Embark on a journey with us as we set sail on our exotic adventure to discover the world's most exquisite beers! Inspired by our epic 100-beer adventure in Bruges, Belgium, we wanted to have a beer in 100 countries. We sold all our belongings and invested in a stunning Leopard 45 Catamaran to explore the world's coastlines. Join us as we traverse the sparkling azure waters and navigate the rugged shorelines, in search of that elusive 100th beer in the most exotic locations on the planet.
SISU (Finnish concept) is a grim, gritty, white-knuckle form of courage in situations where success is against the odds. Taking action against the odds and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity.
Very interesting! -- QUESTION -- Your Leopard seems to be very well built, especially those bulkheads (I watched that video). I watched youtuber TravelSketch, and they seem to have so many problems. Any idea why there Leopard seems so bad compared to your one?
No that is a good question! He is the only Leopard 45 with a million issues. He is part of the Leopard owners group and we do have issues, like every boat, but that many? Perhaps it is because of a lot of extensive modifications? Who knows?
We've sailed more than 35,000nm in the last six years, mostly sailing. The rig, bulkheads, and was surely tried and tested. We do an annual 100 point check, and Sisu is still in good condition.
Did you guys post that you had broken bulkheads up near the bow? Someone told me that you had posted that online somewhere... do you have a youtube link showing this problem (if you did have a problem).
Hi Frik, thanks for sharing. Interesting technique using Sika 295 as blackout instead of primer. Is it holding up? We used 295 without primer. Looked great at the beginning. But unfortunately after 2 months the whole window has fallen out again.
@@SailingSisu ...question -- will you guys do the "Inside Passage" route from Vancouver to Alaska? If you go in the fall or spring, I would be interested to see how your Catamaran handles cooler temps and whether the foam core can act as insulation against condensation. On none cored hulls, it is my understanding that northern Europe or Alaska will cause water condensation to run down the the walls. Is that foam core good enough to act as insulation? Why do I never see Catamarans, on youtube, going up that passage or up to northern Scotland and places like that? Would be so cool looking!
Wow! Really impressed, but -- QUESTION -- We are watching youtubers "Travel Sketch" who have a Leopard 45 and they just posted a second 45's "cracked bulkhead" episode on a brand new Catamaran and it is riddled with cracks and separations of the builkheads. At least 52 serious cracks! Nightmare! What is going on here? Why is there such a variation between individual Leopard 45 catamarans?
Absolutely no idea. Between all the over 300 owners combined, we may have that amount of different issues...but there are always two sides of the coin🤔
@@SailingSisu fair enough. Probably right on that. Do you believe in this "coXXid build" stuff being an issue? Can't tell if it is something real or just some urban legend... Love Leopard Cats!
You are both very practical..i like :) Wonder if you had an recess in the glass..inner and outer and silicone. Then gluing and an nipple to a small vacumpump...maybe leopard could do this in the future...even windowd on the outside could easyly be re glued after the years to come. Swim calm..🙂
I like to know if the knysna is silent...sounding like going on old house floor. Master cabin is okey but an utility room for workshop...small is okey but still with powe sockets...do they customize for changes ? Follow you'r videos leopard 45... Could be nice if you did costplan for owning 5 years so people se what it cost owning 40-60 footers... Sweden..sailorbear 64. :)
@@SailingSisu inkluding the sundowners offcorse :) Prefering a cold beer as a relaxing substanse...but somtimes a cinnamon wiskey is health....like you'r lifestyle. I was a.merchant mariner ...allways hitting the storms :) take care out there brother. Seaberar :)
I would buy a Leopard anytime again. But it would be interesting to know what boat you own and what catamaran you would recommend from firsthand experience?
