Horizon Power Catamarans PC52

The PC52 is one of the more honest boats in the 50-foot power catamaran segment. Horizon has been building these for over a decade, and the engineering shows it. The twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels are bulletproof, the hull construction uses advanced composites from the Taiwan yard, and the systems are straightforward enough that you can troubleshoot most issues without flying in a technician. The 22-foot beam gives you real interior volume without the fuel penalty of a monohull, and four and a half feet of draft opens up anchorages that 60-foot yachts can't touch. This is a boat that works.

This boat is for owners who plan to use it, not show it. If you're spending three months a year in the Bahamas, running to the Virgins, or doing coastal passages where weather windows matter, the PC52 makes sense. It's not for someone who wants a floating condo at the marina or a boat that turns heads at the yacht club. The layout is functional, the performance is predictable, and the operating costs are manageable for an owner-operator. If you need crew to run a 52-footer, you're buying the wrong boat.

Resale on Horizon power cats has held up better than most production builders because the market for bluewater cruising multihulls is growing and the build quality is there. You'll still take a depreciation hit in the first few years, but the PC52 doesn't fall off a cliff like some European brands. Maintenance is straightforward if you stay on top of it—these are Cummins diesels, not exotic Italian engines. The bigger cost is dockage and insurance, which will run you $3,000 to $5,000 a month depending on where you keep it. Factor that in before you write the check..

— Tony Smith, Founder, Minted Yachts