SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS of Our Floating Home OFFSHORE CATAMARAN Part 2-Leopard 45 Walkthrough[Ep.16]

[@mckenziers]

I was surprised not to see through hull bungs attached to each of the though hulls as a quick and easy safety measure. Really great videos with great detail, can't wait to see your family out sailing.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Scott! There are some thru hull plugs for the transducers at the ready and even though you didn't see it on camera, we do have bags of bungs for each hull......just in case 😊. Take care and stay safe!

[@mariusvermeulen766]

These walkthrough videos are great !! I think that for potential buyers this is very insightful on setting up your boat.

[@tysonc78]

Definitely.

[@MrJerobona]

Yes, his videos are excellent information, honest, well detailed, and he explains all the "excuses" to spend more money left and right, with perfect reasoning. This is smart, intelligent, and very well calculated, but only available to some with deeper pockets!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you like them Marius! There are more videos to come!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you Marius. Our goal with these videos has always been to share the experience so others can make the best decisions for their own boat and family adventure. So glad you are finding them helpful! There’s more to come!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

@@MrJerobona we are grateful to be able to buy the boat we did and add the options and aftermarket items that we find useful for both comfort and safety and yes non of it is cheap. Maki and I set a life goal to do this long ago and worked hard to get here. Not one day goes by that we aren’t grateful to be able to do this adventure as a family with our boys learning and seeing so many amazing things, meeting so many wonderful people and experiencing such interesting places, cultures, foods and traditions. The beauty of doing this kind of adventure is that it doesn’t require a brand new boat like ours. Just a dream and passion to drive ones life there as we have met MANY families on much older catamarans and mono hauls in the same places we have traveled to. This winter in the Bahamas we we’re anchored next to boats that cost very little with families that were ecstatic to be there as well as ultra yachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In the end, if sailing like we are is a dream someone has, it just takes some hard work and planning to make it happen and before you know it, you’re out on the water enjoying all the beauty this world has to offer. Thanks for taking time out if your day to join the adventure with us. All the best and stay safe. ~Andy

[@emberbaker7798]

Thank you for this. A very detailed and interesting run down of your boat and the equipment. I watch a lot of these boat tour videos, but so many are rushed or crowded at boat shows and barely scratch the surface. I really enjoy the more in depth explanations from owners like you of what you have and why you chose the various options and equipment. Your boat is lovely! I'm looking forward to following your adventures. This is the first I've heard of the Sonihull gizmo. I'll be interested to see how it works for you over time. Sailing Zatara tried an antifoul coating when they hauled out in New Zealand. Seems, so far, to be working great for them. The kids just wipe the growth off the bottom with no scraping. Pretty impressive. I also saw a video recently of a Leopard 45 where they had installed a pretty big extra freezer in that bilge area in front of the bed in the master suite. Interesting to see the different ways various people solve the problems of living small. You guys do a really great job with these videos. I always look forward to your posts! Blessings!

[@justincruz8352]

Delos has the sonihull gizmo. Works great for barnacles and other hard growth. Not so well for plant life. Easy to scrape that off. Barnacles not so much.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Ember, Thank you for the kind comments....we really appreciate it. Our hope is to share in depth information so others hoping or planning to do a trip like this might be able to make wise decisions for the their respective family and boat. The Sonihull system has been working fantastic. We are headed South and will probably be hauled out in Fort Lauderdale so we'll make sure to film the bottom and share what it looks like after 10 months in the water! I did see where Zatara had the special bottom paint applied. There are several great eco-friendly options available for bottom paints these days which is fantastic! We have to care for our oceans, not just our boats! Anyway thank you for coming along with us....there are many more videos to come! ~Andy

[@mirandamaclean7949]

Many thanks for this video and how well you cover all the details!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks Miranda! So glad you liked the video! There’s more to come 😊

[@tom080955]

Loving your new life adventures and you guys making it a family of memories for those kids. No excuses, everything you show us inspires us that much further. Being empty nesters entering retirement era of our life looking to share a memory with the grand kid. I’m not the only one learning here as we all watch you and Maki teach us. You’ve aced the boat tech stuff, need more on power management. Family life onboard is huge...what does a normal family do, how to cope with boredom, social life etc. I’d like to see more about the kids...their education side, are there opportunities for them to meet other kids, the simple things like the family watching tv is interesting, but the one huge item is provisioning. Meals, surely Maki will if not already learned some local foods and the fresh caught fish prep recipes you do while underway. Cheers and hugs to y’all Tom

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Tom, Wow thank you for the comments.....we appreciate it. Glad you're all enjoying the videos. We are actually working on videos to show how we provision and why we provision the way we do, food prep including the meals made by our "Floating Chefs" Oliver and Lukas and of course Maki, fresh seafood, and general day to day life aboard a cruising catamaran as a family. We did show I believe in episode 5(ish) Maki schooling the boys in the aft cockpit but we'll be showing more, not just the school required curriculum but also additional lessons we add to maximize the opportunity to learn while we're out on this grand adventure. Literally EVERYTHING is a teachable moment and the boys are soaking it up fast! We'll also share power management and how we do it with they systems we have on board and what we plan to upgrade to at some point. Stay tuned, it's all coming in a video soon! All the best to you all! Stay safe.

