One shimmering summer’s day in the northern Adriatic, we spotted the sailing yacht known simply as A anchored in the haze, easily identified from afar by her unmistakable, angular silhouette, as if designed on origami principles. We headed over, but soon realized she was a lot farther off than we thought, as she didn’t seem to be getting much closer. She was clearly a lot bigger than she looked. 

Overhead view of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran's teak foredeck, featuring white wrap-around bow seating with patterned and yellow accent pillows, a large central sunpad, and an open sunroof looking down into the helm station, set against deep turquoise water.

In a way, this mirrored our own situation, as we were aboard another boat that, from the side, anyway, was also a lot bigger than it looked—the new Prestige M8 Evo.

That’s Evo as in ‘evolution,’ and the M8 catamaran has indeed evolved into a more advanced life form, especially on the main deck, which on the original model was already the size of an airport lounge, and now boasts even more floor area. It was a simple fix, involving the removal of the internal upper deck companionway. This made room for a truly civilized eight-seat dining table, a bigger galley, and improved sightlines, while the most vestigial of lower helm stations barely intrudes—especially as it’s hidden inside a cabinet. Nothing detracts from the impression that the Evo is not so much a boat as a mobile waterside apartment.

Interior view of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran's main salon, featuring a plush cream sofa and coffee tables on the left, a dark wood dining table with black and tan chairs beside a panoramic window overlooking the ocean at dusk on the right, and an open view forward toward the galley and helm station.

With a beam measurement that would not disgrace a 150-footer, it’s no surprise that this sense of immensity is carried up to the flybridge, shaded by its huge hardtop, with the helm position front and center, and seating, eating, and lounging spaces co-existing comfortably around the space, as if in some luxury furniture showroom. The cockpit, too, is vast and versatile. The M8 is an enormous boat for its length.

But of course it’s also a catamaran, so everything changes when you head downstairs. The maximum beam in each hull is about 10 feet 6 inches—better than some, but still not a lot of space for the designers to play with. And the hull shape means the berths in the guest cabins have to be set pretty high. In the standard layout there are two en suite double cabins in the port hull and another two, a double and a twin, to starboard. There is an option of a single VIP cabin to port, which would not only be very long and thin but also, unfortunately, bifurcated by that immovable companionway. No M8 customer has asked for it so far. There is also the option of replacing one of the cabins with the galley, to create even more space on the main deck. Again, no takers.

Spacious teak aft cockpit of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran, featuring two blue woven lounge daybeds with accent pillows flanking a low glossy blue and wood coffee table, wide glass sliding doors opening into the main salon, and a floating staircase leading to the flybridge, overlooking turquoise water and a pine-covered shoreline.

The owner’s stateroom, on the other hand, enjoys its own mezzanine deck level forward, and extends across the full beam of the M8, all on one level, with the head and shower compartment on the port side, reached through a capacious dressing room, and the substantial double bed to starboard. Height could have been an issue here, but with some judicious styling tweaks, the designers have successfully disguised the headroom built in to these forward sections, which at 6 feet 4 inches is only slightly less than in the guest cabins. 

Driving a catamaran really isn’t like driving any other vessel. At the upper helm of the M8 you’re right in the center of the boat, and on our glassy sea even the most enthusiastic steering inputs produced no heel whatsoever. It was like driving a tennis court. The new Evo sports the same 730-horsepower MANs as its predecessor, which provide ample power for fairly sedate cruising—we clocked 21 knots in a two-way run, but she’s comfortable, quiet, and a good deal more economical trundling along between 12 and 16 knots. 

Elevated view of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran's expansive teak flybridge, featuring a light gray L-shaped lounge sofa in the aft section, a covered alfresco dining area with a wooden table under the hardtop, an outdoor wet bar and grill to starboard, and a French flag mounted on the stern railing over rippling blue water.

Sailing yacht A grew larger with the reluctance of a distant island at the end of a long passage. But we did eventually reel her in, and then circled slowly, scratching our heads at her bizarre appearance and marveling at her size. She was certainly impressive—huge, weird, alien. But she didn’t look like much fun. Perhaps she was taking herself a little too seriously.

Our M8, on the other hand—again, no slouch in the size department in her own right—offered an appealing alternative take. I didn’t have to think too long about which one I’d rather be aboard.

Interior view of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran's full-beam master stateroom, featuring a king-size bed with white linens and mustard-yellow accent pillows set against a black and gold geometric headboard wall, warm LED recessed ceiling lighting, a globe bedside lamp, a gray corner loveseat, a vanity desk on the left, and an open doorway leading into a walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom.

Prestige M8 Evo Specifications:

LOA: 65’
Beam: 29’
Draft: 5’5” 
Displ. : 90,653 lb. 
Fuel: 978 gal.
Water: 224 gal.
Power: 2/730-hp MAN i6 
Price: from $5,982,000

Top-down aerial view of the Prestige M8 Evo luxury motor catamaran's aft teak hydraulic swim platform and twin-hull stern over crystal-clear turquoise water, showing two women sunbathing on the stepped platform—one in a purple one-piece swimsuit and another wearing a wide-brimmed dark sun hat—while a man climbs out of the water at the edge and another person looks down from the flybridge above.
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This article originally appeared in the November 2026 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.