Leopard 44: Multihull World - Leopard Catamarans US

TEST

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LEOPARD 44'
opens the coachroof door

With the Leopard 44', Robertson & Caine is pursuing the renewal of its range, and
maintaining innovative trends to accompany its development and the distribution of its
models in the northern hemisphere, by the charter giant, Sunsail-Moorings.

Text: Philippe Echelle – Photos: DR and Philippe Echelle

AN INDUSTRIAL TOOL AND amongst the most promising up- 2
SOUND MARKETING and-coming countries. The South
African centre of the nautical
In the article dedicated to the industry includes many multihull
test of the 39’ (Multihulls World builders (Scape, Dean, Admiral,
n° 117), we told you about the African Cats, Knysna, St
impressive career of the small- Francis…); this very dynamic
scale company founded in 1991 segment is of course, for the
by John Robertson and Jerry most part building for export.
Caine. After having successfully Moorings’ choice of having its
come through the potentially boats built in Cape Town, then
insurrectionary period at the end taking shares Robertson & Caine
of Apartheid, the ‘rainbow was made under the impetus of
nation’s’ economic and social Lex Raas (operations manager,
fabric avoided confrontation and defector from Bénéteau), who
bounced back to figure today was familiar with the workings of

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a high-performance company set and the 39’, the 44’ was tested in 3
up. Lex was also familiar with the the charter bases during the 2011
specifications of the leader in season.
bareboat charter, as Beneteau
was supplying them with mono- LOOKING FOR LOST SPACE
hulls, and he thus adapted his
products for this very special The Californian associates had
customer. Together, these inter- already thrown a first pebble into
actions allowed the South the water, by fitting a mastfoot
African builder to compensate cockpit to the Gunboat platforms
for its handicap of remoteness, (initially built in South Africa!);
and rise to 3rd position in the here they re-cycled a part of this
world. Moorings and Sunsail are idea, giving it different aims. At
now part of the German Tui the price of architectural
group, (16.5 billion euro turno- constraints, which they over-
ver), the world no.1 in tourism came (indentation in the structu-
(voyage-hotels-shipping)! ral front face); Gino and Pete
transformed the cruising catama-
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIEW ran’s ergonomics, by opening up
OF CATAMARANS; THE the forward area. The expected
CHANGE OF ARCHITECTS benefits were huge! They crea-
ted a second cockpit, and air-
Alexander Simonis had been conditioned the boat in tropical
designing the Robertson & Caine anchorages. A hard top over this

A hard top covers the forward cockpit, this
new oceanic balcony, which opens up an unu-
sual view point, perfectly suited to conviviality

in the cruising areas aimed at...

fleet for almost a decade. In new oceanic balcony opened up system for the communicating ACCOMMODATION FOLLOWING
association with Maarten Voogd, an unusual view point, perfectly door, leaves no lingering doubts CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
he specialised in the design of suited to conviviality in the crui- about the concept’s reliability. A
custom mega-monohulls, of 80 sing areas aimed at. During our cover is available for inopportune The private owner’s version
to 90’, which monopolized the sail (February 2012, in the conditions, or over-wintering; made available to us revealed a
podiums of the classic southern Mediterranean), we didn’t really oversized drain scuppers have really appealing style of furni-
hemisphere events (Nicorette I take advantage of this nautical been provided. Our test 44’ had shing, which left no hint of its ini-
and II, Les Folies…). Influenced patio, but it is easy to imagine its suffered the assaults of the sea tial charter-management voca-
by the French school of cruising use during holiday wanderings. during its 8,000-mile delivery trip tion. Care has been taken with
multihulls, and wanting to renew The serious way the R & D from Cape Town to Nice, with no the woodwork; the soft colours
its image, the Cape Town builder department has tackled the damage. of the species chosen contribute
and its American partner selec- question of the strength of the to the overall warm, functional
ted, in 2000, a designer who was perspex panels, and the closing atmosphere. The numerous black
in the spotlight in the presti-
gious international arena of ‘no 4
limits’: Gino Morelli (associated
with Pete Melvin on the 1 : Looks which are not
Playstation project, for Steve
Fossett’s round-the-world trip). very consensual, but
the forward cockpit
SECOND WIND could well win a follo-
wing!
The 40' (also called the
Moorings 4000), designed by 2 : During our test,
the digital pencil of the
Californian international office, the strong weather
and presented in 2004 at the conditions (more than
Grand Pavois in La Rochelle, 25 knots) showed the
showed the new direction. The boat to be safe and
Newport Beach duo was fami- well-behaved.
liar with de-centering strate-
gies, and was used to working 3 : Overhung by a
from a distance with operators
in far-away set-ups (China, New generous sail plan,
Zealand, Mexico). After the 46’ the 44’ asserts an
original silhouette…