Ooooh! I missed first time around that you are considering chartering Sisu ? Well if everything pans out well Carter ing Sisu to take me to St Lucia, for me to pick up an ex Chartering Monohull I’ll be purchasing may work out really well, and I will need skipper and crew to take the Monohull to a good yard to get some alterations and updates done for me, such as changing a slab reefing Mast for an ICW eight Mast with in mast Furling etc. I know a brilliant Boatyard up in Massachusetts, which was brilliant for my last sailboat, and it is well out of Hurricane Season issues. Just waiting still for the Silver Bullion price to take off.😅😅😅
@@SailingSisu I'll be Registering the boat in the BVI, which is a piece of cake for a British Subject, and to me anyway, is worth the expense, plus no Tax on Boats, and will be a semi base for me to cruise from and to the Caribbean, though up to Massachusetts for Gurricane Season. That's the plan anyway, for about 5 years before sailing home. I abandoned all plans for a circumnavigation years ago, and replaced it with Specific Destinations instead, to travel to as interest in specific places grabs me. When things in the Middle East settle down for example, I really want to go to Saudi Arabia, to take a look at the wonderful job they are doing with Farming the Desert via Water Desalination and Drip Agriculture and spray irrigation. They are producing such high quality Fruit and vegetables, they are now exporting them ! They are also exposing the Fraud that is Organic Growing. People don't realise that the extensive use of NPK Fertilisers Stsrted in 1820, and it was closely monitored by very Real Scientists for a very long time? They were actually what drove the Golden Age of Victorian Farming, and there has been no increase today, in the amount of Plant food required to grow specific Plants. I did a ,ot of experimenting on my Smallholding, and became a big fan of Straw Bale Hydroponic Growing as a result. As soon as I know what Boat and where it can be collected from I'll give you all the relevant info. A lot of them in the Caribbean ex Charter, have their Phase Out Work from the Charter Fleet done in Saint Lucia - a place on my Bucket List to Visit, as my late Uncle, a doctor of Tropical Diseases, ran a Clinic there with my Aunt as the Clinic Nurse. They loved the place. From there, they went to Nigeria, where my Cousin was born, and in tribute to the local Tribal Princess, she was named after her. That Cousin is presently living in South Africa, but have lost touch since her parents died. So a visit to South Africa to look up her a d her husband may well be on the cards for a Destination. See how things go I suppose. Best Wishes, Fair Winds, and Safe Travels. Bob. 🤔🌟🌟🌟👍❤️
I thought only Zatara could afford to do a haul out for that kind of money. Absolutely nuts. You guys need to be doing more of your own work as this is not sustainable ( unless you have a very healthy income stream). Bliksem !
Frik my experience with my Leopard 40 and having to rebed a window and then owning a Catana which does not seem to have the same Leopard window delamination problem leads me to believe that Catana got it right. What they do is paint the outside of the acrylic all the way around where the sika is on the inside. This seems to shield the UV rays from the sika and acrylic bond. This seems to be the answer. I have the same amount of acrylic around the boat as you but no de lamination since new.
@@SailingSisu Yeah, I do not find this a good design. And it looks like you had to spend too much on repairs on your new boat as well. I expected more from Leopard. Or how do you see this?
my utmost respect for your work. I would never think of doing such a job myself because I simply wouldn't trust myself to do it. Now I would try it myself. But only thanks to your video. I have learned a lot from it and will also save a lot of money. If we ever meet on the water, I owe you a big bottle of fun
Is it UV Light causing the delamination ? If so, there are UV protection polishes which can be a huge help, and which are worth kooking into ? My father installed new upvc Fascias and Soffits to his house in 1989, and we coated them with a Marine Silicone Polish. They all face East, and today they look as good as the day they were I stalled. 🤔 Best Wishes. Bob. 👍🌟🌟🌟⛵️❤️
@@SailingSisu hopefully you can get hold of something suitable. Bob. 👍PS. The Monohull I am after has small square deck hatches, and narrow smaller portholes so replacements will be very easily obtained. Apparently, Full Beam Skylights in the Deck are an absolute nightmare to sort out at vast expense, IF you can even get anything suitable to fit. It’s surprising how many really pretty boats have ruled themselves out purely from the choice of Torturously shaped portholes. For example, the tragedy that is many of the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey Deck Saloon models. I’d have liked a 44 DS tbh. Now I wouldn’t touch one.☹️
Silly question :-D we still love our Leopard 45. We've been now around the sea for six years and not once found a boat that we could say, wow! wish we had bought that one! if I had all the money in the world, I would still lean towards the Leopard, but I don't so, I bought a Leopard and still love the boat after six years of sailing more than 36,000nm :-)
Hi, Nice job, I only think the glue needs UV protection, I heard from car glue wholesaler, when exposed to direct UV sunlight, the glue will disintegrate pretty fast. That's why they use the black primer (and for the esthetics). The primers stick on real (car)glas not on plastics. I'm not 100% sure, but you should inform if this is the case with the glue you used as well. Solution I think of is to wrap the edges of the windows with high gloss black (car)wrap. This will protect the glue from UV light, and probably doesn't't looks bad at all. It would be a shame if you have to do this job again within 2 years.
