A no-flybridge, aft-helm take on the Bali formula that packs a private owner's suite and a 12-person foredeck lounge into 38 feet.
Some catamarans need a badge to tell you who built them. The Bali 38 Catsmart doesn’t. The nose, the face, the solid foredeck — the family resemblance is immediate. But as the walkthrough video makes clear within its first minute, this 38-footer isn’t simply a shrunken version of her bigger sisters. She has, in the presenter’s words, her own temperament.
The headline decision is what’s not here: there’s no flybridge. On a boat this size, the explanation goes, a flybridge would have pushed the rig too high and forced a smaller mainsail — a compromise that would have hurt performance badly. Instead, the Catsmart keeps the boom low, grows the mainsail area, adds an overlapping genoa forward and puts the helm aft. That aft steering position is pure Catana Shipyard heritage, and it pays off twice: the boom stays low for better feel at the wheel, and the entire cockpit is left free.
A helm with everything to hand
Standing at the aft helm, the presenter demonstrates the appeal: total connection to both the saloon inside and the world outside, clear sightlines to the sails for trimming, and all the controls in one place — engine controls, chart plotter, autopilot, VHF, chain counter and compass, plus the electric winch with sheets and halyards led to hand. Visibility around the boat is excellent, and trimming is a one-person job.
Anchoring is handled from the same spot via the chain counter; only the bridle requires a walk forward. That walk is easy, thanks to another Catana inheritance — wide side decks with no deck hatches to trip over at night. Up front, a gas-strutted locker lid stays open on its own while you attach the bridle lines, and the chain locker sits accessibly to the side.
The foredeck as second terrace
At anchor — or, in the video, on a mooring ball in the bay of Collioure in the south of France — the solid foredeck comes into its own. Rig the tent and you have a shaded second terrace with music speakers, indirect lighting, fresh and salt water washdowns, centrally placed water fillers for the whole boat, and a watermaker aboard. A side locker swallows the tent bag, mooring lines or fenders, and there’s access to the water tanks. The presenter reckons around a dozen people can gather here. A large self-bailer handles any water that comes aboard forward.
Inside: the Bali door, the galley and a real owner’s suite
The signature Bali tilting door at the aft end of the saloon does exactly what the brand promises — opened up, indoors and outdoors become one space, with a tunnel of air flowing through the bridgedeck and out through the many portholes. The chart table can carry the current generation of electronics: VHF, chart plotter, music system, generator controller, watermaker remote and fluid and electrical management.
The galley gets a proper on-camera workout, with the presenter cooking pasta and chorizo from local market produce. Countertops, sink, fridge and freezer are all there, well ventilated, with a sea view and easy conversation with guests at the chart table — a glass of local rosé included.
Belowdecks, the owner’s hull offers a double berth with three portholes, reading lamps, a USB socket and a power outlet beside the bed, a drawer under the mattress and four deep drawers. The private owner’s bathroom is the surprise: a porthole plus an overhead hatch for light and air, an electric toilet, access to the holding tank, good storage and a shower the 183cm presenter fits into comfortably — genuinely unusual on a 38-footer.
The guest hull holds two similar cabins, aft and forward, both with large beds, portholes, reading lights, wardrobes, big drawers and plenty of sockets. Between them sits the guest heads, roomy, with decent shower headroom and a clever door system that wastes no space.
Where the market sits
The Catsmart is a new-generation design, and availability reflects that. On YachtSite.com, the picture is simple:
| Active Bali 38 Catsmart listings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Asking price | $330,000 |
| Median asking | $330,000 |
This particular boat is a 2026 model, listed as S/V Bali 38 Catsmart with broker Eric Macklin. As the video’s host concludes, there aren’t many trade-offs here for a 38-footer — the ideas that define the bigger Balis have been fitted in, not watered down.