[@imscanon]

Your boat is so beautiful and well equipped. Love it. Quick Suggestion: Store an Allen Wrench near the access panels so that in an emergency (leak or something) anyone can find one quickly to use. Taping under the shelf would work or in a clear pouch on a hook. Easy to find quickly.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks for the tip Canon! We've actually had two Allen wrenches positioned in easy access places so any one of us can open the access panels if needed. Safety first.....ALWAYS! Thanks again for the comment and for coming along with us!

[@Tarquinhartland]

WOW, I'm so impressed no one gives so much clear detail like this, I'm super impressed your attention to detail and the way you describe all areas is the highest quality. You're a true professional.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Tarquin! Thank you for your comment.....much appreciated. Our goal is to share our experience and insight so everyone can get a peak into what it takes to outfit a boat or move your life from land to sea if planning to go long term cruising. We also hope it helps others make the best decisions for their boat purchase. Anyway glad you liked the video! Stay tuned there are more to come. All the best ~Andy

[@peterlitchford13]

Really nice feature tour, very well done. Enjoyable. Fair winds and following seas.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you enjoyed it Peter! Thank you . There's more to come :-)

[@stephenpanton8461]

Thanks for sharing with us brother. Have fun exploring with your family. Your sons will remember and cherish these moments in their lives forever. Fair winds and following seas.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you Stephen, I really appreciate the kind comment. The boys are now old enough they'll remember this journey forever and to say it will have a profound ripple effect through their lives I believe is an understatement. Everything is a learning moment out here and they are seeing and doing new things nearly every day not to mention meeting people from all over the world, cultures, foods, religions etc, etc. We are very grateful to be able to do this with them now. Our hope for these videos is to inspire others to live their lives to the full, wether that means buying a sailboat or taking time to play Lego's with the kids.......life is short and each day is a gift! Thank you again for coming along with us. Stay tuned lots more to come!

[@lootllama8862]

That was great, the boys comment in the middle. Hey all, good info once again. Looking forward to when you are actually out on the ocean.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you liked it! We've been out on the ocean, just not way off shore. We are working our way south and preparing to head out to the Bahamas and beyond so get ready for crystal clear blue oceans and lots of fish! Maybe some lobster too!

[@stevenbarilaro6118]

WOW! I watch so many of these videos and never understood why people don’t go over systems and COSTS! Thank you for being so thorough! Totally enjoyed and learned a lot. I hope to have my cat in the next year. Wondering where you are on the Chesapeake? I am a pier 7 in Edgewater, which I find is an awesome place for cats!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Steven, how cool! Congratulations on your Cat next year! Go for it! Very happy to hear you’re enjoying and getting something out of the videos! We have left the Chesapeake as we are South slowly headed back to Florida. Stay tuned more videos to come!

[@angusmcdonald7944]

Another very detailed & enjoyable tour of what you called mostly Cadillac extras on a Cat.Beyond that, it's getting close to Rolls in my mind. Thanks. 😎

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hahahaha! LOL! Thank you for the comment Angus! Appreciate it. The "Cadillac" was the water maker but that said, the entire boat is beautiful. Leopard + the great work from Just Catamarans has made OliLuki a beautiful floating home for us. Thanks for coming along on this adventure. Stay tuned.....there are lots more videos to come. All the best!

[@Big.Ron1]

I just found you and have binged my way completely thru the videos. Then I realized there were no more and it is midnight nearly. You have a great boat and a beautiful family. I must say this is one of if not my favorite boating channels power or sail. Thank you and keep up the good work. Please be safe and have fun.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you Ron for your kind comments! We really appreciate it! Glad you are enjoying the videos 😁. Stay tuned we have more to come!

[@tonyfromaus7855]

So awesome to be invited onboard such a beautiful boat and get to know so many otherwise-hidden details. Thank you for sharing and doing it with such good grace and style. That is the exact cat we would like to buy if things pan out well for us. Your boat is a dream and you guys are patently decent and lovely. One day we might meet at an anchorage as two 45’s. Till then fair winds to you good folk.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Welcome aboard Tony and family! We truly look forward to crossing paths with our Leopard 45's at a beautiful anchorage! Thank you for coming along with us on this adventure!

