Aquila 45 Sport Power Catamaran (2026-)

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Aquila

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Brief Summary

What do you get when a major builder of catamarans, in fact a company whose entire background in the industry knows nothing but the design and engineering of power cats, presents a well-appointed boat capable of 50+ mph in suitable conditions, has a cabin with a king size berth, full, stand-up wet head with electric toilet, and can easily seat 16 adults from bow to stern, for a day out? The simple answer is the Aquila 45 Sport.

Entertaining family and friends, spending the day at the sand bar, out for on-water sports and activities, getting away for the weekend, or looking forward to taking some extended travel time, the Aquila 45 Sport offers all this and a lot more in a technically advanced power cat running on a stable, seaworthy and fuel efficient double stepped, full planing hull powered by a pair of 600-hp Mercury V12 outboards.

Test Results

RPM	MPH	Knots	GPH	MPG	NMPG	SM	NM	dBa
700	3.3	2.9	2.5	1.3	1.1	5280	458.8	58
1000	5	4.3	3.9	1.3	1.1	514.3	446.9	61
1500	7.1	6.2	5.4	1.3	1.2	530.8	461.3	68
2000	9	7.8	9.2	1	0.8	389.1	338.2	70
2500	10.2	8.9	13.7	0.7	0.6	298.9	259.7	74
3000	16.1	13.9	21.8	0.7	0.6	294.5	255.9	75
3500	24	20.8	36.4	0.7	0.6	263.5	229	82
4000	29.4	25.5	43.8	0.7	0.6	268.5	233.3	84
4500	35.5	30.8	51.4	0.7	0.6	276.3	240.1	84
5000	41.2	35.8	55.9	0.7	0.6	295.1	256.4	85
5500	46.4	40.3	74.2	0.6	0.5	250	217.3	85
6000	50	43.4	89.7	0.6	0.5	223	193.8	87
6350	54.3	47.1	98.4	0.6	0.5	220.6	191.7	92

View the test results in metric units

Specifications

Length Overall	46'6" 14.17 m
Beam	15'0" 4.57 m
Draft	2'0" .61 m
Draft Up	2' 0" 0.60 m
Draft Down	3' 5" 1.04 m
Person Capacity	29
Fuel Capacity	400 gal 1,514 L
Water Capacity	50 gal 189 L

Acceleration Times & Conditions

0 to 30	7.5
Load	Persons & Gear: 555 lbs (252 kg); Fuel: 1,680 gal (762 kg)
Climate	74°; 74% humidity; wind: 5-10; wave: <1'; salt

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 600-hp Mercury Verado V12
Std. Power	2 x 600-hp Mercury Verado V12 Outboards

AQUILA 45 SPORT

An Exciting Weekend Diversion

By Capt. Ken Kreisler

A dynamic exterior invites you aboard to an equally exciting interior on the Aquila 45 Sport. Powered by a pair of 600-hp Mercury outboards, memorable days out as well as unforgettable weekend and extended stays, are all but guaranteed.

Major Features

Cabin w/king berth
Wet head w/hand-held shower wand and electric fresh water flush
Fiberglass hardtop
White hull
Fusion audio system
Slide out stainless swim ladder
Double step hull
Recessed stainless handrails
Variable position stainless steel steering wheel w/spinner knob
Composite fiberglass and stainless-steel supports for
windshield
Manual push button override switches and controls
Port & starboard bow wet lockers for fenders and lines
Cockpit hot/cold shower
Cabin skylight
Shore side power electrical system connection w/galvanic isolator
Inverter/battery charger(s)-12V/3500W

Notable Options

Side fold-out terraces
Makefast aft shade system
Lithium battery package for off-grid use of electrical systems
Power lift television for galley
Teak Hi-Lo cockpit table
Reverso fresh water auto flush system
Rain shower in the wet head
Cabin television
Stainless roof racks on fiberglass hardtop
Raymarine Radome Quantum2 Q24 radar w/mount
Hull Shield ultrasonic antifouling protection
Manual removable bow sunshade
FLIR M232 pan and tilt night vision camera
Air pump for blow up toys
Wireless remote for windlass
Underwater lights
Hard top spotlight w/helm remote control
Platinum navigation package: 3 x 16" Axiom2 XL with Raystar 150 GPS, CPTS Through Hull transducer with CP100 Chirp Sonar, Ray 90 VHF
Gold navigation package: 2 x 16" Axiom2 XL with Raystar 150 GPS, CPTS Through Hull transducer with CP100 Chirp Sonar, Ray 90 VHF
Silver navigation package: 1 x 16" Axiom2 XL with Raystar 150 GPS, CPTS Through Hull transducer with CP100 Chirp Sonar, Ray 90 VHF

