S3#13. "Best Leopard 50 Catamaran fit out in the world"? Innovation meets practicality...

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Join Barefoot Doctors Sailing as we view the Leopard 50 sailing catamaran that has been labelled as the "HIGHEST SPECKED LEOPARD 50 IN THE WORLD!"
We do a walk through of Kevin and Melinda's boat in Cape Town and run through what they have fitted it out with and the reasons for the various items - from saving water by not wasting the water as you wait for the hot to come through to furniture, lights, visibility and electronics!!!!
So join us for this walk through of this Leopard 50 with countless modifications that would be suitable for any brand of boat....
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[@davidnichols147]

A massive thank you to Melinda & Kevin for sharing the various innovations aboard their Leopard 50. We loved the laundry and freezer arrangement, the added safety introduced with high intensity lighting, the mosquito screens and the added advantage of hose extensions found on the fantail. Such an extended list of improvement's, which certainly makes life aboard both safe and efficient.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks David for the comments and glad you enjoyed it. Yes Kevin has put lots of thought and consideration into maximising the liveability in the boat!

[@barryholiday8998]

Wow, that guy did some really cool upgrades. Thanks for sharing.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Yes lots of cool stuff - thanks for your comments again Barry!

[@seawench555]

Incredibly sensible ideas, I think every manufacturer of all types of boats need to listen to what their buyers want and need on their crafts. I'm not being sexist but by bringing in a women's perspective in regard to functionality and comfort the sellers will find that they'll sell more boats and have very happy clients who's word of mouth will beat any advertising. This yacht is an absolutely stunning safe vessel that is a real credit to Melinda and Kevin. Also shout out to Kirsten from SA, the first woman to win the GGR, what an achievement. John ur wearing my shirt again, Eli u look gorgeous today. 🇦🇺🌈👍😎

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Karlene, yes congrats to Kevin and Melinda and to Kirsten for winning the GGR (everyone here is very happy!) and sorry for borrowing your shirt but that's all I had to wear as we are travelling light so I had to borrow your shirt!!!

[@seawench555]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 That's ok, your forgiven🤔 The L50 is a very nice boat, but my heart has been taken by a Portofino 52 called Expedition Barefoot the 2nd. Hope ur both feeling better, thinking of u having fun with all things Nautical, and meeting great people. 😍

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

@@seawench555 👍👣👣

[@bjornholmberg3208]

Interesting making it better. I hade one idea about orcas playing with rudders...to simply have some sound in a 5 inch tube and dropp it down in the water to scare them. Like this video :)

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Cool idea, Bjorn! I hope someone can test it out.... I must say being in an aluminium boat is significantly reassuring with that risk!

[@canuck55551]

Great episode. Lots of creativity.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Indeed - lots of thought has gone into it!

[@rickcreel3657]

very good upgrade ideas, great use of space

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

I am sure Kevin will be pleased of you to say that Rick!

[@jimlofts5433]

well done again - I have a funny feeling some of those innovations may soon be on a new boat hmmm

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks Jim for your comments again. We are always open to great ideas so will consider weight and cost….

[@marktaylor484]

Some great add on's...

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks again for your support Mark!

[@trentspencer7991]

The best upgrade out of all of that was Kevin getting Victron to finally approve 4 x 48V batteries instead of just three on 10KW of Quattros. As soon as i heard it was approved I had two more 24V sent here. Thanks Kevin 25% more 👍 🙌👏 Cool video 😎

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks for the comment again Trent! it is good and I expect more and more products to be created to work at 48V. It is so much safer, cheaper and uses lighter wires ....

[@dc1544]

40kw of 48volt battery banks is awesome. Very nice upgrades. Love the added FLIR and lights to help see.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Yes it is all awesome stuff - tanks again DC for the comment.

[@terrykeever9422]

Lots of innovative useful additions.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Glad you liked it, Terry!

[@vanessabryan786]

Some well thought out mods there .. remember fog lights have a different beam pattern to prevent glare back . Underwater lighting on a submersible boom is great for seeing below the water without surface reflection or the need to drill holes in the hull below the waterline . A powerful tethered underwater drone might help keep an eye on the boats underside .. check on rudder or prop fouling on passage and especially at night it stops someone going overboard blind in risky situations. As well as getting close to the wildlife friendly or not so.. jellyfish swarms or shark size 😅 Clive on a borrowed phone

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks Clive, very interesting strategies!!!

