If your budget for a crewed catamaran week is $22,000 to $32,000, you will end up choosing between the same three boats almost everywhere in the Caribbean: the Leopard 50, the Lagoon 50 and the Bali 5.4. They are the three most-built crewed catamarans in the 50-foot class, and most charter fleets are made of them.
This is the honest comparison, with the prices taken from the largest crewed fleet in the world, the British Virgin Islands, where 15 Leopard 50s, 19 Lagoon 50s and 36 Bali 5.4s charter this season. The Mediterranean prices the same boats in euros plus expenses, and the differences between the three hold wherever you sail.
The short version:
- Leopard 50: the cheapest of the three and the best to sail
- Bali 5.4: the biggest, and the best for small children
- Lagoon 50: in the middle on both, with the most boats to choose from
The three boats in one minute
| Leopard 50 | Lagoon 50 | Bali 5.4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length / beam | 50 ft / 26 ft | 49 ft / 27 ft | 55 ft / 29 ft |
| Guests on a crewed charter | 6 or 8 in 3 or 4 cabins | 6 to 10 in 3 to 5 cabins | 8 to 12 in 4 to 6 cabins |
| Crew | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Signature | Forward cockpit with a door from the saloon | Vertical windows, light saloon, big flybridge | Tilt-up rear door makes saloon and cockpit one room; solid foredeck |
| BVI weekly rate, all-inclusive | $17,500 to $28,900, typical $24,000 | $18,000 to $32,000, typical $25,000 | $26,000 to $34,000, typical $32,000 |
| Built by | Robertson and Caine, Cape Town | Groupe Beneteau, Bordeaux | Catana Group, Canet-en-Roussillon |
| Best for | Two couples or six who sail; the lowest price | Eight with four equal cabins; the widest choice | Families with small children; ten in five cabins |
What does each one cost per week?
In the BVI, all-inclusive, this season: a Leopard 50 lists at $17,500 to $28,900 (typical $24,000), a Lagoon 50 at $18,000 to $32,000 (typical $25,000), and a Bali 5.4 at $26,000 to $34,000 (typical $32,000).
Those are different boats for the money, not different prices for the same boat. The Leopard band is three-cabin boats for six; the Bali band is four- and five-cabin boats for eight and ten; the Lagoon band is mostly four cabins for eight.
Per cabin, the three are closer than the headline numbers suggest.
In the Mediterranean the same models charter plus expenses, so add an APA of 20 to 25 percent and the local VAT to the base fee before comparing. Our guide to what a crewed catamaran week really costs walks through the two price structures.
Which one has the most space?
The Bali, and it is not close. At 55 feet it is five feet longer than the other two, nearly three feet wider, and its rear door tilts up into the roof so the saloon and the cockpit become one room the full width of the boat.
Where the Leopard and Lagoon have trampolines forward, the Bali has a solid deck with a sunken lounge. For a family with children under ten, that one feature decides it more often than the price does.
The Leopard answers with the forward cockpit: a door in the front of the saloon opens onto a shaded lounge on the foredeck, so you get two outdoor rooms and a breeze straight through the boat at anchor. The Lagoon has neither trick, and the lightest, brightest saloon of the three.
Which one sails best?
The Leopard. It is the lightest of the three for its length and the one built by a yard that still sells boats to owners who sail them across oceans.
On the BVI’s short hops the difference is an afternoon under sail instead of under engine; on a longer Mediterranean leg it is an hour.
The Bali is built for living, not for the passage, and sails like it. The Lagoon sits between the two.
If sailing is why you are chartering a catamaran rather than a motor yacht, start with the Leopard.
Which one is best for your group?
- A family with small children: the Bali 5.4. The solid foredeck, the one-room main deck and a flybridge the parents can see everything from. Four cabins for eight at around $32,000 all-inclusive in the BVI.
- Ten friends or three families: the five-cabin Bali 5.4 at the top of its band, or a five-cabin Lagoon 50 if you find one; the Leopard 50 does not come in five cabins.
- Eight who want four equal cabins: the Lagoon 50. Four queen cabins, each with its own bathroom, is the layout it was drawn around, and there are more of them than of anything else.
- Two or three couples, or six who sail: the Leopard 50. Three cabins, the forward cockpit for the ones who want quiet, and the lowest price of the three for the same crew of two.
- If the budget is the first number: the Leopard, then an older Lagoon 50, then the Bali.
The crew matters more than the badge on all three. The boats are alike from one hull to the next and the people on them are not.
Pros and cons, side by side
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Leopard 50 | Lowest price in the class; forward cockpit; sails best; built for charter wear; many long-serving crews | Smallest saloon of the three; no five-cabin version; interiors plainer than the newest Lagoons |
| Lagoon 50 | Most boats to choose from; four equal cabins; light saloon; big flybridge; strong resale means owners keep them refitted | Heavier than the Leopard under sail; older hulls vary; no forward cockpit or Bali door |
| Bali 5.4 | Biggest by far; the door and the solid foredeck; five- and six-cabin versions for ten to twelve; almost all 2020 or newer | Highest price in the class; the least sailing of the three; boxy profile; galley-up layout eats saloon space |
Where can you see the actual boats?
Our BVI site lists every one of them with live rates and the crew’s reviews: the Leopard guide, the Lagoon guide and the Bali guide, each with the full catalogue at the bottom. The same brokers compare them head to head in which catamaran brand is best for a crewed BVI charter.
If you are not yet sure you want a crew at all, start with bareboat, skippered or crewed; all three of these boats are chartered all three ways.
People also ask
Which is better, a Leopard 50 or a Lagoon 50?
For sailing and price, the Leopard; for cabin count and choice, the Lagoon. In the BVI a Leopard 50 lists at $17,500 to $28,900 and a Lagoon 50 at $18,000 to $32,000 a week all-inclusive, and both sail with a crew of two.
Is a Bali 5.4 bigger than a Lagoon 50?
Yes. About five feet longer and nearly three feet wider, with a tilt-up door that joins the saloon and cockpit into one room and a solid foredeck instead of trampolines.
How much does a Bali 5.4 cost to charter per week?
$26,000 to $34,000 all-inclusive in the BVI this season, typically $32,000 for eight guests in four cabins. In the Mediterranean the same boat charters in euros plus APA and VAT.
Which 50-foot catamaran is best for a family with young children?
The Bali 5.4, for the solid foredeck and the one-room main deck. The Lagoon 50 is the next choice; the Leopard 50 suits older children who will use the forward cockpit.
Do all three come crewed?
Yes. Each sails with a captain and a chef or hostess on a crewed charter, and all three are also offered bareboat and skippered.
