The new Fountaine Pajot 37 MY, the company’s entry-level cruiser, is a combination of many things, all of them good. It has all the space inherent in a catamaran design, making for comfortable living and entertaining on board. It has the easy seakeeping ability also inherent in a cat, where the boat’s widely spaced hulls seem to glide over the water. And it has the modern, French esthetic that makes the boat stand out in a harbor anywhere in the world.
Fountaine Pajot has a wealth of experience building cats, and the new 37 joins a 40 and a 44 in the company’s lineup. It also has a smart layout, making use of all the space for public and private areas on board. The salon is huge, taking advantage of the boat’s 16’7” beam, with wraparound windows and a large sliding glass door aft to let in an enormous amount of natural light. The galley is on the port side, with a U-shaped lounge and table to starboard.
Below, the 37 comes in two configurations, with either three or four staterooms. In the three-stateroom version, the master takes up the port hull, with the head forward; it’s much larger than the master on most 37-foot monohulls, and has 6’6” standing headroom. Two double cabins are in the starboard hull, separated by the guest head for privacy. In the four-cabin configuration, perfect for a charter operation, there are two cabins in the port hull, sharing a head.
Up top, the flybridge is protected by a hardtop and features what the company calls a “decadent” sunbathing area, and who’s to disagree. There are two helm seats, and an L-shaped lounge aft with a table.
The cockpit also is made for sunbathing, or relaxing in general, with a settee aft facing a table. The full-beam, teak swim platform lowers for easy access to the water. The broad foredeck features two sun lounges, and a stowage area that’s big enough to hold a full-size bike.
The boat’s draft of only 2’6” means it can navigate skinny water in the Chesapeake, say, or the Bahamas, while twin 220-hp Volvo diesels power it to a top speed of 22 knots. Dial back to 7 knots and you can have a safe range of more than 1,100 nm. And Volvo’s IPS joystick docking means you don’t have to worry about docking or low-speed maneuvering; you’ll look good anywhere by using its fingertip control.
Specs.: LOA: 36’1”; Beam: 16’7”; Draft: 2’6”; Disp.: 17,800 lbs.; Fuel: 370 gals.; Water: 186 gals.; Power: 2×150-hp Volvo diesels; 2×220-hp Volvo diesels.
