Best Affordable Catamarans for Budget-Friendly Sailing
February 18, 2025
By Bill Regan
When my wife, Trish, and I first set out cruising over a decade ago we did it on a small boat. We didn’t have a watermaker, we had golf cart batteries and one solar panel, no AIS, no radar, no internet service, and only one hull. We had a blast! But, things have changed this past decade as technology has advanced. The costs of reliable solar power, lithium batteries, and all the other gear that we now think of as a standard cruising package has become much more affordable.
One other big development: catamarans have become commonplace, whereas we rarely saw them outside of the charter fleets. Still, there are those of us who are looking for affordable and smaller boats; maybe a young couple just starting out, or older cruisers on a fixed income that want to give catamarans a go. Here are some models to consider in your search.
Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36
The smallest of the catamarans on our list, the Mahe 36, offers some great features including a draft of 3.5’ and a beam under 20.’ If I was looking to spend a long time in The Bahamas, Belize, or the The Florida Keys, this would be a boat I’d consider.
The shallow draft will allow endless opportunity to get to those islands and cays that are off limits to larger boats. However you still have many of the benefits of any catamaran with stability at anchor, speed underway, and generous living spaces compared to a monohull of a similar size. These boats were offered in a 3/2 layout or even a 2/2 where you essentially have an owner suite in each hull. Currently these boats can be had in the $200,000 range, making them an affordable entry point to the catamaran lifestyle.
The Leopard 38/39
Robertson & Caine and the design team at Leopard really came up with a great boat when they rolled these models out in 2010. This boat was a departure from the earlier Leopard models with the sloping coach roof. These newer series boats had vertical forward windows with opening hatches to allow great airflow into the salon and good headroom moving forward.
The 38 came out first and has some slight differences from the 39 that followed. Primarily being the 38 did not have a generator, usually came in a 4/2 arrangement, and had a higher coachroof over the aft cockpit. Otherwise the boats share the same hull design, with stepped hulls for less wetted surface below the waterline, and the same interior design scheme.
Both boats also have the awesome modern Leopard davit design, very user friendly and robust, and something you’ll be using almost daily when cruising. The 39 mostly came in a 3/2 owner configuration as well. Nowadays you can find well equipped boats in the $250,000 range.
The Leopard 40
The Leopard 40 that was built circa 2006-2009 was of the previous generation of Leopards, designed by renowned naval architects Morelli & Melvin, who have been responsible for designing ocean racing boats. As such, this generation of Leopards is well regarded for their performance under sail. The boats were offered in a 4/2 or 3/2 layout, with a U-shaped galley and dinette on the salon level. While they don’t have the newer design davit system featured on the 39 that replaced this model, some owners have mounted arches astern to hoist the dinghy and provide a place for a large solar array. If you love sailing performance, the Leopard 40 would definitely be a boat to put high on your list. Current offerings can be found for $250,000-$300,000.
As with any catamaran purchase, a thorough survey will be necessary to evaluate the specific boat. Boats that are 10-15 years old can be wildly different from one model to the next depending on their history in charter, or not, and the care and upgrades given by previous owners. Another useful tool for you is to work with one of the experienced professionals at Catamaran Central to evaluate the market and models of interest.
Questions on these specific builds/models, need help finding your next catamaran, please feel free to contact Bill Regan directly:
