TOP 5 Best Motor Yachts Catamaran under 1 Million Euro in 2024

In this article we will tell you which 5 motor catamarans under €1.000.000 are worth purchasing and why. Comparisons, pictures, benefits, disadvantages and also our own opinion - coming from yachtsmen who have experience of managing dozens of different boats already.

Until quite recently, motor catamarans were quite rare in marinas, but every year their amount is steadily growing. The reason is obvious - a motor cat provides an incomparably larger usable deck area than a monohull yacht of the same length, and, moreover, it is distinguished by enviable wave stability.

Pleasure catamarans are an excellent choice for those people who prefer easy and familiar voyages rather than the sailing romance. Economical and incredibly roomy motor twin hulls are suitable not only for short vacations for a large group of friends, but also for long trips around the world.

Despite the relatively high cost of managing such vessels, their advantages in terms of seaworthiness and life on board ensured a wide variety of these boats. Recreational catamarans range from 4.5 m with outboard motors to hundreds of meters, and in many areas of chartering business there is simply no alternative to this type of boat. In our review, we will consider the most popular models of these double-hull vessels in the price segment up to a million euros.

 

Fountaine Pajot MY4.S

Launched in 2021 by Fountaine Pajot, the MY4.S is the smallest and most affordable motor yacht in the brand's range. It is a deep revision of the previous model MY 37, taking into account the preferences of customers and the demand in the market for multihulls of this type. The yacht is 11 meters or 36 feet long with a draft of 0.8 meters, the hull is made of fiberglass and has a more elegant design with soft lines.

The boat was developed and designed by renowned architect Daniel Andrieu in many ways as a yacht for family cruising and long-distance travel. Although the vessel is small in size, its warehousing capacity and 1200-liter fuel tanks guarantee a cruising range of 800-1000 km at 8-15 knots.

The catamaran has better stability than monohull boats, and the Fountaine Pajot MY4.S is capable of speeds up to 22 knots thanks to two Yanmar engines with a capacity of 150 hp each. A seaworthy, inexpensive yacht that handles waves well and has a wide range of options, such as installing thrusters or increasing engine power to 250 hp aroused great interest among buyers. No wonder, because the upper deck with a sunbathing area, extended cockpit and overall space on board the MY4.S dispelled all prejudices about motor yachts of this size.

The company's architects abandoned the flybridge, which was present in the MY 37 model, because it is a controversial pleasure in autonomous navigation on a 11-meter boat, and instead the yacht received a sportier look, significantly improved sailing characteristics, acquired the ability to freely pass under bridges and freed up more space at the cockpit since there’s no need for stairs anymore.

A fixed bathing platform is installed at the stern of the yacht, standing on which, you can immediately take a shower after climbing out of the water and use it as a place to store an inflatable dinghy during a cruise. Optionally, it is possible to replace this platform with a hydraulic one with a control panel or attach davits instead.

In the cockpit there is a large U-shaped sofa almost the entire width of the platform: you can lower the back on it and get a comfortable bed or a spot from which you can fish. There is obviously more space here due to the lack of steps and a table that is hidden in one of the forward lockers and can be installed when necessary. There is a grill next to the seats, but for some reason the back of the sofa is not protected from it in any way, and for sure it will quickly become covered with greasy stains if it is not somehow protected. The overall finish is made of teak wood in light beige tones.

On the foredeck there is another social area for relaxing and sunbathing, which, if necessary, can be protected by a hinged canopy. The loungers have lifting backs and a convenient tray with cup holders. There is a large locker under the central mattress. It's really huge: it can easily fit a dining table, a water tank, an anchor chain, and there is still a lot of space left. At the same time, two more deep boxes for fenders and other stuff are placed at the bow parts of the floats. I can’t even believe that all this fits on an 11-meter boat - the designers really took care about optimization.

The interior of the ship contains a control panel with a steering wheel, more reminiscent of a car steering wheel, and a dashboard with all the necessary electronics, a kitchen and a recreation area with a folding table. A large sliding door allows you to combine the cockpit and saloon into a single space and get a lot of space for a pleasant pastime. Only the upper drawers can be used in the kitchen, because the lower part is fake - that space serves to increase the height of the ceilings in the cabins.