[@guaraciabadeaguiar3977]

SUA APRENTAÇÃO ÉUM ESPETÁCULO A PARTE, PARABÉNS !

[@rabukan5842]

Great video that really shows off your Leopard 45. It is a great boat. One thing, on most boats, you can usually have the a/c and/or washer dryer prepped but not fully installed. Then you can install whatever size units you want often at cheaper costs. I just put in a new 16,000 BTU Dometic unit in the salon, and a 10,000BTU unit in the cabins and two controllers in my 50'MY for about $3,500. The duct work was already there as was the wiring and cooling hoses/strainer. The installation was pretty straight forward. And from what I hear about the Sonihull, it works great on the hard growth, but not so much on the soft growth. It will be interesting to hear your experience with these systems over time. But you've chosen well. Thanks for all the info.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Yes on our boat as well we could have opted to have the duct and wiring work done at the factory for things such as the Washer/Dryer and also A/C units. We looked at these options however in the end decided to have these items installed at the factory, especially for the Washer/Dryer since the location of install would require a good amount of work in removing panels, doors etc, all things we talked through with Just Catamarans before finalizing our factory and aftermarket options. Thanks for the comment......safe travels wherever you may go!

[@MrJerobona]

Your videos are excellent information, honest, well detailed, and you explain all the "excuses" to spend more money left and right, with perfect reasoning. This is smart, intelligent, and very well calculated, but only available to some with deeper pockets! Love them!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Jero, thank you for the kind comments. Trust me we are not spending a dime more than is needed for us to be able to safely do this family adventure. The boating world is crazy expensive and both Maki and I put in years of work and sacrifices to get to this chapter of our lives. We are super grateful to be able to do this trip with our boys! Our hope is to share what we've learned through this process so others can make good decisions for their families. It's not as easy as just buying a boat and off you go unfortunately. Anyway hope you continue to enjoy the videos.....there's more to come and soon we hope to be headed into tropical waters! Stay safe and all the best!

[@nanoaktx729]

Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough walkthrough in this series of videos. I know that this sort of video takes a huge amount of effort. It is so appreciated. We have put in an order for a 50 and this video gives us so much information that applies to our boat. Kudos and fair winds!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you Nathaniel for the kind comments and so glad you are finding the videos helpful! There are more videos to come. Huge congratulations on you L50! You will absolutely love it! Super gorgeous boat! All the best and stay safe! We’ll see you all out on the water 😁

[@katerinadicamella]

Great video as always!!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you enjoyed Katerina! There's more to come! :-)

[@rickk7934]

Great walk-thru. It is interesting to see how much money you can add after market. On top of all that, it sounds like you plan to have professionals to all your big maintenance jobs. It is nice to have a money printing press in one of your lockers. It's a very expensive after market item. It seems that you understand all the systems. I hope you will watch all the professional mechanics and boatyard folks when they do all these jobs for you so that in an emergency you know what to do. Dirty hands are sometimes a more meaningful task than check writing.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Rick, We couldn't agree with you more. We certainly don't have an endless money pit or a money printing press (that would be awesome!). We have no intention of having "professionals" do the maintenance on our vessel. Both Maki and I are very hands on people. We did that on land with our home and we are doing anything and everything we can ourselves on our boat too. The labor you've seen done on our boat for true maintenance on engines and generator are required by the manufacturers to assure the initial service was done and to activate our registration on those systems. I have filmed and spoken with the mechanics and fully intend to do my own oil and filter changes and regular maintenance checks. Anything outside my comfort zone will always be done by the pros so I don't get hurt or do something that could damage something. Aftermarket work done by Just Catamarans is worth every penny. The quality of work / installations they do is on par or better than the factory itself and as a brand new boat, we don't want to guess our way through installing expensive and complicated systems. Additionally Laurent the service manager at Just Cats has been a huge blessing to be able to call or text nearly anytime for guidance or suggestions. They are fantastic! Anyway, as we move along, we have been learning from all the technicians as I want to know anything and everything because when we're 1,000 miles offshore, there's nobody around but us to fix it! Thanks for the comments and for joining our little adventure. Stay safe and all the best! ~Andy

[@estellaeggleston1643]

Just found your channel and I wanted to say; what a beautiful catamaran! I would love you buy one and go sailing but it is not in the cards for me. So I will live through you all. Safe travels

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Estella! Thank you for taking the time to join our adventure. Never say never.....life has a funny way of handing you some new cards and perhaps we'll see you out of the water one day! All the very best, ~Andy and Maki

[@trentspencer7991]

Thanks for taking the time to slowly walk through the boat and sharing your ideas and fixes.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Our pleasure Trent! Hope you continue to enjoy the videos!

