Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 Sea Trial: Experience sharing

Appreciating the design of a sailboat often comes down to very personal criteria. What some find beautiful leaves others indifferent. On rare occasions, certain boats achieve unanimity. The Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 is one of them. Sleek, very wide, topped with an immense flying bridge but remaining harmoniously slim thanks to its reduced boom height, this boat has a lot of style. The attention it attracts is almost embarrassing at the dock or at anchor when everyone wants to see it and circles around… One thing is certain, the Aura 51 is a very attractive boat and even more so when seen in person.

An impressive rear cockpit
The boat is particularly impressive seen from behind, with its nearly 26.5-foot width and its impressive Tenderlift platform. This retractable hydraulic platform connects the two swim platforms and allows for easy movement from one hull to another at the rear when it is lowered. It also enables extremely easy launching and recovery of the dinghy. You board the boat via one of the rear platforms – surfaced in teak, just like the entire aft cockpit.

The aft cockpit, 19.5-feet wide, features a table for ten people on the starboard side, which can be extended using a clever mechanism. There is plenty of storage space below the flooring and under the cockpit benches.

On the starboard side, next to the bench that closes the cockpit, the plancha which may seem to be only a gadget but, built by a specialist in cooking on board, it serves nicely as an outdoor kitchen powered by gas. There’s no risk of fire like with a traditional barbecue where the debris is carried away by the wind. Practical and well-sized, we use it all the time.

On the left side of the table, at a higher level and sheltered under the canopy, there is a daybed that proves to be a very coveted spot – protected from sun and wind but still exposed to fresh air. On the other side, a drink refrigerator and an ottoman define the cockpit in front of the staircase leading up to the cockpit. On each side, there are two aft winches for a spinnaker or code sail.

Trampoline and foredeck lounge

You access the front deck by using gangways that are so wide that no contortions are necessary to get to the front. A bow occupied by two trampolines (which limit the weight on the bow compared to a decked bow) and a very welcoming foredeck lounge, is absolutely perfect for enjoying a drink in the evening, al fresco. A small table folds up and conceals the electric windlass, whose chain is invisible without opening the generator compartment located just behind it.

At the tip of each bow, there are two balcony chairs ideal for contemplation… The foredeck lounge easily transforms into a sunbathing area; you just need to fold down the seats. These seats are securely fastened to the boat and you can navigate with these cushions in place without risking losing them.

Cockpit and flying bridge

The cockpit and the flying bridge are accessed from the aft cockpit or from the starboard gangway via the cockpit. It is mounted in a slight recess which positions the skipper half a level below the floor level of the flying bridge. This intelligent arrangement makes it possible to significantly reduce the height of the boom with two major advantages. The massive sail of over 1022ft2 remains accessible from the flybridge deck – reassuring and also essential on a sailboat of this size where it is necessary to be able to reduce or send the canvas without putting the skipper in difficulty. And then this boom placed at a reasonable height contributes to the overall successful appearance of this catamaran.

The steering station places in the helmsman’s hand a very attractive black composite wheel and, at his fingertips, three winches, two of which are electric, which allow the mainsail to be hoisted (the presence of a crew member at the foot of the mast is highly recommended, due to potential friction created by the angles and the powerful electric winches).

Once hoisted, the mainsheet and genoa sheet both go to an electric winch, and the mainsail halyard remains on the last one. A piano with four blockers holds the three reefs (only the first is automatic) and the mainsail halyard.

Opting not to have three automatic reefs is indeed beneficial since their increased number of redirects and pulleys often makes them difficult to manipulate. Moreover, with powerful electric winches, forcing any reluctant reef can potentially result in damaging equipment and unpleasant situations… An MFD screen displaying repeaters and Garmin autopilot control are installed up there. The Garmin autopilot can also be remotely controlled via Quatix 6 or 7 smartwatches or other smart devices. Another screen dedicated to electric propulsion management and energy systems is located near the electrical panel along with two small levers controlling electric motors.

The salon

To enter the salon, one can decide to completely conceal the sliding door on one side, leaving the entire back of the salon open. The galley is placed lengthwise on the port side so the cooks are well-located close to the hungry crew at the outdoor table. Equipped with two deep sinks, a large three-burner stove, an oven, two large drawer-style refrigerators, and a central island, it would not look out of place in a modern apartment.

Facing the kitchen, there’s a living area with a coffee table, whose modern light upholstery and gray-toned flooring are in stark contrast to the blue velvet atmosphere and dark varnished wood of old pleasure sailboats. The salon also features a television for those who prefer reality TV over reality itself, present everywhere during sailing vacations.