Vessel Inspection

There is a lot to see aboard the Aquila 45 Sport and with its catamaran hull allowing for a 15’0” beam to be carried fully forward, the design and engineering teams were able to supply an overabundance of space for seating, entertaining, gathering, and even a cabin for overnight stays. With the optional terraces deployed aft to both sides, and only while on the hook, her beam extends there to 19’4”.

layout — (LEFT) Aquila, with a careful eye towards making sure all those aboard would find it safe and easy to transit fore and aft, designed clear, wide paths all around. The fiberglass hardtop (CENTER) cover the helm and galley area and extends aft into the cockpit. An optional sun shade extends even further. Entered through a side door to starboard of the helm (RIGHT) gains access to the cabin with its king berth and stand-up head.

Bow

Catamaran hulls mean a beam can be carried fully forward and on the Aquila 45 Sport that translates into a bow area able to supply wide open seating and lounging opportunities.

A great place to take in the sights while underway, or relaxing on the hook, there is seating in the bow for four. Note the deep wells and the stainless rails as well as the three hatches forward. The two outboard are for storage while the center one houses the windlass, chain rode, and remote control.

access port — Figure 1 There's plenty of space to access the Quick windlass, remote, and rode down below.

Large storage containers are located beneath the seat cushions.

A pair of Fusion speakers forward adds to the entertainment value of hanging here.

house — The two hatches to either side of the center one open up to a wash down hose to starboard and deep storage in both, enough for large fenders and dock lines

Helm

Aquila paid special attention to the centerline helm aboard the 45 Sport with a four seat across set up and excellent views forward into the seaway as well as all around.

control area of boat — With plenty of space for a trio of 16" Raymarine touchscreens, tactile buttons, throttle and joystick, and all other controls, and everything at the proper angle and height for viewing, control of the Aquila 45 Sport is made safe and easy.

c-zone systems — The C-Zone system allows for digital switching for DC powered components monitoring.

Convenient cell phone charging is located on both sides of the console and are within easy reach.

Controlling the Fusion stereo system is also found at the helm.

Just aft of the helm seats is the galley and its central location allows for food service forward as well as aft to the cockpit seating area. The hatch here allows access to a large storage space belowdecks.

slide up tv — The optional television and lift feature is hidden in the top of the galley console when not in use.

The sink is hidden beneath these cutting boards which store just forward of the counter in a dedicated space.

A pair of Kenyon electric grills allows for multi cooking of food. Note the stainless grab.

fridge — There's plenty of room for refrigeration and freezer compartments as well as drawer storage.

aerial view of aquila 45 — With its proximity to the galley, food service to the cockpit dining space is as simple as turning around and serving everything from a snack to a sit down dinner at a favorite anchorage.

Cockpit

With its one level, fore to aft design, the Aquila 45 Sport offers maximum use of its deck space and here in the cockpit and aft sections, that plan focuses squarely on seating, dining, and relaxing.

The aft facing bench backrest easily converts to a forward facing position to accompany those seated, and dining, on the other side. The pair of lounges have storage beneath.

The starboard lounge offers a retractable shower hose. In addition, each lounge has an aft facing speaker.

dinning area — Here, in the forward facing position, the sitting space becomes quite suitable for dining.

converted sunpad — With the insert cushions in place, and the hi-lo table in the down position, the space is easily converted into a large lounge or sun pad.

controls for sunshade — The sturdy support for the hardtop also houses controls for the port terrace and the sunshade.

controls — Over to starboard, the terrace on that side is controlled here along with the television housed in the underside of the hardtop.

With the touch of a button, the optional aft shade effortlessly deploys from end of the hardtop to supply additional covering for the aft area and retracts just as easily.

Spanning the entire cockpit area and some of the aft section is the expansive hardtop, seen here with the optional roof rack and Raymarine Radome radar.

kayak attached to hardtop — Easily secured to the roof rack, these owners find it easy to transport their kayak and other water toys topsides.

Aft

The twin 600-hp Mercury 12V outboards were specifically chosen due to their unique design with the lower units turning instead of the entire engines. In this way, Aquila was able to maximize the aft deck real estate even without deploying the terraces.

