The Aquila 54 power catamaran offers owners a range of options to create their ideal cruising vessel.

Sporting a 25-foot, 2-inch beam, the Aquila 54 power catamaran is not lacking when it comes to room for long-distance cruising and entertaining. Everything about this boat is spacious: The flybridge features an outdoor kitchen and room for toys, the swim step is made up of three sections that, when combined, stretch across the entire beam to create a massive deck and the interior is available in multiple configurations that include a five-cabin layout.

The wide flybridge offers easy access via the cockpit or the bow. The aft entrance comes via a set of architectural stairs with a gradual rise that is very similar to a home’s staircase. You can safely walk up and down the steps with some gear or food in your hands. From the flybridge, you can walk in front of the windshield and take the steps down to two large sun pads on the bow and the forward deck. The forward bridge access is a popular feature that Aquila uses on the 38, 44 and 48.

“Access from the bridge to the bow makes for a great cruising boat,” says Dave Bigge, vice president of Aquila International. “It makes for great single-handing and a great family boat. If you’ve got kids, you don’t have to send them down behind you when underway. They’re out in front of you, and you can see their movements on the boat.” It also makes docking and mooring much easier and safer.

The flybridge comes standard with a solid glass front window—no more isinglass. The sides and rear are open, but Aquila offers the option to install a hard enclosure to make the flybridge a sky lounge with a solid door frame, glass side windows and climate control. “The boat is designed to be built either way,” Bigge says, which is a new feature for Aquila.

A concealed davit sits flush under a deck lid on the bridge when not in use. The davit extends a boom over the stern to lift a dinghy onto a set of V blocks in the center section of the swimstep. The swimstep itself is made up of three sections: two 7-foot sections on each sponson and a 14-foot hydraulic middle section that lifts up and down. When in the down position, it makes one level platform that stretches across the stern and becomes a deck at water height.

“If you have friends come over and visit, they can just pull up and dock,” Bigge says.

Aquila has thought of just about every type of use an owner might have for this vessel and offers several layout configurations for the interior. Owners can opt for a three-cabin, full-beam master forward with two guest cabins in either side hull. There’s a four-cabin layout that keeps the master full-beam with one hull split into two guest cabins and the other hull offering a VIP that’s a little larger. A five-cabin arrangement creates four equal-size guest cabins and a smaller master with a reading nook. Skylight windows wrap around the cabin, letting in plenty of natural light without compromising privacy since the windows are up high. You can see out when standing, but you’re completely secluded when lying down.

Aquila also offers a galley-up or galley-down plan. With the galley-up option, the aft window opens up to a bar area complete with stools and fold-away counter. Guests can sit out in the cockpit and talk to the chef in the galley. And there’s plenty of space to cook up a feast, thanks, in part, to a much appreciated full-size refrigerator.

In the four-cabin layout, Aquila moves the galley down, providing room for a formal dining area and additional seating in the salon. In this configuration, the galley has a separate access point, so a crew can come and go without entering the salon.

The hull of the 54 is designed for efficient, smooth running and sports a bulbous bow, a design element Aquila has used for some time. While more torpedo-shaped than the bulbs you see on commercial ships, the appendage adds buoyancy to the bow. Catamarans are slender at the entry point, and as a result, the bow dives deeper when in rough seas. When you add a bulb to the bow, you increase buoyancy so the bow doesn’t dive as deep when you go over a wave and into the trough.

“Have you ever tried to push a basketball under the water?” Bigge says when explaining the bulb’s effectiveness. “It’s amazing how difficult it is. You’re adding that kind of buoyancy to the bow of boat when you put a bulb on it.”

The bulb also lengthens the waterline to improve the pitching point, so the boat runs smoother through the water and more efficiently. And should you hit something, the bulb is sacrificial, meaning it will take the impact and not penetrate the hull.

Boaters interested in the 54 aren’t the type who like to stay tied to the dock. This boat is meant to get out and explore, to island hop and put some water behind the stern. Aquila offers twin 360-hp Volvo D6 diesels as standard power, pushing the boat to a projected top end between 24 and 28 knots and a comfortable cruise between 18 and 20 knots, with a 480 nautical mile range. You can also opt for the more powerful Cummins 550 power package.

Built for cruising in comfort, the Aquila 54 provides a stable, spacious platform that you can truly make your own … and carve out your next adventure.

Aquila 54 Specifications:

LOA: 54’2”
Beam: 25’2”
Draft: 4’6”
Displ.: 52,367 lbs.
Fuel: 581 gal.
Water: 238 gal.
Power: 2/380-hp Volvo D6
Base Price: $2 million