[@trentspencer7991]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 It is hard not to enjoy content that someone is only making for the benefit of others. :)

[@stephenwhite2427]

Thanks for taking the time to show us what's under the hood of your leopard 45. 🤙

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

No problem 👍 glad you like the video! More to come!

[@debbiecollins1154]

Wow you have a beautiful boat. The boys I know are having the time of their lives. Great job on the video and looking forward to the next one. Can’t wait to see where your next adventure will be. Stay safe and sending lots of love all the way from VA. My grand kids would like to see more of what the boys do while on the boat😉.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks Debbie 👍. Hopefully one day we'll all get to meet in person. We'll dial in more of Oliver and Lukas's activities on the boat, especially when we are under way. They love looking for sharks and dolphins, both of which they have seen in front of the boat before! All the best to you and your family. Hug the grand kids for us!

[@mikeanderson6626]

I am ready to buy one!!!!!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Go for it! Talk to Bob Ross at Leopard Catamarans in Fort Lauderdale. He's fantastic to work with!

[@juliancooper8963]

Another excellent comprehensive tour, you guys really have a beautiful boat. Enjoy 😊

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks so much Julian! Stay tuned....there's lots more to come! All the best!

[@scottschraeger4655]

Great series on the details of your catamaran. I look forward to your upcoming adventures. Stay safe and keep the videos coming.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks Scott! Glad you like the exterior / interior videos. More videos to come!

[@justincruz8352]

Easily in my top 3 sailing channels and I follow quite a few maybe 20. Love how in depth you guys go with your boat. Cant wait till you guys get to go really get out there and cruise. Hopefully you make it out across an ocean someday. Thanks for everything!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Awesome, and thank you for the kind comment and coming along on our little adventure! Yes we will definitely "get out there" very soon. We've had a great summer sailing the East Coast of the U.S. including the Chesapeake Bay but we are so ready to get to the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas and beyond! Stay tuned....there's more to come!

[@justincruz8352]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 The O'kellys have a video on their favorite spots in the exumas. Everywhere down there seems pretty amazing though.

[@jamielancaster01]

WHAT😳 Yes another great video🎉🎉

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Yay! Thank you!

[@paulgilliland2992]

Stunning boat. You should have save the $8000 on the sonohull .AC...Yeeesss!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Paul, Actually the Sonohull has been pretty awesome! We'll be hauled out when we get back to FLL and we'll certainly film what the bottoms looks like after a summer in the water. AC.....a must and the units we have do a fantastic job of chillin the boat down! Stay safe and all the best.

[@gilles-gabriel_g6557]

Thank you for this. A very detailed and interesting side of your boat and the equipment. Appreciate your explanations and sharing your ideas and fixes. Have a safe sailing trip....

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Our pleasure! Glad you're enjoying the videos. There are lots of systems on a boat like this and we didn't know much of it either so we're just sharing in hopes that it helps others in some way. Thank you for spending a part of your day with us as our little adventure sails on! Stay safe and all the best!

[@richardosman6825]

Love the demo. You will have to review your Sonohull after you've had if for a year or two. Thx.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Absolutely will do! We’re looking forward to seeing the results too! All the best, stay safe!

[@richardosman6825]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 Same to you all. Cheers

[@glennedwards1449]

Thank you that was very interesting and entertaining you have a lovely yacht.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Our pleasure Glenn! Glad you liked the video.

[@GS-kx1ys]

Once again, great video and thanks for sharing your home and information with us.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Our pleasure!

[@sailingokaliptus]

Hello ~ Haven't watched this episode yet. We are only on the 3rd one. We met you when we were leaving Skull Creek Marina the other day and my husband said he saw you again today... and then this evening, while looking for the next episode of another sailing couple's channel, he saw a thumbnail for this video and yelled out, "hey... that's OliLuki's' boat we thought was from Hawaii ! They have a KZbin channel !" lol ...and... we'll most likely see you again tomorrow. Claudine & Donovan. Ourper Diem in A16 @ Skull Creek.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Guys! What a small world! It was great meeting you and knowing how many times we've crossed paths with other boats we've met over the summer, I'm sure we'll meet again! Glad you're enjoying the videos.....there's more to come! Safe travels and all the best!

