Fusion 40 review: design, build & ownership
The Gary Lidgard design story, the kit-cat build model, what to check on survey, and what four Fiji seasons taught us about ours.
Read the review
From liveaboard owners, not a brochure
The Mā Tori blog
We've owned, refitted and sailed our Fusion 40 across the Pacific — and before that, we did the same research you're doing now. This blog is the honest reading we wish we'd had: what the brands are actually like, what surveys find, and where the value hides. Every post has open comments, and readers' stories are welcome too. Full disclosure: our own boat is for sale, and we'd rather earn your trust than your click.
Start here
Best cruising catamarans under $500k
What US$500k actually buys across Lagoon, Leopard, Fountaine Pajot, Bali, Nautitech and the owner-built fleet — with honest trade-offs.
See the listBuying a catamaran in New Zealand
Why NZ is a smart place to buy, how Cat 1 certification de-risks your purchase, GST for overseas buyers, and delivery options.
Read the guideUS tariffs & buying a sailboat in 2026
Tariffs follow the boat's country of build — and only bite when you import. Rates by origin, state taxes, and the cruising-licence route around the bill.
Read the guideThe Catamaran Buyer's Pack · USD $39
Every checklist we wish we'd had: pre-survey, survey day, sea trial, Cat 1 prep, the US tariff worksheet and seller questions — printable and boatyard-ready.
Get the packPassage & season planning
Fountaine Pajot FP48 and FP55: what changed, and what a used Fusion 40 buyer should take from it
The two new cats from Cannes 2026: the builder's numbers, the two weights printed for each boat, the ODSea+ hybrid in plain terms, the euro prices, and what a sorted used 40 footer buys instead.
Read the guideAnnapolis Sailboat Show 2026: the boats and kit we would go and look at
15 to 18 October at City Dock. The Knysna 550, Vaan R4, Balance 502 and Tartan 34, a lithium gas alarm, a 450 Ah battery and a boat monitor, and what we would ask at each one.
Read the guideLow power watermaker for a sailboat: what is new in 2026 and what a cat with solar can run
The Cruiser Services CS-40 and Dessalator's brushless D60 and D100 in watt-hours a litre, against energy recovery units and a 700 W solar array. What to check before buying.
Read the guideKnysna 550 catamaran: a 20 tonne bluewater cat with a solar version, and what it asks of a couple
A 55 ft semi-custom cat with its first public showing at Annapolis on 15 October 2026. The builder's numbers, Sky Lounge against Solar Explorer, and what nobody has published yet.
Read the guideNew sailing gear 2026: small upgrades from Southampton we would fit on a cruising cat
Soft shackles, a self-launching anchor, radar tank senders, fender toggles, a slim VHF with Class B+ AIS and brushless watermakers. What each fixes on a cat and what to check before buying.
Read the guideTwo Golden Globe Race 2026 boats stopped in the first fortnight. A chainplate and an HF radio
The chainplate crack was seen before the start. What happened to both boats, the rig checks to do before an offshore passage, and why we carry two comms systems that share nothing.
Read the guideA very strong El Niño is under this cyclone season. What it changes for boats in Fiji and NZ
The forecaster says it may become the strongest on record. Where cyclones go in El Niño years, what 1997 and Winston showed, and the order we would make the decisions in.
Read the guideDoubled lines, extra fenders, still sank. Preparing a boat for a cyclone in a marina
Sun Seeker sank in her slip in Hurricane Lowell after a dock cleat broke. What to check on the dock, marina berth against a pit or the hard, chafe gear and the insurance clause.
Read the guideA family was winched off Elizabeth Reef at 4am. The night passage habits that stop it
A 10 m yacht hit a reef 120 km off the Whitsundays with the plotter showing deep water. Why the screen lies near coral, what satellite imagery catches, and why we stand off till daylight.
Read the guideA yacht hit a whale off Norfolk Island. What we'd do on a catamaran
Tai Tam's crew spent the night in a life raft 250 miles north of Norfolk. Where the water comes in on a cat, why sealed bulkheads buy you hours, and the first ten minutes on our boat.
Read the guideSeptember 2026 on the water
A record El Niño under the run south, Fiji and Tonga fining boats that skip the arrival notice, the new cats at Cannes, and a used-catamaran market that favours buyers.
