UPDATE! Our CROSSBEAM Mounts Are Cracking... | LEOPARD 45 CATAMARAN REVIEW
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2023
- ⛵ Support the Channel! ❤
For exclusive content: / travelsketch
We've been offline for a little while so here's a briefly edited update explaining what we've been up to.
In short, we've just arrived at Power Boats shipyard in Trinidad after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean 😃 ZSpars helped get us here on time with a quick rigging repair at the last minute in Gibraltar and since then we've been busy sailing, hauling out and organising to do some of the outstanding warranty repairs on our Leopard 45. We'll go into more detail soon ⛵
To see the survey and hull scans head to our website - www.travelsketchsailing.com/l...
⛵ Hit the subscribe button to get the latest SV Liger updates 👍
After backpacking Asia, road tripping Europe and doing a bit of van life, we’re now exploring the world aboard our Leopard 45 catamaran. For documents, tips and other catamaran related info check out our website www.travelsketchsailing.com/
#catamaran #sailing #yachtlife
This absolutely sucks - feel very sad for you guys and must say it’s this way across many brands of cats these days.
Buy a new boat and waste the owners precious years having them fix up the mess.
This is why we modified our brand new cat out of the factory at half the spend because we knew we wanted the years out of it . Buying a well looked after and upgraded used catamaran is not a bad way to go because the previous owner has hopefully done the work .
I feel for you and have shared your video to my contacts working for Leopard ! As a South African I must say it’s a shame on the brand for treating you guys this way - get it sorted out Robertson and Cain !!!!
Thank you, hopefully there is a positive and constructive outcome at the end. People say our handover lists etc are helping them. You both inspired me to always carry more diesel cans than I need so I've never been in trouble cheers :)
@@trentspencer7991 yes Trent 😂 - must say it wasn’t fun taking diesel from a ship at sea and never again 😝
Guys we really hope you get this issue sorted out soon - we know how frustrating this can be. We tried to help a fellow sailor with his Leopard 50 which had massive issues from new and it was one of the most difficult exercises we went through with the owner eventually selling the boat because he couldn’t deal with it anymore 😞
Another mate had Keith on Zatara share a little about the frustrations and when he got to the Leopard stand at Miami I was told they chased him away … it’s crazy … all we want to do is enjoy the years on the seas. I think boat owners collectively are going to have to get a lot more tough on builders
For what it’s worth I’ve already had a chat with my contact at Leopard but I think the company is going through some major changes itself at the moment 😞
@@CatamaranImpi Thats my reasoning as well about buying a second hand boat. There's a countryman of yours who recently took a South African built cat from the Balance company and after sailing it for 1000's of open ocean cruising he finally sailed it to the US for sale. This boat has been documented on his youtube channel and that boat in my opinion is a better buy than a new boat. It's still in shmicko condition has been well looked after and sailed and is ready to fuel and provision up and be sailed with zero problems. It's also a very good looking cat, which is fast and in my opinion is at the top of the pile when it comes to cat builders. For my mind that boat is the perfect option if you are in the market for a decent ocean proven sailing cat
I heard that Leopard boats were crap about four years ago - I don't understand why you bought a Leopard. That being said, I do feel for you & I am grateful that you are further educating the public about this mess of a boat. All the best to you. 😇😇😇
I think that the moral of this story is “Never buy a Leopard Catamaran, or any Robertson and Caine product!”
I'm glad to say as a marine engineer of 35 yrs experience, your issue with your traverse beam is because of lateral Hull twist . Cross beam should be flex jointed on both hulls , or a complete bow rebuild to stiffen strucker back as far as main cross brace. There should be no reason for boat manufacturer get out of full repair . Good luck
I have nothing but empathy and sorrow for you and good on you for being open about it (and not letting Leopard brush it under the rug) and good on you for not just keeping quiet and quietly selling the boat to some unsuspecting buyer. I know your stress (and heartbreak) I can only hope you are able to shake the rightful anger and stress. It is bad enough that Leopard have taken your money and time, try and not let them take your health: stress is a killer, not just of poorly put together boats but of people.
Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Wow, aren't you being taken advantage of!? That sucks in so many ways. It's fantastic you're broadcasting the truth to hold these folks accountable and ensure others aren't snared in the same trap. Bless you! We really hope the issues get sorted and that you can get on with your lives. Bless you!
Very few has the guts to spell out the truth, as a community we need to keep up the support for the one who dare to stick out.
Sorry about the rants but I practically begged Dieter and friends from Robertson and Caine's warranty department to replace many of those windows in Cape Town and then again before Italy and they did practically nothing after leaving Cape Town. Now those same windows are peeling off and leaking. Zero respect for customers who clearly have better foresight. I was holding it all back until now to give a large lumbering organisation the chance to make it better and I was burnt out from it all. I have information that the Sikaflex product does not work properly on these particular windows which I will detail in later videos where we take our windows off, so Leopards offer to replace them using the same procedure and the refusal of the use of Dowsil 795 or similar unless approved by R&C was another issue contributing to why I didn't go to the marina they requested last minute instead of our Trinidad booking.
Glad to see you back and thanks for all the great info. We were in the market to purchase a Leopard 45 but will look at other options.
Wow thank you for this. It is so important that news like this gets out to new cat buyers like me. I really feel for you guys. I can't imagine how dream/soul destroying this sort of thing is. I have experienced this with new cars and that was soul destroying enough for a car enthusiast. This would be whole other level :(.
At the end of the day I think your policy of you choosing the trades and the timing is better for the boat and your mental health than getting recompense from leopard. They deserve to go broke.
DAMN!!!! UNBELIEVABLE GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE DON'T QUIT
Thank you :)
Wow so glad I found your channel. Thanks for sharing your drama's. I now know what cat I won't be buying.
Wow, just wow. Thankyou for posting this video it means a lot and keeps everyone informed. I am watching intently as we are back in the market for a Cat and Leopards were high on our list. Following with great interest.
What cats are on your short list? I'm over Leopards and Lagoons, though I came to cats for their awesome layouts.
Hold them responsible, keep up the pressure.!
Good for you! Glad you didn’t sign the NDA. Keep going❤
Thank you thank you thank you I am so sorry to hear about your problems my wife and I were just literally about to place an order with them this week we will look else we’re again sorry to hear about all the problems you our having
I'm glad I could help you. It makes me feel good that people trying to educate themselves may dodge a bullet. Thanks for the feedback, this won't be without cost to me but this makes the cost worth it.
Thank you for posting this..you guys have everyone's love and support!💙
Thank you, we appreciate it 😊
I was literally just thinking about you guys this week as I hadn’t seen any videos recently.
I can only imagine the level of frustration and anger you’re experiencing. Good thing you’re in Trinidad which seems to have a good reputation for boat repair.
Hope that all the people's that are interesting of buying Leopard will see this video before giving $ to Leopard.
Leopard has achieved substantial weight savings on the hulls.
The problem of this world are the investors, pressing more and more money out of the companies. Each year they usually require 10 percent less costs while prices go up of course. Videos like yours make people aware of what is happening. Go on with the way you've chosen, it's the right one.
Hope all goes well, I think you should contact Colin from Sailing Parley they could be of great assistance or advice as they have experienced the lot.
its great that youve held these guys accountable.
I was about to buy a lepard ty for your videos. Will look at others now.
Well if it has saved you hardship hopefully you pay if forward. :)
Thank you very much for sharing! We are in the process of buying a Cat. We were really looking into getting a new Leopard Cat. But after seeing your vlog we will be keeping away from Leopard for sure. I believe the standards in Europe are higher, so we might go for the FP option. All the best to you!
Don't be so sure about FP for better quality or support and don't buy new. The recent FP boats I've seen have sealed fiberglass hull liners and cheap interior finish materials that don't seem hold up as well, and service access to plumbing/electrical/deck fittings is more likely to require cutting access holes and ports than on Leopard or Lagoon. Go look at a FP boat and figure out what you need to do to add a fuel or water level gauge or replace a plumbing fitting to a tank. What does it take to run a wire through the headliner or gain access to the underside of the deck to replace/repair a fitting? Experienced boat owners know that a used boat that's been well maintained is the absolute best way to go. All boats will need maintenance, fixing and replacement of wear items.
