March 30, 2026
The Aquila 42 Yacht: Your Floating Weekend House
Roomy as a 50-foot monohull but owner-friendly: the Aquila 42 pairs a 21-foot beam, three distinct outdoor entertaining zones, full galley a…
Read the articleThe Aquila Yacht Series
The flybridge cruising series — beam, range and liveaboard volume from 42 to 54 feet
If the point of your boat is staying out longer — a week in the Exumas, not an afternoon run — the Yacht series is where Aquila concentrates its engineering. Every model is a flybridge power catamaran built around beam: 21 feet on the 42, better than 25 feet on the 50 and 54, and carried far enough forward that the owner's cabin is a room instead of a V-berth.
We review four Yacht models, from the 41'6" 42 Yacht to the 54'2" 54 Yacht. Twin Volvo Penta diesels, shallow draft, Category A ocean certification, and layouts meant to be run by the owner without crew.
The Yacht Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Aquila Yacht model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Aquila.
The Aquila 42 Yacht is a 41'6" power catamaran with a 21-foot beam — Category A ocean certification, up to four cabins, and a 16-17 knot cruise on twin Volvo Penta D4s.
The Aquila 46 Yacht is a 47'2" power catamaran that carries its 23-foot beam forward to a full-width master — three to five cabins, twin Volvo Penta D4 320s, 476 gallons of fuel.
The Aquila 50 Yacht is a 52'2" explorer-style power catamaran — single-level full-beam master, Category A ocean certification, and an 18-19 knot cruise on twin Volvo Penta D6 380s.
The Aquila 54 Yacht is a 54'2" long-range power catamaran — full-beam master, up to five cabins, 581 gallons of fuel and an 18-20 knot cruise on twin Volvo Penta D6 380s.
Don't see the Yacht model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Yacht Series
Most Yacht owners come from an express cruiser or a big center console and step in at the 42 — two to four cabin options, three separate outdoor zones, and systems simple enough to maintain yourself. The 46 is where the series turns into a liveaboard: a true three-cabin layout, 476 gallons of fuel, and range counted in days. The 50 adds the full-beam master on the main deck with no stairs to it, and the 54 adds a fourth stateroom and the optional sky lounge.
Buy for the nights you will actually sleep aboard. Everything from the 46 up is priced around living on the boat rather than visiting it.
Our Take
The Yacht series is the most honest line Aquila builds. These are not fast boats — they cruise in the high teens on twin Volvo D6s and they are built to do it all day on modest fuel, and that is the entire argument. The 50 is my pick of the four. The full-beam master sits on the main deck with no stairs, which sounds like a small thing until you are climbing down to bed at 2am in a rolly anchorage.
One trade-off to price in early: a 25-foot beam buys you a wide slip at a premium rate in most South Florida marinas. Know that number before you fall for the layout, because the layout will get you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need crew to run an Aquila Yacht series catamaran?
No. All four Yacht models are designed to be owner-operated. Twin engines set wide apart make close-quarters handling forgiving, the engine rooms are reached through deck hatches rather than crawl spaces, and the systems are conventional — Volvo Penta diesels, standard marine electrical, nothing proprietary to chase parts for.
Most owners run the boat with a partner handling lines. Skipping crew is the single largest cost saving available in this size class, and it is the reason a lot of buyers choose a 50-foot catamaran over a 60-foot monohull in the first place.
Should you buy the Aquila 46 Yacht or the Aquila 50 Yacht?
Choose the 46 if you cruise as a couple or small family and want the lowest running cost in the series; choose the 50 if you spend consecutive weeks aboard. The 46 gives you a genuine three-cabin layout and 476 gallons of fuel. The 50 adds a full-beam master on the main deck with no stairs to it.
The 50 also carries 518 gallons and cruises at 18-19 knots against the 46's mid-teens, and its optional utility room adds real flexibility for long-term cruising or charter use. The offset is beam — 25'6" versus 23'3" — and that shows up every month in your slip bill.
Where can you cruise an Aquila Yacht series power catamaran?
Anywhere a coastal cruiser goes, plus the shallow water most of them cannot reach. Drafts run from 3'7" on the 42 Yacht to 4'6" on the 54, and all four models carry Category A ocean certification, so the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, the Caribbean and Mediterranean coastal passages are all genuinely in range.
In practice, owners use them the same way: Florida across to the Abacos or the Exumas, then weeks of moving between anchorages that deeper monohulls have to skip. The catamaran hull also stays flat at anchor, which matters more on a two-week trip than any speed figure on the spec sheet.
Which Aquila Yacht model does Tony recommend for a first power catamaran?
For most first-time catamaran owners, the 42 Yacht. It is the smallest boat in the series, the systems are simple enough for owner maintenance, and the 21-foot beam already delivers interior volume closer to a mid-50s monohull — so you learn the platform without paying flagship running costs while you do it.
Buyers coming from a large express cruiser or a trawler often skip straight to the 46 or 50. The honest deciding factor is how many consecutive nights you will actually spend aboard. Talk it through with us at TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819 before you start comparing layouts.
Which Yacht Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the Yacht series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Aquila ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819