[@josephbrinley5201]

The first drain hose was for the drawer refrigerators in the saloon, the second hose is for the cockpit drink cooler.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Awesome thanks for the clarification! Appreciate it!

[@EyeEightOne]

Excellent and informative again. Stay safe and see you soon in Port Everglades.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Can't wait! Honestly, we can't wait to head south! We've had a fantastic summer and have loved sailing the boat to so many beautiful places but we're missing the Southern Florida coastal vibe!

[@Oldbass40]

I found your channel just a couple days ago and have watched every video. I absolutely love your boat and the options you chose for it. You are a beautiful family and may God bless your new life on the ⛵. I'll be turned in for more videos...Oh one question. Have you seen Gone With The Wynn's channel? I was wondering if you possibly got some ideas for your cat from them.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you so much for your kind comments! So glad you are enjoying the videos :-) With regard to outfitting our boat, no we didn't get any ideas from the Wynns, however we have learned about some of the gear they use from flashlights to waterproof bags for iPads etc. We have met Jason & Nikki on several occasions at the boat shows.......super nice people! Stay tuned there are more videos coming! All the best. ~Andy and the SV OliLuki Crew

[@Oldbass40]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 Ok that's great! From watching the other sailing channels it looks like the sailing community is so helpful and happy you have gotten help too.

[@MDGM]

Great walkthrough of the L45. Enjoy your last few days up north and when coming thru Melbourne let us know; lunch/dinner on us depending on your schedule. Cheers.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Will do Manolo! Is that Melbourne Florida or Australia? :-). Thanks for joining our adventure. All the best!

[@MDGM]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 Florida but The sky is the limit and a great way to test the L45 on a crossing to AU 😀⛵️

[@magoo402]

Really look forward to your videos.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you like them! Stay tuned....more to come!

[@extremezandy]

Great effort! Thank you for another fantastic video, I love that you are so meticulous and detailed and explain you thought process in deciding on each individual option, it is a great help in making decisions how to option this boat. Leopard 45 is my favorite cat, which I'm hoping to get in the near future and cruise the world.Wish you your spouse and boys many beautiful adventures and ofcourse looking forward to see your next video :)))

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you very much Andrew! There's more to come as we head South to Florida and then FINALLY the tropical waters of the Bahamas and beyond! Keep the dream of a Leopard 45 right in front of you and you WILL be sailing your own soon! Stay safe and all the best!

[@ajsonstegard5729]

Very nicely appointed yacht. Nice job organizing also.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you very much!

[@HeidiandFranny]

Wow! That was a great episode! Thanks for all the detail - super helpful. The photography and editing was great too :) That is a beautiful boat and so well equipped! Do you ever feel that 45' is too small or too big? Seems like a perfect size. I'm so excited for your adventures. I was really hoping you were going to upload soon :) What a wonderful life! Fair winds and safe travels! Franny

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks so much for the kind comments! We love the Leopard 45.....it is pretty much the perfect size catamaran at least for us. No doubt the Leopard 50 is gorgeous but it is a very big boat and the beauty of the 45 is that it's big enough to be comfortable but small enough to be manageable. We are very grateful to be able to do this adventure with our boys now, both at our collective ages not to mention during the pandemic. May we all be able to enjoy "normal living" this time next year! Stay safe and all the best!

[@robertflindall4692]

Another great and informative episode guys! One thing I've noticed when it comes to potable water systems on a boat, I've never seen any installed UV water systems like you can buy for your home. I'd be interested in having one of those installed to help sterilize the water before drinking. I've seen a few channels talk about going down for the count when they drank bad water from their tanks. Regardless, now that this episode is in the books, I'm looking forward to your next! :)

[@ps4peace]

I think.... "Gone with the Wynn's" have added (to their RO set up) a UV/mineral drinking water system.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Robert, glad you liked the video. Regarding drinking water, we keep an eye on our tanks.....well, just because and they seem to be squeaky clean for I think a few reasons. One, we live aboard and so the water never actually stays in the tank long. We are either replenishing from the dock or making it via the water maker. If filling from the dock we have a double filtrations system the water runs through and then the drinking water at the galley is again filtered. That all said, we are looking at a UV system that can be installed on a boat and we may be installing when we get back to Florida. Will definitely film it if we do and share!

[@DF-ww3zp]

Love the boat!! Is there a factory option for a grill? An absolute must have! Great video skills Maki😊Really enjoying your channel. Safe travels

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

There isn’t a factory grill option for the grill itself at least not when we ordered our boat, however you do need to select the option to have the gas line, tanks, shutoff valves etc for the grill added. That made it easy for us to buy the grill and rail clamps and we were ready to start grilling! Glad you’re enjoying the videos! There’s more to come!