HH or balance, youll pay more but with better boat and better resale. they arent that much more but they should be.
It seems the window problem has been around for a very long time. Nicky and Jason Wynn had problems with their Leopard43 and got them replaced in NZ by another company. I hope you get the problems sorted because you buy a boat to escape "normal/stressful" life . Good luck with your repairs. Thanks for the video.
Nikki and Jason Wynn are going to HH catamarans and in their last video they were in the UK watching how their windows for their new boat are being built.
So sorry to hear of your warranty issues and unfortunately, this seems to be the norm for new boats. All the best in getting your boat shipshape.
Not surprised to see light coming through the hull around 6 minutes. This is likely solid glass, and it's the core or paint/gel that block light. I _am_ surprised that the backing plates are so small in the L45 compared to the L48, which spans across all 4 bolts.
Oh my gosh guys! I’m new to catamarans. We bought a 2001 Kelsall. We fixed every single crack we could find but nothing at all like what your experiencing! We just had a few superficial things. I feel soooo sorry for you.
Good on yer !!
I won’t comment specifically on the issues, other than saying that there’s no doubt that the owners here are right in at least some of their complaints. The cracks are NOT superficial and they are definitely proof of an incompetent build that is not suitable for ocean use. I’ve sailed multihulls for over 40 years and designed and built boats myself, so I know enough to judge this. The video is just one side of the conflict, of course, but the other side here just needs to wake up to reality.
For those looking at new boats out there thinking that staying away from Leopard will assure a better outcome, just a bit of a cold shower:
You can expect to get better than this mess, but don’t ever think a new boat, any brand, any price level, won’t be full of issues you need to fix before she’s ready for serious cruising. In general expect a year or so to fix issues and adapt to your preferences, if you keep a good pace.
This boat has serious structural and quality issues. A high end brand, say Outremer or GunBoat, will not have that. If they did, it would be fixed on a cost is not an issue base. The customer pays for that level of design, build and customer service. The high end boats do need shake down cruises and fixing, but you’ll find mostly details and it does get fixed without discussion. They literally want you to find faults so they can improve.
If you go to Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot, and the rest, including all the normal monohull brands, expect to find yourself in a story much closer to the one described in this story. The more standard consumer aimed builders are on much tighter margins, and try to save anywhere it seems possible. Quite many of those savings are fine. It’ll make the boat a bit heavy and slow, but still work ok. Other thinks won’t.
They don’t always know those things themselves. They are making consumer products, like IKEA, but at a vastly smaller scale. IKEA sells products that mostly are not meant to last super long, but they’re usually great value for their cost. Buying a boat built trying to exploit the IKEA thinking, but without the scale and resource of IKEA, can be a nightmare. No boat builder in the world has anywhere near a scale to get this right. Lagoon is the biggest in the world. They make a few hundred boats a year.
In the car world that would be called a kit car builder. Serious production starts at something like 100 000 equal units per year. That’s when cheap products can be made good. 500 units a year? No chance! This is tiny series builds. Craft building. Every boat part will be very different from every other boat part, even if they were meant to be the same. It all has to be brought together with skill and competence. If not, they end up like this boat, no matter which brand they are. If you want to avoid that, either go for a top dollar brand that has a service level that will fix any problem, or be skilled enough to be able to oversee the build yourself, every day of the build. Yes, it sucks to not be stinking rich…
Even Gunboat had lawsuits pertaining to quality issues.
Good luck!
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!
It is not just boats that gets shody workmanship. Houses as well. Like you say every tom dick and harry is a tradesman nowadays. Hope you get the vessel fixed.
Thanks for sharing! I wish you guys a relax and stressfree sailing in the future.
:)
At this point it's best to just fix it and explore the legal options to recover the expense. Go find your happy side. Good luck. My advice: Keep a positive perspective - and your health. You've got health, wealth, and the time to enjoy it. So get on with it.
How disappointing. I really feel for you guys
You certainly have some serious issues, but translucency of fiberglass is not on its own a sign of a problem. Fiberglass is translucent. But thin fiberglass is certainly not appropriate if it’s under spec.
