TEST

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The Banana 43 by Garcia is asolid boat, capable of tackling all

the world's seas...

BANANA 43the 'no limits’ multihull

In just two examples, this MarcFazilleau-designed catamaranhas already made an impres-sion on the little world of mul-tihulls, through its happyowners’ long-term voyages.So when, in a market which ishighly formatted by the majorproductions, this atypical des-ign fell into the hands of aFrench builder which had for-ged its reputation over 40years, building aluminiumblue-water boats, our curiosity,already aroused, reachedfever pitch. A test of Garcia’sBanana 43 in the Channel, atthe end of June, in the warmsunshine of Cherbourg...

Photos: Antoine Soubigou

It's the trick question at any self-res-pecting boat show for the permanentstaff of the essential Multihulls Worldstand. ‘What is the ideal catamaran tosail round the world in?’ Everyone hastheir tactics for avoiding the danger of acertainly legitimate interrogation, butone to which there is no absolute ans-wer, or to which there are a hundreddifferent answers. Personally, I like togive them the metaphor of the originalParis-Dakar, in the real African desert.We saw everything and anything arriveon the banks of Lac Rose: from 4Ls toRolls Royces. We even saw somePorsches excel there! Which just goesto show, anything can make the cros-sing... ...of the desert, or the Atlantic.It’s just a case of knowing what the dri-ver wants. But what is really worth-while, is to find out what vehicle theperson who lives all the year round inthe desert or the brush uses: at thattime (and here I’m talking about a timethat those of you under 40 will not haveknown) the famous ‘Land Rover’ was

the ‘must’. However, I don’t think Iremember it ever having excelled in theevent created by Thierry Sabine.

And this is how I see the MarcFazilleau-designed Banana 43: it’s the‘Land Rover of the Oceans’. Not built toappeal, to follow the fashion(s), excel,play the tough guy, be chartered for aweek in an exotic paradise... No, theBanana 43 has an air of authenticity,simplicity, reliability, unfailing strength,whilst doing its best to avoid the ana-chronism of rusticity. Accommodatingthe family and/or friends, sheltered inall weathers, flirting with Polynesiancoral or the Cape Horn williwaws, inslippers by the fireside, a free spirit,enjoying the exceptional environment,without worrying about an accident,damage or even the slightest little inci-dent. For this, the first version of theBanana, built by Prometa, showed theway. It’s called ‘Mowgli’, and afterhaving sailed half-way round the worldwith the family, it sailed to Tierra delFuego from Australia, a world first for a

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catamaran sailed singlehanded(see Multihulls World n° 121).

An ease of handling singlehanded,which we immediately rediscove-red aboard ‘Mandala’, the Banana43 we were testing. On first con-tact, from the pontoon close to theboatyard, its silhouette seemedreally quite bulky. Forty three feet;here we really are at the bottom ofthe range of sizes suitable for long-term cruising on two hulls, and youneed a bit of volume when youwant to live aboard with no timelimit. But the Land Rover wouldn’twin any prizes for beauty either. It’sthe practical nature which hasmade it a myth, not only allowingits rather cubic lines to be forgot-ten, but also raising it to the statusof an icon, on which we wouldn’tchange anything for the world, notthe slightest degree of the bonnetangle or of the slope of the winds-creen. Isn’t it a bit the same with

the Banana 43, whose lines, andthe name of course, are reminis-cent of a famous yellow boat? Yes,of course you know it, the onebelonging to a famous French sin-ger who didn’t want to get his haircut, and who indirectly promotesthe aluminium cat all around theworld, through a profusion of booksand dvds. (Antoine, aboard his cata-maran, called Banana Split).

ABOARD

With one step, we climbed aboard.It’s easy, from the pontoon to thesugar scoop, or from a higher quayvia the gates in the guardwires oneach side. Flexible and effective,the TBS 21 non slip deck paint,associated with impressive alumi-nium toe rails, immediately set thetone; we were aboard a sailor’sboat. Bernard, the sleeping partnerin the project who has now

This boat’s construction is very strong, as shown by this support forthe solar panels, the davits and the articulated outboard liftingmast...

The aluminium cat, an original solution for cruising far and for a long time.

From the steering position, you have an excellent view over the water,whilst remaining well protected.

The Banana's bulky silhouette doesn't take anything away from its seakeepingqualities.

SPEED LOVERS WOULD HAVE PERHAPS LIKED A HIGHER ASPECTRATIO AND LARGE SAIL AREA, BUT THIS ISN‘T THE PRIORITY HERE.