4 : Both at sea and at

anchor, the forward
cockpit is the place to
be!

Corian surfaces rationalise battery of hatches and fans becomes pro- 5

maintenance and encourage (optional), which will guarantee minent.

good ageing in the heavily used remarkable overall comfort

areas; they are also pleasing to without the assistance of air- A LEOPARD
the eye. The chart table has conditioning. IN A STRONG
disappeared, paper charts can
be used in the saloon, although CONSTRUCTION WIND
they have nowadays been AND ARCHITECTURE
superseded by the laptop. The Boat tests in
winter allow us

galley, with double sinks, is Robertson & Caine boats have to escape

equipped with a Force 10 coo- the reputation of being strong; congestion on

ker/oven (superb standard the construction process in a the water and

equipment), and a two-drawer balsa/glass/vinylester sand- often offer a

stainless steel refrigerator with wich, under vacuum, with dynamic play-

a large capacity, which will contact lamination, is gene- ground well sui-

allow the cook to plan ahead! rously dimensioned. The use of ted to a more

The starboard hull is up to an end grain balsa core is per- immediate dis-

usual standards, with a big, fectly justifiable (Lagoon also covery of the candidate’s sea- and 55° to the apparent wind.
Granted, this angle is more like
easily-accessible bed, a sofa use it). The builder insists on keeping qualities. After close a close reach, but progress
was fast and the point of sai-
and a desk. The bathroom is retaining the sandwich below observation of the weather ling rather comfortable consi-
dering the sea conditions; this
voluminous, and ergonomically the waterline, except in the conditions, we reached the kind of VMG suits crews...and
boats on the open sea. The
pertinent. The carefully reserved areas around the rud- area we were aiming for after a nacelle passes well; the boat
can be luffed on demand. This
constructed interior mouldings ders, the keels and the sea- good hour under power, figh- kind of ease surprised me,
shedding doubts on my a priori
look very good and again ratio- cocks… This will not give any ting against a short, forbidding linked to the corpulence of the
forward side of the coachroof
nalise maintenance. The lami- particular problems when swell originating from a strong and a potentially handicapping
CX. Once again, we know
nated floors are hard-wearing chocked ashore, just like a lif- north-north-easterly gale blo- nothing about a boat until we
have tested it at sea! Next, in a
and of good quality. Large ope- ting keel boat, but we would wing out at sea (the ‘vein’ of beam wind, the 44’ sped along
on a relief which was now rou-
nings in the floors give access nevertheless like to see an wind was in the wind corridor gher, without showing any ten-
dency to wallow to leeward or
to a net- between Italy and roll, despite admittedly being
over-canvassed. The absence
work of The owner’s manual recommends taking Corsica, perfectly of traveller is not a problem in
labelled identified). itself; it obliges the crew to
adjust each tackle, which is an
and easily Entering the ‘sta- incentive to choose a 3rd elec-
unders- tric winch. Using the 2nd one
tandable in the first reef below 20 knots; it’s right! dium’, 7.8 miles (the one for the reef pendants,
off Nice, we were also optional) is possible; I tried
it and it worked well, but limits
seacocks. all impatient to the speed of reaction. If I had
to choose, I would give priority
The port epoxy treatment offered. discover the behaviour of the to the mainsail equipment,
even if it meant leaving the
hull houses two nice cabins Overhung by a square-headed generous 44-footer and pendants on a manual winch.
Under full mainsail in this kind
with independent shower-toi- mainsail, and standing firmly observe its reactions in the of weather, the Leopard 44

lets. The skylight cut-outs are on its two pretty, longitudinally- steady 20, 22, then 25 knots of

effective and elegant (Catana stepped hulls, the Leopard 44’s breeze. The sea was quite

initiated this solution, which silhouette under sail is comple- heavy, streaked with white

was at first questioned, then tely coherent. The view from crests. The copiously-canvas-

heartily approved of, with the dead ahead however is less sed catamaran made light of it,