I’m not sure when this boat was built but it does seem to be. COVID era boat?
But that’s no excuse.
Best of luck , Warren
that's everyone's excuse for everything
@@jeebus6263 do you mean Covid? It’s been a real headache in manufacturing people with knowledge have just disappeared
@@CheersWarren i'm one of them
There is a owner of new Neel trimaran with a lot of problems similar to yours, and she declined to sign the NDA in order to get warranty job done. She spent over 6 months in France after the delivery to get the Neel to fix the boat, and finally sailed for USA where is more work to do. This is a commonality with the productionboats industry. Shody product with NDA instead of decent warranty.
We've seen AJ's video and empathise with the situation she and Tad have found themselves in with what was meant to be their dream home
We address them in the latest video and support their decision not to sign.
Sad to hear you had this experience with Leopard. Personally I owned a Leopard 40 for 7 years and we loved the boat which was solid as a brick. We were in Trinidad last year from June til December and hauled out there but chose to do our boatwork ourselves. We only sold our boat in December in the Caribbean (after 25000nm with her) as we wanted to get a bigger and a performance orientated boat with dagger boards which we now have.
Yeah unfortunate QC and labor issues. Hopefully we have a good run with ours once it's repaired.
Wow this will make you think twice buying a leopard catamaran!! If I was the owner of Leopard I would give you a FREE 50 footer in exchange for your with everything fixed and done properly. This is so bad for them!
They probably would have if we signed an NDA but that doesn't fix things or replace all the aftermarket work. It doesn't return lost time.
Thank you for sharing. I for one will not be considering Leopard in my future decision-making. I do hope you find some resolution in a form that, regardless of the bad taste you are able to sail away into the sunset/ sunrise.
Very disappointed to hear you have had this issue with a Leopard, you would think after `lagoon, they would have been checking in house all their structure deigns, maybe they employed the ex employee from lagoon!!, well done for going public, this is disgusting and you should just go to court and sue them for cost of purchase and loss of use with punitive damages on top.
These cat builder need to be held accountable.
Would anyone buy Leopard after seeing this ? NOT a chance.
Simply said Leopard catamarans are full of problems as a whole. One should stay away from Leopard cats because of their bad quality. In this case the whole boat is a risk on open seas and cannot be repaired. Best thing is to use a lawyer and cancel the transaction and ask for huge compensation.
There should probably be a wider backing plate behind those bolts,
There will be soon, I agree.
👌
Feel so sorry for you guys not the experience you should have from a new boat just crossed leopard off our list .I think you should be given a new boat after all this time waisted and still major issues .
Refund and keep the mess now we have cleaned most of it up? good idea
Im in the process of buying a cat.. thank you for your info. We wont be buying a Leopard. You should contact all other owners and get a class action lawsuit filed
Shoddy, shoddy, shoddy scam from yacht builders. Leopard is not the only one. I guess they build specifically for the charter yacht owners just looking to launder their dirty money. Thank you for having the guts to expose them.
A stepped key would work on the auto pilot sprocket easy fix low cost
It was faster to make one in Italy with hand tools in the area we were in than find someone who could be bothered doing it. Not enough money in the job.
Leopard Catamarans are absolute LEMONS every bodies has had some problems with them you should get a class action going ?
There is a huge lesson here, even though you are buying a new boat, the sale contract must have penalties against the manufacturer for faults and failures of the boat and its components. Anyone buying must have the boat independently inspected prior to signing off.
Imagine if aircraft manufacturers were able to get away with this crap, of course the wouldn't.
If that happened to me, ill ask for my money back or a new boat.
ok. and?
You are joking , no spreader plating . Seriously take them to court if they try anything to argue. Yes they can say what's happened . No court will uphold their case. Extremely boatload build boat
"Some of them are built so the front doesn't fall off at all."
"Wasn't this built so the front wouldn't fall off?"
"Well, obviously not."
"How do you know?"
"Because the front fell off"
No cardboard derivatives were used.
We are (were) considering buying new as well. Do you know if these types of issues identified are unique to Leopard 45' or are these issues also seen in the 42' or smaller?