[@markthomas9737]

love the helipad

[@tysonc78]

Nice video, very insightful 👏. Thank you and keep it up!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks, will do!

[@billjones2464]

Thank you Andy for another great video (and Maki's filming is great too!). Quick question, do the dual AC units help to keep the salon cool as well? Thanks again and safe travels!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Bill, yes the A/C units do keep the salon cool......no problem. There's also a "Dehumidify" setting which works extremely well in dropping the temperature inside quickly.

[@seanthebandgeek5040]

Yay new video!

[@IrisPerez-ob3kp]

Congratulations beautiful family, God bless you, you remind me of my younger family, we also have two boys, now they are 30 and 23 years old, I will not say the age of my husband and mine hahaha ... take good care. I live near Baltimore Maryland, I hope one day I can meet you

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thank you so much Iris!! Hugs to you and your beautiful family! Thank you for joining our adventure and perhaps we will meet on day in person! All the best!

[@kellyj7450]

Great video!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Glad you enjoyed it Kelly!

[@ItsThomasKam]

Awesome videos, any good marina docks in the Chesapeake bay you prefer for Catamarans? Seems hard to find slips.

[@gerhardvanwaltsleben8944]

Lekker man lekker

[@Fundean]

would love to see a long term on the soni….!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

We will definitely post updates! Thanks for joining our adventure! Stay safe!

[@bradbusch9585]

Great job was as good as the first

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks Brad!

[@4englishlies875]

Great video, just a question, is their any escape hatches in the hulls? I have seen other cats that have them just wondering if that is a thing or a size mandated thing.

[@anderswellings970]

I asked the same question of the Leopard sales team the other day. They replied, the old escape hatches are gone and no longer required, removing another potential source for high stress leaks near the water line. Not sure if the requirement has been removed for all Leopards or other manufacturers.

[@justincruz8352]

sailing nahoa had theirs removed. Was a Lagoon but it was leaking bad.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

As stated below, the escape hatches are pretty much a thing of the past. I was told by the hull designers that older hull designs required them because of the "potential" of capsizing in certain conditions. That said, these new hull designs are incredibly stable with very low possibility of the vessel capsizing. If it did, current designs are built to allow the catamaran to stay afloat for very long periods of time (days and days, possibly over a week). Literally every boat owner I have met with a cat that has escape hatches has either glassed them shut or glued them shut because of the amount of leakage issues they all had.

[@RondoGlobal]

Another interesting and detailed vid, thanks. Leopard is a well-known brand for Cats, however seeing the raw fiberglass in the nether regions of the Cat, gives me cause for concern about their attention to detail, even though those spaces are not exposed or open, seems to be they are cutting corners to save cost/time on production. At a minimum would be better if they sanded and painted with primer, just to seal those areas.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

I'll have to look again but I think there is some kind "sealer" on the fiberglass. Yes it's in an area nobody will see so not the aesthetics like the visible areas of the boat. I have to say Leopard compared to other brands we've looked at actually does a really good job with trim work and detail. When we were shopping around there was more than one brand of Cat that had exposed raw wood materials just inside the galley cabinets. Anyway thank you for looking so closely and the comment. Really appreciate it!

[@MrJerobona]

you mentioned you will share the enjoyable parts of cruising , but this lifestyle has the bad ones too... Please, share all the excellent ones, the good ones, the bad ones, and the miserable ones!

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Without a doubt we will share it all. There are lots and lots of enjoyable parts to cruising like this but there is daily work to maintain the boat, scheduled maintenance duties on major systems, scary storms, waves, other boats etc. It's a part of the adventure and we'll do our best to show it all :-)

[@bobbybaldeagle702]

Other than that nice and mama don't make cookies for the kids. let's not forget the captain I'm sure he would like a few good fresh hot chocolate cookies.. Or maybe not... LOL 😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😆

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Thanks Bobby! I would love some hot chocolate chip cookies! Maki is a blessing to our entire family and she makes fantastic food not just videos! LOL!! Thanks for the great comment and for coming along on this little journey of ours! All the best! ~Andy

[@edalbanese6310]

Is there anything you wish you would have done different now that you get to experience the boat? I mean more the layout and anything else you can think of. Look forward to your adventures. By the way how did you hurt your knee? (Strange question I know 😂👍👍🙂)

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Ed, To be honest no, there's nothing we would have done differently. We spent A LOT of time talking, planning, researching before our boat ever arrived. By the time it did, we knew exactly what we wanted installed right away and then had a list of "potentials" to revisit after we spent the summer sailing North to the Chesapeake and back to Florida again. We would recommend everyone to take the time to think about where you plan to sail, what your plan to do with your boat and then make your list of "add ons" because just adding "stuff" can get crazy expensive not to mention you may not need all of it anyway. My knee......I didn't hurt it, it's just a compression sleeve to minimize varicose veins. Thankfully the boys, Maki and I go running daily when we're at shore. Gotta stay fit and healthy......especially in today's world. All the best and stay safe!

