{"id":138546,"date":"2026-03-05T08:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T08:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?p=138546"},"modified":"2026-03-05T13:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T13:00:13","slug":"aquila-45-sport-first-look-suv-styling-for-the-powercat-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/motor-boat-news-boat-reviews-pictures-and-videos\/aquila-45-sport-first-look-suv-styling-for-the-powercat-market-138546","title":{"rendered":"Aquila 45 Sport first look: SUV styling for the powercat market"},"content":"Set for its global debut at the Miami International Boat Show in February, the 45 Sport is the first in a new series of boats for Sino Eagle-owned Aquila Catamarans. Developed in partnership with Yacht Design Works, the edgy styling inspired by contemporary SUVs is uncommonly attractive by powercat standards. And while that\u2019s very welcome, it\u2019s clear that there\u2019s also a keen focus on entertainment.\r\n\r\nAft of the lateral galley, which comes with optional barbecue and television, and butts up against an extraordinarily generous four-seat helm station, there are two C-shaped dinettes, both of which can be converted into sunbeds. One faces forward beneath the shelter of the full-beam T-top. The other faces aft over the open transom, where a central platform extends between the twin outboards like an oversized passerelle.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_138547\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-138547\" src=\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/03\/MBY319.newboat_2.Aquila45Sport01-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" \/> A big four-seat helm sits at the very heart of the deck layout[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWhile these two seating zones occupy part of the same unit, the aft dinette lacks lateral backrests \u2013 and given that this new 45 also features a pair of drop-down bulwarks, extending the beam to 19ft, that makes plenty of sense, because it means you can perch on the bench facing out to sea rather than merely in towards the table.\r\n\r\nFrom here, a deep single-level side deck runs up the port side, connecting you to a beamy bow space with forward-facing loungers, 350L of waterproof storage and some dedicated wet lockers. On the starboard side, however, the side deck lifts up four steps, in tandem with the helm console, creating plenty of extra volume for an offset owner\u2019s cabin.\r\n\r\nIn here, you will find a king-size bed with a memory foam mattress and a private wetroom-style heads compartment with an electric flush toilet, plus some very effective skylights built into the dashtop for extra light. It looks like a far better cabin than you would tend to expect on a sporting open powercat but there is of course only one, so if you fancy weekends away, this is a boat for couples rather than families.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_138550\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-138550\" src=\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/03\/MBY319.newboat_2.Aquila45Sport06-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" \/> The offset structure creates a really attractive owner\u2019s cabin[\/caption]\r\n\r\nEven so, performance looks strong. Equipped with stepped hulls and twin 600hp Mercury Verado V12 outboards, Aquila is talking about speeds in the region of 44-45 knots. The helm looks like a great place to enjoy that too, thanks to offshore seats, a raised screen and flush-mount 16in chartplotters, alongside the kind of connectivity that enables you to control all of your DC equipment \u2013 lighting, navigation, engine data and stereo \u2013 from your smartphone.\r\n<h2>Aquila 45 Sport specifications<\/h2>\r\n<strong>LOA:<\/strong> 46ft 6in (14.17m)\r\n<strong>BEAM:<\/strong> 15ft 2in (4.62m)\r\n<strong>ENGINES:<\/strong> Twin Mercury 600hp V12 outboards\r\n<strong>TOP SPEED:<\/strong> 44 knots\r\n<strong>PRICE:<\/strong> TBC\r\n<strong>CONTACT:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aquilaboats.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aquilaboats.com<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><img class=\"alignright wp-image-131812 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keyassets.timeincuk.net\/inspirewp\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2024\/05\/MBY298.cover_-1-149x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"149\" height=\"200\" \/>If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"\"><em>Motor Boat &amp; Yachting is the world's leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.<\/em><\/div><\/blockquote>\r\n<blockquote>Plus you'll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/tag\/superyachts\">superyacht<\/a> world and at the luxury end of the market.\r\n<div class=\"\"><em>Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.magazinesdirect.com\/az-magazines\/34207321\/motorboat-and-yachting-subscription.thtml?j=QMY\">latest offers<\/a> and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/em><\/div><\/blockquote>\r\n<em>Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>","excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Set for its global debut at the Miami International Boat Show in February, the 45 Sport is the first in a new series of boats for Sino Eagle-owned Aquila Catamarans. Developed in partnership with Yacht Design Works, the edgy styling inspired by contemporary SUVs is uncommonly attractive by powercat standards. And while that\u2019s very welcome, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":138549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[1680,1593],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":[""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138546"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138552,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138546\/revisions\/138552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138546"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=138546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}