Bali Catamarans
We chartered a Bali 4.5 out of St. Martin for two weeks with a crew of two families. It's a daunting task to please five kids on the open ocean. That said, our kids will probably tell you this is their favorite boat we've chartered. As a luxury yachting line, the Bali is about as family friendly as a floating minivan.
They Thought of Everything
Every time we plan to charter a catamaran, we look longingly at the pictures of the trampoline and dream of sleeping out under the stars with the sea tantalizingly close below. In reality, the tramp on most catamarans is barely comfortable enough for daytime naps -- let alone overnight sleeps. Our first night aboard, all five of our kids made a mega-bed of out of the Bali's hard-shell trampoline and comfortable cushions.
The retractable windows of the main lounge made the entire cabin comfortable, even on nights at port. We liked the multiple level sun decks that included a flat cushioned pad behind the upstairs cockpit. It creates a nice space for everyone to stretch out, but for our money, the Fountain-Pajot is better at creating separate spaces for sun and shade.
The stand up fridge was a bit of a mixed blessing. Items tended to roll about while under weigh and then fall out when the fridge was opened. We had an incident with a dozen eggs that went splat on the deck and I'm doubtful they ever will get the smell out of that beautiful brand new boat.
More recent updates to the Bali line features an ingenious "garage door" system that creates an open concept feeling Chip and JoAnna Gaines would envy.
It's the Little Things
The designers at Bali expended some serious brainpower to make this line open and friendly to sailors of all ages. There are dozens of design elements we liked that the Bali team worked hard to include in the their inaugural models. But mostly it was the little things that made us like this boat so much.
The davit system on our 4.5 was fairly cumbersome. It did a fine job of hoisting our dinghy, but folding it away once moored was an awkward process. But once everything was properly put away, that's where the crew came to love the Bali.
You could open the salon transom flat, giving you open access to the water. With the davits out of the way, kids (and some adults) could jump from the upper deck into the water without fear of impaling themselves on the way down. With the top deck turned into a three meter diving board, this proved to be the highlight of our kids the trip. I couldn't say if this was the intention of the Bali designers, but the hundreds trips out of the water, up the stairs, and off the back created a perpetual jump cycle that induced daily exhaustion and made everyone sleep better each night.
A few Knits to Pick
We've seen it said that sailing a catamaran is a bit like sailing your living room. That pretty accurately sums up the Bali's performance under sail. The 4.5 was comfortable in rolling seas with 6' to 8' swells. But with higher winds, pointing into anything forward of a beam reach made the helm pull hard into the wind. This made the auto pilot fairly useless, but was generally easy to correct if you didn't mind fighting the hand steering. Fortunately for us, we had a handful of novice sailors that couldn't wait to take their turn steering for an hour. If the Bali had a better sailor at the helm, it might not have been an issue.
Our 4.5 also had a self tacking headsail. I was told I was going to absolutely love it. Maybe its a point of personal preference, but I did not. I don't mean to sound like a sailing purist, but the jib sheets continuously tangled and getting headsail trimmed exactly like we needed was more of a hassle than if we had had the more traditional setup.
The last thing I'll say is is more intrinsic than measurable. I felt like the Bali had a more snap-together-plastic feel many of the other catamarans we've previously chartered. It could be the new design or their laudable efforts to reduce production costs. We got a great deal on the Bali for a two week charter, so I probably shouldn't complain. We just felt that the fit and finish of the Bali wasn't quite what we had experienced with other yachts in their class. Of course, one person's chic is another person's cheap -- so your results may vary.
Manufacturer's stock images. For more, go to Bali Catamaran's Website
In the end, we would happily charter a Bali again -- minor complaints notwithstanding. They are at the forefront of design and I can't wait to see what creature comforts they come up with next. Our families had a life-changing trip aboard the 4.5. The designs for the forth coming 5.4 look amazing. Given the chance, we would enthusiastically sign up for another fortnight aboard their beautiful floating minivan.