Aquila 45 Sport Power Catamaran Impresses Reviewers in Tampa Sea Trials

The Aquila 45 Sport arrived in Tampa with a performance target that gets any power cat enthusiast's attention: 40 to 45 knots. That number anchored early sea trial sessions in Florida that drew hands-on coverage from multiple specialist outlets, with Multihulls-World publishing its hands-on preview on March 16.

The 45 Sport represents a new build from Aquila, a builder whose power catamaran lineup has earned a steady following among bluewater and coastal cruisers alike. The shift toward sport-oriented performance in the 45-foot range signals a deliberate push into territory that sits between the comfortable cruising cats Aquila is known for and the go-fast world that has long been dominated by custom or semi-custom builders.

Tampa provided the backdrop for the preview sessions, giving reviewers open water conditions and the kind of Florida light that makes on-the-water photography worth publishing. The Multihulls-World preview, which landed mid-March, was among the first detailed looks at how the boat actually performs rather than how it looks on a spec sheet.

A 40-to-45-knot target is not a casual marketing claim for a production power catamaran in this size range. Hitting that window consistently requires hull geometry, weight distribution, and power package decisions that ripple through every other design trade-off, including interior volume, fuel capacity, and offshore handling. Whether the 45 Sport delivers on that number in real-world conditions beyond Tampa Bay will be the question that follows the boat through its first full season on the water.