Thoughts on this Aventura 44?

[Thalas]

https://www.aventura-catamarans.com/en-au/aventura-44

I discovered it after finding a boat tour of their Aventura 34 which reminded me of the love child of a Maine Cat 38 and a Fountaine-Pajot. The 34 looks like a great day sailor and island hopper, but then I saw the 44.

Up to this point, I've been considering buying a Helia or the new FP 45 so I'm framing this in comparison to that boat since they're so similar.

Things I like:
Style - Very similar layout and design aesthetic to the Helia 44. Smart salon layout with a true forward facing nav station. You do lose the roof deck lounging area, but there is a lot of room for solar up there. Even little details like having the head in a separate room from the sink/shower is a smart theft from FP.

Performance - While I love the Helia and the new FP45, they are getting heavier as they prioritize comfort over performance. Outremer and the like go too far the other way for me so I'm curious if this boat could be that sweet spot. She's only 9.5T vs the Helia at 10.8T with similar sail area.

Price - Unknown, but the 34 starts at $200k. These look to be built in Tunisia so quality control will be something to be aware of.

What I'm not so sure about is the transom area. I love a bench seat at the back as I just feel it makes the cockpit safer on a true Bluewater cruise. The 34 has the Davits right against the bench, but there is a walkway/platform here that could be good or bad. I'm undecided.

While some people hate the notion of a high volume production cat, I actually see it as a positive. FP, Leopard, and Lagoon make so many of these boats, problems get discovered quicker and they can afford to iterate faster. This wouldn't be the case with a small manufacturer like Aventura.

Curious for feedback on the 44. My goal is to spend 3 months out of the year on the boat between the Med and Caribbean with the eventual goal that someday, I would take it into the Pacific and just keep heading west.

[Perfect Ride]

Originally Posted by Thalas

What I'm not so sure about is the transom area. I love a bench seat at the back as I just feel it makes the cockpit safer on a true Bluewater cruise. The 34 has the Davits right against the bench, but there is a walkway/platform here that could be good or bad. I'm undecided.

I would prefer a bench there, but if the dingy is there, it will protect from going overboard quite as easily, however following seas may be another issue.

Originally Posted by Thalas

While some people hate the notion of a high volume production cat, I actually see it as a positive. FP, Leopard, and Lagoon make so many of these boats, problems get discovered quicker and they can afford to iterate faster. This wouldn't be the case with a small manufacturer like Aventura.

My experience is that a yard that produces just several cats a year can be quite responsive, as there is time for customization and upgrades in the build. Good ideas get baked in from boat to boat.



Of greater concern is the adage: Do not buy one of the first 3 boats out of a mold. The number of kinks drops exponentially after the first several builds. Looks like #1 is in 2019 per the website.

[Sand crab]

I don't get the comparison between the Maine Cat 38 and an FP. The MC has a fully protected helm, a self tacking jib. daggerboards and weighs 4 tons. The A34 doesn't have any of these attributes. It is more like an FP though. Perhaps an FP can asexually reproduce and then you would have an F34.
Perfect Ride's Antares is a bit more Maine Cattish with the helm and jib. Perhaps it's the big brother.

[Heath68]

I quite like it. Lots of things done well and not too many gaffs

[ausnp84]

I like it! Nice layout, looks to be good bdc as well. If it helps with comparisons, I have a 42ft cat weighing in at 9t lightship and 112sqm upwind sail area, and we move along quite nicely.

Will be interesting to see the build quality at shows... properly tabbed bulkheads, honeycomb furniture, general fit and finish.

N

[LeeV]

I like several things about this boat, and it would work well for us. The “apparent” pricing would make it easier for many of us to access, however I’m cautious because I’ve seen this game played out before.

Just consider the “normal” 2-3 price increases per year that all the big 3 manufacturers slapped us with following the destruction from the storms, when demand was high and insurance checks were handed out.

Apparently this boat is advertised complete for one price, but we’ll have to see. Here’s another pricing as well as a price at the bottom for a comfort package. https://www.sailboatlistings.com/photographs/71253

I’ll watch to see the price creep and we’ll find out where it ends. I’d love to see a competitively priced alternative though! She looks great!

Regards,

[LeeV]

I’ve asked but haven’t heard why they changed the A43 to produce the new A44. It may be for a smoother ride, but I don’t know. Here’s a video of the 43:

https://coralyboats.com/coraly/produ...-aventura-a44/

[yeloya]

I know the guys.. they are 2 or 3 from Britanny, the heart of french naval industry and famous sailors. They moved to Tunisia for cehaper labour and use to make the moulds for well known brand of cats. I am sure they know what the cat is all about and how to make it. Actually, you can see that they took (I wouldn't say stollen..) of good attributes of various brands.
The boat willl definately sail better than Helia , probably parity to Nautitech's of similar sizes.
My only concern would be financial and lead times. They are recently set up company and we don't know yet how long they can remain on this highly comppetitive market.
I would take a letter of gurantee from a bank in France and enjoy the boat..


It will be significantly cheaper than FP 45 and sail better.


Cheers


Yeloya

[Valiente]

Video of actual Aventura 44
https://youtu.be/JwB4MKaXJKU
Eager to know how she sails....and its liveaboard and worldwide cruiser features.
Yes, the very same features which are often neglected by the big 3 manufacturers and have to be improved (at expense) once delivered.

[Valiente]

Sizewise, Is Lagoon 42 a fair comparison, or this Aventura44 is closer to Lagoon45S as model numbering may suggest?

[tobern]

I've seen the first Hull in Cannes last September.

The Cat was one year and a half late, but they rebuild completely over the 43, keeping only the hull mould, so it is very different and much better design.

For my search for a "fast cat", comfortable, not too expensive, for a Circumnavigation project, it ticks a LOT of boxes.

Very well thought, plenty of good ideas, a nice desk (I still work), in the owner's cabin.

BUT, unfortunately, finish quality was not good enough ...
They still need to do more work.
Doors, latches, wood, globally too low quality for the price.

I hope they will improve this. It is a small yard, maybe they do too many things at the same time.

With better quality, this cat would be a super boat.

[AndrewA2]

havent seen ANYTHING new on this boat...
Anyone shed some light as to where it stands, or any online articles from recent months ?

[Steamer]

Originally Posted by tobern

BUT, unfortunately, finish quality was not good enough ...
They still need to do more work.
Doors, latches, wood, globally too low quality for the price.

I hope they will improve this

6 years ago when seeing their 2 cats in LGM I was hoping exactly the same things to improve ...

[Eric Jan]

Originally Posted by AndrewA2

havent seen ANYTHING new on this boat...
Anyone shed some light as to where it stands, or any online articles from recent months ?

Not sure how old this article is, but multihull world did a review on it -> https://www.multihulls-world.com/rev...fshore-sailing

[Roddu]

The multihull review is very positive.... Though they rarely focus on the negative and always seem to write a positive story....
Price wise, they added eur10k in 2021, copying the big boys, very unfortunate...

I am seriously considering one and are planning a conf call with one of the company owners... Tbc