Leopards 2012 Newport Boat Show Price List

[tuskie]

Originally Posted by OZcat

Hey Tuskie,

Regarding boat prices in Australia when you actually dig deeper you will discover how the associated costs add up when importing any boat.

The reality is that from a factory base price, plus freight / delivery / duties / GST / commissioning etc plus all additional optional extras essential for cruising that many imports stack up when ordering a new boat

If you plan to cruise offshore before importing back home ( Australia ) it can be a great option to pick up ex factory . You potentially save on the delivery and taxes upfront and you will have great fun experiencing a cruising adventure of a life time. When you arrive and import back home you will pay import charges .

Ask the dealers for a line item option spreadsheet from the factory to Australia if you plan to buy new so you can see the costs involved . You might be surprised

Thanks for the reply OZcat, and welcome to the forum.

Yes, the costs certainly add up to make very expensive catamarans in Australia.

The A$485,000 price tag for the Leopard 39 was for a base price, shipped and fully imported to Australia, complete with a pair of "base" 19 hp engines. That's US$509,000 at current exchange rates.

Of course it's possible to save money by sailing it home yourself if you have the time and the guts to trust a vessel straight out of the factory for a southern Indian Ocean crossing. But that's not the point, I'm comparing "boat show special" prices in the US with the same boat at a similar show in Australia. Either way you're looking at a huge price difference of nearly 1.8 times the price!

I agree with your comment about the importer's cost spreadsheet. I have studied both the Australian Leopard and Lagoon spreadsheets and have been very surprised indeed. Almost every cost from "commissioning" to essential cruising gear that was omitted from the base boat has a cost loaded with an extremely high margin.

I know importers need to make a profit, market forces and all that, but if our friends in the States can do things so much cheaper maybe we Aussies should ask why can't we? If the Aussies importer's (OZcat?) could go close to matching the US imported price then there'd be a lot more Leopards floating in Australian waters.

[OZcat]

Hi Tuskie,

There is great value in these forums when planning the in and out's of buying the perfect cruising yacht/cat for you and your family . Luckily i have been on both sides of the equation of both buying and cruising for many years and also selling a number of them as well .

Regarding pricing of boats you need to get the finer details with the agent, parent company or dealer in your area when you are ready to order a boat . The power of the internet has made the process of buying pretty transparent however you need to compare apples with apples . I notice the pricing quoted for the Leopard in the USA is actually the base price of the boat located in the South Africa factory ex taxes . I think you may find that a boat delivered to Newport would be closer to 390K, if it was shipped maybe 420 K . If you added the additional cost of shipping to Australia (approx 30K) plus 10% GST and 5% duty the 500K is probably spot on for a new order.

If you are looking to buy new or used out of Europe/USA/SA you may also want to get independent quotes from shipping agents. Don't be surprised to see quotes exceeding 80K for deck cargo.

One last point is that although there are costs of ordering any new vessel and importing there are also opportunities that arise from parent companies bringing new vessels to market . The Leopard 39 that was exhibited in Australia was offered fully imported at 449,000 AUD on Australian websites . This was with full cruising gear , larger motors and sail away . When you compare that with a new order ex factory or actually delivered to Newport USA you might find that you are actually saving $$$$$







The A$485,000 price tag for the Leopard 39 was for a base price, shipped and fully imported to Australia, complete with a pair of "base" 19 hp engines. That's US$509,000 at current exchange rates.

Of course it's possible to save money by sailing it home yourself if you have the time and the guts to trust a vessel straight out of the factory for a southern Indian Ocean crossing. But that's not the point, I'm comparing "boat show special" prices in the US with the same boat at a similar show in Australia. Either way you're looking at a huge price difference of nearly 1.8 times the price!

I agree with your comment about the importer's cost spreadsheet. I have studied both the Australian Leopard and Lagoon spreadsheets and have been very surprised indeed. Almost every cost from "commissioning" to essential cruising gear that was omitted from the base boat has a cost loaded with an extremely high margin.

I know importers need to make a profit, market forces and all that, but if our friends in the States can do things so much cheaper maybe we Aussies should ask why can't we? If the Aussies importer's (OZcat?) could go close to matching the US imported price then there'd be a lot more Leopards floating in Australian waters.[/QUOTE]

[dirkdig]

A new 48 sounds perfect.
Flybridge???

[Sand crab]

How will they get the L39PC to the show? Deck cargo? Does it have the range?

[dan360]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

How will they get the L39PC to the show? Deck cargo? Does it have the range?

