Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

[Stumble]

I would really suggest snatching up a small beach cat, like a Hobie 18 and getting some time on them. Sail trim and handeling a cat are radically different than a monohull, and time on the beachcat will translate directly to a big cruiser. Plus sailing a small beachcat is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

[Andrew Grace]

Leopards aren't the only production catamarans that have problems sailing to windward,

great overview here on Cheeky Monkey at the 9.11 mark on the video.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_ZA2fLdEWp4

[bmax242]

if you would like to get a little more performance with a cat I would suggest getting away from the charter boats and going to the performance cruisers , like
Schionning , Fusion ,LeRouge or Grainger cats , a lot of these boats sail better and some are very nicely equipped whereas others are a little more basic. But they are a little less of compromise as opposed to the one size fits all charters design ideas.
cheers

[hsi88]

I have never chartered a boat so I really don't know, but could it be charter boats have less sail area than the standard boats because they want to "dumb down" the boat to make is safer for the general public? Just a wild guess.

[belizesailor]

Thought of this thread recently while anchored near a 39 on a 38 in Curaçao. The 39s are pretty common in the E Carib. Have seen a number of them lately. Would like to sail one...interesting looking boats.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by hsi88

I have never chartered a boat so I really don't know, but could it be charter boats have less sail area than the standard boats because they want to "dumb down" the boat to make is safer for the general public? Just a wild guess.

That used to be the case with early cats built for chater, but dont think it is any more. Havent checked the actual numbers on any charter versions like Moorings, but the rigs dont look overly stubby. Nor do they feel under powered (have sailed plenty of Moorings cats).

[Saleen411]

I am chartering a Leopard 3900 next month in the BVIs....just me and my gal. After 30 some years of chartering, this will be my first catamaran.

I'm hoping NOT to be disappointed. Yes, same as the OP, the yacht I intend to purchase will be larger than the 3900. Hope being, that if we LIKE the 3900, we will LOVE a Helia, Lagoon 45, Leopard 44/48 etc

My compromise will be comfort over speed.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

I am chartering a Leopard 3900 next month in the BVIs....just me and my gal. After 30 some years of chartering, this will be my first catamaran.

I'm hoping NOT to be disappointed. Yes, same as the OP, the yacht I intend to purchase will be larger than the 3900. Hope being, that if we LIKE the 3900, we will LOVE a Helia, Lagoon 45, Leopard 44/48 etc

My compromise will be comfort over speed.

I sure hope you get the 3 cabin owners version 39. You'll love it and so will your gal. I have seen a few, but only a very few, 4 cabin ones there.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

I sure hope you get the 3 cabin owners version 39. You'll love it and so will your gal. I have seen a few, but only a very few, 4 cabin ones there.

Yea...we got the 3 cabin version

Can't wait....:big grin:

Thanks for the response

[amiller]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

I sure hope you get the 3 cabin owners version 39. You'll love it and so will your gal. I have seen a few, but only a very few, 4 cabin ones there.

What's wrong with the 4C/2H boats? I haven't been on the 384 to know them personally, but we recently chartered an L400 that had an Owner's Hull, and I thought that having all of starboard dedicated to one couple was wasteful...spacious but wasteful. It was more of a glorified hallway, leading to an admittedly large head. But for family cruising, I think I'd prefer the 4C/2H setup, as that still gives you a semi-separate shower, plus an extra cabin for guests/storage/quiet time.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by amiller

What's wrong with the 4C/2H boats? I haven't been on the 384 to know them personally, but we recently chartered an L400 that had an Owner's Hull, and I thought that having all of starboard dedicated to one couple was wasteful...spacious but wasteful. It was more of a glorified hallway, leading to an admittedly large head. But for family cruising, I think I'd prefer the 4C/2H setup, as that still gives you a semi-separate shower, plus an extra cabin for guests/storage/quiet time.

Far from wasteful. The owners hull is filled with cupboard/closet space that makes for an easy to get to large pantry. And have you forgotten what it was like to lean over and wash your face in the small sink of the L400.. or wait, maybe it's because you couldn't, it's nice having a real sink in the head with some vanity space (although the vanity space is small, it's there). Also, it's 1 guy and his gal using this boat (so no drawing straws on who gets the owners hull) and it's very nice being able to step into the head and brush your teeth while someone is using the separate walk-in shower or the head for that matter... or even for two to be able to brush their teeth at the same time, or 1 fix their hair, or whatever. Also, the owners hull of the 39 has a sliding door that shuts it off from the rest of the boat for complete privacy.

