Aquila 46 Yacht Review (2025 Edition) by NautiStyles

On Deck

The signature Aquila swim ladder is set fully into the platform on tracks and is easy to launch and retrieve. Twin sugar scoops are tied together by a solid bridge section rather than a hydraulic platform on this model - the 46 is fixed, while the Aquila 50 has a hydraulic option. This solid span is the Stern Beach Club in practice − park the Seabob and toys, throw a couple of bean bags, and it’s an easy hangout. An overhead crane serves the tender that sits on the bridge between the scoops.

The cockpit has a big footprint for a 46 - dinner for ten is realistic with the fixed seating plus a couple of director’s chairs. Two bar stools face a convertible bar window to the galley − the pass-through works best left open in fair weather, Caribbean-style, with doors and window slid aside. Zero-threshold entry from cockpit to salon means you need serious drainage − twin scuppers and deep grates are fitted to evacuate green water fast if you take a lump over the stern. Under-sole stowage is generous and deep − you’ll also find the water-pressure pumps each side.

From the cockpit you can head forward the usual way, but one of the neat Aquila touches is how connected the whole exterior feels. Up forward, the bow is set up for social time: princess seats at the shoulders plus a full-beam bench with backrest with integrated cup holders. The central sunpad is fully convertible - seat it, lounge it, reconfigure as you like - with more cup holders sprinkled around. Hull-side glazing for the owner’s suite is clearly visible from deck - Aquila has left a gap above the lower pane so you appreciate the light path from outside and in.

The anchor locker is tidy and compact but highly organized − bridle/snubber ready, windlass with emergency handle, remote, and both salt and fresh washdowns. There’s a molded spot to clip the winch handle so it doesn’t go walkabout. Flanking lockers are vast for a 46ft boat open them and you discover the spaces link across with a staircase element inside.

Aquila gives you a foredeck-side staircase up to the fly rather than forcing you aft - in close-quarters or shorthanded docking you can jog three steps to the bow cleat for a line without the long detour. A small safety gate at the top lets you secure the fly for kids or dogs.

Three adjustable helm chairs with bolsters and sliders create a big-boat helm vibe. The helm fit includes dual chartplotters, Volvo Penta engine display, autopilot, VHF, bow thruster, searchlight control, horn and nav light switches, Fusion head unit, and dual fire suppression indicators - plus a compass and a glove box with USB. Cup-holder count borders on ridiculous (10 at the helm alone!) but no one’s complaining.  Tracks are already fitted for soft enclosures - the rails run the length of the sides so you can button up the fly in cooler climates. Abaft the helm there’s a large alfresco dining area for eight with convertible tables, plus an outdoor galley module with sink, built-in trash, drawer fridge, and a dedicated spot pre-wired for an electric grill. Aft is a massive sun-lounge with more cup holders and you can add a mesh shade to the rails if you want extra sun protection, with the hardtop giving baseline cover.

As soon as you step inside there’s a full-size residential fridge and freezer on starboard. Big side-by-side units that feel almost out of place on a 46. Underneath, a drawer is set up as a bar drawer with bottle storage and right next to it there’s a wine cooler. Keep going and you hit the galley proper: a deep sink, storage underneath, bins for trash, drawers everywhere. Two-burner cooktop on the counter. More storage tucked away including a narrow little spice locker. Microwave fitted above, oven below, or this space can be spec’d as a dishwasher. 

Instead of the usual vents in the side blowing across the cabin that often don’t really work, Aquila went with ceiling vents. Big ones. Cold air falls down and spreads evenly − it actually makes sense. There are also opening hatches overhead for natural cross-breeze.

Stepping into the salon, it’s clear this is still a lot of yacht for something under 50 feet. Lots of open seating, easy circulation, and storage under nearly everything. The floorplan has been updated so you’ve got symmetry both sides and more volume pushed forward.

If you want, you can spec an inside helm here. Even without it, this zone is full of tech access. VHF radio, CZone yacht management, Fusion stereo head unit, plus a switch panel for shore power, generator, high and low voltage, and Fire Boy indicators.  

Windows line the salon, including a forward window above the lower owner’s suite glass − so when you look forward you get a clean sightline through the bow. With the hatches open and those big windows, it feels airy, easy to move around, and practical for liveaboard time.

Owner's Cabin

The first thing that hits you on entering the full-beam owner's cabin is the view straight through the bow windows to the water ahead. You can stand here and look right through, all the way forward. It feels like they lifted the cabin right out of the 50 and shrunk it down for the 46, but without really losing anything somehow. No compromises. Honestly, you’d be happy with this cabin on a much bigger yacht.