Read the round-upClimatology is not a forecast
One names the season, the other names the day, and confusing them is how good crews end up in bad weather. Where the handover falls, and why a long-range chart manufactures deadlines that don't exist.
Read the guideFiji to New Zealand: timing the passage south
The window, the squash zone, waiting for the pattern, Minerva Reef, and the arrival paperwork — from four consecutive crossings.
Plan the passageCyclone season: where the fleet goes
New Zealand, Australia, a Fiji cyclone pit, north, or haul out — the five options compared, and what your insurer actually requires.
Compare your optionsSail the passage yourself
We take crew on the NZ–Fiji crossings. No offshore experience needed — real watches on a Cat 1 certified boat.
Join the crewCruising life
The four things that actually stop people going cruising
Money, boat, people or permission. Most people spend years working hard on the wrong one — usually the boat, because it's the most enjoyable blocker and the easiest place to hide. Two honest tests to find which is really yours.
Read the guideStarlink's new rules for cruising sailors
Global Roam is gone and Roam Unlimited now stops 30 days after you leave home. What the August 2026 changes actually mean afloat.
Read the explainerCatamaran reefing guide · in Tools
Drag the wind speed and watch the sail plan change — reef points, headsail settings and code 0 limits — then spin the wind-angle dial for trim at every point of sail.
Open the reefing sliderWatch builder · in Tools
Pick the crew and the watch system, see the rota across the clock, and find out how much sleep each person really banks — and on which night it stops being enough.
Build your watchesAnchor scope calculator · in Tools
Depth, tide, bow height and forecast in; chain to lay and your swing circle out, drawn to scale — with a warning if you don’t carry enough for it.
Work out your scopeSurvey deal-breaker quiz · in Tools
Ten questions about the catamaran you keep looking at. Walk away, negotiate, proceed — or not yet — plus the list of what you still need to ask.
Take the quizConnect PredictWind to Starlink
Starlink can’t track your boat on its own. The Tracker app vs a DataHub, the full wiring and settings, and the troubleshooting that fixes most of it.
Read the setup guideStarlink Personal Maritime: the US$185 cruiser plan
No 30-day clock, unlimited data inside 12 nm, boats to 60 ft — and Ocean Mode tripling to US$6 a gig on 27 September. The passage maths for a Pacific season.
Read the explainerStarlink 30-day rule workarounds
Account localisation in Fiji, Priority-month strategy, season sequencing and the backup layer — keeping a Pacific cruise connected in 2026.
Read the playbookThe Offshore Starlink Playbook · free
The worksheets and plan picker that turn the free Starlink guides into your season plan: Personal Maritime, Roam or Priority, and what the passages will cost. Rebuilt September 2026 and now free for your email address.
See the playbookHead-to-head comparisons
Fusion 40 vs Lagoon 42
Light performance cruiser meets the world's best-selling catamaran. Weight, space, sailing feel and price-for-capability.
CompareFusion 40 vs Leopard 40
Robertson & Caine's charter-bred workhorse against an owner-refitted kit cat — including what ex-charter surveys find.
CompareFusion 40 vs Fountaine Pajot Isla 40
The modern French favourite (plus Astrea 42) against a proven Pacific passage-maker at half the price.
CompareFusion 40 vs Bali Catsmart
Two opposite philosophies: Bali's one-level living concept vs a light bluewater cat built to cross oceans.
CompareOwner-built & kit cats vs production
The resale myth, build variance, survey strategy — and where Nautitech, Outremer and Catana fit in the picture.
Read the guideSee how ours compares in person
Mā Tori is the boat behind these guides — refitted 2022, Cat 1, four Fiji seasons. Viewable in NZ or Fiji.
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Your turn at the helm
Write for the blog
Sailed one of these boats? Crossed to Fiji yourself? Disagree with something we wrote? We publish reader stories, passage reports and well-argued counterpoints — with your byline. Send us the idea and we'll shape it together.
Prefer to just comment? Every post has a comments section at the bottom — jump in there.
Follow the journey
Occasional updates from the crew — passages, islands, and first word when Mā Tori finds her new owners.