The navigation table has completely disappeared in favor of an MFD screen mounted in the entrance area, with a second “power” screen dedicated to propulsion and a set of remote-controlled switches that control all DC 12V functions and incorporate various gauges of ​​the boat.

The Cabins

This first Aura 51 Smart Electric is offered in a version with 5 cabins. On the port side, there is a rear owner’s cabin with its own bathroom (double sink, large shower, and separate toilet) and a front cabin with a large double island bed and its own full bathroom with electric toilet. The large rear cabin also includes an armchair, a dressing room…and another television!

On the other side, there are three cabins. The rear cabin is accessed from the aft through a gullwing door. It is the smallest one, as part of the cockpit structure extends into this cabin but it still has its own bathroom with an electric toilet. Both central and front starboard cabins are equipped with island beds (beds that can be walked around) and have their own full bathrooms.

The headroom height is approximately 6.6-feet throughout except for the door frames where taller people have to lower their heads. But if they’re sailing, they’re used to it!

Sailing on the Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 Smart Electric

This beautiful catamaran, weighing nearly 25 tons when loaded, relies on its powerful rigging to bring it to life. The first in the series is equipped with a 1022.2 ft2 gaff mainsail and a 635ft2 genoa. With almost 1658ft2 of sail area, that’s 21ft2 more than Pen-Duick III, the aluminum ketch skippered by Tabarly in crewed races – which was none other than the most powerful aluminum sailboat ever built!

This means there is plenty of horsepower in these 1658ft2 of sail area. A surface that remains easily manageable for two reasons. The boom has been placed at a height compatible with sailing (Editor’s note: this is not always the case) and the two electric winches allow you to handle these large surfaces effortlessly. However, one must be careful not to force anything and maneuver gently because if something gets stuck, it won’t be easy to free it manually.

Once rigged even in light winds, the boat moves forward. With just a little bit of wind at around 10 knots, we sailed at a speed of about 4 knots under sail alone and over 10 knots with winds of 15/20 knots. At these speeds, choppy waves have little effect as this powerful vessel plows through three-foot-high waves without flinching.

Taking down the sails is not a problem but requires some physical strength to bring back all that canvas and store it in the lazy bag. The genoa rolls up using winches while being careful to stop if there is any resistance felt in the furling line.

Using Electric Motors on the Aura Smart Electric

This new kind of catamaran is equipped with two electric motors powered by batteries and a generator. It is such an innovative concept that we have detailed the characteristics and performance of the electric propulsion system of the Aura 51 Smart Electric in another article.

In day-to-day use, the electric motors are easy to live with. They produce hardly any vibration, no smoke, and produce only a very slight sound that is incomparably less stressful than that of the traditional diesel engines usually installed on these catamarans. The battery range lasts for four hours at five knots or one hour at seven knots.

If there is a need to navigate for longer periods using the engine, a powerful generator is capable of ensuring the operation of the engines at 7 knots for as long as necessary. During operation, this generator is significantly quieter than two diesel engines. The increase in comfort is very noticeable. It also represents a fuel consumption saving of more than 13,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 140 tons of CO2 over the course of a 5.5-year management program. In terms of handling, apart from their smaller control lever, there is nothing that distinguishes electric maneuvers from diesel ones. One only becomes aware of the high torque generated by the machines which makes “jolts” less violent when stopping the boat.

At Anchor on the Aura 51 Smart Electric

But it is once sheltered in a peaceful cove that the Aura 51 Smart Electric produces its most beautiful effect. Do you want to go ashore? With a press of the Tenderlift control, the dinghy is in the water, floating before realizing that the operation is finished! This hydraulic platform is also convenient for scuba divers who can lower it and facilitate their ascent on board with their tanks on their backs.

An advantage immediately resulting from the presence of a lot of energy stored in the engine batteries and the large surface area of the solar panels, this boat can remain, silently and without using its generator, for entire days at anchor.

It is also while at anchor that one realizes the usefulness of different outdoor spaces which allow everyone, especially in this configuration with 5 cabins, to preserve their privacy. In front, on the flying bridge, on a sunbed in the cockpit or inside a cabin there is always an available spot for a moment of solitude.

Elegant, spacious, comfortable, seaworthy and capable of moving silently with its engine while having great autonomy; Fountaine Pajot’s Aura 51 has many advantages up its sleeve.

This avant-garde catamaran prefigures the new generation of hybrid electric sailboats equipped with electric motors and generators. The generator being destined to be replaced by a clean alternative like fuel cells in future. Only finding a fuel capable of delivering acceptable autonomy remains to complete this loop!

See more details, specs and layouts for the new Aura 51 Smart Electric catamaran here.

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