Seawind Cats

[ausaviator]

At $4m - $6m or there abouts for your large scale Horizon I'm not surprised they don't want every many and his wife, dog and child on board looking around.

Hard to obtain exclusivity without some form of filtering unfortunately.

[waikikin]

Originally Posted by surfingminniwinni

they must get very lonely!

If it's the display I'm thinking of they seemed to cater to lonely people...................... sounded like a strip club ......... "it's OK, I know what they look & sound like from the outside..............

[Dragon Lady]

I found all the exhibitors very friendly and helpful, I even got in trouble with my daughter for "talking too much".
Sorry I missed you Factor, I didn't think you would be there otherwise I would have said hello.
It's interesting to note that some of the big builders have lifted their game in the quality department.
We were really blown away by the Leopard 46.
The Catana left me scratching my head, they sure are different, at 1.2m they must sail well.
The Lipari 41 has some improvements over my Lavezzi 40 but I don't think I'll be rushing out to get one.
Well done to Seawind they really know how to market their boats, but I would really love to see them come out with something a bit newer in the design department.
But hey if they sell why change I suppose.

[ausaviator]

One of my biggest complaints of the Seawind is the windows. Is it just me or are they too low? As in you can't stand in the salon and look out the front without bobbing down. After spending a day or two on one I found I had a sore neck from bending down. I'm not overly tall either.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Dragon Lady

I found all the exhibitors very friendly and helpful, I even got in trouble with my daughter for "talking too much".
Sorry I missed you Factor, I didn't think you would be there otherwise I would have said hello.
It's interesting to note that some of the big builders have lifted their game in the quality department.
We were really blown away by the Leopard 46.
The Catana left me scratching my head, they sure are different, at 1.2m they must sail well.
The Lipari 41 has some improvements over my Lavezzi 40 but I don't think I'll be rushing out to get one.
Well done to Seawind they really know how to market their boats, but I would really love to see them come out with something a bit newer in the design department.
But hey if they sell why change I suppose.

Yes - I noted your failure to drop in!

Robertson & Caine (leopard) have done well to by and large still make good sailing boats, mind you that front awning on the 44 would have to affect windward performance, I dont dislike the forward cockpit idea, but on the 44 its more a forward party pit than cockpit. Personally I dont like climbing a ladder to a helm, but it doesn't worry some. Since Morelli and Melvin have been doing the design they certainly seem to be a better thing than the older style with little bridge deck clearance.

The Catana is a big mutha isnt it. I have always had a soft spot for Catana, the whole - Loch Crowther thing. But honestly I was very disappointed in their performance the only time I raced against one. In a gladstone a few years ago, a 47 ocean class thingy with carbon rig etc and being driven by noted round the world sailor Phillipe Peche (sp?), it was barely 2 minutes an hour quicker than an 1160 with a few broken down old men on it. I was very surprised, in that size and that sort of money (or less) I suspect I would be buying something like a Chris White A series boat. But thats just me. You certainly couldnt criticise the build quality on the Catana - it was very nice. Its name - BANDERSNATCH, is a nice touch for the Multihull Traditionalist, Bandersnatch was the first of the Crowther Kraken Trinamrans. It won the 66 Sydney to Hobart Multihull race. Damn near fifty years ago, who says multis dont have tradition. ( and yes I know its a Creature in Lewis Carrolls writings as well)

[FLLCatsailor]

Originally Posted by Factor

Yes - I noted your failure to drop in!

Robertson & Caine (leopard) have done well to by and large still make good sailing boats, mind you that front awning on the 44 would have to affect windward performance, I dont dislike the forward cockpit idea, but on the 44 its more a forward party pit than cockpit. Personally I dont like climbing a ladder to a helm, but it doesn't worry some. Since Morelli and Melvin have been doing the design they certainly seem to be a better thing than the older style with little bridge deck clearance.

)

To respond to your Leopard 44 not being able to point to weather. Have you seen the latest video a one of the crews has put together on a trip from cape town to tahiti? Double digit speeds while the crew has the boat on autopilot eating breakfast...

SAIL - YouTube

[Factor]

A few things:

1. I didnt say it wouldn't point to weather, I said

that front awning on the 44 would have to affect windward performance

and I stand by that, unless the laws of physics have changed.

2. The video shows reaching - no windward on any of the shots I saw. Boats going well - very well, just not to windward. I was doing 17s on Auto having dinner then late night snack then breakfast on our 1250 recently, broad reaching though. A good cat on a beam reach is a wonderful thing.

3. Are you a dealer/agent for Leopard - if so it would be courteous to say so.

[FLLCatsailor]

Factor,

Just to be upfront with everyone here. I am a yacht broker/captain and I do a lot of independent contractor work for Leopard catamarans. I also do work for a quite a few other companies in Florida, and feel as though I have a pretty good pulse on what is happening in the catamaran world as that is how I've put food on my families table for quite sometime now.

That being said, I'm sorry for not correctly responding to your post.

Have you ever placed your hand out the window of a car on the highway? What happens when you keep you hand angled straight into the wind? It doesn't really create a whole lot of wind resistance... Now if you were to flip your hand so it is not in line with the wind all of a sudden your arm feels quite a bit of wind resistance.

This is very similar to the fwd cockpit hard top. Since it is in line with the angle of the wind sweeping across the deck it creates very little drag. I think the salons on any cruising catamaran creates most of the drag.

And all of that being said, who actually sails to windward? Isn't that why catamarans have 2 engines?

Is there something I am missing here?

I personally feel that the Leopard 44 is one of the biggest steps fwd in cruising catamaran design that has been seen in quite sometime. I absolutely love when people hate on the fwd cockpit design. It is such a brilliant layout, and mark my words. It is only a matter of time before the other big catamaran manufactures follow suite with a covered fwd cockpit area.

I don't know much about cruising in Australia. In the Caribbean it sure is nice to have a cockpit that is in the breeze and out of the sun in the afternoon while enjoying a rum punch.

I'd love to see a video of your yacht screaming along at 17kts! I bet she was shooting up a monster rooster tail, and looking pretty sweet!


Just my 2 cents...