The suite is loaded with storage. One whole side wall is basically shelving and cabinets. Deep cubbies, open shelves, and drawers that pull almost to your elbow. There’s even a little built-in jewelry case tucked into one of them. On the opposite side you get another bank of storage plus a mirror, more drawers, and closets. You could absolutely live aboard this boat and not run out of space for clothes and gear.

They even gave you a home office.  The cabin steps down a couple of risers − on the 50 it’s a flat floor, but here they’ve split the levels.  The ensuite is generous too. Plenty of storage around the sink and lockers, and a massive opening hatch over the head. The shower is separate, with a rain shower head and its own window. Depending on how optimistic you are, you could call it a one-person, one-and-a-half-person, or even a two-person shower. Either way it’s roomy. Ventilation is handled by both a hatch and AC vents. Imagine standing in that shower with the forward view out the cabin windows.

Guest Accommodation

The hull toured was set up as the three-cabin version, so guests get two equal cabins, one to port and one to starboard.

Drop down into the port hull and you can see huge glazing along the hull side with an opening hatch, plus another hatch overhead, so you get natural light and air moving through. The bed is a modified queen - easy to walk around and with nightstands on both sides. Each nightstand has storage under, and there’s a hanging locker, drawers, and more stowage under the berth. Overhead vents feed the AC, and each cabin has a fan too - so you can use it with or without the air-con to keep air circulatinge.

The ensuite is no afterthought. You could easily call the shower a two-person size. There’s storage in the vanity, a medicine cabinet, opening hatches, and a vent outlet so the shower space can dry properly. 

Cross over to the starboard side and you’ll find a mirror image. Same big queen berth, same hull window, same amount of stowage with hanging locker and under-berth storage. The ensuite is laid out like the port side too, with full-size shower, good ventilation, and more storage.

Power on Hull 1 is a pair of Volvo Penta D6s, 480 horsepower each, running straight shafts. Standard power is the Volvo D4s at 320 hp, but you can spec up to these D6 480s or even Yanmar 550s if you want more punch. Fuel capacity is 476 gallons split across main and reserve tanks per side.

Everything you’d want to get to is right there. Primary fuel filters on the outboard wall, sea strainers and through-hulls in plain sight, and clean access all the way around the engines for service or troubleshooting. Fire suppression is fitted for each engine space. Ventilation is strong, and when the AC plant is running you barely hear it - just a low hum rather than the usual production-cat roar. Steering components and the hydraulic actuator are easy to see and reach.

Behind the engines is a cavernous storage space that almost feels wasted if you don’t use it. Perfect spot for plastic totes loaded with spares, oils, and tools − basically your mechanical garage.

As for performance: with the Volvo D6s you’re looking at a cruising speed in the 16-18 knot range, topping out around 21 knots. The shallow draft means you can slip into skinny anchorages, and under 50 ft LOA makes dockage much easier to find in popular marinas. 

The Aquila 46 is aimed squarely at the owner-operator. Under 50 feet means it’s way easier to find marina slips, and with the shallow draft you can nose into anchorages and smaller harbors where bigger cats won’t fit. Docking and line handling are simple too - the stairway from the bow up to the fly makes it just three steps to grab a cleat if you’re shorthanded.

The layout flexibility is one of the big ownership talking points. Three cabins for private use, four cabins if you want to charter, and even five if you’re going all-in on guests. Aquila actually offers a package where you can put the boat into charter in a four-cabin layout for a year or two, then have it converted back to a private three-cabin version later. That’s unusual in this size and gives you resale leverage too - you can list it as “convertible three or four cabin” when the time comes.

And then there’s the Hydro Glide Foil System option - essentially a foil assist that lifts the boat for better efficiency and ride comfort. It’s a big-ticket upgrade but one Aquila has engineered into the platform.

Beyond that, owners can spec things like the flybridge grill, soft enclosures for the bridge (the tracks are already fitted), washer/dryer, kitchen appliances and the various cabin configurations. Together with the Category A rating, those options round out a package that can be tuned for private cruising or charter use, coastal runs or serious offshore passages.

Two rival catamarans worth considering when looking to buy an Aquila 46 would be the Prestige M48 and the Fountaine Pajot MY6.

With the Aquila 46, the whole point really is just how much boat they’ve managed to fit in under 50 feet. Full-beam owner’s suite that feels like it belongs on a bigger yacht, proper guest cabins each with their own ensuite, and then the flybridge that really carries the “big yacht” vibe with three helm chairs, outdoor galley, and room for a crowd.