Mustang Sally made a comment to the effect that French catamarans are generally the best built. I believed that too, at least until about three years ago. I was convinced that either a
Lagoon or FP would be the cat my wife and I would untimately
purchase and therefore those brands were our
charter choices in the
Caribbean and
Med over several years. After sailing on three different Leopards, including two that were privately owned, we have re-evaluated the cats we are considering. The two Leopard owners are extremely happy with their boats, one is currently in the Pacific. Both owners feel their Leopards are more well-built than at least two French brands -
Lagoon and FP.
I've done a very informal and unscientific
survey. I have spoken with boatyard workers at Nanny Cay and Wickham's Cay on Tortola. I got very similar responses at both
boatyards, Leopards are easier to
work on, systems are more simple, they need fewer overall
repairs and hold up as well or better than Lagoons or FP's. I thought the workers on Tortola might be spouting the company line because of the "Moorings influence" so I had the same conversation at one
Florida yard and one in NC. The guy at the
Florida yard gave a slight edge to the Leopards. The NC yard had only hauled and worked on one Leopard and "a couple" of FP's, and "several" Lagoons, but felt all three were good boats and noted the Leopard as "easier" to
work on, and again with more simple, straight-forward systems. I never mentioned to any of the boatyard workers what anyone else had told me. After getting very similar responses from six different guys at four different yards, it convinced me that at least two French boats, Lagoon and FP, are more likely than not lesser boats when compared with Leopards.
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