471). The ventilation calls on a favourable; the ‘glazed’ area at 8.5 knots over the ground

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THE PLUSSES

• Build quality
• Charter management environment
• The concept’s conviviality

THE MINUSES

• Access to the coachroof
• Non-consensual silhouette
• Absence of electric mainsheet

winch as standard

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behaves reassuringly; the TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 9
mainsail must imperatively be
opened wide before bearing Architect: Morelli-Melvin 10
away, otherwise the catama- Builder: Robertson and Caine (South Africa)
ran will refuse to accompany Length: 12.98m 5 : Well protected by the rigid bimini, the aft cock-
the movement. The owner’s Beam: 7.25m
manual recommends taking in Draft, half-laden: 1.30m pit is a model of its kind.
the first reef below 20 knots; Bridgedeck height, half-laden: 0.71m
it’s right! The deck plan is plea- Unladen displacement: 12.6t 6 : Opening up the forward area transforms the traditio-
sant to use; its ergonomics Mainsail area: 74m²
grouped at the navstation Roller jib: 44m² nal volumes of the deck saloon and opens up a new nau-
imply the use of assisted Asymmetric spinnaker: 130m² tical patio, whilst ‘air-conditioning’ the interior wonder-
winches. Downwind, the 44’ Engines: 2 x 30hp/2x39 as an option fully…
lengthens its step, at 9, 10 and Transmission: Saildrives
sometimes 12 knots; the Propellers: fixed, three-bladed or folding twin-bla- 7 : A functional, pleasant steering position, equipped
waves were not quite high ded Gori propellers with the 39hp option
enough to get the boat surfing. Water capacity: 780l with remarkable rope tidies.
Hand steering is precise, and Diesel: 700l
even enjoyable, thanks to the Basic price, exc. VAT: 335,000 euros 8 : The interior atmosphere is appealing, with an unin-
line and rod steering system. Main options:
The automatic reefing (we ree- 39hp engines with folding propellers: terrupted view over the lagoon...
fed once, just for the exercise) 7,500 euros
is child’s play, but the builder Raymarine electronics pack, with autopilot: 9 : The finishing is high quality, and the particularly
should modify the gooseneck’s 9,600 euros
cross bolt, to avoid chafing the Essential electrical pack: 4,000 euros comprehensive galley will delight the cook.
outer sheath of the pendant. (110 or 220 v)
Victron 100A charger-inverter: 3,000 euros 10 : In the hulls, we find nice cabins and a tastefully fit-
CONCLUSION Two 70-watt solar panels on the bimini:
2,700 euros ted-out owner’s hull…
The 44' is not as lively as the Spectra 12V/7Ol/h watermaker: 15,000 euros
39’, to which it is close in spirit Bowsprit/Code 0/furler: 7,200 euros
(although proportionally wider), Extra for square-headed mainsail: 500 euros
but this hang-up free platform’s Delivery to Cape Town and export: 10,700 euros
seakeeping qualities are good. Delivery to Annapolis (USA) or La Rochelle
It is an easy to use, strong, (France): 20,000 euros
well-equipped catamaran; it is
not over-engined, and the 39hp
option is essential. Its size, its
balance and its coherence
mean it is not limited to charter
use.

THE COMPETITORS

MODEL ORANA 44’ LAGOON 450 NAUTITECH 441
Builder Fountaine-Pajot Lagoon Nautitech
132 100
Windward sail area in m² 110 15 9.2
Unladen weight in t 8 360,000 400,000
Price, exc. VAT in euros
339,000