Bali 5.8 Boat Test: New Cruising Cat with Maximum Volume
Bali Catamarans is the master of maximising interior and exterior volumes on its cruising catamarans. The new Bali 5.8 is its biggest boat yet and, as Sam Jefferson discovered, this is a big beast.
Growth. It’s a small word that seems to be bandied around a lot by politicians these days. Liz Truss used the word over 1,000 times during her all to brief tenure at Number 10. Now Keir Starmer and his Chancellor seem to talk of little else whenever the subject of the economy comes up. Despite a lot of talk, not a lot seems to happen and our economy refuses to expand. If our economists are searching for inspiration, they shouldn’t look any further than Bali Catamarans. It is now 10 years since Bali was set up and during that time the company has sold a quite staggering 300 boats per year having launched 14 models in the process – which is remarkable. Rachel Reeves – if you’re looking for an exemplar of exponential growth, here it is.
The concept of the company was simple and clever. It was set up as an offshoot of Catana catamarans, who built high quality high performance cruising catamarans that garnered huge respect and many fans but only a relatively small market share. At the time, the dominant force in the multihull market was Lagoon who built more affordable, less sophisticated boats that sold by the shedload. Catana wanted a slice of that cake and set up Bali. Its aims were very clear; produce voluminous, affordable catamarans that were suited to both charter and private ownership. In life it always helps to have a clear vision and, 3,000 boats later, Bali is testimony to this. Notable features of all Balis have been the solid front deck which eschews the traditional trampoline found on most cats and massively boosts exterior space. Then there is the tilt/slide ‘garage door’ between the saloon and cockpit which blurs the line between interior and exterior space when in warmer climes. It’s a clever touch that has been frequently imitated.
The Bali 5.8 is its latest design and is the biggest boat in the range. Bali’s smaller boats are built in Tunisia to keep costs down but the bigger boats are built at their original French factory in Canet en Roussillon. She supersedes the 5.4, launched in 2018, as the flagship of the range and the new boat provides a useful pointer for the state of the market. Bali states that in recent years the demand has been for bigger boats of a higher standard of finish. Pre Covid its market was 70% charter and 30% private, now it’s a 50/50 split but – be it private ownership or charter – the clients are demanding bigger boats. In addition, Bali has gone for a higher quality of fit out than on some of the smaller boats in its range and the basic concept is that this is a yacht that will have a permanent crew. It comes with six layout options; in the Owner version, there is a large owner’s suite in the starboard hull with three cabins in the port hull. There is an XL skipper’s cabin so that your skipper feels at ease. In standard version the skipper’s cabin is a double.
I tested hull number two on a fine day in Toulon. Walking along the pontoons towards the 5.8 the thing that struck me was the sheer size of the boat which is truly imposing. The 5.8 also marks something of a watershed for the company as this is the first boat it has made without Olivier Poncin who passed away last May. Poncin was an important driving force behind Bali and his clever touch must not only be missed by Bali but also the rest of the sailing world. In his absence, Xavier Faye designed the hull and has followed the fairly typical Bali template, featuring relatively fine waterlines with plenty of flare above the waterline to provide volume. Freeboard is high and there is a distinctive portlight that runs continuously almost from bow to stern. The rig is placed centrally and the boom is relatively high due to the presence of a flybridge with a bimini. Meanwhile, the solid foredeck provides masses of exterior space forward, while the high freeboard should minimise the risk of slamming in big waves. This is not a performance cruiser and therefore eschews daggerboards which improve upwind performance but are expensive and take up valuable interior space. Instead, a pair of stub keels provide grip to windward and give the boat a draft of 1.47m. The sail plan is pretty generous and suggest this boat may perform well, particularly off the wind despite her substantial 24.9 ton displacement.
Indoor outdoor space
The interior has been designed by Piaton Bercault and the step up in quality compared to some of the models lower down the Bali range was notable. This felt like an extremely luxurious boat and, yes, I say it again, there is an awful lot of space. In total there are six layout options featuring between four and six guest cabins plus crew accommodation forward. Even in the six-cabin version of this boat, all the heads are ensuite.
Step aboard and you find yourself in a narrow aft deck that leads into the main saloon. While the aft deck is narrow, this is immaterial because in reality this is part of a much larger indoor/outdoor space thanks to that iconic tilt/slide garage door which opens electrically, and successfully blurs the line between interior and exterior when it’s opened up. The narrow aft deck area is enclosed by a large sofa running across the width of the deck. To either side of this are wide steps set into the sugar scoops which give good access for bathing and stepping on and off the boat in port. There is barbecue set to port. This bathing and barbecuing area is finished off with a massive dinghy deck/davit set-up which doubles as a bathing platform once the dinghy is launched. This electrically raises and retracts into the hull when sailing.
Step forward into the saloon proper and you find yourself in a space that feels very light and open. This feeling is augmented by big sliding windows in the aft section of the saloon. This aft part of the saloon is the lounging area with a huge U-shaped dining area to starboard and two single seats to port. There is a huge amount of storage space under the floor. Moving forward and there is a huge upright fridge freezer and there is an option of fitting a second should you wish. The U-shaped galley is to starboard and well placed by the dining table and also feels nicely enclosed and well laid out. To port is an office/chart table area which is spacious and sociable. Forward of this are the twin companionways down into the sponsons. Directly forward is the door out onto the forward deck. One of the front windows opens which provides a through breeze.
