One of the most popular catamarans built in France is the Fountaine Pajot Astréa 42. This luxury catamaran was designed by naval architects Michel Joubert and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost as a high performance cruising yacht for long distance ocean crossings and fast offshore sailing. The hulls are made of fiberglass, with a glass foam core and the deck structure is made of glass fiber. The Boat uses proprietary interior finishings to ensure a refined luxury experience.

The Fountaine Pajot Astréa 42 is available in two basic models: The Classic model comes with twin helm stations and offers three double cabins (one most forward and two aft), a large saloon with an open galley, and a headroom of 6.5’6″ in the saloon and 7′ in the cabins. An innovation in this model is the position of the standard fixed skylight: located between both hulls directly above the saloon, rather than being located on the roof to maximize headroom.

The Performance model offers a helm station in the starboard hull and two cabins of 6’11″, with a forward double cabin in the main hull and an aft twin cabin that can be converted into a large double by sliding the berth together. The saloon has additional seating along with a galley located on the starboard side, along with an additional head.

Both models offer a generous amount of living space, excellent performance in all conditions and stability due to their twin-hull design. The Astréa 42 is considered by many sailors to be one of the best boats ever built.