Bali vs Lagoon: An Honest Catamaran Comparison for Abacos Charters
Bali or Lagoon? How the two builders' layouts compare in our Abacos fleet: open saloon doors and solid foredecks versus trampolines, flybridges and extra beam.
Our Abacos catamaran fleet comes from two French builders. Seven boats are Balis, built by Catana Group: two Bali 4.4s, two Bali 4.2s and three Catspaces. Five are Lagoons, built by Lagoon-Bénéteau: a Lagoon 40, two Lagoon 46s, a Lagoon 50 and a Lagoon 51.
Ask a sailing forum which builder is better and you will get strong opinions. Ours are more modest. Both build comfortable, capable boats for the Sea of Abaco, and the differences that matter on a charter week are about layout: how the boat lives at anchor, where you lounge, where you steer and how much water she needs. This guide compares the two as they actually appear in our fleet.
The short version
| Feature | Bali (7 boats) | Lagoon (5 boats) |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes in our fleet | 40, 42 and 44 ft | 40, 46, 50 and 51 ft |
| Saloon and aft cockpit | One level, joined by a large lifting glass door | Conventional saloon door; on the 40 and 46s the galley opens onto the aft cockpit |
| Foredeck | Solid deck with sunpads and seating, no trampoline | Trampoline nets, plus a forward cockpit lounge on the bigger boats |
| Flybridge | On the 4.4s; varies on the smaller models | On the 46s, 50 and 51, with the helm up top |
| Cabins / heads | 4 / 4, or 3 / 3 in the owner's Catspace | 4 / 4, 3 / 3 in the owner's 46, or 6 / 4 on the 50 and 51 |
| Beam | 21.5 to 24.3 ft | 26.1 to 26.6 ft on the 46s, 50 and 51 |
| Draft | 3.6 to 3.9 ft | 4.3 to 4.6 ft on the 46s, 50 and 51 |
| From, per week | $4,125 to $6,132 | $4,015 to $10,725 |
The operator has not yet published beam or draft figures for Indie Vortex (Lagoon 40) or Uncharted (Bali 4.2).
How a Bali lives: one big room
The idea behind every Bali in our fleet is to blur the line between inside and out. On most catamarans, a sliding door separates the saloon from the aft cockpit. On a Bali, the whole aft wall of the saloon is a glass door that tilts up out of the way, leaving saloon and cockpit as one continuous space on a single level. With the door up at anchor, the person at the galley is part of the same conversation as everyone at the cockpit table.
The second Bali signature is at the bow. Where most catamarans stretch trampoline nets between the hulls, Bali builds a solid foredeck with sunpads and seating. On the two Bali 4.4s, Exodus and Ptarmigan, the forward cockpit sits on the same level as the saloon and galley, and a flybridge adds another outdoor area overhead. The Bali 4.2s, Cat Tales and Uncharted, and the Catspaces, Gabrielle Marie, Knot a Fantasea and Let's Geaux, follow the same open plan in a smaller package; Cat Tales has a flybridge too, and Let's Geaux a raised helm station.
Who it suits: groups who want to spend the week together rather than in separate corners, crews who cook and eat most meals aboard, and families who like the idea of a solid deck forward. With small children, a hard foredeck is one less thing to think about than nets, though it never replaces lifejackets and a watchful adult.
The trade-offs: the Balis in our fleet top out at 44 feet and eight berths. Their beam, 21.5 to 24.3 feet, means less interior volume than the bigger Lagoons. And if stretching out on a trampoline over the water is your idea of a sundowner, a Bali will not give you that.
How a Lagoon lives: up high and up front
The Lagoons in our fleet start from a more traditional layout and build upward. On the Lagoon 46s, Bella Giornata and CU Sailing II, and on CU Sailing and Sapphire Seas, the helm is on a full flybridge, with room up there to lounge in sun or shade. Whoever is steering sits well above the water, which is exactly where you want to be when you are judging depth by colour.
Up front, the Lagoons keep trampoline nets between the bows, and Sapphire Seas, CU Sailing and CU Sailing II add a forward cockpit, a recessed lounge at the front of the coachroof that faces the view. Indie Vortex, the Lagoon 40, has a lounge on her foredeck, and her wheel is on a raised helm station aft on the starboard side, clear of the cockpit table.
Inside, the Lagoons are galley-up, with the galley on the saloon level; on the 40 and the 46s it opens straight onto the aft cockpit. Worth knowing, though: the Bali 4.4s, the 4.2s and the four-cabin Catspaces are galley-up too. If a galley-up layout is on your wish list, it will not decide between these two builders.