In the guest hull, most likely, you won't have the front and aft hatches open and both the cabin doors open for good ventilation because of privacy issues .. in the owners hull it's no problem.. open from bow to stern.
Also, when you do have guests.. they won't stay quite so long because it's just a wee bit less nice over there in the guests hull .

If you're 6 or less people.. the owners hull is the only way to go IMHO.
In fact.. the OP mentions some larger boats, as far as the head goes.. when you get to those boats, if they are the 4 cabin/4head versions.. I'd take the 3900 owners version any day, especially for living.

[12BCruzn]

We rented the SunSail version of the same boat this year. I liked the boat overall but was unimpressed with its sailing characteristics.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Saleen411]

Currently sailing the BVIs on a Leopard 3900 with just me and my gal.

We REALLY like this yacht.....SO much better than the 44 Mono we had the week before. I personally can't compare this boat to other cats, but compared to all the monos I've sailed, this is the bees knees. Almost EVERYTHING is better than a mono IMHO....no disrespect intended.

[PhiSig1071]

Originally Posted by Gunnadoit

Yeah, sounds like the consensus here is an autopilot issue (which, incidentally, was slaved to a heading on the raymarine compass.) I suspected/hoped that was likely.

Honestly, not sure if the main was directly over the centerline or just close-enough. Tbh, the traveler had a problem so I didn't dare use it much (the end-cap was missing it's screw, so the first time I ran the traveller far to port, the whole thing blew out, leaving the carriage flapping in the wind and bearings bouncing everywhere/into the sea. I had to put it all back together in 15kts of wind bouncing around in chest-high seas. Adventure!)

Also, fwiw, it didn't have a paddle wheel so no speed-through-the-water, and thus no idea about current... though I suspect it was minor. Also no true windspeed or direction on the boat.

All in all, not a terribly 'fresh' ride...

Broken traveler, broken autopilot, broken paddle for hull speed, no wind speed, not "fresh".

I'm thinking you got a boat close to the end of it's charter career. If that many things were broken, and the boat wasn't "fresh", chances are the sails were probably shot too. From what info I've gathered the sails on charter boats aren't the best for performance to begin with, and they tend to be pretty stretched and out of shape by the time a charter contract is up. That can have a big impact on the boat performance, I'd almost be willing to put money on that being a significant part of your issue. And like Rubikoop said, there are other factors too, was the hull clean? Folding props will also make a noticeable difference for your personal boat.

[Intentional Drifter]

Gunnadoit -- I think it may have been the boat more than others may realize. We spent two weeks on a (new) Leopard 40, which is almost the same boat as the Moorings 3900. We were in the Straits of Georgia, Desolation Sound, Johnstone Strait, lower part of the The Broughtons.

FYI, we lived aboard for two years on a St Francis 44 (so we know what good sailing cruising cats can do) and have sailed a number of Lagoons, Fountaine Pajots, a Manta 42, a previous edition Leopard 46, a Grainger 48, etc. While there are many more experienced folks on CF, we do have about 12K nm's experience.

We were initially quite excited about having so much time on a brand new boat, that is also a very new model. (We're kinda-sorta scouting around for a new boat for ourselves.) The accommodations are wonderful. A truly comfortable boat with many fine features while at anchor.

The sailing is atrocious. Upwind, the boat would never get in a groove. Terrible weather helm, and it was constantly wanting to either bear off or round up. And, yes, the difference between the two was slight. The "twitchy-est" boat I've ever sailed. Downwind, the boat was almost as bad. It wasn't the autopilot, either, as three of us -- all experienced sailors on a variety of boats -- did the best we could to find out whether we could get the boat to be an enjoyable sail. It did OK under a spinnaker in relatively light wind (10 knots), with no main.

We gave up. The summary opinion after two weeks on it, with good sailing winds almost every day: It looks like a brick, and sails like one, too. The three of us came to the conclusion that the front "porch" acts as a funnel and with the large amount of windage the boat already has, relative to the waterline length, it grabs and holds the wind, making the boat quite tender. A similar thing may be happening when downwind, too. The boat seems to have no happy spot where the forces are both balanced and predictable.

Needless to say, we lost all interest, which is too bad, because it has lots of nice qualities, otherwise.

ID