I test sailed an owner’s layout version of the 5.8 which features a massive owner’s suite which is light and luxurious. There is direct access to the aft deck from this suite and you exit almost directly out onto the aft sponson with its swim ladder which is ideal for an early morning dip. The heads is set aft to starboard of this aft entrance and then a huge shower room forward of this. The double bed is set athwartships and slightly aft. There is a smaller double also with its own ensuite set in the forward section of the starboard hull too.
The port hull has three cabins each with an ensuite. The cabins are surprisingly large although the toilet/shower is a bit tight in the fore cabin. Aft is a twin which is very pleasant with a well proportioned ensuite, and then aft and totally separate is another double which is accessible only from a separate entrance aft. This is a decent size but lacks a bit of light.
Back on deck and you head forward via wide side decks which feature a ladder integrated into the guardrail – a thoughtful touch. Then you’re on to the solid foredeck which features a massive seating area. It’s absurdly huge with a big table in the middle. There is a very large self-draining well, set into this structure which is importance because this is an area that would be capable of scooping up a substantial amount of sea water. The generator is under the seat to starboard and the skipper’s cabin is in the bow with the double berth and a shower.
On the cabin top you have the option of many metre squares of solar panels which extend back over the hard top. Up onto the flybridge which you reach via well proportioned steps on both port and starboard sides. The seating area is big with a large table and fridge integrated within, and for sundowners there is a huge lounging area aft of this table and the steering area forward. A fixed solid Bimini provides shade and there are two skylights forward to provide a good view of the sails from the helm. As you’d expect for a yacht set up to have a full time skipper, there is a strong separation between the sailing area and lounging areas up on the flybridge. All the running rigging is, save the Code 0 sheets and the headsail and Code 0 furlers, run here via six jammers either side of the helm. There is no traveller so the mainsail is very simple to control.
Under sail
The day was relatively breezy in the Rade de Toulon and this seemed to present an immediate challenge as manoeuvring such a big, high sided beast out of a tight marina space in a cross breeze looked like a challenge and I was eternally grateful that I was not expected to do so. In the end, the skipper made it look simple enough but it did underline the truly vast scale of this boat. Out on the water there was a short chop and plenty of breeze. We got the sails up without too much fuss and were soon trucking along at quite impressive speeds. With the wind blowing 20kts we made 10kts under headsail and main, The self-tacking headsail and lack of traveller made sail handling and manoeuvring very simple but it’s fair to say that the helm was not terribly rewarding.
The Hydraulic steering did not lend itself to pin sharp accuracy and the boat felt ponderous and needed careful watching to prevent the boat stalling hard on the wind. If you’ve bought a Bali 5.8 for pin sharp racing handling, you’re barking up the wrong tree however. This is all about the lounging spaces and dropping anchor off some beautiful beach. That said, the pace was impressive and hinted that an ocean passage would slip by nicely. With the wind dropping to 15kts, we eased off the wind and unfurled the Code 0, hitting 11kts with this up; all the while thinking that the Rade de Toulon was perhaps a little short on space for such a sail on such a big boat. We needed a broader, more inviting ocean to fully unfurl our wings.
Sam’s Verdict on the Bali 5.8
Bali catamarans knows a thing or two about creating a feeling of space. The Bali 5.8 felt massive. I was impressed by the quality feel of the interior and the boat had all the ingredients to make it a superb charter yacht – with a permanent skipper. And that is the key – this boat feels like it needs a permanent skipper to get the most out of enjoying the extreme comfort and masses of space with 11 of your closest friends. You can handle the boat easily even as a couple but somehow I feel it would distract from the important business of enjoying the boat and all of those massive lounging areas.
Comfort: 5/5
Performance: 3/5
Looks: 4/5
Bali 5.8 – Spec
LOA: 57’9” (17.65m)
Beam: 29’7” (9.06m)
Draft: 4’8” (1.47m)
Sail Area: 1,926.74 sq ft (179 m²)
Displacement: 54,957.00 lb (24,928kg)
Contact: bali-catamarans.com
UK Broker: clippermarine.co.uk
Price: €1.4m (base)
Alternative Boats:
Lagoon 60
The Lagoon 60 was recently launched by Lagoon who is the past master of the cruising catamaran. The 60 sits beneath its huge Sixty Five and aims to bridge the gap between the Lagoon 55, aimed more at cruising couples and the Sixty Five which is intended to be fully crewed.
Fountaine Pajot Samana 59
Another big catamaran which offers a high level of comfort married to ease of handling. The key here again is space and the Samana offers the choice of an owner’s suite plus four double cabins or a charter version with six double cabins. Both versions feature two skipper/crew cabins.
catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com
Privilege Signature 580
Privilege catamarans is all about luxury and its 580 offers sumptuous living space married to masses of internal volume and decent performance. This Marc Lombard design is less focused on maximising the number of berths and the standard layout features four guest cabins and no crew accommodation.
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