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A comfortable saloon, and above all, a realchart table with a panoramic view which isideal for night watches.

become the owner, very kindly welco-med us aboard. If he seemed to havelost his voice a little, it was through theemotions of the first outings, the com-pletion of a carefully thought-out project,which took nearly two years to takeshape. Because otherwise, visibly, heseems absolutely delighted with the ser-vices supplied and the boat's overallcoherence. Garcia has visibly hung on toits precious expertise, and the quality ofthe metalwork is quite simply impres-sive. Associated with the architect’s skil-ful drawing, to round off the rails andsugar scoops, at first glance they couldbe taken for round bilged hulls. Not at all,and although thick aluminium was aban-doned for homologation reasons, thedesigner took advantage of this to slimdown the boat with respect to theBanana’s ancestors, the Cat Flotteurs.The use of Silium 5384 and a specially

designed structure has thus allowed a20% weight saving on the aluminiumpart.Access to the cockpit is easy. The fore-deck and the deck have been raised by5cm with respect to the original, whichbenefits the interior volume. Similarly,the aft platform present on ‘Mowgli’ hasbeen cleverly fitted out with additionalstowage lockers, closed by watertightdeck hatches. The engine lockers alsobenefit from a watertight closure, andaccess is facilitated by a madetomea-sure ladder and a platform, avoiding anydamage to the most fragile peripherals

from a misplaced foot. Just like all thedifferent on-board systems (plumbing,electricity), these lockers have been par-ticularly carefully fitted out, continuingthe standards which have made Garcia’sreputation. This is particularly importantconcerning electricity in an aluminiumhull. To port, the cockpit has a modestly-sizedtable, at which only the lateral occupantsbenefit from a backrests. But movementis easy and we were impressed by therigid bimini/solar panel support/dinghydavits/articulated outboard lifting mastassembly! It is very strong, as it alsosupports the mainsheet track and thesignificant forces which go with it. Verypractical, as although a good dinghy witha good engine is the essential guaranteeof a successful cruise, this is even truerwhen the boat becomes a home. And tomake things even better, everything is

remarkably well-fini-shed. Here, just as onthe deck and thecoachroof, the paint-work is particularlysuccessful. Antonio,the builder’s technicalmanager gave a littlecough when talkingabout the number ofhours they had to

spend on it, but the result is reallyconvincing.The steering position, to which most ofthe control lines are returned, is positio-ned to starboard of the coachroof.Moreover ‘Mandala’ is equipped with anelectric winch, which we quickly foundessential. Result: all the manoeuvrescan be carried out singlehanded with nodifficulty. Starting with hoisting themainsail, whose 2:1 arrangement on theheadboard is essential to reduce theeffort, but doubles the length of thehalyard. The only snag: why have thejammers been positioned so far for-

ward? Their position obliges you to standon the tips of your toes to activate themwith an outstretched arm, unless youare built like a giant! A shame! Similarly,we regretted the fact that the steeringwheel is too close to the enginecontrols. I am afraid that you will inevita-bly trap your fingers when the controlsare in neutral. These are the only twoslight problems, (which can be easilycorrected), in a strategic place for theprogramme, which brings together allthe qualities. Thanks to the cleverly posi-tioned difference in level, at the helmyou are either very well protected fromthe elements, or in sight of the sugarscoops and bows, for precise manoeu-vres when entering and leaving a port.These are made easier by the very wellchosen 40hp Volvo saildrive engines andmanoeuvrability which belies its overallsize. At 1800 rpm, we were doing 6knots on a flat sea, a guarantee of lowconsumption. At 2500 rpm, the speedogot up to 7 knots, a guarantee of beingable to find shelter as quickly as possi-ble, if necessary. All the control lines arewithin reach and the steering wheel isone of the best. As long as you makesure you are close hauled, with a mini-mum amount of speed, the boat tackswith no problems. The 17m mast car-rying the main and genoa (which willideally be completed by a staysail on aninner forestay) is strongly supported bygenerous standing rigging, reassuring in

The Banana’s foredeck is anencouragement to be idle.

� Blockers too far forward� Helm/engine control interaction� Galley work surface covering

� Overall coherence� Finishing level� Build quality

ONCE THE ANEMOMETER DEIGNEDTO DISPLAY DOUBLE FIGURES (11 KNOTS OF

TRUE WIND), WE BORE AWAY A BIT(125 DEGREES TO THE APPARENT WIND),

UNROLLED THE GENNAKER, AND ‘MANDALA’ SAILED PEACEFULLY AT SIX KNOTS...

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all circums-tances. Speedlovers wouldhave perhapsliked a higheraspect ratioand larger sailarea, but thisisn’t the prio-rity here. TheBanana has tostand up tosudden gustswith full main,serenely, andthe stockier rigg u a r a n t e e smore open

shroud angles and therefore better sup-port.

