Leopard 40 or 39 in the US West Coast ?

[lazyxiong]

Hello Forum !
I am new member and currently looking to buy a cruising cat. Had a monohull before, but kept in the San Francisco for weekend cruising. This time looking for a blue water cat to go to faraway places.
Been searching for several months and narrowed down my search to 2 boats:

1. Lagoon 39
2. Leopard 39/40/44

I have sailed Lagoons before (though, not L39) but never been aboard Leopard,
here in the West Coast I am not aware of any for sale. Does anyone have
a Leopard (older or newer) that I can just come look at ? I live in San Francisco but travel to LA a lot and generally can go anywhere along West Coast - its easier than flying to Florida or South Africa

Also, if anyone here with real experience for anyone of these 2 boats - please, let me know how you feel about them being suitable for blue water cruising.

Cheers and happy to join this lovely club !

[FLLCatsailor]

Are you referring to the new Leopard 40, or the older one designed by M&M built from 2005-2010?

[lazyxiong]

Hi Wiley,

Thanks for your input ! I like watching your cat review videos !
I am considering either newer Leopard 39 (can't quite afford new 40s),
or older (10-13 years old) Leopard 40/42.
If you have input on the difference in quality between new and old Leopards,
I am also interested to hear that !
I see that Leopards are selling so quickly and seem to be very popular.
On the other hand, I've heard that the quality compared to Lagoon is not
as good (the way hulls are built, for example).

[senormechanico]

There is a Leopard (I think 40) in the Pacific Northwest which is in charter.
The name is "Coastal Cottage".

I don't have a link for you but you should be able to find it with a bit of internet searching.
I have seen in both the San Juan Islands and Desolation Sound in Canada.

[lazyxiong]

Thanks senormechanico !
I found it - its Island Cruising charter company. May need to fly over there
if I can't find anything closer, but still better than East Coast

[David Mark]

A Seawind 1160 deluxe will be up for sale thru , Westcoast Multihulls San Diego , It just came back from a 10 year circumnavigation .

[LeeV]

If you help, the best broker I’ve ever dealt with is in the Vancouver area, and I can’t recommend him highly enough, and we’re on the other coast!
Tell him Lee sent you.


YACHT SALES WEST
Mike Carkeek
CONTACT DETAILS
Phone: 250-656-6644
Website: www.yachtsaleswest.com
Email: mike@yachtsaleswest.com

[Sand crab]

There was a Leopard 38 for sale in the Sound about a year ago. I think it was in the classifieds here if you want to do a search. I think it probably sold but don't know for sure. Also there is an older SW 1160 for sale here too. It was in the boat show.

[lazyxiong]

Thank you guys for the tip on Seawind - this boat is not really on my short list,
mostly interested in Leopards and Lagoons.

[FLLCatsailor]

Both the Leopard 39 and the original Leopard 40 are great boats. I've sailed them both extensively. I don't think one is necessarily better than the next. Both of them sail very well and are very easy to maintain.

Its probably a bit easier finding a Leopard 39 than a Leopard 40. If you'd like to chat about both boats in detail give me a shout sometime. I'm a little bias towards Leopard, so much to the point that I'm one of the moderators for the Leopard Owners Group

Originally Posted by lazyxiong

Hi Wiley,

Thanks for your input ! I like watching your cat review videos !
I am considering either newer Leopard 39 (can't quite afford new 40s),
or older (10-13 years old) Leopard 40/42.
If you have input on the difference in quality between new and old Leopards,
I am also interested to hear that !
I see that Leopards are selling so quickly and seem to be very popular.
On the other hand, I've heard that the quality compared to Lagoon is not
as good (the way hulls are built, for example).

[Intentional Drifter]

For my "in a nutshell" review of the Leopard 40 (the one mentioned above in the PNW), see: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2241710


That is actually a good thread to review, generally, as the boats are almost identical.


My bottom line: Nice at the dock or at anchor. Not a good sailing boat, though. We tried. We really wanted to like it.


ID

[Steve Denton]

Yes, we have a 2007 Leopard 43 that is for sale in San Diego that we have sailed 5000 miles. Currently we are sailing a Leopard 46 in the Bahamas. I would be happy to dialogue with you directly about the features of the 43.

[lazyxiong]

Thanks guys - I did read the thread on Leopard review, I guess either of my choices (Leopard or Lagoon) will sail more or less the same and it'll all come down to comfort and durability ?

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by Steve Denton

Yes, we have a 2007 Leopard 43 that is for sale in San Diego that we have sailed 5000 miles. Currently we are sailing a Leopard 46 in the Bahamas. I would be happy to dialogue with you directly about the features of the 43.

Nice move from the 43 to the 46. Both great boats. I think a 46 will be our next boat. Enjoy the Bahamas!

[Intentional Drifter]

Originally Posted by lazyxiong

Thanks guys - I did read the thread on Leopard review, I guess either of my choices (Leopard or Lagoon) will sail more or less the same and it'll all come down to comfort and durability ?

I disagree. I've sailed most of the more recent Lagoons in this size range, including the 380, 400, 410, 420, and 42. All of them sailed better than the Leopard 40 (the current version, the older M&M Leopard 40 is a very nice sailing boat).



Of the Lagoons, the 420 is the poorest of the bunch, and that's due to the compromises made in hull shape to make it a hybrid (which failed miserably). The 410 and 42 are both nice sailing cruising cats, in my opinion far better than the Leopard 40. We spend 2 weeks on a 42 last year in the same area. It performed quite nicely -- no speed demon, but competent. It was a joy and we will be chartering it again, this year.


If I was considering a Leopard in this size range, I'd try and find one of the M&M 40's that didn't get beat up in the charter trade. They were nice boats that sailed quite well.



ID