It's across the whole range. Also from what we observed and were told by staff the 42 is built cheaper than the 45.
@@travelsketch 😬😬😬
Some of these cat companies are a disgrace and we all know which the other one is. I'd be seriously wanting my money back, they've sold a subpar product, which in fact is a dangerous product not fit for purpose. This fixing of the cracks is pointless as it has been shown to happen again. So this will never resolve itself, this is either design flaws or shoddy manufacturing procedures or a combination of both.
Looks like you got a either a Monday or Friday boat.
Yup and trainees doing the glass layup.
@@jackdbur surely you meant the glass slap up as no one is trained to build production boats. Just slap it on and out the door.
You joke but for 7 months in Cape Town it was nicknamed the friday boat by the Robertson and Cain employees, how sad is that for the owner who's made the once in a lifetime purchase.
WOW..... what a cluster fuck of a boat, sorry for you guys and having to deal with those muppets in South Africa
This is sickening. I am in the market for a 40-50 foot cat, and with the bulkhead issues the Lagoons seem to have - I thought Leopard would be a solid alternative, but your video really threw this thought out the window - especially with how patchy the fiberglass thickness is across so much of the boat, and how Robertson and Caine are treating this situation. Disgusting. Just disgusting.
If you want to buy a new catamaran. Buy a new catamaran with a decent warranty. Call Tamas at Xquisite, last I heard they had a second hand one for sale in very good condition 1.7M from memory* would prob take 1.6. No idea on the warranty status of a second hand unit but we know a lot of happy customers.
I am sorry for you guys having to deal with this after buying new boat! My dream boat was Leopard 50. Very sad. Between Leopard and Lagoon problems I will stay away from production boats. Too bad the quality sucks, the boats have a great design.
Once one gets through the issues, the boat is then solid, both Leopard and Lagoon.
Leopards and Lagoons are built as cheaply as possible by the cheapest FACTORY workers. Not boatbuilders. Many production monohulls are the same standard. I have delivered many of these boats. Look into Robertson and Caine's history with delivery crew incidents....
@@deerfootnz It's interesting, R&C don't actually use the cheapest fittings and components believe it or not. Almost all our issues are labor/construction related.
@@trentspencer7991 I believe it ..hence my reference to factory workers instead of boatbuilders. Labour is the place where costs are cut. The reasoning is that it's possible to employ cheap unskilled labour supervised by very few people who know what they are doing. Many of the people building production boats are not boatbuilders, are not sailors and have no knowledge of or interest in things marine. They don't care, or they don't understand which is effectively the same thing. Your experience is not uncommon. And it's not just R&C. Almost all production builders have similar problems. One of the issues with catamarans is that any problem is more critical. A monohull is inherently structurally simpler.
@@sailingsvcabo450literally every boat ever built and to be built is great if you resolve all issues related to it tho.
There is NO issue with translucent layup - structurally sound fiberglass is always translucent unless pigment was added. Gelcoat stress cracks are caused because the gelcoat was put on thick and it flexes less than the underlying layup, so reinforce the layup from behind and repair the gelcoat - easy and not very expensive. Gelcoat is just cosmetic. It's not a structural issue to have cracks unless the underlying fiberglass layup is delaminated. The windows are a PITA to fix but they're fixable, and many boats from many builders have these issues. It's about time and money unfortunately, and finding skilled labor who actually read directions is the most difficult part. Mast step is also repairable.
We have photos and video of how this could potentially progress and has on other Leopard 45s. As the mount point for the cross beam consists of a variably thick layer of gel coat it can crack apart between the cross beam and fiberglass under it. At that point the cross beam is loose on the broken gelcoat layer, making the bolts loose and the cross beam loose. Then it IS a structural issue. So allowing it to progress is a risk and it is incorrect to say that the gelcoat component is just cosmetic in this context. It was flagged as an issue in the linked hull scans but you would need a specialist to tell you exactly how serious and give a potential time frame.
horrible! What live aboard cats are worth buying under $500k? I've been turned off of both Leopard and Lagoon (pre-46) for serious structural issues. Are quality monohulls the only option?
Second hand cats. There are no shortcuts or amazing deals in the current economy that we have seen.
