The Nautitech Open40 is a tropical world cruiser's dream catamaran. Not only does it look better than your run of the mill Lagoon or Leopard, but it sails better, too. This boat will sail faster and point higher than any of those condo-catamarans. Beyond the sailing prowess, the Open40 is designed from the ground up for living the outdoor lifestyle to its fullest. No other similar-sized catamaran has this sort of cockpit space.

The huge cockpit table is perfect for every big family meal or board game competition, and the long couches ideal for afternoon book reading in the shade. And on those long boring ocean crossing days at sea you'll really appreciate that there is room for the whole crew to lounge around outdoors comfortably.

Underway, the Garmin autopilot does all the work for you as you circle the globe, but when you do need to take the wheel you can do so from port or starboard under the cover of the bimini. In heavy rains, you can just grab the autopilot remote control and make adjustments from inside if you like.

Raising and adjusting sails is easy, with everything you need right there in the cockpit. Raise the main with your muscles, or just tap the switch on the electric winches. And what could be more simple than a self-tacking jib? This boat is simple for even a single-handed sailor.

When you get where you're going you can even drop the anchor from the cockpit if you like, with an automatic windlass and chain counter it's easy to get it right. Or head up on deck and grab the remote control to drop and raise the massive 65# Mantus anchor which always bites on the first try.

Now that you've gotten where you were going it's time to drop the dinghy in the water and go. Again, you don't even have to leave the cover of the cockpit to do so. The davit system on this boat is perfection. The dinghy stores easily with the 15hp Yamaha still locked on. Within seconds the dinghy is in the water to go, or back up again to store at night for peace of mind when at anchor.

Everything about the Nautitech Open40 was designed to make it an easy to sail, fast cruiser, that is comfortable underway or at anchor. It truly is the perfect world cruiser.

The living space is what has made this Open40 such a perfect home on the water. No space was overlooked in this design. Comfort and shade can be found everywhere. And when you're living on a boat you want to feel like you're a part of nature. You want to live with the doors and windows wide open. You want to lay on the couch outside, not tucked away in a hull somewhere. This boat has that in mind, all the time.

Again, storage is everywhere. Heck, there's even a built in, hidden, spice rack that we didn't find for months. Big sink, three-burner stove, oven, two large refrigerators, and lots of counter space round out a great galley.

The aft staterooms are huge. Both have comfortable queen sized beds and tons of storage. Top windows, side hatches, as well as three fans in each room keep the air flowing and the rooms cool while still providing tons of light when the shades are up.

The forward berths are nearly as large as the aft, thanks to the ingenious design of the hulls on the Nautitech. And like the aft bedrooms, the large hatches, shades, and multiple fans keep the rooms cool.

The 30hp Volvos are more than enough to keep the boat moving quickly when the winds disappear. One engine will easily move you along at 5.5 knots, or you can fire them both up for cruising at 7.5 if you are in a hurry. And for those that aren't familiar with cats, the twin engines make maneuvering the boat incredibly simple. Spin it around on a dime, tweak it in sideways, fast, or slow, you never have to worry about docking in this boat. And with the helm stations located where they are you can even handle the lines as you pull alongside the dock to make yourself look like a real pro in front of the dock gawkers.

1320 Watts of solar produce an insane amount of power. Today's modern electronics aren't built with power saving in mind, so your solar array has to do more work than ever before. Fortunately, power is never an issue on this boat. With all that solar feeding into 840ah of Lifeline batteries (and two starter batteries) you'll have more than enough for weeks at anchor.

And while you're at anchor, the Rainman watermaker—a flawless piece of hardware— is cranking out 37 gallons of fresh water per hour. The boat itself has 145 gallons of tankage and keeping them topped up with this powerful watermaker is easy. We're the only boat in the anchorage who pulls in, drops anchor, then gives the boat a refreshing freshwater washdown.