Leopard 44: Leopard 44

[Mick C]

Reviving this tread and looking for a historical view of L44 owners experiences.

[skeeter99]

Originally Posted by Mick C

Reviving this tread and looking for a historical view of L44 owners experiences.

I'd be curious as well. My wife and 8 year old are about 2-3 years out from buying our first Cat and are doing as much research as we can. Sadly, here in the PNW there aren't many cats so seeing them in person is tough. We do plan to go to Annapolis next year but those are all new cats and most of them will be out of our price range for a 1st boat.

Scott

[danielamartindm]

My biggest concerns would be the ultimate utility of the front cockpit, how the doorway would hold up to crashing seas, and how quickly water taken aboard there is drained. You really do not want to be bow-heavy in a cat when the yogurt hits the fan.

[rajsach]

Originally Posted by danielamartindm

My biggest concerns would be the ultimate utility of the front cockpit, how the doorway would hold up to crashing seas, and how quickly water taken aboard there is drained. You really do not want to be bow-heavy in a cat when the yogurt hits the fan.

This has been said many times before and its complete nonsense. Name one proven case just one .
We had a leopard 44 and just sold it in February. Buying a new one. We loved it and it’s built like a tank. Servicing and maintenance is easy. Support from dealer was great. Sails about as well as can be expected for a cruising catamaran. You’ll love the forward cockpit once you’ve tried it

[skeeter99]

Originally Posted by rajsach

This has been said many times before and its complete nonsense. Name one proven case just one .
We had a leopard 44 and just sold it in February. Buying a new one. We loved it and it’s built like a tank. Servicing and maintenance is easy. Support from dealer was great. Sails about as well as can be expected for a cruising catamaran. You’ll love the forward cockpit once you’ve tried it

Agreed. Atlantic, HH, Gunboat and others have all been doing forward cockpits for years yet no one ever says they're unsafe.

I'm glad to hear you loved your 44! Did you have an owners version or 4-cabin? What model are you upgrading to?

Scott

[rajsach]

Originally Posted by skeeter99

Agreed. Atlantic, HH, Gunboat and others have all been doing forward cockpits for years yet no one ever says they're unsafe.

I'm glad to hear you loved your 44! Did you have an owners version or 4-cabin? What model are you upgrading to?

Scott

We had an owners version. In fact it was the last production hull of the 44 line.
We are reluctantly going over to the Darkside and getting a Leopard 51 powercat. Don’t get me wrong we love the 51 PC but we would rather be sailing. However the power cat fits our life and time constraints better at this time.
We sold the boat to a guy who plans on sailing around the world with his family. So that makes us happy.

[skeeter99]

Originally Posted by rajsach

We had an owners version. In fact it was the last production hull of the 44 line.
We are reluctantly going over to the Darkside and getting a Leopard 51 powercat. Don’t get me wrong we love the 51 PC but we would rather be sailing. However the power cat fits our life and time constraints better at this time.
We sold the boat to a guy who plans on sailing around the world with his family. So that makes us happy.
Attachment 177913Attachment 177913

Great looking boat!

51PC eh?? Dang, that is for sure the dark side Enjoy it, though, I'm sure it's a blast and will get you where you want to go just a WEE bit faster!

[Melzer]

I bougth a L44 1½ years ago after thoroughly evaluating the market. I did as you ask a lot of people, went on boat shows and had a look at several candidates both new and used. I have yet to find anyone who own a cruising cat to tell me their boat is crap; however all tell stories on items less than optimal they try to optimize. My guess is that you will not find any former or current L44 owner who will do other than praise the capabilities of their boat and the brand they chose. You will need to interprete that answer as:
1. The previously owners are not among us anymore( rumors true, the boat is crap, they died),
2. They are not interested in the community anymore and will not answer in a forum like this because they moved on.
3. You have come to one of the major brands and will not go wrong in choosing this brand and boat.

I too have also been in some serious waves, had the front of the boat flooded but were not able to see any sign of water even though I jumped down from the helm running to the front. The door and front windows are built to a very high standard and will most likely outlast the rest of the boat.
One thing that were on our list for choosing the L44 was that it, for the vintage (price), had considerable fewer stairs and steps, than the competitors. We have a disabled son, so that were a factor for us, but something we all love even without disabilities.
Jan Melzer
Denmark
’13 Leopard 44 currently in Italy

[capn_billl]

Lot's of questions on this thread, and very few answers.

SO here is my experience.

2016 Leopard-44.

Purchased from Sunsail phaseout. 4 cabin 4 head charter version.

The stock props, sucked. replaced with Flexofold 3 blade. Gained 1 knot under power, and 2 knots under sail. at full throttle runs at 8 knots, like a powerboat, sweet.

Gooseneck on boom wallered loose, and needed reinforcement. Several Leopards I've seen with the same exact problem.

Front cockpit, very useful for morning breakfast at anchor. Still somewhat usefull for a shortcut forward underway.

I did the Caribbean loop, and encountered a heavy cold front with high winds, and rough seas. I've been informed it is NOT a storm unless the NHC gives it a name, but I took some significant waves over the bow. Cockpit drained in seconds, no impact to sailing, just don't open that door.

YES, it does sail to windward, the keel blades which extend a third of the hull give a good balance between tracking, and maneuverability.

Yes, there are wind conditions that make the front squirrely, the cockpit cover overhang is probably the guilty party, most wind conditions, and points of sail it handles no different than any other Catamaran I've sailed. All of them have significant windage, and you trade the big hard top for aerodynamics.

The most important is my wife loves it.

The quarters are comfortable, and spacious, It earns the term "condo on the water".

Easily sailed single handed by an inexperienced sailor.

Solid, and stable even on rough seas.

Does not pound as much as cats with a lower bridge deck.

Would definitely buy one for a Caribbean trip again.