By default, the buyer is offered a layout with three cabins. On the right hull are two double rooms and a bathroom, while a large master suite and a private bathroom are on the left. An alternative is the charter option with four double cabins and two bathrooms.

Thanks to Fountaine Pajot's design solutions, we got very high ceilings in the bedrooms, a lot of light, wide large beds and two comfortable showers.

In conclusion, the MY4.S is a boat for a couple, a family or a group of buddies who do not want to lag at trawler speeds, but at the same time get comfort and long autonom at a small price.

 

Fountaine Pajot MY5

The Fountaine Pajot MY5 model was introduced in 2019 and became a continuation of the previous boats in the series of motor cruising catamarans from the famous shipyard. The 13-meter multihull, like many other models in the line, has got a roomy flybridge, a well-thought-out layout, Volvo engines and incredible stability on the wave.

The yacht has a fiberglass hull and is CE (A) certified. The well-known naval architect Daniel Andrieu and designers from Pierangeli Andreani Studio took part in the implementation of the project. Fountaine Pajot then responsibly approached the development of the market segment and developed new hulls specifically for motor catamarans, unlike many other shipyards, in which motor cruisers were practically a copy of a sail-motor mix, only without a mast.

The boat has two helms, one of which is located on the flybridge, and the other is in the saloon of the catamaran. Both of these places provide an excellent view of the bow floats and anchor winch even in a sitting position and a total visual control area of almost 360 degrees. This greatly facilitates the maneuvering and control of the position of the yacht when mooring.

In the cabin, when monitoring the situation at the right aft float, the refrigerator interferes a little, and just turning around is not enough - you either have to watch the float through a surveillance camera, or look out the window.

The flybridge is large, as much as 17 m² and is separated from the deck by a wide large hatch, has a small galley with a cocktail bar and refrigerator, a helm station and a lounge area with a fixed table, sofa and couches.

In the cockpit we are greeted by a long sofa with storage space under the seats and a wide comfortable staircase with reliable handrails leading to the flybridge. Also, at the stern there is a large bathing platform for all six meters of the width of the catamaran. If desired, it can be replaced with an electric platform that can go under water for two feet, which is convenient for diving. The aft deck can be shaded from the sun by a drop-down side panel, and there is plenty of room to accommodate a detachable dining table in charter version or when you want to grab a family breakfast in the cockpit.

A wide passage leads from the stern to the foredeck, and the rails around the perimeter of the vessel are made of durable stainless-steel pipe, which adds a sense of security. In the bow there is another social area with sun loungers and spacious lockers.

There are panoramic windows all around the cabin, and they are not flooded with splashes of water even at high speed, which was made possible thanks to the design of the floats and draft - nothing will stop you from enjoying the view.

The galley is located just off the wide sliding door leading to the cockpit, providing walking distance from the fridge and stove to the dining area both in the saloon and on the aft deck. Plus, this arrangement provides additional ventilation and exhaust. The kitchen also has plenty of drawers, cupboards and the option of installing a dishwasher. On the left side of the saloon there is a spacious dining area with a folding table, if there is a need to place more people behind it. Under most of the seats are containers for storing things or equipment.

The guest float is occupied by two cabins: a spacious aft cabin and a narrower bow cabin, where in the owner’s version there’s a bunk bed and a side bench installed.

The rooms have comfortable high ceilings, lots of natural light and air circulation. But for some reason there are few wardrobes and the like, and the saloon and deck are literally studded with lockers and convenient containers, but something prevented the designers from repeating this trick in the cabins.

In the standard layout, the entire opposite starboard float is reserved for the owner and his spacious cabin with large Italian-style bathroom. A separate staircase leads to the room, on the side of which there is a control panel for ship electronics, in the room itself there is a huge bedroom with a transverse bed and couches on the sides, several tables and a large porthole opposite.

In general, the boat is suitable for cruising and active pastime in a diverse number of recreation areas, in which guests can do many things without even crossing if they wish.

 

Aventura 50 MY

In 2021, the STGI Marine shipyard introduced a completely new concept motor catamaran - Aventura Power 14. The main task of Lasta Design Studio’s architects was to place 6 full-fledged double cabins with bathrooms on a catamaran of this size. This was necessary to bring this model to the yacht charter market. To do this, the designers had to move the ship's equipment under the central hull, slightly raising the deck.

