Alexis de Boucaud tours hull number five — a nearly-new bluewater cat with a raised helm, cavernous volume, and serious pedigree.
Broker Alexis de Boucaud met us at the Canet yard for a walk-through of S/V HEBY, hull number five of the Catana 50 Ocean Class and a 2023 build that looks and feels barely used. It’s a boat that carries a lot of Catana DNA — daggerboards, blue-water bones, and a performance mindset — while pushing the brand into new territory on volume, payload, and creature comforts.
A New Kind of Catana Helm
The headline exterior feature is the raised helm — a first for Catana. All lines are led back to the station, which is fitted with four two-speed Harken electric winches and a Raymarine plotter and instruments. Cleverly, the design also gives easy step-down access to the mainsail, so you get elevated visibility without sacrificing hands-on sail handling.
Rig-wise, the boat carries a Marechal aluminum mast, with the flexibility to run an overlapping genoa or a self-tacking solent on a dedicated track, plus a Code Zero. Twin Yanmar 80 hp diesels handle propulsion, an 11 kW Onan Cummins generator lives forward, and around 700 watts of solar is already installed with room on the coach roof for more. The massive daggerboards raise and lower electrically — a welcome upgrade on a boat this size.
Ground tackle sits in a proper anchor locker with a stainless windlass and stainless chain, and the tender is a 12-foot AB aluminum-bottom RIB with a Honda 20 hp four-stroke.
Volume That Changes the Conversation
Sliding doors open into a saloon that immediately feels bigger than expected. Headroom is well over seven feet, the settee wraps generously around an extending saloon table, and the forward saloon windows actually open — a genuinely useful ventilation feature underway or at anchor. The galley runs along the port side with an induction stove and oven, Corian countertops, a full household-size fridge with freezer below, and additional drawer fridge/freezer units you can configure to taste. Alexis singles out the chart table as the best-looking he’s seen on a Catana since the 582.
The owner’s hull to port is where the new-generation thinking really shows. Shallow, comfortable steps lead down past a hand-hold Alexis jokes is “worthy of the Titanic.” The cabin has a partial walk-around berth, oversized hull windows, and a master head with a big walk-in shower, separate WC, washing machine, and storage everywhere you look. Door widths and headroom are notably generous — think Sunreef territory, on a Catana.
The starboard hull carries a walk-around queen aft, a large head with a separate stall shower forward, and a forward cabin configured with two singles and a Pullman berth above — practical for family or crew, with the same abundance of hanging lockers and cabinets found throughout.
Market Snapshot
The Catana 50 remains a rare sight on the brokerage market. For context on where HEBY sits:
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| Recent solds (24 mo.) | 2 |
| Median sold price | $725,000 |
| Median days to sell | ~345 |
| Active listings | 1 |
| Current asking | $1,055,000 |
S/V HEBY is currently in Canet and will be based in Spain. To arrange a viewing or ask questions about specification and equipment, contact Alexis de Boucaud.