Second-hand Boat

After 30 years of hard work, my wife, our three children and I wanted to buy a catamaran. We chose a pre-owned 2017 Bali 4.0, which we believe is the best- designed 40-footer thanks to five key features:
• The signature Bali up-and-over door creates a single living area that can be configured as an indoor or outdoor saloon depending on the weather. It can accommodate more than 10 people instead of splitting the space into two smaller seating areas. As a result, interior volume is maximized.
• The trampolines have been replaced by benches, creating a genuine forward lounge area with two tables that can be joined together. This arrangement allows meals to be enjoyed comfortably and privately in a marina without feeling like part of a public display for passers-by walking along the dock. In practice, the solid foredeck is far more useful than trampolines.
• The possibility of fitting an L-shaped settee and expanding the galley with a microwave in addition to the oven, cooktop and large 9.6-cubic-foot (272- liter) refrigerator.
• A genuine flybridge capable of comfortably accommodating up to nine people thanks to additional cushions.
• An extendable aft platform created when the dinghy is launched from its davits. With the door lowered and the aft windows open, you enjoy a 360-degree view while remaining outside yet protected from the sun.

9 Months in the Yard

After purchasing the boat, we commissioned a complete refit from Port Pin Rolland SAS, a subsidiary of Catana Group located in Saint- Mandrier near Toulon in the South of France. Our objective was to obtain a like-new Bali 4.0, fully equipped and capable of offshore passagemaking.
To be honest, we underestimated the amount of work required. In addition to routine maintenance (bottom preparation, antifouling application, powertrain servicing and electrical inspections), we replaced almost every wear item on the boat.
On the propulsion side, the saildrives, anodes, propeller cones, two-blade propellers, lower units, bellows, injectors and belts were replaced. Only the heat exchangers were retained, as they had accumulated just 1,000 operating hours. All through-hulls were renewed.
The sails were inspected and repaired, and we added a North Sails gennaker for light-air and downwind sailing. To tack and control this new sail, a bowsprit was installed and the deck hardware upgraded with an additional port-side winch, bringing the total to three winches, one of them electric.
On deck, we added four solar panels to complement the four already installed, bringing total output to 1 kWp. Four 560 Ah AGM batteries were fitted. The mooring cleats were also inspected and reinforced where necessary.
In terms of electronics and onboard comfort, we installed a radar, a new AIS transponder, a depth sounder, two blue underwater lights for nighttime swimming, a Starlink Maritime High Performance Gen 2 system with Wi-Fi 6.0, and a television complete with terrestrial decoder and active antenna.
A seawater pump ...