A factory walkthrough in the south of France shows how Bali's bulkhead-free layout reshapes a 42-foot cruising catamaran.
Filmed at Canet-en-Roussillon on France’s Mediterranean coast, this walkthrough of the Bali 4.2 makes the case for the builder’s signature idea: take out the midship bulkhead, and a 42-footer starts living considerably larger than its numbers suggest. The boat on offer through broker Eric Macklin is a 2026 example, S/V Clover.
Starting at the helm
The tour opens at the flybridge helm, set in a low position and laid out for two. Sail controls fall to hand — a winch for the headsails, an electric winch for the main sheet and halyard — and the presenter points out a porthole that keeps the driver connected to the saloon below, with the rest of the flybridge and its sunbeds in view aft. The main can be trimmed from the helm through the bimini.
The headline numbers quoted on camera: 42 feet long, 23 feet of beam, roughly 4 feet of draft and around 12 tons, carrying up to 1,250 square metres of sail area (as stated in the video). Less wetted surface means less drag, and the result is a boat described as sailing genuinely well rather than merely moving.
A flybridge that earns its keep
Bali claims the 4.2 is the only boat in its category to offer flybridge sunbeds for two to three people, protected by headboards and ringed by four 110W solar panels feeding the boat’s autonomy. There’s also a “maxi transat” seating area for lounging, and — importantly — the flybridge doesn’t force a sky-high boom; the video puts it at only 4 to 5 feet above the deck. Access from both sides is easy, with handrails everywhere.
Engines are available as twin 30hp or twin 45hp. At 2,200 RPM, the presenter cites 7 to 8 knots for under 3 litres per hour, per engine.
The walkaround transom
Aft, the full-width bathing platform integrates a large toy locker, a retractable cleat, a dinghy davit operable from the helm via electric winch, hot-and-cold shower, a substantial boarding ladder, and a gas grill positioned to keep cooking smells outside.
Inside–outside living
The Bali concept turns on that missing midship bulkhead and the tilting aft door. Opened, the cockpit and saloon become one continuous volume: an aft lounge for four (with storage and a directly launchable life raft beneath the seat), a dining table for eight to ten with an integrated bar, two sliding side windows, and a choice of two armchairs or a larger sofa opposite. The galley benefits most from the open plan — double sink, generous fridge and freezer with a cold water dispenser, storage above, around and under the floorboards, and the stove set forward facing the sea by the tilting bay. A proper centre-boat chart table handles electronics and electrical controls with 360-degree visibility.
Foredeck and accommodation
The solid foredeck — “the real DNA of Bali catamarans,” as the video puts it — stiffens the structure and adds a forward cockpit with a table for six to eight, sunbeds, a large forepeak locker that can house sails or a generator, and two forepeaks that can take a berth on one side and a shower and head on the other. It’s reached directly from the saloon through the forward door.
In this owner’s version, guest quarters sit to starboard with wardrobes and direct access from the forward cabin to the shared bathroom; the central bathroom comes as either two heads with two showers, or one shared shower with two heads. The owner’s hull is bright and airy thanks to hull windows and portholes, with a wardrobe each, a makeup table, and an en suite roomy enough to sit and shower at sea — with space to add a washer and dryer.
Market snapshot
| Bali 4.2 solds (24 mo) | 5 |
|---|---|
| Median sold price | $600,000 |
| Median days to sell | ~261 |
| Active listings | 3 |
| Asking range | $415,000–$834,525 (median $449,000) |