Outfitting update on our Leopard 50

posted in: Uncategorized | 11

Hurry up and Wait

After test sailing our new Leopard 50 in Cape Town in early February, we couldn’t wait for the boat to get to Florida. We had sold our previous boat in November so this not having a boat thing was getting old. We knew it was going to make the March ship, which would put it in Florida around the first week of April, and we were standing on the docks waiting for her. Once here, all we had time for was a bottle of Rose’ on board before the outfitting began. Outfitting a boat for us is a big job. The factory does offer some of the items we wanted, like solar panels and a water maker, but with our previous experiences with boats we knew what brands and specific models of equipment we wanted, and it wasn’t necessarily what they offer.

Nothing but felines

Having a good outfitter (installer) for all your aftermarket goods can make this process a blast – and with the wrong outfitter you can be burdened with problems that linger for years. We have outfitted several boats and we are now on our second Leopard with Just Catamarans in Dania Beach and we believe they are top notch. They have many talented mechanics and boatwrights that can handle an amazing amount of tedious jobs that require a specific group of skills like electrical, mechanical, fiberglass, gelcoat, and basic engineering. Some of this stuff has never been done before on a boat like ours. So, nothing is “standard” – it is essentially all custom.

As I type this we have finished most of the work and Lennie and I have moved the boat to a resort marina and we just had our first weekend “enjoying” the boat.  This video is a sneak peak at the work that goes into this outfitting thing!

 

 

11 Responses

  1. Captain David Avayou

    Hey Randy,
    My wife Sandy and I have met you and Lenny at the Annapolis boat show and again on Nanny Cay, BVI during the spring regatta. We purchased our Leopard 50 / Moorings 5000 through the Moorings Yacht Ownership system. This is our third catamaran, having lost our Leopard 44 thanks to hurricane IRMA. We love your videos, especially the outfitting videos and plan to make several changes to our boat in a couple years, when we return her to Florida. I am so impressed by the performance of our new 50. She points really well, as high as 38 degrees close-hauled and she’s fast both on and off the wind. Alex Simonis wasn’t kidding when he said this new design does not sacrifice performance for weight carrying capacity. We absolutely love our new boat, SV CERTIFIABLE.

    • happytogether

      Hi David and Sandy,
      So nice to hear from you! So glad you enjoy our video series and we have our outfitting video being released in a few days which you will especially love!! We look forward to catching up with you at the next show or the Caribbean. We are leaving today for our first cruise to the Bahamas and plan to leave the boat there for a month or so (weather depending) Keep in touch! We agree the boat sails great.
      Randy & Lennie

  2. Andy

    Hi Happy Together!
    I’ve been watching your videos and just now reading your blogs. I would be interested to have more details on the pricing and specifications for outfitting your Leopard 50

    Warm Regards
    Andy

    • happytogether

      Hi Andy, I will send you my list….

  3. Lenny Murphy

    Hello Randy and Lennie,

    Loved your videos. I would be interested in the aftermarket upgrades that you had installed. Thank you.

    Best Wishes,
    Lenny

  4. Neil

    Hi Randy & Lennie, my wife and I are currently looking at either a new or used Leopard 50. Used are so hard to find and covid has dramatically changed the resale market so buying new is under strong consideration. Can you please share your OEM and after market options and costs? Thanks so much and thanks for posting some of the most informative you tube videos.

    Hope all is well on your passage north.
    Neil

  5. Eric Montgomery

    Really appreciate all the information on your blogs and videos. We are currently deciding between a Leopard 50 and FP New51. Would be interested if you had any opinions about pros/cons from what you have seen between Leopard and Fountaine Pajot?