twice as wide as a monohull of the same length, and marinas charge for it.
Prices below are the builders' or dealers' published figures, checked on 18 October 2026, with the source next to each one. Most are base prices, before options, VAT and delivery, which together often add a third. Where no base price is published, we say what the figure is instead.
Planning the trip around it? Start with the best time to visit Croatia and where to stay in Croatia.
Own one
Your boat, your season
From €899,000, then 6% to 11% a year to run
- Base it in the Med or the Caribbean.
- Charter it out to cover some of the costs.
- Budget a cushion for the first year.
The fleet
Six boats, from €899,000
Photos are illustrative, not the boats named.
01 · Robertson & Caine, South Africa
Leopard 52
Launched at Cannes, September 2025
- Length
- 15.75 m (51 ft 8 in)
- Beam
- 8.16 m
- Cabins
- 3 to 6
- From
- €899,000 ex tax
"designed to satisfy both owners and charterers"
Multihulls World, September 2025
The entry ticket, and the sensible one. It replaces the Leopard 50, a charter-fleet favourite, so the layouts are well proven. Choose three cabins to own it, six to charter it out.
Skip it if you want a boat that feels special at the dock. It is built for charter fleets and looks it.
Try it first
Its predecessor, the Leopard 50, charters bareboat in Croatia from about $4,200 a week off-season to $23,400 in early August.
Sources: Multihulls World: Leopard 52 · Leopard 50 charter, Croatia (12knots)
02 · Bali Catamarans (Catana Group), France
Bali 5.4
First hull built 2018
- Length
- 16.8 m (55 ft 1 in)
- Beam
- 8.74 m
- Cabins
- 4 to 6, with optional crew cabins
- Price
- about $1.2m new (2020), about £1m used
"able to accommodate a crowd"
Cruising World, August 2020
The most boat for the money. The aft cabins each have their own steps down from the cockpit, and the double beds lie across the hull, so every cabin gets a view. Cruising World saw 8 knots reaching under the screecher, 9 in the gusts.
Skip it if you want the latest model. Bali is replacing it with the 5.2, so this is mostly a second-hand buy.
Try it first
In Greece, a 2019 boat out of Megara was listed at €21,840 a week from January to May 2026 and €32,480 from late June to August.
The new price is Cruising World's 2020 figure for its six-cabin test boat, not a base price. A 2019 boat with four guest and two crew cabins was listed in Greece at £1,001,590.
Sources: Cruising World: Bali 5.4 review · 2019 Bali 5.4 for sale, Greece (Boathound) · Bali 5.4 charter, Greece (Yacht-Rent) · Multihulls World: the Bali 5.2
03 · Lagoon, France
Lagoon 55
Launched 2021
- Length
- 16.56 m (54 ft 4 in)
- Beam
- 9.00 m
- Cabins
- 4 to 6, each with its own bathroom
- From
- €1.58m ex VAT, about €2.1m ready to sail
"well-laid-out for a shorthanded crew"
Cruising World, September 2022
The one most people picture when they say catamaran. A huge flybridge and a saloon like a holiday flat. Not fast, about 7.5 knots on a reach in Cruising World's test, but very comfortable when it gets there.
Skip it if sailing itself is the point. It is a floating villa first and a sailing boat second.
Try it first
Skippered in Greece: a five-cabin 2025 boat out of Athens was about $26,900 for a week in late October 2026.
Sources: Ancasta: Lagoon 55 prices · Cruising World: Lagoon 55 review · Lagoon 55 charter, Greece (12knots)
04 · HH Catamarans, China
HH50
In production since 2020
- Length
- 15.79 m (51 ft 10 in)
- Beam
- 7.44 m
- Cabins
- 3, up to 4
- From
- about $1.7m (2021)
"the nicest ride I've ever experienced aboard a catamaran"
Sail Magazine, January 2021
The one for people who love sailing. Sail Magazine saw about 9 knots, and up to 10.7, fully loaded in 12 to 18 knots of wind. Fewer cabins, because weight is the enemy of speed.
Skip it if you want to charter before you buy. We could not find one in a charter fleet.
Try it first
Rarely chartered; arrange a sea trial with the builder instead.
The base price is from Sail Magazine's 2021 test; the test boat carried about $300,000 of options. Ask for a current quote.
Sources: Sail Magazine: HH50 review
05 · Fountaine Pajot, France
Fountaine Pajot Samana 59
Used boats from 2021
- Length
- 18.21 m (59 ft 9 in)
- Beam
- 9.46 m
- Cabins
- 4 to 6, plus a crew cabin in each hull
- Used
- from about €2.25m (2021 boat)
"For an owner who plans to live aboard and sail"
Cruising World, November 2022
The big French one, built to live on. The owner's layouts give you a full suite, and every version has a crew cabin with its own bathroom in each hull. Comfortable rather than quick: Cruising World saw about 6 knots on a reach in 9 to 10 knots of wind.
Skip it if you want to sail it as a couple. Cruising World expects most owners to keep a full-time captain and crew.
Try it first
Crewed from Athens: a 2022 boat is about $27,200 a week this autumn and $40,400 a week in July and August 2027.
There is no published base price. Cruising World's 2022 show boat, with extra gear, was $2.8m; used boats are listed at about €2.23m to €2.9m.