Leopard should be ashamed of themselves. I know one thing, I will never buy a Leopard catamaran and will actively discourage others as well. While you are at it and I know it's not a Lagoon, check your bulkheads just in case.
Leopard 45 is built by people who don’t care or are untrained and not supervised during vessel construction. The leaking windows are a perfect example of just how bad this vessel is, I would NEVER buy one after seeing all these negative videos. Can you imagine the parts of the vessel you can’t see and WTF is going on with hull twist?
i wonder why roberson and caine in't ISO certificated. they should realy go in some front now to do that. why all others hwo bulid mearchant ships agreed on this about constructions safety and validated process and valid parts. im a strong beliver that paying huge amount of money for something like a boat that crosses oceans should make the sign of a contract with ISO certificated buildingprocess and make sailing safe 2024 and forward.
We agree ISO standards should be met to ensure the safety of the crew and vessel. This model of Leopard 45 along with the other Robertson & Caine / Leopard models are actually certified so should be meeting all of the relevant standards; we have certificates stating that "to the best of their capacity and Quality Control Systems and Procedures", our vessel was built in compliance with various standards including the Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU, listed ISO standards and the applicable ABYC Standards & USCG Regulations.
@@travelsketch i think that infusion resin in the hullmaking should be in a rotating constant turning the whole pice. they ceep the vacum with pump and a battery so the whole hull have vacum. i se what you have seen the lack of inspection when some sort of "passed q" and actually isn't good. hope you make it better than factory and shoot videos so if you sell in the future is better than production hulls. and..the oceans is still there for you :) best from sailorbear in sweden.
Here is the dilemma as I see I, first of all when this boat goes up for sale, these problems and repairs need to be disclosed. Second the resale value takes quite a hit, most buyers will Walk unless they get the boat for a song. This is a terrible problem.
We have extensively documented all of the rebuild, it just isn't online. Most of what we have are parts and joins being cut off and redone from scratch. I'd be more concerned about the other hulls where these parts were potentially put together the same way. Fortunately the boat has now been upgraded because of all of this and the poorly constructed parts removed. We can objectively say that the hull has been structurally and functionally upgraded but actions speak louder than words and we have no intention of selling it.
Time to sell...
I wouldn't sell the boat without repairing it first and we have put too much time into it to sell it now to be honest.
Welcome to the world of buying production boats. They are advertised as Bluewater cruising boats. But when you look at their construction methods what they’re made out of, they are just built to a price and have no business being called a blue water vessel. They are coastal vessels at best if you want a real blue water vessel, then look to a monocoque, epoxy composite construction Vessel. These of course cost twice as much as your average production boat, but you get what you pay for. It’s the sad truth.
are there cats under $500k with that type construction? sounds like monohull only
I feel bad for you. But if the boat builder doesn't stand behind their "quality workmanship" I wouldn't trust their documentation on "how to repair".
The problem was that the last shipyard wouldn't lift a finger without repair documentation. We were already hauled out at this stage. Now we will just repair it ourselves, I agree.
It is so sad to hear all this terrible news it reflects the attitude of many of tradesman who don't give a shit. It is such a bad reflection on south Africa a disgrace.. Not that is revelant Some of the best Sailplane in the world are South African so it can be done but not by these R & C.
your boat is F'ed. you will need to grind out and fill it with epoxy filler and cross link it with the existing structure.
Yep we have it here ready to go, just waiting to remove the mast to take the pressure off the crossbeam bolts
R&C have been shit for a while now, do your homework and youll find the big guys arent value for money anymore and build quality is rubbish.
price up a balance, HH, antares or a good design built by a small family yard and youll get much better value for money and better resale. RESEARCH.
I understand your frustration, and it's unfortunate, but the fact of the matter is that you will have similar or worse experiences with most production boat manufacturers. You have created a lot of your own issues by not signing a nondisclosure agreement to get some of the issues fixed. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to do this. My best advice is to either stop your obnoxious whining or sell the boat and get out of cruising.
I don't understand what's going on with the nda, that could probably be a video on it's own. I kinda agree most people i know spend more time working on their boats than sailing them, maybe there just needs to be better communication to set expectations.