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

​@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 Lol.... Surveying murky lakes taught me something.. As a complete suprise Dawn explores showed up using a sub drone to check the bottom and anchor ..just after i saw your vid. They havent got much diving experience....but they have a lot of storm experience on their old Dutch steel motor sailer yatch. They got some good wildlife shots as well.

[@daniellibby3849]

Simply incredible

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks for watching and the support Daniel!

[@greatpix]

I love seeing he's using Ethernet on board, more reliable and importantly, more secure than wi-fi. I always said if I had a boat I'd put a good desktop computer with massive storage to do things like video editing and playing games instead of laptops with their tiny screens and trackpads.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Yes had the ethernet hard drive storage on the Leopard 50 but that went like a flash in the pan!

[@ianh2674]

Interesting modifications

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks Ian - lots of work!

[@rayb3117]

Thats a serious catamaran. And it is the worlds best specked boat.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

I know - such a lot of upgrades....

[@MrJerobona]

Quite impressive! Are you going to get all those updates on your new build?

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Jerome, I did like the water saver and the forward looking sonar /Flir but we have to be very careful about the boat weight... Hopefully what we need will be included already in the design so we will not do any after market stuff.

[@robalex32]

Thanks for sharing all the upgrades that Melinda and Kevin did on their new boat, I'm going to copy many of them, can you include the whole list of upgrades they did, they make a lot of sense.!!!!

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Dear Roberto, I am not sure how much sailing you have already done but you need to remember that extra weight on the boat will significantly decrease performance and many of the upgrades are purely preferences and not requirements. There is a huge cost and weight in furniture and wiring so make you own choices but if you have not lived aboard before, I would recommend doing a season of sailing on the boat and then decide what you want. I certainly changed my mind after sailing a while about what was important and never used some of the things I got...

[@robalex32]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 thanks for your reply, I sailed mono ,including crossings, but now I'm going to custom build a cat, aluminum of course, and all the upgrades that Kevin made to his boat, like the headlights , the flir camera ,for example ,make a lot of sense to me. I have a similar way of thinking like Kevin, that is the reason I would like to know more on the other upgrades he made to his boat, that I can then include in mine. Or if there is any way I can contact him to know more. Thanks for your time, I'll be joining your Patreon soon, I think is very important what you are doing with the many raised.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

@@robalex32 Dear Roberto, Certainly watch the weight when doing add ons for cats cause I heard that Kevin has noticed reduced performance when sailing but he did say to me that they are not in a hurry. I have Kevin's contact email so I trust that he will. not mind me sharing his email but we need to do it privately so email me on [e-mail] and I will give it to you.

[@GregHathorn]

Excellent episode! Hey! Are you guys are still at the factory,? If you see a L42 under construction, shoot me a picture of it, and I'll just assume that it is our build! Based on our July Ft Lauderdale delivery schedule, construction should have started by now. 😀⛵

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

We are going soon! Your boat will be close to completion by now so we will try to see your boat. Do you know what it's build number?

[@GregHathorn]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 Hi John and Eli. Thanks for the reply! I don't. I asked our Leopard rep, but he didn't know, which I thought was strange that he couldn't have asked. I wonder if the factory can locate it by my name, Greg Hathorn? (you and I spoke in Annapolis, Oct 2021, when we ordered her. We had previously owned an FP Helia 44, that was badly damaged on St Martin by Irma).

[@GregHathorn]

Tom, our Leopard Acct Manager, says our current number is “B6092”. He says that can shift, but at this point it should be good.

[@GregHathorn]

Tom, our Leopard Acct Manager, says our current number is “B6092”. He says that can shift, but at this point it should be good. If this doesn't work, maybe they can find it by my name, Greg Hathorn. I understand if you aren't in a position to do this, but thought I'd ask. Thanks guys.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

@@GregHathorn Hey Greg, we will try but the 42s and the 50s may be in different factories but we will try and find 092!

[@claudiof.barbano5530]

Camera to see under water??? Pretty cool, but where is located. EDIT I checked online prices, starting from 25.000 lol

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Claudio, yes the really good ones are $20K but there are cheaper (not so good ones) that cost around $4K

[@Seagole]

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

:))

[@RGF56]

Pretty expensive bit off kit that Flir. Curious how much the sails interfere with it . I have a hand held thermal monocular and it will still detect thermal images through light bush or scrub at night . Another Leopard 50 I saw had one mounted on the bow peak under the seat , this would be ok in flat water but any swell would make it less effective.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi RGF, thanks for the comment. Mounting on the top of the mast must be better as visibilty at the bow is limited to forwards and only a short distance... Our FLIR on the Leopard 50 didn't work as it should have and did not even pick up a large ship 2.5 miles away from us at night. Not sure if our operation was in error but we adjusted all we could and it was still not visible. Simple old radar did much better and with AIS, those remain on my list only...