Sources: Cruising World: Samana 59 review · Catamaran Guru: Samana 59 specs and layouts · Samana 59s for sale (boats.com) · Samana 59 charter, Greece (12knots)
06 · Sunreef Yachts, Poland
Sunreef 60
Built 2017 to 2025; buy second-hand
- Length
- 18.3 m (60 ft 1 in)
- Beam
- 10.2 m
- Cabins
- 4 guest, plus 3 crew
- Used
- about €2.65m (2021 boat)
The step up: a crewed yacht that happens to sail. Four guest cabins, three crew cabins and a flybridge you could host dinner on. Out of production since 2025, so this is a second-hand buy.
Skip it if you plan to skipper it yourselves. At 60 feet and 10 metres wide, it wants professional crew.
Try it first
Crewed in Greece: about $43,300 to $46,400 a week in May and June, $52,400 in July and August. In Croatia from €28,000 a week, plus 13% VAT and a €10,000 expenses float.
Sources: 2021 Sunreef 60 for sale (boats.com) · Sunreef 60 charter, Greece (12knots) · HELM: Sunreef charters
The price ladder
From €899,000 to €2.65m
- Leopard 52€899,000new, base
- Bali 5.4about $1.2mnew, 2020
- Lagoon 55€1.58mnew, base
- HH50about $1.7mnew, 2021 base
- Samana 59from about €2.25mused, 2021
- Sunreef 60about €2.65mused, 2021
Base or asking prices, before VAT, options and delivery. Dollar, euro and pound figures are as published.
Running costs
What a sailing catamaran costs to run
The rule of thumb from US broker The Catamaran Company: budget 5% to 10% of the boat's value every year for maintenance and running costs, plus 1% to 1.5% for insurance, and a 20% to 30% cushion in the first year. Marinas charge catamarans 20% to 50% more than monohulls because of the width.
Source: The Catamaran Company: annual ownership costs (April 2026)
€96,000 to €184,000a year to run, insured, before crew
That is 5 to 9 weeks of a week's crewed charter of a Lagoon of about the same size in Greece (about €20,000 a week).
Charter first
What a crewed charter costs in Greece
Weekly rates for crewed Lagoons in Greece, from a specialist agent. Add about 20% for food, fuel and berths, 12% Greek VAT and a 10% to 15% tip for the crew.
| Catamaran | July and August | June and September |
|---|---|---|
| Lagoon 62 | €25,200 | €22,000 |
| Lagoon 56 | €25,000 | €23,500 |
| Lagoon 52 | €18,000 | €16,000 |
| Lagoon 48 | €16,400 | €15,100 |
Side by side
The six, side by side
| Leopard 52 | Bali 5.4 | Lagoon 55 | HH50 | Samana 59 | Sunreef 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 15.75 m | 16.8 m | 16.56 m | 15.79 m | 18.21 m | 18.3 m |
| Cabins | 3 to 6 | 4 to 6 | 4 to 6 | 3 to 4 | 4 to 6 + crew | 4 + 3 crew |
| Price | €899,000 | about $1.2m | €1.58m | about $1.7m | about €2.25m used | about €2.65m used |
| Charter first? | Its predecessor, widely | Yes, Greece | Yes, Greece | Rarely | Yes, crewed | Yes, crewed |
| Best for | Value and resale | Space for the money | Space and comfort | Fast passages | Living aboard | Crewed luxury |
Questions
Sailing catamarans: what people ask
How much does a sailing catamaran cost?
New, the sailing catamarans here start at €899,000 for a Leopard 52 and run to about €1.58m for a Lagoon 55 before options, VAT and delivery, which often add a third. Second-hand, a 2021 Sunreef 60 was listed at about €2.65m. A used Fountaine Pajot Samana 59 starts at about €2.25m. Smaller, older catamarans sell for far less, but these are the ones with room for four to six cabins.
How much does it cost to run a sailing catamaran?
Plan on 5% to 10% of the boat's value a year for maintenance and running costs, plus 1% to 1.5% for insurance, according to The Catamaran Company. On a €1.6m boat that is roughly €96,000 to €184,000 a year, before crew wages. Marina berths cost catamarans 20% to 50% more than monohulls.
Is a catamaran better than a monohull?
For comfort, usually yes. A catamaran sits flat, has every cabin on its own level with its own bathroom, and a saloon that opens onto the cockpit. A monohull points higher into the wind, fits more marinas and costs less to berth. For a family holiday at anchor, most people prefer two hulls.
Can you charter a sailing catamaran before you buy one?
Yes, and it is the best way to choose. The Lagoon 55, the Bali 5.4, the Samana 59 and the Sunreef 60 all appear in charter fleets, and Leopard's previous 50-foot model charters in Croatia and Greece. A crewed week in Greece starts at about €15,000.
What is the best sailing catamaran for a couple?
None of these six is small. The smallest are the Leopard 52 and the HH50, both about 15.8 metres. For a couple, the Leopard 52 in its three-cabin owner's layout is the sensible choice; if sailing itself is the point, the HH50. The Samana 59 and Sunreef 60 really want crew.
How we chose: boats with three to six cabins that a private owner could realistically buy and run, checked against builders' and dealers' figures and the sailing press, and where possible available to charter first. No one paid to be included. Every price and specification links to where we checked it on 18 October 2026. How we choose.
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