The Making of BALI Catamarans - Origins and Evolution

The Catana Story: A Legacy of Performance and Craftsmanship

Founded in 1984 in Cogolin, France, Catana quickly earned a reputation as one of the premier builders of high-performance cruising catamarans. Known for their reverse bows, deep daggerboards, and weight reducing technologies like carbon infusion, Catana catamarans were engineered for sailors who demanded both speed and structural integrity.

By the early 2000s, Catana had become a highly respected name among bluewater cruisers – owners who valued the brand’s blend of lightweight construction, advanced composites, and sleek, purposeful design. 

Today, Catana remains a world leader in fast and comfortable cruising catamarans, whether crossing oceans or exploring remote archipelagos.

The Birth of BALI: A Bold New Vision

In 2014, the Catana Group launched a bold new brand under the guidance of then- CEO Olivier Poncin: BALI Catamarans. The mission? To completely rethink the cruising experience – not just in terms of design and sailing performance, but how people truly live aboard.

Where Catana focused on speed and seaworthiness, BALI set out to redefine comfort, openness, and ease of use. 

• Innovative living space design, including the now-iconic pivoting garage-style door that opens the entire salon to the aft cockpit.
   
• A solid foredeck with a forward cockpit and lounge – a unique feature that maximizes usable space and social connection.

These bold design decisions were more than a styling exercise – it was a functional reinvention of catamaran living. And it resonated. BALI’s history of success is well established making it one of the fastest-growing catamaran brands in the world, and the brand’s once-“radical” innovations are now widely imitated throughout the industry. 

Bali & Catana:  shared DNA

BALI and Catana are united by a shared approach when it comes to build quality, methods, and materials – all under the Catana Group umbrella. 

And while BALI is known for its comfort and open-concept living, it doesn’t stray far from its performance roots – offering impressive sailing capability that benefits from the same advanced hull design expertise, and engineering refined by Catana over decades of offshore experience. 

Both brands are manufactured using:

• Foam-core sandwich construction (no wood core) for superior strength-to-weight ratio and long-term durability.
   
• Vacuum infusion techniques for optimal resin distribution and structural integrity.
   
• Monolithic construction of the bridge deck and topsides, creating a more rigid, unified platform.

BALI’s use of integrated structures – such as the solid foredeck and molded seating – echoes Catana’s focus on rigidity and safety offshore. While some of the end goals may differ, the commitment to performance and quality construction remains a shared principle.

A Brand on the Rise: BALI’s Global Success

In just over a decade, BALI Catamarans has grown to become one of the world’s largest multihull manufacturers. Its production facilities in Canet-en-Roussillon have expanded to meet growing international demand from private owners and charter fleets alike, and BALI models can be found from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and beyond.

And while others may borrow from the BALI playbook, there is only one original.

The Legacy Continues

BALI Catamarans may be the “younger sibling” of Catana, but it has already forged a legacy of its own – one defined by innovation, livability, and performance, rooted in high-quality construction. With the backing of the Catana Group and a bold vision for the future, BALI continues to shape the future of cruising catamarans.