Best ~45' charter cat for cruising

[capnmatt]

Looking for opinions on what charter cat in the ~45' range would be ideal for a cruising couple with occasional family/guests? Would be looking at a new or possibly 1-2 year old boat in an owners layout with options similar to what you'd find on charter boats. Immediate plan would be to spend ~6 months per year cruising the Caribbean, but then possibly head to the Med and/or South Pacific (or maybe just stay local).

I've chartered several Lagoons and Fountaine Pajots throughout the Caribbean and spent a couple weeks on a Voyage 520 in the BVIs. Lagoons and FPS were quite comfortable and spacious, but the Voyage performed better and seemed more solidly built while still being nearly as comfortable. Other considerations might be Leopard or Nautitech/Bavaria, both of which I don't know much about.

Build quality is important to me and ideally something with just a bit of extra performance would be nice (especially upwind and light wind performance), though I realize that most charter cats focus on comfort over performance.

I'd really prefer to purchase a more performance/cruising-oriented cat like a Balance or Seawind, and maybe we will. However, my rational side is thinking that if we decide after a year or two that full-time cruising just isn't for us and we'd rather just sail a few times per year, maybe we can put the boat into a charter fleet. In that case I would think they'd want a boat that fits their mold rather than a performance cruiser that they and their clients aren't familiar with, hence my interest in the more mainstream brands.

Thanks for any input!

[more]

Originally Posted by capnmatt

Build quality is important to me and ideally something with just a bit of extra performance would be nice (especially upwind and light wind performance), though I realize that most charter cats focus on comfort over performance.

I'd really prefer to purchase a more performance/cruising-oriented cat like a Balance or Seawind, and maybe we will. However, my rational side is thinking that if we decide after a year or two that full-time cruising just isn't for us and we'd rather just sail a few times per year, maybe we can put the boat into a charter fleet. In that case I would think they'd want a boat that fits their mold rather than a performance cruiser that they and their clients aren't familiar with, hence my interest in the more mainstream brands.

Thanks for any input!

in middle Nautitech 46 open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDhcp70SqxE&t=21s