Balance 442 "Lasai" -- ex DEMO BOAT

"Lasai" is a Balance 442 performance-cruising catamaran designed by Phillip Berman and Anton du Toit and built by Balance Catamarans in Cape Town, South Africa. Launched in late 2023 and showcased as DEMO boat at the International Multihull Show in La Grande-Motte 2024, she represents the Balance ethos: a light, carbon-reinforced, daggerboard catamaran that blends true sailing performance with comfort and easily managed sail handling.

Specifications

• Designer: Phillip Berman & Anton du Toit

• Builder: Balance Catamarans, Cape Town, South Africa

• Model: Balance 442

• Length overall: 13.50 m (44'4")

• Beam: 7.60 m (24'11")

• Draft: 1.15 m / 3'9" (boards up) - 2.15 m / 7'1" (boards down)

• Light displacement: approx. 10,750 kg

• Sail area (main + self-tacking jib): ~112 m² / 1,205 sq ft

• Mast height above waterline: ~65'5"

• Fuel capacity: 2 × 400 L (2 × 106 gal)

• Fresh water capacity: 2 × 350 L (2 × 92 gal)

• Black water tanks: 2 × 42 L (2 × 11 gal)

• Engines: Twin Yanmar diesel, saildrives, with a bit more than 600 working hours

Highlights

• Carbon-reinforced composite construction with foam core for strength and weight savings

• Twin daggerboards for upwind performance and shoal-draft versatility

• Fractional sloop rig with self-tacking jib for easy single/short-handed handling

• Bright interior with U-shaped galley, generous storage, and approx. 6'8" (203 cm) headroom

• Proven offshore design: light, efficient, and seakindly with excellent bridgedeck clearance

The agile multi-tasker is SAIL magazine's Best Boat winner for 2023.

She's the ideal performance cruiser for island hoppers yet fully capable of trans-oceanic adventure travel. With her carbon reinforced foam core hulls and powerful sail plan the Balance 442 is a fast and able voyager. With her powerful 1, 205-square foot-sail plan the Balance 442 ghosts along in 5 knots of wind while others are burning diesel. But when it's blowing, furl in her headsails, reef her down, and fly. She is built to withstand the worst weather.

Configuration

• Owner's version (3 cabins) with daggerboards, hull colour: white.

Rig & Sails

• Ullman fully-battened square-top mainsail, ADSL tri-radial grey laminate, with Sunbrella stack pack.

• Ullman furling jib, ADSL tri-radial grey laminate with Sunbrella UV cover.

• Ullman screecher (CZ60 silver fabric) with Facnor hardware

• Spinnaker hardware fitted to mast and deck

• Asym Spinnaker

• Canvas sunshade for front tramp
  

• Harken winches:

  1 × 40.2 STA manual on port foredeck (spinnaker & Code-0 halyard).

  • 2 × 40.2 STA manual aft (lifting dinghy, daggerboards, spinnaker/Code-0).

• Fishbone boom upgrade.

Propulsion & Running Gear

• Engine upgrade: 2 × Yanmar 3JH40CR (40 hp) with SD60 saildrives (upgrade from 30 hp).

• Propellers: 2 × Bruntons Varifold 3-blade 18" × 15" folding props.

• Epoxy barrier coat + 2 coats black self-polishing antifouling.

Energy, Power & Outlets

• 48 V / 20 kWh lithium-ion system (upgrade from gel), with 220 V supply to galley / cooker top / microwave / water heaters.

• Induction cooktop: Smeg 220 V, 60 cm, 4-plate (available only with Li-ion upgrade).

• Microwave: Whirlpool 40 L convection (available only with Li-ion upgrade).

• Solar:

  • 2 units of 400 W SunPower panels on cockpit roof with individual Victron MPPT regulators (package).

  • Additional pair on cockpit roof with individual regulator (in total 4 × 400 W = 1.6 kW).

• Additional 220 V outlets: 11 (Euro, 2-pin + dual USB-A).

Air-con & battery note (selected): 10,000 BTU air-con to owner's cabin and upgrade to 3 × 24 V / 5 kWh lithium-ion batteries (as per order sheet language).

