Catamarans Are Getting Bigger: 60 ft Is the New Standard

by Klara Braga Jakobsen, Yacht Reviewer at DMA Yachting

Ten years ago, a catamaran was the budget way to charter in Greece. You got a Lagoon of 45 to 52 feet, four cabins and two crew. It was a good boat for a family of eight. It was not a luxury yacht.

That has changed. The catamarans arriving in Greece for next summer are 58 to 79 feet long. They carry four crew. They cost the same as a 100-foot motor yacht. And they have as much deck space as one.

So the choice a client makes today is different. For the same money, you can have a brand-new catamaran or a twenty-year-old motor yacht of the same size. Here is why, and how to choose.

How big were charter catamarans ten years ago, and how big are they now?

Ten years ago, 45 to 52 feet. Today, 58 to 79 feet.

In 2016 the typical crewed catamaran in Greece was a Lagoon 450 or 52. Four cabins, eight guests, two crew. Big catamarans barely existed. Lagoon had only just shown its first 77-footer. Sunreef had not yet built its 80. Fountaine Pajot had never made a power catamaran.

The builders then went big, step by step:

2016: Lagoon shows the Seventy 7 at Cannes.
2019: Sunreef launches the 80.
2020: Fountaine Pajot launches the Power 67. 2023: the Thira 80 follows.
2025 to 2026: Fountaine Pajot announces a 110, Lagoon an 82, Bali a 7.0.

The charter fleet followed. Eight catamarans built in 2026 or 2027 are listed for Greece next summer. The smallest is 58 feet. Four are 70 feet or more.

CHRISTAL MIO 80, a 2026 79 ft Fountaine Pajot power catamaran for twelve guests, under way off the Greek coast — New for 2026 and 2027 in Greece: CHRISTAL MIO 80, ALINA, ELLY II, MELTEMI and AMAREA.

ALINA, a 2026 79 ft Fountaine Pajot power catamaran for ten guests, at anchor at sunset in Greece — New for 2026 and 2027 in Greece: CHRISTAL MIO 80, ALINA, ELLY II, MELTEMI and AMAREA.

The numbers, in one place (our own fleet and calendars, 12 to 13 October 2026)

We list 30 catamarans of 70 feet and over in Greece. 20 were built since 2020. 13 were built since 2024.
84 of our 217 Greek catamarans were built in 2024 or later. 228 of our 359 Greek motor yachts were built before 2010.
Deck area, length by beam: an 80 ft catamaran has 2,860 sq ft. An 89 ft motor yacht has 1,915. A 121 ft motor yacht has 2,840.
38% of the catamarans we track for Greece already have a July or August 2027 booking. For the whole fleet it is 22%.

What changed on board when catamarans grew?

Three things: width, crew and layout.

An 80-foot catamaran is about 36 feet wide. An 88-foot motor yacht is about 21 feet wide. That extra width is where the luxury went. It became a foredeck lounge, a flybridge big enough for the whole group, a galley on the main deck and a cockpit that seats twelve for dinner.

The crew grew with the boat. A 52-footer sailed with two. The 68 to 80-footers carry four. More crew means a chef who only cooks, a stewardess who only looks after you, and a deckhand who runs the toys.

Are there still small crewed catamarans in Greece?

Yes. There are more of them than ever.

Of the 84 catamarans built since 2024 that we list in Greece, 54 are under 60 feet. These are the Lagoon 46s and Bali 4.8s. They take eight guests and cost €25,000 to €45,000 a week. That is still the family boat, and it still sells.

What is new is the second market above it. The 65 to 80-foot catamaran did not exist in Greece ten years ago. Now it is the boat that competes with motor yachts.

How does an 80 ft catamaran compare with a motor yacht?

Do not compare them by length. Compare them by deck space.

Stand on the foredeck of an 80-foot catamaran. You are standing on something nearly as wide as two motor yachts side by side. Length tells you nothing about that. So we measured our own fleet, length times beam:

Yacht	Type	Length	Beam	Deck area
CHRISTAL MIO 80	2026 catamaran	79 ft	36 ft	2,860 sq ft
7X, Sunreef 80	catamaran	80 ft	38 ft	3,020 sq ft
LA LIBERTA	2022 motor yacht	89 ft	22 ft	1,915 sq ft
AQUILA	2006 motor yacht	121 ft	23 ft	2,840 sq ft
Typical motor yacht, 100 to 120 ft	motor yacht		24 ft	2,630 sq ft

In our Greek fleet, the motor yachts with the same deck area as an 80-foot catamaran are 115 feet long on average. The old rule of thumb says a catamaran matches a motor yacht 15 to 20 percent longer. That rule counts the space inside. On deck, where you spend the week, the difference is closer to 45 percent.

Why does an 80 ft catamaran cost as much as a 100 ft motor yacht?

Because it is as big as one.

The price looks wrong if you only read the length. Read the deck area, the cabins and the year it was built, and the catamaran is the newest boat you can get for that money. These are the starting weekly rates for Greece, low season, before running costs:

Yacht	Built	Length	Deck area	Guests, cabins	From, per week
CHRISTAL MIO 80	2026	79 ft	2,860 sq ft	12 in 6	€70,000
LA LIBERTA	2022	89 ft	1,915 sq ft	10 in 5	€65,000
AQUILA	2006	121 ft	2,840 sq ft	12 in 5	€69,000

The whole fleet shows the same thing. Our 75 to 85-foot catamarans cost about €79,000 a week in high season. Our 100 to 120-foot motor yachts cost about €69,500. So the catamaran is no longer the cheap option. What you get for the money is a boat built in 2026 with the deck space of a 120-footer, instead of a boat built in 2006 with the same space.

Catamaran or motor yacht: which should you book?

Mo has a simple test. A group of adults who want a casino night: take a motor yacht. Two families with kids running around: take a catamaran.

Three more things decide it:

Fuel. A catamaran at anchor burns very little. A motor yacht crossing the Cyclades burns a lot. In Greece, fuel is on top of the rate.
Sleep. A catamaran sits flat at anchor. It draws about a metre and a half, so it can tuck into bays a motor yacht has to skip.
Cabins. On the 79-footers, two families get nearly equal cabins. On an 88-foot motor yacht, one couple gets the master and everyone else gets a smaller room.

The motor yacht still wins on some things. It is faster across the Cyclades. It has a formal saloon. Each guest gets more room inside. And on a windy meltemi day, a heavy hull is the more comfortable ride.

Our brokers see the same pattern every year. Clients start on a small catamaran. Then a bigger one. Then a power catamaran. Then a motor yacht.

How early do the big catamarans book?

Earlier than anything else.

As of 12 October 2026, 38% of the catamarans we track for Greece already have a July or August 2027 booking. For the whole fleet it is 22%. CHRISTAL MIO 80 has six of the eight peak weeks gone. ALINA has three Ionian weeks booked. The BVI is seeing the same thing this winter: the catamarans arriving there are 80 feet and up.

Our take

The 60-foot catamaran is the new standard at the top of the Greek fleet. It is priced like a motor yacht and it books like one.

If you are two families and your dates are the school holidays, the catamaran you want for summer 2027 will be on someone’s calendar by January. Pick her now and let us place a hold. If you are a group of adults who want to cover ground, the 100-foot motor yacht at the same money is the better boat. And it will still be there in March.