From the beginning, the Aquila brand has offered high-performance, comfortable motorized catamarans. The 50 Yacht remains true to the shipyard's heritage, including, for example, the famous bulbs at the front of the hulls. In this third part, we will see that the catamaran performs pretty well.
Regarding the dynamic part, the shipyard has real legitimacy. The hull design remains fairly traditional, even if it features the brand's trademark bow bulbs. Despite the cosy layout, the shipyard has also succeeded in keeping displacement to a minimum: in running order, the Aquila 50 Yacht weighs in at just over 32 tons - a reasonable amount.
Thanks to the bow thrusters and joystick, getting out of the marina remains easy, and Aquila has also installed a camera system all around the catamaran, giving the captain a car-like 360° view on his screen. Once again, this comes in very handy for keeping an eye on the surroundings in a crowded marina.
A conservative standard motorization
To power the powercat, Aquila offers three engine options: 2 x 380 hp D6 Volvo Penta, 2 x 480 hp D6 Volvo Penta and 2 x 550 hp Yanmar. During our test, we had the standard version, i.e. the one with 2 x 380 hp. This is not a ridiculous amount of power, and allows cruising at around 15 knots, with a peak speed of just over 20 knots. On the other hand, lift-off is a little slow, even though this is not a racing boat. Interestingly, acceleration is very smooth. The best thing is to sail at 5 or 6 knots and then push the throttle. In this case, the powercat quickly gets out of the water and into its lines, and does so smoothly. The handling itself is beyond reproach. In addition to the smoothness of the hulls, the powercat retains excellent trim and lateral balance. More surprisingly, the turning radius is really short, a good point for a vessel of this size.
However, for even greater versatility, we strongly advise you to opt for a larger engine. Apart from the speed gain, which allows you to reach more distant destinations, this will give you more acceleration and faster planing, which is quite pleasant.
With 518 gallons of fuel, the 50 Yacht should benefit from a good range. The catamaran also carries up to 212 gallons of fresh water, so you'll have plenty for a cruise. Electrical energy is provided by four lithium batteries for a total of 800 Ah. Two 180 Ah batteries are dedicated to the engine.
These characteristics should evolve in the future, as the shipyard is working on a hybrid version of this catamaran, which should also incorporate solar panels (already available as an option). Finally, a version with foils is also being studied, as was the case with the 42.