[@mrmped1]

Where are your through hull plugs, round tapered wood plugs. I have personally experience a through hull fitting crack, break. I had a geyser coming in. I kept wood plugs zip tied to every through hull, grabbed the plug and punted it into the open hull to stop the leak. We actually put a new through hull in without pulling the boat.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Definitely important and a great idea. We do have plugs standing by in each bilge area that has through hulls but they're collected in a ziplock bag. Also have some of that underwater putty stuff ready to go.....just in case!

[@latitudeash]

All in all how much did your cat cost? How much does it cost to run. I’m thinking of selling up and doing the same. New to boating.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Our boat all in is just over $800K. Operational costs depend on how much you move the boat around (fuel, docking etc.). Maintenance costs really depend on the owner and how vigilant you are in preventative and scheduled maintenance.

[@adammallerman8153]

I totally understand why families world pick something like a Leopard for cruising. AC, washer dryer etc but I think that a lot is sacrificed for those comforts. They're heavy, broad beamed and the sail plan isn't huge. So they're not fast even on their favourite points of sail (downwind) and they just don't sail up wind. For coastal cruising and Island hopping that's fine but for Ocean passages you reallyb lengthen passage time and limit options for avoiding weather. To be honest, that can be dangerous. They're made for charter and no matter what you do to make them into blue water cruisers, they'll never truly be that. Also on the forward cockpit, leopard base their numbers on 45 second drainage but i have been on a leopard in 20 second waves over the bows and the cockpit was swamped. Leopard sell a cover for that cockpit for heavy seas and I think that's a great investment because you may not plan to sail on heavy weather but if you're cruising, you will.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Adam, Thanks for the comment. Families and couples around the world are buying catamarans for a variety of reasons, but in general comfort ranks near or at the top of the list. We love being on a cat platform and to be honest our 2020 Leopard 45 has great performance qualities. Not sure what year boat you were on but the latest cat hull designs for Leopard are excellent sailing vessels. I was just helping deliver a Leopard Catamaran from Norfolk to Fort Lauderdale and since a hurricane was working it's way up the Gulf we were in 20-40 knot winds (8-12 ft seas) as we headed south on the Atlantic side, and although not comfortable, the boat performed excellently. Throughout the trip we averaged 8 knots which was great daily mileage! No boat neither mono haul or catamaran is made to outrun weather systems (even the Gun Boats and other performance cats) but the good news is with modern day technology there's no reason whatsoever that anyone should knowingly put themselves in that situation. Weather prediction models are accurate enough that you'll be safe and be very aware of what type of wind and seas you're choosing to head into and the unpredictable squalls and fronts are usually quick to pass. Many, many Leopards, FP's and Lagoons have crossed oceans all across the globe and many more will because they are yes comfortable but most importantly they are safe by design. There was just a video from Sailing Impi on KZbin that talks about this very topic and how they would prefer to be on a heavier cat in bad weather vs the lighter high performance cats. People have said cats can't point to the wind but we regularly are sailing at 60 to 45 degrees without issues. Having a bow sprit and a variety of sails on board has been great to tap into as well. In this long winded response of mine, at the end of the day we wouldn't do anything different in our purchase decision of a Leopard Catamaran. We love it for its build quality, its comfort and its performance and we will be sailing across oceans with several friends on their cats as well.

[@paulgilliland2992]

Can you run ac at night off grid ? I’d be curious .

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

We can run both A/C units while on anchor however we need to run the generator to do that. Not a big deal since the generator sips a mere 3/4 gallon of fuel per hour. Matter of fact if we're running the generator, we can run just about everything on the boat. :-).