Thus, additional space was freed up in the hulls to accommodate cabins and reserve fuel tanks with a capacity of 3000 liters with the possibility of increasing the capacity by another 1000 liters. More powerful engines, enlarged storage lockers and water canisters, and large freezers made it possible to take on almost oceanic voyages and cruises even with a lot of passengers. And at the same time, the shipyard did not sacrifice the comfort inherent in the Aventura Catamarans brand.

In addition to the charter version, the catamaran can be made in the version “for the owner”. In this case, one building will be completely provided to the owner's apartment with a separate saloon, wardrobe and bathroom. There are many layout options, from three to six cabins to choose from.

The architect created a hull design that can reach a maximum speed of 22 knots when equipped with 2x400 hp engines and a cruising speed of 16 knots. At low speeds, the cruising range can be up to 1300 nautical miles. The design of the vessel also provides quick and convenient access to the engine, fuel compartment, anchor box.

The flybridge on the Aventura 14 is a whopping 26 m², which includes a helm station, a lounge area with a large table, a small galley with a grill, a refrigerator and a sink.

The width of the boat at 7.5 m made it possible to place a large boarding dining area on the cockpit with a table for 15 people, to install a locker-garage on the stern, where you can put bicycles, a compressor, and diving equipment. The rear hydraulic platform allows you to place several inflatable boats or jet skis on it.

A huge swing door leads from the aft deck to the saloon. The designers skillfully managed to summarize and create a large unified social space, which includes a bow sunbathing area, a large saloon and a roomy cockpit, all located on the same level without height differences and steps.

The wardroom doubles as a control post, there is a large full-fledged kitchen with a gas stove, dishwasher, microwave and oven, a wine cabinet, a separate freezer and a huge 620-liter double-leaf refrigerator. Opposite the kitchen is a dining area with a large table that is electrically operated and can be lowered. Another door leads from the saloon to the bow deck. There are sun loungers and small tables, this place is intended primarily for sunbathing, relaxation and less active recreation.

Each of the standard guest cabins on the ship is 1.95 meters high and has its own bathroom with rain shower, toilet, mirror and sink. All double beds measure about 1.93 x 1.50 meters, in total we get a comfortable hotel room on the water in a regular cabin.

But the master cabin is really something special, it can occupy one of the 14-meter floats entirely, where there is a huge double bed, and a long corridor, equipped with furniture and wardrobes. The owner has a separate workplace and dressing table, a large bathroom and much more.

The Aventura 14 is a standalone development, not a sailboat without a mast. The yacht is suitable for owners with high requirements for living space, as well as for charter companies. Due to its good seaworthiness and large tank capacity, the vessel is ideal for long-distance voyages and holidays with a large group of friends.

 

Leen 50

The Leen 50 was announced by Leen Trimarans in 2022. This is a motorized trimaran with a fiberglass hull and CE (A) seaworthiness certification. The company plans to release the first models at the end of 2023. The shipyard plans to add this boat to its lineup, which already includes the Leen 56, released last year, and the new flagship Leen 72 - the company has already built a production line in La Rochelle for 50 such vessels.

The length of the yacht will be 15.24 meters or 50 feet, it will be almost 8 meters wide. The volume of fuel tanks in total will allow you to have a stock of 3500 liters of diesel. The company is presenting the model as a trimaran trawler for the high seas, the boat will have a huge cruising range of 1,500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 9-10 knots. At the same time, the boat is expected to be very economical for its dimensions, consuming about 2 liters of diesel per nautical mile. This is largely facilitated by narrow thin hulls, which have very low hydrodynamic resistance and significantly help to reduce fuel consumption.

The maximum speed will be 14 knots, and the power of the installed engines, one for each side hull, will vary from two sets of 110 hp to a pair of 150 hp each, with a hybrid engine option available as an option.

The control room, galley, saloon, owner's cabin and dining room are located on the same level and in a single social space.

In the saloon, the table can be set to a high position for dining with seats for 8 people and a low position to create a living room feel. A comfortable triple seat is installed at the control post opposite the navigational instruments. There are 2 ways to get to the outer deck - either through the passage in the saloon, or through the side door in the skipper's cabin. Interior decor includes luxurious leather upholstery, high-quality wood joinery, Bolon flooring and Corian hard surfaces.