[@Skippernick1957]

I hope he is good at electrics to maintain all this gadgetry in remote places.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks for the comment, Nicholas. After you get boats, you learn really fast those things that break freq! Hopefully it’s only the simple stuff that he had to handle and the flir etc should be covered by warranty…

[@trentspencer7991]

Nice steps on the sugar scoop handles and front solar frames, who designed those? 😉

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Trent, these are available from the StSteel welders in both Cape Town and Florida so can be added to your boat in either place. I am sure that the usual suppliers will know what they are or they can watch the video and see the items if they've not done them before.

[@travelsketch]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 Trent designed those back when our boat was still in Cape Town - he's quite proud of them 😄

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Loaded question then! Well it certainly has become popular…

[@navalgazingatcampdavid]

Hi Jon. I was fascinated to see how he removed the bench seat return on the saloon couch. I was thinking the exact same thing if I went with a Leopard 50. Do you have any footage that scans the saloon to show the impact on the sense of space that this mod provided? Are there any pics or videos of this available anywhere? Can you comment on the impact and feel this mod gave to the saloon? Thanks again for another GREAT video!!! @NavalGazingatCampDavid.

[@GregHathorn]

We decided on the 42, and were very pleased to see that it did not include the U-shaped bench, only L-shaped. Really opens up the saloon space. Had we gone with the 45, we were going to remove it as well.

[@navalgazingatcampdavid]

@@GregHathorn Thanks Greg. The 42 is where I got the idea. I'm dying to see what the impact on the 50 is.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi David, there was a worker at the couch when we were videoing that did not want to be filmed (so that is why the angles were limited. I can try and get some footage separately and get to add it to later videos for you. It certainly did open up the area but "reduced" the apparent space for sitting.

[@navalgazingatcampdavid]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 Thanks Jon!!

[@gbsailing9436]

WOW, I'll take it! Did they mention how much weight was added to the boat over all?

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

No, Garth he does not know but he is not w in a hurry so speed is not a concern for him.

[@gbsailing9436]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 Yep Very good. I remember you both talking about weight so often in previous videos, so I was just interested to know. Peace!

[@Zippy0George0Bungle]

Leopard, take note…😊

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks for following still Robert!

[@geniexmay562]

Pimp my Cat!! 😻😻😻😻😻😻😻

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

:)

[@pred7949]

hey guys, how come this boat is for sale now? should i buy it?

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Red, I believe it was for sale but is not on the market any longer. Kevin is going with Melinda to the Caribbean soon...

[@scarecrowbar3375]

I don't get the waste water thing. he puts the tap over that hole and fills the fresh water tank with frest water from the fresh water tank?

[@SeaSential]

You waste water on a boat when waiting for hot water. It takes a while. So as soon as you feel the hot water you can use it.

[@scarecrowbar3375]

@@SeaSential Oh I see, thanks I was scatching my head about that all day.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

​@@SeaSential Same for cold if its been sat in the pipes all day on a hot boat 😬

[@ablejack3]

When the tanks are getting low you can top them off. You'll never run out of fresh water! A friend told me it was impossible, so I showed him. I ran the tap for 3 days and the tank was still at the same level. Normally I'd never keep the tap running that long so it would be full in no time.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi Scarecrow, Hope you have the answer now. It is not to fill the tank but to avoid letting good water go down the drain as you wait for the hot water to come through at the start of a wash....

[@firstlast1047]

I can't grasp the function and use of recycling water from the faucet directly back to the water tank.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Hi, the issue is as you run the tsp to get hot water for the dishes or shower, the cold water that is in the pipes from the hot water tank (in the stern of Leopards) gets let out down the drain until the hot water comes… Hope that helps…

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Yep it can take a long time to get hot water through the taps meanwhile you waste precious fresh water while waiting!!

[@firstlast1047]

@@barefootdoctorssailing8567 👍Entiendo

[@user-gm9qs5ws3c]

@大雄与糖糖 Sailing

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Thanks for commenting but not sure what you are saying!

[@Frog13799]

He's going to pick up sh!t with all those complicated systems, KISS. These owners moan about performance yet they add a massive arch with loads of panels and a centre consol tender and wonder why the boats a hobby horse.

[@barefootdoctorssailing8567]

Well he has put out some videos since under SV Utopia if y9ou want to see.