Well I believe that the Moorings charter power cats in the BVIs are all sent under their own power. They go at optimum rpm for fuel consumption and they have a bunch of additional fuel on deck. Not a journey I would be enthusiastic to undertake :-)

[jacksin]

I see the new 48 is in Cruising World.

Leopard 48 Photo Gallery | Cruising World

[POH]

Very interesting. Anyone have similar price lists for other makes? Lagoon pricing for Annapolis?

[dirkdig]

No flybridge on the 48 = no thanks.
What a shame.

[maytrix]

If they had put in a flybridge, the boom would be so high off the water, like the 48. Just adds more windage.

I think the 46 is still my favorite - 48 would be close, except I'm not sure about the forward cockpit for cruising.

[dirkdig]

46 still the go, agreed

[Jim Woodall]

I saw the L48 in Cruising World also and it appears to have the forward cockpit. I have been in contact with two different guys who crewed on deliveries of L44s and each indicated there were no issues in heavy seas with the forward cockpits. Both also said the boat's overall speed was very good, well over 7 knots (VMG). Did well in relatively light winds and made double digits consistently with winds in the 16-20 knot range.

Both deliveries were from SA to the Caribbean so the average speeds should be pretty representative. It seems the L44's performance is exceeding most people's initial expectations and the forward cockpit seems to be of little or no consequence in heavy weather.

If the L48 performs in a similar way, R&C may prove the naysayers wrong about their ability to make a substantial move into the private ownership market. It seems M&M may have gotten it right again. I think one of the primary reasons for the collaboration between R&C and M&M was to enhance performance and increase Leopard's market share to private owners -v- the straight-to-charter market.

The L58 is an odd-looking beast and I doubt it will see the success R&C hopes for. If it does, Morrelli deserves a raise, regardless of what he's getting paid.

[Jim Woodall]

I've been told M&M and R&C have parted ways and Simonis is now doing the design work again, and did so on the L58. Does anyone have any information about this?

[cruiz9]

It saddens me where modern production cats are going.

It seems they are just slowly morphing into nothing but powerboats but with a stick and a sail on top to trick people into thinking they are buying a sail boat

Whats with the pergola out the front of the '48' it looks like its wearing a base ball cap

I wonder in the options list you can get tiles for the roof and green grass instead of a trampoline.

I'm sure they will still sell bucket loads of them anyway.

They say sex sells ,but ugly and cheap sell even better

[Jim Woodall]

thorcat,

I have an acquaintance who has been a multihull sailor since the mid-80's and he now owns his 4th catamaran of more than 35 feet. His current boat is a Lagoon 420. I have heard him express the same feelings, but he buys a "new" boat about every 7 years. He and I have discussed the production cats at length as well as the entire Lagoon line.(He loves his 420)

He always waxes nostalgic about the previous cats he has owned and he kept each in near bristol condition and continuously upgraded. He is a long-distance cruiser with tens of thousands of offshore miles under his keels.

My question to him was: "If your older boats were so great and you miss each one so much, why do you keep buying new models - why not keep what you're already happy with?" His basic answer was that boats keep getting better and better. He thinks cats today are more reliable, better build, far safer and more fun to sail than ever before.

He is a very successful car dealer, owning more than a dozen new-car dealerships in three states, and he compares modern boats to modern cars. He says he hears over and over that "they don't build 'em like they used to" in reference to both cars and boats. His position is that they don't build 'em like they used to - they build 'em better now than ever before. My dad who worked in the car industry for years agrees wholeheartedly that cars are more reliable and of better quality today than ever before.

So... at least this guy, who has lots of experience with several boats over many years, feels that even with the changes that are less than traditional; boats are just better today than ever before. He tells me that he is still astonished on every trip he takes on his boat that with all the bells and whistles, his "condo on the water" is a better boat in virtually every way than his first, second or third catamaran.

His bottom line is that as long as boats get progressively better, people will buy them. When they start getting worse (like many 70's - 80's U.S. automobiles) people will revolt until they begin to be built better again.

[catabroker]

Jim,

I think you are spot on with your comments. If the mid sized cruising catamarans from the 80's were so good, why is Prout not building them anymore (or why don't they build again as new boats?)


Below a link to the Leopard Catamaran website with more information on the new Leopard 48'.

Leopard 48 | Leopard Catamarans US

Please contact me directly for any question on the Leopard 48', or ask for me at the Annapolis boat show next week.

Peter Wiersema / Leopard Specialist

954 260 4913