Access to the owner's cabin, which occupies the starboard side of the main deck, is located behind the helm. The cabin has an aft-facing king-size bed, mirrored wardrobes and a bathroom with twin sinks, shower and separate toilet. There is also another door that allows you to go outside on the starboard side.

The center float has two guest cabins with a shared bathroom. The forward guest cabin can be equipped with either one double bed or two single bunk beds.

There is ample storage space inside and out, which means you can carry everything you need for a pleasant stay on board and long-distance cruises. The forepeaks of the boat can be accessed from the main deck and can be converted into two additional and rather cramped single cabins or used as a place to store supplies or inventory.

The flybridge has a large sun terrace and can be additionally equipped with solar panels. The designers were able to achieve pleasant handling of the boat and the absence of the pitching effect due to the fact that all living and working premises and the onboard weight are concentrated in the main float.

The boat is positioned by the company as a trimaran for unhurried autonomous long-distance cruises, long voyages along the coast, frequent stops on the journey, contemplation and relaxation.

 

Fountaine Pajot MY6

Motor cruising catamaran Fountaine Pajot MY6 became one of the most anticipated premieres at the exhibition in Düsseldorf a few years ago. The French shipyard entrusted the development and design of the boat to its longtime partners Daniel Andrieu and Pierangelo Andreani Studio. The result is a moderately sporty multihull with smooth outlines.

Comfortable yacht received international recognition immediately after the creation, getting “Best Passagemaker” and "Best Multihull Power Yacht" awards. In 2018, at the boat show in Düsseldorf, this model was recognized as the “European Motor Yacht of the Year”.

The catamaran is designed for access to the open ocean, and one of its main features is seaworthiness. The boat with a fuel reserve of 2000 liters is capable of traveling about 2000 nautical miles at a cruising speed. On it you can safely go on long trips.

Even at a top speed of 25 knots, the Fountaine Pajot MY6 handles gracefully and confidently while being very responsive to weighted helm. On calm water, the turns are as smooth and unruffled as you'd expect, but the catamaran rides like it's on rails instead of on the water, which is a delight. The natural stability of the MY 6 is much higher than other catamarans, not to mention monohulls, even when stabilizers are used.

The interior and finish are clean, modern and more importantly practical. The saloon has a galley and dining area, and the deck inside the saloon is made of teak wood. This means that after swimming, passengers can have a drink from the refrigerator or use the sink and not have to worry about the surface getting wet.

Overall, the galley is very practical - plenty of space, plenty of storage throughout, a full-size fridge and freezer, eye-level lockers. The saloon is equipped with sofas, which are located opposite each other, and a cozy chair, facing the stern, next to the inner helm station. The windows are tinted, including the windshield, for more privacy and to prevent ultraviolet rays from penetrating the cabin.

The width of the cockpit allows for a wide and safe spiral staircase to the flybridge. Railings and deep steps make it much easier for the crew to move between the two decks. The flybridge helm station is very comfortable, with a superb 22-inch Garmin MFD as an option, plus plenty of lounging upstairs.

In general, there is a lot of space on the ship where you can relax in private or with friends. The yacht comes with a single layout option and is designed for three double cabins.

Cabins and separate guest bathrooms are located in the starboard hull, there is also a dedicated space for a washing machine and several hanging lockers. The forward guest cabin is typical for a catamaran, designed for two guests, with the option of splitting into two separate beds.

A private bathroom is located next to the forward cabin, and guests do not have to share it, since the aft cabin is equipped with its own convenient bathroom. In addition, the aft cabin is a mini version of the master cabin.

The owner's cabin is located separately, in another hull, and of course, its comfortable and large space is not even worth comparing with any monohull boat of this length. And the closer you get to the bow, the more and more impressive the cabin becomes. Natural light from the big window and space is evenly distributed around the bed. Toward the bow there is a spacious walk-in closet surrounded by hanging cabinets, and straight ahead you can find a spacious bathroom with a separate shower.

The MY6 is considered by many to be the finest power catamaran Fountaine Pajot has ever built and the best current cruising catamaran in its category.

And we, in particular, consider it to be a great model to be the king of this top 5. Do you agree with our picks? Leave your comment below and tell us what you think!