UNDER SAIL

The light 6 – 7 knots of wind at first allo-wed us, despite everything, to make 3.4knots at 50 degrees to the apparentwind, under full main and genoa. Butwhy hurry when you have the time tocruise serenely? We just had to waituntil the anemometer deigned to dis-play two figures (11 knots true), then webore away a bit (125° to the apparent),unrolled the gennaker, fixed to its articu-lated bowsprit, and ‘Mandala’ sailedpeacefully at six knots. We immediatelysaw ourselves crossing all the oceans atthis soothing, de-stressing rhythm,where the only worry is that of arrivingand having to stop.We entered via the sliding glazed door,where we appreciated in passing theabsence of a step between the cockpitand the saloon, and sat at the charttable, situated on the port forward sideof the coachroof. The panoramic viewwe enjoyed from this position is a dan-gerous encouragement to...do nothing!Ah yes, enjoying the sight of the worldpassing gentlybefore your eyes,whilst keeping areassuring watch,as MonsieurJourdain did withprose, without kno-wing. The saloon,situated to star-board and coherentwith the exterior,won’t take twelveguests, that's notits programme orsize, but your crewof 6 (8 exceptio-nally) can eat verycomfortably. Thegalley, turnedtowards the cockpit

on the port aft side of the coachroof, ishuge and particularly well equipped,with notably two huge drawer-typefridges. We were just a little surprised atthe material chosen for the work sur-face - as much from an aesthetic pointof view (taste and colours...) as from apractical one (heat resistance?), wewere not sure about the relevance ofthe choice made on this boat. Theadvantage of madetomeasure construc-tion - a future customer could opt foranother finish. On the other hand, wehad no objections to the light wood cho-sen and the quality of the woodwork. Itis of course in a more modern style thanon the builder’s valiant ‘Passoa’, howe-ver it fits well into the prestigious Garciatradition. The profusion of stowageareas, equipped according to the needsof removable stowage boxes, as cleveras they are strong, definitely partici-pates in putting the Banana 43 in the ‘blue-water cruiser’ classification.The starboard aft cabin, with its works-hop/additional berth arrangement givesthe same impression. In the centre ofeach hull, a huge double cabin is posi-tioned under the foredeck. Althoughguests will find the starboard hullamongst the most welcoming, theowner will naturally reserve the porthull, whose aft bathroom has a niceseparate shower. The hull insulation iscompletely invisible but particularlycarefully fitted, at the request of MarcFazilleau, who knows from experiencethat a desire for the southern latitudesdevelops when cruising.When we arrived in the anchorage, thehuge foredeck proved as practical formanoeuvring as it is for...sunbathing!We didn’t forget, however, to anchorfirst. The partially integrated, verticalaxis electric windlass is fitted above ahuge chain locker, which holds enoughchain for you to enjoy problem-freenights. Its access on the other hand per-

haps deserves aslightly wideropening. Themooring cleatsand the bow rol-lers are in theimage of the restof the boat –strong; you willsleep soundly.And if we wan-ted to beach theboat, the twostrong fixedkeels guaranteestability and theprotection of therudders and sail-drive legs.

There is no such thing as a universalboat. There are only compromises, cor-responding to different programmes,expectations, and owners’ experiences.From this point of view, the Banana 43is perhaps the missing link for manycruisers, for whom blue-water cruisinghas for decades gone hand in hand withsteel, then aluminium, but whose faithin the monohull (centreboarder if wewant to push the cliché to the limit) hasbeen shaken by the advantages suc-cessfully put forward over the last thirtyyears by our beloved multihulls. In thisrole, we can say that the version beingoffered here by Garcia yachting perfectlymeets the specifications, and that aroundtheworld voyage at any latitudecan be carried out serenely. The DNAclaimed by this new Fazilleau/Garciapartnership is safety and independence,with no limits on the playground.Although demand for this type of pro-gramme only represents a few boatsper year, we bet that anyone frequen-ting the most extreme latitudes will findin the Banana 43, or the projects for itsbig sisters, a very attractive answer totheir preoccupations.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Overall length: 13.00 m

Waterline length: 11.70 m

Beam: 6.50 m

Displacement: 10.6 t

Draft: 1.20 m

Air draft: 19.00 m

Mast height: 17.00 m

Fuel capacity: 2 x 250 l

Water capacity: 2 x 300 l

Berths: 6/8 people

Engines: 2 x 40 hp Volvo saildrives

Architect / Designer: Marc Fazilleau / Prometa

Construction: Garcia Yachting

Price: 495,000€exc. VAT

We are aboard a blue-water catamaran,hence the many stowage areas available tothe owners.

The huge, well-equipped galley, which opensonto the cockpit.

Aboard an aluminium cat, you can have theaccommodation you want. The cabins are heresituated in the middle of the hulls.

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