They used such little amount of window sealer it isn't even funny. They charge millions for a boat and skimp everywhere they can. This is why glass windows is the way to go and with a builder who doesn't skimp.
well, we bought the boat for half a million :-) let me tell you something else. the guys in Turkey did a super job to rebel our saloon roof window, but added so much Sikaflex that it did not expand with the window and now that window is cracking... so, I guess there is a fine line where the lines of Sikaflex needs to be able to flex but still have enough area to bond properly.
@@SailingSisu Yes you are correct. I meant use enough so when the plexiglass presses it makes a tight bond and pushes it sideways enough. Also like you mentioned in the video it has to be able to flex with the boat and not be tight against any edge that can move or it will free itself like the edge against the side wall and you added a slight gap which is very smart on your behalf. Buying a used boat you got a great deal. I am saying when they make these boats they do things as cheap as they can and I do not agree with them skimping as almost all of them do that 1 way or another. I prefer glass windows and yes more weight but when sailing you can just have less water in your tanks to make up difference for light wind sailing.
yeah, the market is tuff. I am hearing so many times that the Leopards are too expensive and people are buying one of the other big three cruising cats. I think many people think a boat is a boat and not really thinking about quality. so, if Leopard do go for quality, then there sales will drop, people will loose jobs, shareholders get upset, etc. it is a vicious thing, capitalism
Frik . Jy is lekker slap on so te sit🙈 my Morgan islander 51 doen ek Al my werk self want die labour is duurder as die parte en dan weet ek dit is reg gedoen! Voorspoed⛵️🍻🍻🍻🍻
Stem 100%....maar ek is maar nog 'n groentjie wanneer dit by bootwerk kom. Ook, meeste boat yards soos Florida, laat jou nie toe om sukke werk self te doen. Ons moet nou antifoul en ek sukkel om 'n boat yard te kry wat my gaan toelaat om alles self te doen...
Boats are build badly or, the sea environment is incredibly aggressive. The sun kills everything on the boat, sails, lines, gelcoat, Sikaflex. The salt spray attacks everything else.
Jesus guys! What a Frikin' nightmare! You must've been so pissed off with Leopard having such poor build standards. Hats off to you for completing such a repair yourselves, and at anchor! Great work!
Thanx, Paul! We still Frikken love our boat ;-) The video is actually about what the issue is with acrylic windows, how we fixed it, and how to rebid the window, and how to do it a fraction of the cost a boat yard is charging. ALL boats with acrylic windows attached with Sikaflex (no screws or frames), will eventually go through the same process. The sun is a killer for anything exposed to it, sails lines, gelcoat, dinghies, and Sikaflex. I guess people love frameless windows too much! Well, we still love our forward cockpit and the big windows. We just need a way to get the bonding right :-) Thank you for dropping in!
@@SailingSisu Sorry Cap'n! I didn't mean to imply something wrong with the whole build of Leopards. Just that you've had to do this with all of your portlights, due to non-flexible primer, from what I understand from your video. I work with acrylic sheet everyday, and understand the issues with expansion and contraction due to heat, and the need to account for this if you are trying to make a water-tight seal. Again, I think you did a tremendous job to fix this issue, but I think Leopard should have used a flexible primer in the first place, and then you wouldn't have to do this repair at all... BUT I could be wrong, of course! ;)
P.S. Ikigai (2008 build) had plexiglass portlights on the freeboard held in solely with Sikaflex (or similar) and she managed 15 years without them become non-waterproof. Yes, much smaller than your forward windows, but ours were actually submerged often... Not saying one boat is better than the other, but just that there could be a way to install it better than it was initally. It looks like the job you have done will be way better, and last much longer (water tight) than how the boat was delivered. Great job!
