Iliad Catamarans 53F Reviewed

The Iliad Catamarans 53F is a flybridge version of the 53-foot sedan and electric models the builder offers. This is the smallest length overall in Iliad’s range, which extends to 75 feet, but the 53F’s additional flybridge deck and 25-foot beam allow for the kind of guest spaces and customizations that luxury catamaran owners have come to expect.

Up top, the 53F’s helm is on centerline, with a bench seat and an adjacent lounge for guests. Abaft that is space for more loungers, or a bar with a Kenyon grill, sink, refrigerator and stowage, all enclosed in cabinetry. The flybridge is open aft for freestanding lounges, chairs or an optional winch for a second tender—in addition to the 1,000-pound tender that can stow on the hydraulic swim platform.

In fact, beyond the superstructure, almost any customization is possible. The first 53F, sold to a Miami resident, has a three-stateroom layout for family cruises in the islands. The en suite owner’s stateroom fills the starboard hull and has a privacy door, oversize queen berth, hanging closets, a vanity/desk and a lounge.

Iliad’s 53F is designed and built as a power cat. It is not a converted sailing catamaran. Construction is GRP with a dense PVC core and infused vinylester resin lamination. Tanks are high-grade aluminum. The engine rooms are accessed via a main-deck hatch, and fuel tanks are accessible beneath a stateroom sole. Build time is about nine months.

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