There is more than enough space to hang out on. the aft deck, and move about, given the distinctive steering attribute of the 600-hp V12 Mercury outboards. The hatches just forward of the engines’ splash wells are when you need to trim them all the way up. An audible alarm will sound to alert you that the hatches are still closed.

safety doors — Safety doors are provided on both sides while transiting to and from the aft section.

Getting in and out of the water from the aft end is simplified, and made safe, with this robust stainless swim ladder.

engine — With the terraces deployed, it's easy to see how much room is afforded to the aft section.

Maintenance

Accessed via deck hatches, the below decks space offers lots of room in each hull to easily get to critical areas for maintenance and servicing.

The bilge pumps on either side are not only visible for inspection but easily reached for servicing if necessary.

These robust stainless backing plates for the 600-hp V12 Mercury engines are a testament to Aquila's build philosophy

master volt charger — With a mechanics eye for access, systems such as the MasterVolt charger are located in wide open spaces and high up off the deck.

Aquila also paid special attention to direct access to DC fuses and AC breakers.

Here, the galvanic isolator (RIGHT) and breaker for the shore power are also readily accessible.

Thru hull fittings are easily located, and ample room is provided for lever operation.

The Aquila 45 Sport is equipped with a sea chest to supply constant pressure to all raw water applications.

As found everywhere, there are labels to indicate the purpose of various filters such as this one for the air conditioning.

fresh water pump — This freshwater pump is located in just the right place for access and servicing.

This is the house bank of batteries with a full, and optional, MasterVolt lithium system enabling running of the air conditioning system all day or all night with the 600-hp V12 Mercury engines able to fast charge them between 40-80% in about 40 minutes.

deck latches — These deck hatches, located on both sides, allow access to the in-house, Aquila manufactured fuel tanks. They have a corrosion resistant coating with easy access to the air vent, supply, and sensor sending unit.

Cabin

Aquila designed the 45 Sport to cover all the bases when it comes to comfort, performance, and maximizing usable space, something that is quite evident in the living accommodations.

Three easy steps down from the port sliding down at the helm leads into the forward cabin. Along with other storage space, these drawers will come in handy during travel times.

king berth in cabin — Light, airy, and offering a king berth, this cabin is well-equipped for travel.

skylights — Skylights in the overhead allow ambient light to flood the space.

large screen tv — A large screen television is well-positioned at the foot of the berth.

The private head is roomy and equipped with sink and storage space.

A rain forest shower head will be a welcome option after a travel day or time in the water.

electric toilet with fold down seat — The electric toilet has a fold down seat. Note the nearby stainless grab.

A Word About Performance

Equipped with a pair of 600-hp Mercury V12 powerhouse outboards, performance on the Aquila 45 Sport, and as we found out, is going to be as exciting as the boat itself.

aquila 45 running on water

Our test day saw air temps at 74° and relative humidity at 74% as well. Wind was no more than 10 knots and the sea conditions were relatively calm with wave heights less than one foot. Our test weight was averaged at about 24,371 pounds with 70% of the 400 gallon fuel capacity. There were three people on board.

During hole shots, our test boat averages 10 mph in 2 seconds, 20 mph in 4 seconds, 30 mph in 7.5 seconds, and 40 mph in 13 seconds. Our top speed came in at 54.3 mph at 6350 rpm. We settled into our best cruise at 5000 rpm where we noted a speed or 41.2 mph. At that rate, we calculated a range of 295.1 statute miles with a 10% fuel reserve. We found she quickly answered the helm on all maneuvers especially while making hard over, S, doughnut, and speedy turns where the Aquila 45 Sport displayed control and driver confidence at high rpm.

Summary

The Aquila 45 Sport was designed and engineered for the twin 600-hp V12 Mercury outboards. One of the main factors was in the ability of these engines to pivot their lower units without moving the uppers thus allowing the design of the aft end of the boat to be equipped with maximum space for those aboard. In addition, these hefty powerplants, along with a double stepped hull design, provides sparkling performance and precise handling when underway.

One look around, confirms the concept of a boat with carefully considered space for entertaining, gathering, and traveling. With the added plus of a king berth in the cabin, plenty of storage, and a stand-up head, the Aquila 45 Sport will supply unforgettable day/weekend, and extended time away opportunities.

Wrapping things up and given Aquila’s excellent history in this sector of the industry, there is a lot of confidence built into the 45 Sport for owners to experience firsthand while aboard and traveling.

REMEMBER, LIFE IS BETTER ON A BOAT!

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