All Catamarans are not made equal. And as every catamaran owner will tell you, before you purchase a catamaran you must first decide what it is that you want in a yacht.
What purpose will your catamaran serve to you? Will she be a weekend getaway, will she be your home, will she sail all seven seas or will she be your retirement plan? These are all important questions to consider, as your yacht may, at one time or another, be all of these things!
While performance, space and comfort are all important factors to consider, there are some things that you should never compromise on. To help, we have compiled a list of items that a sailor should never settle on.
1. Integrity
In the sailing world, people put a lot of value on a company’s reputation. And this is with good reason. The sailing community is very supportive and honest, so be sure to hear it from your peers. Read all the sailing blogs that you can get your hands on and absorb all the information that you can about your boats of interest.
John Devers, writer for Multihulls World said this about the Leopard Brand, “Every new catamaran in the Leopard range contains all the top features that sailors look for, including blue water capability, high bridge deck clearance, great sailing performance, solid construction, a superb anchoring system, excellent ventilation, high quality equipment, large tank capacities and a hard top on all models. Accordingly, Leopard has optioned the very best equipment and warranty support globally. Yanmar motors, Raymarine electronics, Lewmar winches are respected brands in all markets around the world and of course standard equipment can be enhanced by a range of quality optional items including generator, air-conditioning and water-makers. The end result is that once again the bar has been well and truly raised when it comes to cruising catamarans.”
When you buy a Leopard, you are investing in a heritage of boats built on integrity.
2. Innovation
Any yacht that you consider buying should be a fine balance between new and old. Keep what works, fix what doesn’t. That’s evolution. If you are in the market to buy a boat you should consider a brand that is innovative, as this will not only make your cruising experiences comfortable and more enjoyable, this will also help with the resale value of your yacht. Look for a trusted brand that has paved the way for the industry and other builders that have followed suit.
Leopard owner Marius Martelle affirms that Leopard is leading the pack of innovation by stating the following: “I’ve made a careful study of the Leopard catamarans over an extended period. I feel like I’ve got to know them very well and I’ve always been impressed by their design and build quality. Their designers have made it their business to lead with innovation rather than follow. They were one of the first catamaran manufacturers to lead all lines to the helm station and this is done in a logical, intuitive and entirely practical way. There is always a grab rail exactly where you need it. We love the walk through to the forward deck area. We know we will be spending a lot of time lying at anchor so a user friendly layout for entertaining and relaxing was an important consideration for us.”
Leopard Catamarans has made huge impacts in the catamaran industry by being the first to do many things. This includes building the first catamarans to have a hard top protecting the aft cockpit, an innovative deck plan that leads all lines to the helm, a forward cockpit that provides good space and ventilation, plus so much more.
3. Bluewater Capability
We are not talking about the images that you see in Cruising World Magazine of a happy skipper sailing along the edge of an island surrounded by turquoise waters. We are talking about a catamaran sailing about somewhere between Bermuda and the Azores in 15 foot swells with a reefed mainsail and a broken autopilot. It doesn’t matter what kind of sailing you plan to do, as all sailors know, one day the weather will have its way with you and there will be nowhere to hide.
For this reason, never settle for a catamaran that doesn’t tick all of the seaworthy boxes. This includes, but is not limited to: position and features of the helm station, build quality, cockpit layout, rigging, sail plan, interior layout and hull design.
4. Customer Service
All of the i’s have been dotted. All the t’s have been crossed. What now? Hopefully you made it a point to research what kind of after purchase customer service the company provides because sooner or later you will need further assistance with some aspect of your new yacht. Make it your mission to learn about the team who handles customer support. You will want to take comfort in knowing that your contacts are helpful and accessible. Also, it is important to select a yacht and brand that carry a reputation of high-level quality control.
Additionally, look into Owner Groups. This is a great way to learn more about the boats that you are interested in and they can also serve as a tool for useful information and “customer service”.
So there you have it, our list of non-negotiable, must haves when it comes to boat buying. If you need more guidance in yacht buying, read an owner’s story about his journey to find the perfect yacht.