Not many people have a spare million bucks sitting around. It can take years to save, and often it means selling everything including property to make this dream a reality. When doing the calculations, you don’t expect to have to counter in an additional 100k (at least in this situation), to have to pay for repairs that should be covered under warranty.
Years and years of research goes into finding the right boat and right manufacturer. On every single promotional video, leopard talk about the workmanship and quality. By signing the nda, you are allowing them to continue with the false advertising. By not talking about this, is letting them get away with it.
If the manufacturer really cares about the product and reputation then they would have fixed it, and we wouldn’t be watching these videos (and they would be implementing measures to stop it happening again)
The fact they didn’t fix so much in the 7 months whilst they were in SA, and allowed the boys to leave in an unsafe vessel speaks volumes.
They have every right to “whine”, and hopefully it reaches a wider audience. Whine louder guys!
@@vickysymonds7014 Thank you
I wouldn’t buy anything that comes with the NDA attached in order to obtain warranty. Especially million dollars purchase. This is a scam , and people should not accept it as “ many manufacturers have it”. It’s a bullshit excuse for shitty manufacturers that need to close the business
"baaa baaaaaa! submit to the knife!" 🤡 No thanks, idiot.
What ever you do don't mention the falty bulkheads, That will send the skipper balistic to the moon. But they do a kit to fix it, At their expense, But at your inconvenience. Quality control in that factory was shocking. Lets hope they fired the crackhead in quality controler.
-- SUGGESTION -- Was it possible to purchase this sailboat from the United States? I say this since we have 1) strong consumer protection laws, and 2) lots of lawyers. If this was an American based boat you could easily file a proper lawsuit and hold them to account. South Africa.. who knows what the hell happens in that place. My father told me to "Never do business in any country that doesn't honor contracts". He steered far and clear from a large deal in China because of that view. Good for him.
I could take it back to Australia and take it further there but it would be toxic, we are expending 99% of our effort finishing the boat and getting on with enjoying our lives.
@@trentspencer7991 ...good idea. Sit and think about how to do a youtube series on "What to do when your vendor won't...". Parlay did such a good job at turning a defective issue into a "strength" and captured huge views. How can you do the something similar? Let Leopard choke on these videos... Their corporate structure is specifically designed to facilitate dodging responsibility. If you need any assistance on this just email me. Start a "go fund me page" specifically to correct Leopards lack of response... That ought to humble them. Then use the funds to correct it all perfectly. Pick the place wisely as you will be there for some time and need to receive amazon packages etc. Could be a great time.. Make the most of it. In the end Leopard will cut a check to cover all the costs so keep excellent records.
@@michaeltca3103 Thank you for taking the time to write that out. I agree with you. The support from everyone is great and each day gets more positive. We will detail negative things in future to educate others and help future buyers but won't let it become personally toxic for us anymore.
@@trentspencer7991 ..well said sir. I must say, you are impressing me more and more.
Boats, campers and more warranties are as useless as the paper its printed on. But, it makes the buyer feel better. So the sellers keep pushing it. We have an RV store in town and they say that there is a "lifetime warranty" But, if you look at it, it doesn't cover anything. People need to get smart about stuff.
It is more that when you buy a boat that expensive you expect there to be a certain quality of work and it be fit for purpose. Warranty was only one deficiency here.
Look, you got hosed on this purchase. I feel your pain, but you are now starting to look angry, bitter and jaded. Don't let this make you into that guy - not worth it. You need to move on - I know that you don't want to hear that. Either sell the boat or fix it at your own expense or continue crying in all these videos - but they will not fix it for you. There really is no point to this. They have essentially told you that they will not deal with your problems. One of life's minor disappointments. Carry on. At least you didn't have to spend these years fighting in WW2 Europe and getting shot up. Life could be worse. Deal with it. The stress is not worth it. My advice: you have a potentially great Cat. So spend time and another 50k and fix it yourself and make a video series ala Parlay Revival, of you fixing it. You will get youtube views, you shame the builder and make the most of it. Smile and enjoy. This is part of your life now. But don't come across as angry guy. That sucks.