Eight Months Onboard

 We have officially been onboard our Leopard, Luna Sea (dos) for 8 months now. Several of you have checked in on Instagram, Facebook or even in person to ask exactly how it’s going on our Leopard 38.  Are the promised comforts of a catamaran vs a monohull really living up to the hype?

From Monohull to Catamaran

First let’s start with what it took to get here:

• Sail the monohull from Grenada back to the US.
• Sell the monohull
• Buy a house to flip (because we sold quickly and needed a place to live 😬)
• Sell the house during the onset of Covid
• Buy an RV and remodel it
• Drive RV up and down the US east coast in search of a catamaran
• Buy a catamaran during Covid from a foreign country

Easy peasy, right?  😳

Our “Must Haves”

Our initial shopping list included things like:

• 40-42′ in length
• Well built, safe boat with a newer body style
• Ready to cruise – with things like a Watermaker and Solar
• Island Bed – a Nice to Have item
• Dry Head – a REQUIRED item

That’s what we threw out to the Universe…

What We Ended Up With:

• 38′ Leopard from 2010

• No Watermaker

• Minimal, barely functional solar

• Definitely not an island bed…

• A quasi-dry head

So how’s this working out for us…?

We went smaller than planned with the 38′ Leopard, but the newer body style makes this model feel as roomy as the Leopard 40’s we’ve been on. Relative to the monohull, our cockpit feels ginormous. The salon/galley are up and connected to the cockpit – so even when I’m inside whipping up some snacks and drinks, I don’t feel disconnected like I did on the monohull.

The head’s are perfect. Small, but well designed – and while the toilet is not technically separate, it doesn’t get wet when you shower. And shower water all up under and behind the toilet was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

Because we bought our Leopard catamaran straight out of the Moorings/Sunsail charter fleet, she was pretty bare bones. This actually worked to our advantage. We opted for a Seawater Pro high output watermaker. I have been known to take as many as 3 showers in one day (ahem, yesterday. It’s really hot here, y’all) And I don’t even blink an eye at water usage. We crank out 40 gallons of water per hour – and because it runs off of the inverter, which pulls from our batteries – which are charged from the sun via solar panels… Well, it’s basically free. And I love free.

Speaking of solar, (video link for the solar hard top Mark built) we started by removing the 2 sad flexible panels that came on the boat. One was repurposed in St. Thomas for the company boat and the other… Well, the other was shot and is in a trash heap somewhere, unfortunately. But those 2 small panels were replaced with 4 LG 360’s. (Video link for the DIY solar arch Mark built) So we have 1440 watts of solar to fill up our 600ah lithium battery bank. (update: now 900ah)

Annnnd speaking of lithium… The boat came with good batteries. In fact, they were in such good shape that when our Battle Borns came in, we were able to sell the lead acid to another boat in need. I love that so much more than tossing things in the trash.

Had the boat come with remotely modern batteries, solar and any sort of watermaker, we would’ve likely milked the systems for however long we could. But, again, thanks to that blank slate, we jumped in with exactly what we wanted. Which is a robust power system that allows us to use All the Things. And I mean ALL the things. I’m talking rice maker, Nutribullet blender, electric kettle. And I’m getting ready to add an Instantpot and electric oven/air fryer. I cannot tell you how excited I am by this. It’s like, dare I say it? *gasp* A true home kitchen.

Upcoming Projects

The master cabin is not an island bed. I wanted that in order to make it easy to make the bed each morning. And not only do I not have an island bed, but it’s pretty tall for my short 5’2″ self. I actually need a little step to make life easier when I run and leap up into the bed each night. There happen to be steps in the forward cabins, but we sleep aft, sooo. Good thing I know a guy who can make me a step.

The salon table is ridiculously over sized. And not mobile. It doesn’t drop and turn into another berth. Or an ottoman for a lounge pit. It just sits there in all of it’s giantness, blocking space and making it an awkward place to lounge. (It is excellent for sewing, however) The couch does have a squarely designed back, which is a huge plus in our book. And with some crafty upcoming mods, we will have it sorted out and lounge-able in no time.

Interior Flooring is still TBD. But it’s rough and we don’t like it and will eventually cover it. Most likely with Loncoin or something similar. For now we have rugs and we’re fine with it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ You know, charter life had to take a toll somewhere, and it seems to be on the floors.

Worth the Hype?

100% yes! We absolutely love our boat. We have more space, more comfort, more toy storage. There are countless places to lounge – well, lets count some: the trampolines, the cockpit, the hard tops, the salon couch, the dolphin seats, the bean bags… And while lounging on the hard top, catching some sun, or even star gazing – there’s the added bonus of being able to jump off into the water for a mini adrenaline rush.

The newer design offers loads of air flow and light. There’s plenty of storage (although I admit I’m still figuring out ways to organize it all). The Leopard feels very robust – even on our sporty sail south from St. Thomas. And don’t even get me started on the Lack of Roll. We have been able to (and are currently) anchor in places that were absolutely miserable in the monohull. I’m talking Can’t Sleep Because I’m Going to Puke miserable. But not on the cat 💙

All in all, we are very happy with our choice. But if you’re one of those people desperate to find a Catamaran, and you make us one of those crazy offers we are currently seeing on Yachtworld, I mean, who knows…? 🤷🏼‍♀️ We could be convinced to backpack around Europe and Central America until the boat market settles down again. 😎

About Author