An excellent question! And if I may be so bold, allow me to parry it with a question of my own. What is the difference between a boat and a yacht, really? Size, sure—but length overall matters most to the outside observer, sipping his beer on the docks and watching the world go by. For an owner, interior volume strikes much more closely to the essence of luxurious onboard living.

Due to their wider beam, catamarans offer loads of space in the living areas. And that space is felt in spades on the accommodations level as well, where privacy is king. On an Aquila Power Catamaran, cabins in either hull afford a certain amount of distance between guests after a day of living their best lives on the massive upper decks. It’s a luxury to part ways at night, and I’ve found absence always makes the heart grow fonder.

What’s more, a multi-hull offers an unparalleled level of stability. There’s a reason ancient Polynesians strapped outriggers to the canoes they used to traverse the mighty Pacific, and it wasn’t aesthetics. Catamarans are as averse to rocking and rolling as 1950s suburban mothers were to Elvis Presley’s music. And even in calm seas, the cat’s stability outperforms. Any diver who has ever plopped overboard with an air tank strapped to their back off a center console knows you want as steady a platform as possible for watersports.

Lastly, catamarans offer more access than a Fort Lauderdale boat show press pass. Weight dispersed over multiple hulls means that boats draw less, letting you into anchorages that would otherwise simply be unavailable. Meanwhile, a cat’s relatively compact LOA opens up dockage options—remember, a 60-foot cat is roughly equal volume-wise to a 90-foot monohull—and helps manage by-the-foot dockage fees.

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