The new Leopard 45!

[Red Herring]

Looks a lot bigger than the 44 it replaces. I guess they will update the 48 next. I wonder where they will go with that? A 50 maybe?

[iliohale]

Factory teaser now up on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/cP4USNiPxfg

[Jim Woodall]

I think the forward "area" does qualify as a forward cockpit on some of the boats. I was on a Leopard 44 last December and we sailed from the forward cockpit using the autopilot remote on several occasions. We had a full afternoon without touching a sail. Every adjustment in course was made with our feet up, pressing a button! The boat averaged well over 8 knots during our 10-day stay. We were mostly sailing with the wind on the beam. Wind speeds were never above 16 knots. It is a great spot to hang out. The owner of that L44 has sailed about 30,000 blue water miles and said the forward cockpit has never been an issue, even in rough seas.

Most of the pundits are jealous, nothing more. The forward cockpit has proven to be safe and a very desirable feature for many sailors. The L45 will be a huge success and a big part of that success will be the forward cockpit, lounge, or whatever one wants to call it. A few owners of other cats will continue to make snide remarks all the while the L45 will become another very successful model for Leopard and they will secretly wish their boats had such a great feature.


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[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by Jim Woodall

The boat averaged well over 8 knots during our 10-day stay. We were mostly sailing with the wind on the beam. Wind speeds were never above 16 knots.

Sorry, I stopped reading here.

[Saleen411]

Most of the pundits are jealous, nothing more. The forward cockpit has proven to be safe and a very desirable feature for many sailors. The L45 will be a huge success and a big part of that success will be the forward cockpit, lounge, or whatever one wants to call it. A few owners of other cats will continue to make snide remarks all the while the L45 will become another very successful model for Leopard and they will secretly wish their boats had such a great feature.

I spent a fair amount of time crawling around the new Leopards at the Annapolis Boat Show.

As a "Non" pundit.....all I can say is that I REALLY liked the new Leopards. I did have 2 concerns with them however....the sea worthiness of the front door, and of course the age old balsa core issue.

Whilst there I sought out the opinions of many experienced sailors ( delivery captains ) etc. MOST had some trepidation with the front door. NOW it seems opinions may have changed with the passage of time and a few tens of thousands of sea miles under the keels.

As to the balsa core issue?....still don't know what to say about that other than what's already been said. If MINARET had an opinion, I would take that to the bank.

Knowing what I know now as a "non" salty pundit... based on my needs and desires, I would write a check tomorrow for a Leopard 44/48 or Helia.

We REALLY like the idea of the front door at anchor....which is where cruisers spend 80-90% of their time, no?

[Jim Woodall]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

Sorry, I stopped reading here.

SVNeko:

Just curious, have you ever actually sailed a Leopard 44?

I don't own a Leopard, in fact, I have a new Lagoon 42 on order, but the boats sail much better than most are willing to give them credit for. In Grenada a few years ago we chartered s/v See Pal, one of the early Leopard 44's, something like hull #2 or #3. We had eight people on the boat and it was fully loaded. While sailing on the east side of Grenada in just over 22 knots of wind, aft of the beam, with one reef in the main and jib, we maintained between 10 - 11 knots through the water. We maintained that speed for an extended period and did little sail trimming. I don't claim to be a great sail handler, but we achieved speeds that were 50% of wind speed often. S/V See Pal had a charter rig, standard main and headsail, and no other sail inventory.

The private boat last December had an extensive sail inventory, including a code-0. The boat made better than 8 knots, more than 50% of wind speed, most of the time (not motor sailing). The owner handled the boat very well and enjoyed getting a turn of speed even in the moderate winds. We never really had anything more than moderate winds, most of our sailing was in steady winds of 14 - 16 knots. The only winds that exceeded 16 knots were gusts, we never had anything steady above 16 and we never reefed. One of the best sailing trips ever, consistent winds, well-outfitted boat, and excellent company (6 onboard). The code-0 was on a bow sprit with a furler, it was the headsail we used most of the time.

Find a privately owned Leopard 44 or 48 and go sailing. If the skipper is familiar with the boat and has a decent sail inventory most sailors will be quite surprised by the speeds those boats can achieve. Give it a try.

Note: Three or four years ago a guy who went by the handle of "The Sailing Mongoose" (I think his real name is Paul Watson), posted a video of a Leopard 44 being delivered to Tahiti. A Sunsail boat, charter rig. There was a debate on many forums about the authenticity of that video because of the speeds supposedly achieved. Take a look at it, I think it's still on youtube. The Mongoose's speeds are legit IMHO, because I've been on L44's that have achieved similar speeds.

[rajsach]

I think the new 45 looks great. Curious to see the inside. I do know that the galley is forward like L 40.
With respect to the front door... I know that they've changed the asthetics and now it looks like the door blends in to the plexiglass in the front. I'm not sure if they changed the design of the door but it definitely looks different from the exterior. The seaworthiness of the front door is really a non issue at this point. It's a proven design and there are many leopards out there and that door has never really been "breached" or compromised.
I personally think the L 44 sails very well and it's easy to handle. Those who have sailed one know what I'm talking about. I'm sure the 45 will be no different. We took possession of our L44 about three weeks ago and sailed it off South Florida and I was quite impressed with the performance in light winds.
If all goes well it will leave Dania Beach headed for Puerto Rico on Saturday. Can't wait👍⛵️



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[rajsach]

"I think the forward "area" does qualify as a forward cockpit on some of the boats."

Be Careful Jim or you'll have this forums cockpit police after you


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[DotDun]

Originally Posted by Jim Woodall

.....
Most of the pundits are jealous, nothing more. The forward cockpit has proven to be safe and a very desirable feature for many sailors. The L45 will be a huge success and a big part of that success will be the forward cockpit, lounge, or whatever one wants to call it.

Not sure there is any "jealousy" going on. As already mentioned, the forward cockpit is liked by some and disliked by others. A friend and ex-owner of a L44 put it - "I would have rather had that space in the salon..." They very rarely used the forward cockpit.


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[Sail IC]

I think the Leopards have too many hard glasfiber biminis (helm station, front cockpit), making them look more like a houseboat than Lagoon and FP. I was on a the Leopard 44, and I also think its a bit to small for the front door/passage, taking up too much space from the saloon.


But I do like the idea of a front cockpit, but would prefer the L440/450 way where you have to go around the side deck to reach it. The way the wind blows in the Caribbean, no need for the hard roof extension to get shade in the afternoon.

[pathlesschosen]

Personally I like the front door except the breeze made cooking difficult at times. Too much ventilation...
Intrigued by the forward facing galley on the 40 and 45 allowing the cook to leave the door open for max benefit.


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[Cotemar]

I love the look as it looks just like my FP Helia 44 Evo.

[WWV]

Folks at Catamaran Guru comment:

First Pictures Of The NEW 2016 Leopard 45 Catamaran

Personally, I think I like the pretty glossy photos.... :-)

[rajsach]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

I love the look as it looks just like my FP Helia 44 Evo.

I think we all know that's not a coincidence. I think the Helia is one of the prettiest boats out there


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[rajsach]

Originally Posted by WWV

Folks at Catamaran Guru comment:



First Pictures Of The NEW 2016 Leopard 45 Catamaran



Personally, I think I like the pretty glossy photos.... :-)

That front door looks completely redesigned. Looks a lot less stout than the one on the 44.
I don't like the small tramps either


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