nedd advice on R&C 45 and an R&C 47

[patsan]

I thought I would repost an earlier post from a different catagory.

My wife and I are looking at making the big move. Need advice on the purchase of a 3 yr old 47 or 5 yr old r&c cat. Going to leave it in charter for two years then move aboard for several more.
The R&C 47 is 3 years old, been in charter since new. The 45 (several of them) have been in charter for 5 seasons.
any and all advice would be appreciated. TIA!!

[GordMay]

"Blue Water Sailing” boat test of the Leopard 47 Cruising Catamaran (Robertson and Caine International Yachts)
http://www.bwsailing.com/01articles/...3/boattest.htm

[Jeff]

There's a family cruising on a Leopard 47 here: http://mahimahi.groupforce.com/

Also I was speaking to a Moorings Broker recently and they mentioned that the Leopard 47 and 45 had dropped 20% in value since the Leopard 46 was introduced. Now take this with a grain of salt considering we were on a Leopard 46 test sail at the time but it might help with your negotiating power.

j

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by patsan

I thought I would repost an earlier post from a different catagory.

My wife and I are looking at making the big move. Need advice on the purchase of a 3 yr old 47 or 5 yr old r&c cat. Going to leave it in charter for two years then move aboard for several more.
The R&C 47 is 3 years old, been in charter since new. The 45 (several of them) have been in charter for 5 seasons.
any and all advice would be appreciated. TIA!!

I have skippered many of the 45s and 47s for Moorings in Tortola as well as delivering them all around the Caribbean and up to Florida. They are excellent charter boats and I have seen very nice "private customisations" (is that a word?) of some of them when they come out of the fleet.

They are, as you know, South African built (and as an example of their sea-keeping and reliability - they all get delivered from SA on their own bottoms). I find that the SA designs, wider and with lower bridge-deck clearance than, say, the French cats. Lower bridge-deck clearance does of course mean the potential for more slamming when beating but personally, I dont get too anal about this. After all, the loss of maybe 14 inches clearance in a 12 foot sea aint gonna make much difference IMHO. The 47 has a better hull-shape in that the extra 2 feet is all in the sugar-scoop sterns giving a finer less turbulent exit than the slightly stubbier 45 (particularly if she has the added weight of a genset in the stbd engine-room.

In terms of buying one: are you going for an ex Crewed Yacht (much better spec and interior finish) or a bareboat? Obviously you will have it surveyed before purchase. If its staying in charter (bareboat anyway) for a couple more years its most likely going to go into the Footloose fleet. No matter, any of the "B Fleet" operators would take it!

The important thing to do is to BE THERE when she finally comes out of charter in what is called the "phase-out". This is where she will be prepped for your ownership. Make sure you have a copy of the original spec sheet Inventory and make sure its all there!

Finally - you should look at www.sailonline.com. Run by Michel Bennarosh, its a great resource for buying and all aspects of charter etc. Michel has had 3 boats in the Moorings Fleet and is currently the Commodore of the Moorings Owners' Group; he is an extremely helpful and knowledgeable guy. Enjoy!! Tony

[Vasco]

patsan,

Why buy a boat now if you're not going for a couple of years. Is there a financial advantage to leaving it in charter for two years? In two years time there'll be a lot more of these boats on the market and buyers might get a better deal.

[patsan]

Thanks for all of the help. I am looking at the crewed version, you are right, much better finish.

The slamming effect to me is not a big deal. Because you're right, in 12ft seas, a few more inches won't make that much diff.

The thought of putting it off has come to mind, but that ain't gonna happen! I put it off 2 years already. Also it seems to be a buyers market right now and I don't want to miss it, (Its happened to me before). I like the thought that the 45 and the 47 have dropped about 20%. I think I could find a great deal now.

I don't have a problem with the boat being in charter for a couple of seasons as long as things are put back to normal wear and tear. If they give me a problem, I'll sick my attorneys on them.

Does anyone know if a 3 cabin version would be picked up in a charter fleet? I haven't asked my broker that question yet.