If you asked me to describe my ideal boat, I could do it without hesitating.
A motorboat. Comfortable enough for a family of four, with room for two guests when the occasion calls for it. At least two bathrooms. A proper kitchen, not just a camping stove bolted to a shelf. A flybridge with outdoor space wide enough to actually use. Something that feels like a floating home, not just a vehicle with a deck.
I have had this image for a long time, since the Boat Show days in Prague, if I am honest. The dream was always a motorboat. Big, comfortable, capable.
Then I actually got on a sailing boat. And something shifted.
The course for my combined sailing and motorboat license forced me to spend real time handling sails, reading wind, understanding how a boat moves when it is working with nature rather than pushing against it. I found it harder than I expected. I also found it more fascinating than I expected. The efficiency of it, the quietness, the logic of using what is already there rather than burning fuel to fight it, it got under my skin in a way I had not anticipated.
And so now I have a different picture. Still the same requirements, space for six, two bathrooms, a proper kitchen, outdoor space, but with an added condition. I would rather not spend the running costs of a small car on fuel every season if I can help it.
Which is how I ended up thinking about sailing catamarans and electric boats.
The catamaran dream
A sailing catamaran solves most of my problems elegantly. Two hulls mean stability that a monohull cannot match. No heeling, no dishes sliding off the table, no guests turning green. The beam is wide enough for real living space. Most cruising catamarans in the 40-45 foot range have exactly what I described: two or more cabins with ensuite bathrooms, a proper galley, and outdoor space that genuinely functions as a second living room.
They also use far less fuel than a comparable motorboat when sailing, which is the point.
The problem is the price. A new 45-foot sailing catamaran from a top manufacturer starts at around €500,000-€800,000 in 2026. Even used models from mainstream brands like Lagoon or Leopard rarely appear below €300,000 in reasonable condition. That is not a beginner boat purchase. That is a life decision.
I have never actually been on one. I have seen them from the dock, wide, white, purposeful. They look exactly like what I am describing. Whether they feel that way from the inside is something I have not yet found out. That is on my list for this season.
The electric boat idea
The other direction I keep coming back to is electric. Not for environmental reasons specifically, though that matters too, but for practical ones. Quiet engines. Lower running costs. The possibility, in the most ambitious configurations, of a boat that is largely self-sufficient through solar panels.
The reality is more nuanced than the idea. A 7-metre electric day-cruiser costs roughly €180,000 at list in 2026, compared to around €140,000 for a comparable diesel boat. The €40,000 premium covers the battery pack, charger, and motor hardware. The running costs do improve significantly. Annual electric drivetrain service runs €300-€800, compared to €1,200-€3,000 for a diesel equivalent. Over ten years that difference compounds into a meaningful saving.
But there is a catch. Battery replacement at year 10-12 costs €15,000-€25,000 for a typical 60 kWh pack, and significantly more for the larger packs needed to power a boat capable of what I am describing. The solar-powered, self-sufficient electric catamaran of my imagination exists, but it starts at prices that make even a conventional sailing catamaran look accessible by comparison.
The honest answer is that I do not know yet which direction I will go. What I know is that the dream has evolved from a simple motorboat into something more considered, and that the more time I spend on the water, the more the question of what I want from a boat changes.
What has not changed is the list: space for six, two bathrooms, a proper kitchen, outdoor space worth using. Whatever the boat turns out to be, it needs to pass that test.
If you are somewhere in the same process, figuring out what you actually want before you can figure out what you can afford, the calculator I built might help. It will not tell you which boat to buy, but it will tell you what owning one is likely to cost you once you have decided. The link is below.
See you next week.
— Ale
Choosing your first boat is not really a question about boats. It is a question about how you want to use the water.
A family that wants comfort and range needs different things from a solo sailor who wants performance. A beginner on an Alpine lake needs different things from someone planning coastal cruising. Before looking at a single listing, answer these three questions honestly:
How many people will regularly be on board? How far do you plan to go, and how often? And how much are you genuinely willing to spend, not on the purchase price, but on the annual running costs that come after it?
The answers will narrow your options faster than any comparison guide.
If you are starting to research what is actually available in the European market at different price points, Boat24 is the most useful starting point. Filter by boat type, length, year, and price to get a realistic picture of what your budget actually buys, whether that is a used motorboat at €20,000 or a pre-owned catamaran at €350,000. No registration required to browse.
For day use on Swiss and Italian lakes, increasingly yes. The charging infrastructure on major Swiss lakes is growing, and several marinas on Lago Maggiore and Lago di Garda now have dedicated electric boat charging points. Range anxiety is real for longer passages but largely irrelevant for a day trip on an inland lake. For coastal use or longer cruising, the technology is moving fast but is not quite there yet for most recreational budgets. Worth watching closely over the next three to five years, the cost trajectory is downward and the infrastructure is expanding.
Once you know what kind of boat you want, the next question is what it will actually cost you to own it. I built a free tool that runs the numbers for Swiss, Italian, and European waters, mooring, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and everything else, so you can see the full picture before you commit to anything.
Try it here: boats-calculator.vercel.app