The bigger difference is beam: 26.1 feet on the Lagoon 46s and 26.6 feet on the 50 and 51, more than any Bali in the fleet. More beam means a wider saloon and cockpit, and the 50 and 51 use it to fit six double cabins.
Who it suits: sailors who want a flybridge helm on a bigger boat, groups of nine to twelve, and anyone who wants the most interior volume they can get.
The trade-offs: more boat means more draft and more money. The Lagoon 46s, 50 and 51 draw 4.3 to 4.6 feet, against 3.6 to 3.9 on the Balis, and their from-rates start at $7,150 a week.
Cabins: closer than you might expect
For most group sizes, both builders offer the same configuration in our fleet.
- Owner's layout, three cabins and three heads: Bella Giornata (Lagoon 46) devotes her whole port hull to the master suite, which has a walk-around double, a desk and a big head with its own shower stall. Gabrielle Marie (Bali Catspace) keeps one hull for the master cabin and its head, with two guest cabins in the other. Both sleep six.
- Four cabins, four heads: CU Sailing II and Indie Vortex from Lagoon; Exodus, Ptarmigan, Cat Tales, Uncharted, Knot a Fantasea and Let's Geaux from Bali. Each cabin has its own head, and all sleep eight.
- Six cabins, four heads: Lagoon only. Sapphire Seas and CU Sailing have twelve berths each.
For six or eight guests, the builder is a matter of taste. Above eight, it is a Lagoon.
Sailing the Sea of Abaco
On the water, the practical differences are draft and rig. The Sea of Abaco is shallow, and the Balis' lighter draft gives you more freedom near beaches and at harbour entrances that shoal at low tide. Our guide to choosing a catamaran for your Abacos charter puts numbers on that.
Rig details vary boat by boat rather than by builder. Self-tacking jibs, which make tacking with a small crew much easier, are fitted on Exodus, Ptarmigan and Knot a Fantasea among the Balis and on CU Sailing and CU Sailing II among the Lagoons. Each boat's page lists the sail plan where the operator has published it.
We will not pretend one builder sails dramatically better than the other here. In the flat, protected water inside the barrier cays, a well-kept boat of either make is a pleasure, and all twelve are looked after by the same base team at Conch Inn Marina in Marsh Harbour.
Which should you choose?
Choose a Bali if your group is eight or fewer, you love the idea of a saloon that opens into the cockpit, a solid foredeck lounge appeals more than nets, and you want the shallowest draft in the fleet. Bali from-rates run from $4,125 a week on Let's Geaux to $6,132 on Exodus.
Choose a Lagoon if you want a flybridge helm on a boat of 46 feet or more, you are more than eight people, or you want the most beam. The Lagoon 40, Indie Vortex, also has the lowest from-rate of all twelve catamarans at $4,015 a week; the Lagoon 46s start at $7,150, and Sapphire Seas, the largest catamaran in the fleet, at $10,725.
From-rates are the cheapest weeks of the 2026/27 booking year and include 10% Bahamian VAT; a 4% cruising tax and a mandatory Comfort Pack are added. Charters are bareboat or skippered, and if you would rather someone else handled everything, Let's Geaux is also offered crewed through us.
Browse the full fleet, or tell us your dates and group size and we will suggest a Bali and a Lagoon that both fit, so you can compare them side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the main difference between a Bali and a Lagoon catamaran?
- Layout. Balis join the saloon and aft cockpit through a large lifting glass door and use a solid foredeck with sunpads instead of trampoline nets. The Lagoons in our fleet keep a conventional saloon door and trampolines, and the Lagoon 46s, 50 and 51 put the helm on a full flybridge.
- Do Bali catamarans have a flybridge?
- Some do. In our fleet, the two Bali 4.4s, Exodus and Ptarmigan, have a flybridge, and so does Cat Tales, a Bali 4.2. Let's Geaux, a Bali Catspace, has a raised helm station. Each boat's page shows its exact layout.
- Which builder is better for the shallow Sea of Abaco?
- Both work well, but the Balis draw less water: 3.6 to 3.9 feet, against 4.3 to 4.6 feet on the Lagoon 46s, 50 and 51. Less draft gives you more freedom near beaches and at harbour entrances that shoal at low tide.
- Are Bali charters cheaper than Lagoon charters?
- Not across the board. The lowest from-rate among our catamarans belongs to a Lagoon 40, Indie Vortex, at $4,015 a week. The Balis run from $4,125 (Let's Geaux) to $6,132 (Exodus), and the Lagoon 46s start at $7,150. Size drives price more than the builder does.
- Which is better for a group of more than eight?
- A Lagoon. Sapphire Seas (Lagoon 51) and CU Sailing (Lagoon 50) each have six double cabins and berths for twelve. The largest Balis in our fleet, the 4.4s, sleep eight.
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