Navigation & Electronics (Garmin system)

• GPSMAP 12" MFD at upper helm + additional 12" MFD at lower helm.

• Fantom 18 radar.

• Autopilot: Garmin linear drive with control head (upper) + additional control head and 1 × data screen (lower).

• Instruments: 2 × Garmin GHC 20 (wind/depth/speed/multi) at upper helm.

• AIS: Garmin AIS 800 (send/receive).

• VHF: Garmin 215i at chart table.

• Charts: Garmin Europe chart loaded.

Deck, Cockpit & Exterior

• Telescopic table bases for cockpit and saloon + filler cushions for both tables.

• Cockpit sunshade awnings, grey mesh, incl. built-in awnings (stbd sunbed & aft cockpit middle).

• Transom shower (aluminium finish, pop-up, hot/cold) on starboard.

• Salt-water deck-wash at transom & bow with fresh-water cross-over.

• SUP storage racks under coachroof.

• Forepeak shelving & hardpoints for organisers/hanging rails.

• Fishing rod holders: 2 × black aluminium with drains.

• Electric Kenyon IntelliKEN (120 V) grill in cockpit

• Cockpit fridge under lower helm seat

• Size-41 deck hatches in forward-facing saloon windows (×2).

• Maxwell AA560 windlass switch & chain counter at helm.

• Carbon dock-line chafe plates ×10

• Carbonautic 900 mm (36") GFC sports wheel

Interior, Galley & Utilities

• Washer/dryer

• Watermaker Ventura 200T

• Marine Starlink

• Fuel-transfer pump with on-board fuel-polishing function.

• Extra saloon fan (galley).

Layout Changes & Custom Extras

• Port aft cabin converted to an office with double pull-out bed.

• Size-10 hatch over port aft cabin.

• Custom Balance drying rack behind galley sink.

• Solstice mesh on exterior of saloon windows.

• Custom integrated helm seat upgrade (no 3rd pole).

• Close-off under nav table with 2 doors + shelving.

Tender: Highfield CL340 w/ 20hp Yamaha

Full air-con installation to all cabins

Soft Goods / Finishes (selected choices)

• Interior flooring: Sylvan Cedar.

• Saloon settee fabric: Romo Veranda - Hopsack.

• Cockpit seating fabric: Romo Yara / Indium.

• Stack pack cover colour: Sunbrella Spa.

Gorgeous Interior Design

With her owner-version configuration, the Balance 442 easily accommodates six people. And Balance's innovative salon table converts into a queen-size bed so you can always host another couple. It is also a place to hang out, read a book, or sleep when your partner is on watch. Her master shower aft is luxurious. The 442 sports 6'10" of headroom, boasts a large U-shaped galley, and offers more real wood, hand-made cabinetry, than any catamaran of her size and class.

Award-Winning VersaHelm

The 442 delivers the most expansive sight lines in the catamaran world today. The flow and openness between the main salon and cockpit are superbly designed with the VersaHelm - a helm station that swings up and down with ease. The VersaHelm has revolutionized all weather sailing. At Balance, our quest for perfect balance means we innovate, we create, we imagine better sailing experiences at every stage. And then we build it.

Speed and Ease of Operation

The 442 is fast, but how does she balance the need for speed with the reality of single-handed sailing? Her self-tending blade jib makes tacking a simple matter of turning over the helm. All her reefing and sail management takes place at the upper helm station. With her dual furling headsails, electric winches, and mainsheet system that operates without a traveler, her ease of sailing is remarkable. Too windward, wow, drop down her daggerboards and point like a bandit.

Fast But Always Gracious

We take our quest for perfect balance into every detail, making the 442 a sheer delight to live on. It is the most gracious liveaboard catamaran to be found today. Its luxury is in perfect harmony with its power.

She's a pleasure to move about on whether that's cooking, sleeping, lounging, bathing, dining or entertaining friends and family. There is a place to store everything on the 442, and a lot of places to just hang out and relax. You can pilot her up top in fair weather, pilot her down in the cold, you can lounge and read inside or outside, turn your tables into beds, into dining tables, into pleasure nooks for reading or watching the latest film.