[@boxu1980]

Hi there, we live in Southern California as well and in process of looking for a catamaran such as lagoon, PF or Leopard. Base on my research is that its a lot more complicated have the boat delivered to west coast, also the sale tax here is ridiculous. Are these the reasons you rather have the boat in east coast? Are you planning to stay out of CA for more than a year? Thanks for your opinions

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Bo, there aren't a lot of catamarans on the U.S. West Coast at the moment. I can only really attribute this to the reason people buy catamarans, which is to sail or cruise in warm, tropical places which unfortunately California and the cold Pacific Ocean isn't. The West Coast for the most part is also not a very user friendly coast as it's deep, cold and very rocky. No place to really anchor and hang out etc. We are on the East Coast because the Leopard Catamarans arrive from the factory to Fort Lauderdale, FL. By not being in CA, we don't pay CA Sales Tax but yes the CA tax structure is ridiculous. We will definitely be away from California for a year, probably more as we are cruising, not to mention the COVID pandemic has caused major travel issues for cruising boaters since at the moment pleasure vessels under I believe 65 feet are not being allowed through the Panama Canal. The U.S. East Coast has endless places to sail to, anchor in and enjoy. The Atlantic in general is far warmer and user friendly, not to mention the Bahamas are less than 50 miles away from the Florida coastline! If you wanted a boat delivered to CA, it can happen but it will be more expensive simply because of the delivery and or course the tax. There is a FP dealer in San Diego and I know Leopard has delivered to CA before and there are some Lagoon Cats in Long Beach as well but really the playground for Cats is on the East Coast, The Bahamas and the Caribbean.

[@boxu1980]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 thank you for taking your time to respond! We have visited and toured lagoon 46 at lagoon dealer in marina del ray. It’s a beautiful boat, however leopard as you mentioned only in east coast, also FP. It’s difficult to travel to to FL to check out the boat due to pandemic. California is ridiculous on taxing, I realized there is also a yearly property tax on boat! Is this crazy? Our plan is also to purchase a boat in FL or EU, cruise around Atlantic and eventually bring back to California after 1 year, or possibly register in BVI, what’s your recommendation as far as registration goes? In the end I still want to bring the boat back to California. Thanks again and wish you guys the best! Love your channel

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

If you are interested in a Leopard, contact Bob Ross at the FLL office. They're in Dania Beach and they can get you updated info and possible access to view a boat (somehow). Not sure what boat shows are or are not happening. Most seem to be canceled as the Annapolis Boat Show canceled less than 2 weeks before it was to take place. So if you buy a boat in CA you will have to pay sales tax right away, then you are right each year you'll have to pay "property tax" however there are two ways to get around these. 1.) buy the boat outside of the state of CA, I know not perhaps in line with your plans. 2.) when bringing the boat back into CA, don't come back in January as that's when the property tax is applied. If you arrive in Feb, you get a free ride till the following year. Most people play the game and take the boat out of state in Dec and bring it back in Feb. It's a hassle but it cuts some costs.

[@boxu1980]

@@sailingsvoliluki6938 I will contact Bob, I do love leopard 45, the one you have. I was told if I keep the boat outside CA for a year and registered elsewhere, when I bring the boat back to CA, I do not need to pay CA sales tax.

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

@@boxu1980 yes that is true......if you purchase the boat outside the state of CA and do not bring it into the state for the first year, you do not pay CA Sales Tax. Keep in mind if you plan to use the boat and essentially cruise / live aboard for the first year, you don't even have to "register" it in any state, however each state has its laws with regard to how long the boat can be in their state before they charge you a tax or require you to register the vessel there. If you're "cruising" like we are then you're never in one place too long. Instead you can register the boat with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and then only pay the "property tax" when you bring the boat back to CA.

[@normancook4620]

REALLY THE TOILET/BILGE DUMP IS WITHIN 18" OF THE SALT WATER INTAKE?

[@mihaibig]

How many watch bracelets do you have? :)

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

😜..........6 I think. That's the beauty of the Fenix 5 watch......you can keep it fresh!

[@curtjankowski3305]

Nothing wrong with details.... but, BRUH! you live on a brand new catamaran. Relax, enjoy life, don't be so rigid and NOBODY cares about a bilge that isn't "perfectly uniform" and organized 🤣❤️🤙

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Hi Curt! We are thoroughly enjoying every day on our Leopard 45, and we have had many a day of chillin but we also run a tight ship to keep OliLuki looking like she does now. A little daily cleaning and maintenance keeps us from having to do some huge job, which none of us really want. We'd much rather be playing in the ocean, which we are definitely looking forward to when we hit the Bahamas! Stay safe and all the best!

[@paulgilliland2992]

Marginal gain theory . Sorry couldn’t resist a dig , but it’s You Tube right.

[@daxbattaglia2613]

Are you concerned about weight? All those components seem to add a lot of weight. Does it hurt performance?

[@sailingsvoliluki6938]

Catamarans are weight sensitive with regard to performance however as an offshore blue water vessel our Leopard 45 has an incredible payload capacity of which we haven’t even come close to. We’ve seen great performance from our boat with 200nm days and speed averages at 7.5 knots.