Quote:
Originally Posted by D&D
BTW, how's the Maverick comparing price-wise with the frenchies and Leopards now?
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VERY competitive, if you compare apples to apples, Mav44 to FP 44 (Helia) to
Leopard 44.
After months of
internet researching, we went to the show expecting one thing and came away with totally other opinions. Keep in mind this is just MY personal opinions and we are a
family of 6 who plan to
liveaboard.
To make a long story short, the FP and Leopard felt like they were made for charters. They have more of a
commercial feel. Reminded me of Ikea furniture, not that there is anything wrong with it as we have Ikea ourselves. The
storage seems great for a week or 2 worth of
food and
clothing. The FP there was about $700k worth of boat while the Leopard was about $590k. I tend to lean more towards the Leopard over the FP but that little front seating had me intrigued. It looks cool and probably great for 2 week vacations would get old in the long run. Forget to close the door during a bumpy ride and you may wash out your inside. I can't imagine sitting there while riding in the same bumpy ride. I would have much rather preferred if they would have stretched out the
saloon with that space.
Take a look
here. Great for a morning breakfast somewhere in the
Caribbean but imagine that
interior space for the
saloon?
For about the same
price as the L44, the Maverick has alot to offer. Its finish seems more refined. It has good
storage space and not just in the cabins. If you are
buying new, you can customize it to your liking. The saloon has both vertical and horizontal sitting/lounging. You can sit in typical fashion and eat/work at the table or you can remove the rear back and extend out the seating almost to
bed size, very nice, while still keeping your table. With the FP and Leopard you back is up against the wall and not going anywhere from there. I can see sending in the
kids to do their
work and them lounging day after day on it. Seems like it would quickly be the favorite place to be.
While the FP and Leopard layout show about a 50/50 balance between the
cockpit and saloon, to me it felt more like 60/40. The
cockpit area seems a bit more roomy. You can lounge out back but nothing but
cooking and sitting in the saloon. Who wants to watch TV seated at a table?
The only thing that deters me from the Maverick, is the fact that you cannot cross from one side to the other without going through the cockpit and around anyone that may be there. But with that said I would take the Maverick over the others.
** EDIT **
We were lucky enough to go out on a 3 hr sail on the Maverick today with Rudi, the new owners (who just took possession yesterday) and the Capt. Alexis. It was a nice sail. I think I can get used to that back area. We were all over the cat. From the front to the back and side to side. All in all there was 12 of us, 8 adults and 4
kids, and we never felt in each others way.
Maybe the FP and L44 sail just as great or better but personally I think the Maverick gives you more overall.