August 18, 2026
The Aquila 36 Molokai: When Offshore Fuel Meets a Cabin You Can Sleep In
The Aquila 36 Molokai puts 508 gallons of fuel, a double-stepped catamaran hull and a cabin with a private head into 38 feet — an offshore f…
Read the articleAquila 36 Molokai
Expert Review, Technical Specifications & Market Analysis
The Essentials
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 38'2" |
| Beam | 11'9" |
| Draft | 3'6" |
| Displacement | 15,031 lbs |
| Engines | Twin Mercury V10 (2 x 350 HP) |
| Fuel Capacity | 508 gal |
| Water Capacity | 21 gal |
| Cabins / Heads | 1 Cabin / 1 Head |
Source: Spec & Photos courtesy of Aquila. Specs verified by Tony Smith, USCG 100 Ton Master, on August 18, 2026.
You want to run out to the grounds at first light and still have the tank to pick where you fish. The 36 Molokai carries 508 gallons of fuel and a cabin with a head in 38 feet.
Part of the Aquila Molokai series — see how owners step up through the lineup.
Quick Verdict
- 508 gallons of fuel on a 38-foot hull is the point of the boat — enough to plan a day around where the fish are rather than around the tank
- One cabin and one head under the console, reached through a pantograph door on the starboard side, with berths for two: a long day can become an overnight
- Double-stepped hulls with high tunnel clearance, a carbon fiber hardtop and carbon in the high-load hull and aft-bulkhead structure. Aquila publishes no top or cruise speed for this model, so establish performance yourself on the package you are buying
Our Take
The 36 Molokai is the Aquila I would buy if the fishing decides the boat. Five hundred and eight gallons of fuel on a 38-foot hull is the headline, and it is a real one — the tank, not the engines, is what makes this boat interesting, because it lets you pick the grounds rather than settle for the near ones. The rest is built the same way. The hull is double-stepped with high tunnel clearance, carbon fiber goes into the hardtop and the high-load structure in the hull and aft bulkhead, and the deck is a single-level 360-degree walkaround with a forward casting platform and a central walkthrough transom door. Twin 53-gallon pressurized transom livewells are standard, with 58-gallon in-deck livewells on the options list.
The cabin is the part I would neither oversell nor dismiss. One cabin and one head sit under the console behind a pantograph door on the starboard side, the berths are for two, and the boat is certified for up to sixteen aboard. That is enough to turn a long day into an overnight and not enough to make this a cruising boat. If overnight runs are the plan rather than the exception, the 47 Molokai is the honest answer.
Settle the specification before you settle on anything else. Aquila's live model page and its own dated spec sheet do not describe the same boat: the page publishes a lighter displacement and twin V8 300s as standard, while the July 2026 sheet publishes 15,031 lb light and twin Mercury V10 350s standard with V10 425s optional. This page follows the dated sheet. Get the build specification for your hull in writing, and note that Aquila publishes no top or cruise speed for this model at all — every figure you will be shown is somebody else's measurement, taken on a package the current sheet does not even list.
Watch Our Aquila 36 Molokai Reviews
Official Aquila Premiere: Inside the Aquila 36 Molokai
Video courtesy of Aquila.
Aquila 36 Molokai Photo Gallery
Photos courtesy of Aquila.
Aquila 36 Molokai Overview
The 36 Molokai measures 38'2" overall with the outboards down, on an 11'9" beam and a 3'6" draft. It carries 508 gallons of fuel, 21 gallons of water, and one cabin with one head.
That fuel number is the point of the boat. Five hundred gallons on a 38-foot hull lets you plan around distance rather than around the tank, which is a different way to fish than most boats this size allow.
Performance & Handling
Standard power is twin Mercury V10 350 HP outboards, with twin V10 425s offered with joystick control. Light displacement is 15,031 lbs and loaded displacement 21,561 lbs, both quoted on the 425 HP package.
The hull is double-stepped with high tunnel clearance — the yard's stated aims are an air-cushioned ride and less hull noise at trolling speed. Carbon fiber goes into the hardtop and the high-load structure in the hull and aft bulkhead, keeping weight out of the top of the boat. Aquila publishes no top or cruise speed for the 36 Molokai.
Interior & Accommodations
One cabin and one head sit under the console, reached through a pantograph door on the starboard side — enough to turn a long day into an overnight. Berths are for two; the boat is certified for up to 16 aboard.
The deck is a single-level 360-degree walkaround with a forward casting platform and a central walkthrough transom door. Twin 53-gallon pressurized transom livewells are standard, with in-deck livewells at 58 gallons each on the options list, plus twelve rod holders across the gunnels and transom and a flip-down bait prep station with a fish measure.
Market Position
Molokai is Aquila's offshore line — 28, 36 and 47 feet — and the 36 sits in the middle of it. It pairs the walkaround fishing deck of the smaller boats with a cabin and head inside the console.
Against a monohull center console of the same length the argument is the one Aquila makes everywhere: the catamaran hull buys deck space and a steadier platform at rest, and pays for it in beam and slip width.
Who the 36 Molokai Is For
Buy the 36 Molokai if the fishing is offshore and the crew is small — an angler who wants catamaran stability and enough fuel to choose the grounds rather than settle for the near ones, with a berth for the days that run long.
Step up to the 47 Molokai if overnight runs are the plan rather than the exception. Look at the 36 Sport instead if the fishing hardware would mostly go unused and the cockpit matters more.
Aquila 36 Molokai Articles & Guides
