FOUNTAINE PAJOT MY 40 BENETEAU ST 41
Only a handful of years ago this would have been a rather one-sided affair. Power catamarans of old would struggle to hold a candle to a well-sorted monohull produced by a yard like Beneteau. A power cat used to mean a sailing catamaran with its mast sawn off and two pathetically underpowered motors tasked with shunting it weakly through the water. Times have changed.
TWO HULLS BETTER THAN ONE?
The modern power cat has all the finesse, technology and dynamic ability of its single-hull rivals and Fountaine-Pajot produces one of the best: the MY40. Being just 40ft 5in (12.35m) in length it feels manageable despite its width and with the only engine options being IPS (400 or 500), its joystick control takes the edge off potentially knee-knocking mooring manoeuvres.
The 44ft 1in (13.43m) Swift Trawler 41 is, in our opinion, the best model in Beneteau’s pseudo trawler range and though it’s 6ft (1.83m) narrower than the MY40 its brilliantly well thought out interior, practical deck spaces and abundance of storage make it an equally capable long distance cruiser or even liveaboard. Its selection of trusty twin diesel Volvo Pentas on shaftdrives are sure to keep the traditionalists happy, too. In this company it also represents good value for money, undercutting the cat by €180,000 in base spec. The MY40 is certainly a lot of boat for the money but can it justify the extra outlay?
FOUNTAINE PAJOT MY 40
There is a luxuriousness to the breadth of the MY40’s deck spaces
EXTERIOR LIVING
The Fountaine-Pajot gets off to a strong start on deck and its extra beam is felt most obviously on the enormous side decks. At 2ft 7in (0.66m) they dwarf the asymmetric decks of the ST41 but the Beneteau counters with an arrangement that gives more space to the starboard deck, which aligns with the extra wide side door adjacent to the helm. This is what makes the ST41 such an appealing choice if you tend to cruise as a couple or single-handed on a regular basis.