Paul, I agree 100% with you! But many of us got the "repair" flyer from Lewmar and Sikaflex requiring us to use that primer... that said, I saw another Sikaflex article where they require a UV protective film in front of the window too. So, I am thinking of that, basically a sticker frame on the outside?
Frik, I have done a few of the windows on Kats Away, and more to go. Fabulous seeing the boaters help. My suggestion would be to go with a closed cell double sided adhesive weather strip as I don’t believe these fixes will last forever. Otherwise you did a great job at sea. I highly recommend a screen like the side windows to keep the sun off the windows, it’s simply impossible to stop the window buckling with the sun on it for long and ongoing periods. Let me know if you start offering cabins for charter during your travels and I will sell it to my clients.
AH, now with this comment I can deal with! a man with experience and solutions other than class action lawsuits :-D thank you for the kind advice, we will for sure take that into consideration on the next round of rebedding. the sun is absolutely a killer for everything. we are now registered charters in British Virgin Islands (BVI) www.sailingsisu.com
@@SailingSisuare you selling cabins on your boat with you skippering the vessel and offering meals or is it full on bareboat charter. Not something I would advise you to do with your boat in Caribbean.
Boer maak n plan. But what a crap attitude from Leopard for what is patently a factory fault. Dreadful company. Must be exposed and learn to look after their clients.
thanx for the visit! yeah the video is why this happen, what we did to fix it, and how we rebed the window. and how to do it for a fraction of the price the boat yard did it. ALL boats with acrylic glass will go through this process eventually. the hull carries a warranty of six years so, there is that. boat owners eventually realize just how aggressive the seawater, everyday sun, shaking and slamming through waves, environment is on everything, lines, gelcoat, sails, stainless steel, as well as Sikaflex bonds exposed to the sun. Yes, we do use UV resistant stuff, but the sun and salt spray beats all human made efforts in a heartbeat :-D
Well you bought a leopard and they have a reputation of dodgy work now in a properly built cat windows installed should last for 20 years. Maybe they should rename leopard catamarans as leper catamarans because things on them just continually fall apart break and fall off that probably sums it up pretty well. I’m so glad I have a fully custom built epoxy composite cat.
good on you! we've sailed 36,000nm the last six years and we still love our boat, Leopard and Robertson and Caine. We have been through rough seas and high winds, at sea and at anchor. we still love our big windows and forward cockpit. we love the design, the layout, the way Robertson and Caine thought about using hidden spaces, placement of propellors, how the chain plates is attached, the safety measures such as propane or CO alarms, placement of the electrical board and DB board. But, that said, I would not mind to have a boat like yours, which has absolutely no issues the last six years. we looked at custom build boats especially those expensive all composite and carbon fibre boats, and it is honestly an unreachable dream for us. But tell us, no issues the last six years?
I am impressed! Well done on the sailing and the discussion was as if we're sitting around having a dop with you, so natural. I'll catch up all the episodes eventually.
Sailing Sisu. Travel Sketch ( plus 3 other unamed leo 45's in yard at same time. ), Sailing Utopia getting remedial works as well, Leopard are having extensive warranty issues and at this point must be seriously concerned about potential legal cases/class actions.
maybe. but then again ALL boats with acrylic glass is going through the same issues eventually. we still love our boat, Leopard, and Robertson and Caine. We will not join the "class action". what is up with this class action anyways? I am no lawyer, but every boat owner knows that at one point he/she needs to maintain the boat and the sun is absolutely brutal on Sikaflex or similar bonding, sails, lines/ropes/gelcoat/well every thing on the boat is attacked by UV, heat, salt spray, vibrations, slamming. I do not know of one boat with acrylic glass who has not rebed their windows within a ten year span. Sisu is 6 years old. Robertson and Caine follows the Lewmar instructions, which Lewmar put together for the windows, hatches, clutches, and winches. And Lewmar is following Sikaflex's advice on how to fix acrylic windows to fiberglass....vicious circle of blaming the other.
@@SailingSisu Ahh, the issues are not restricted to acrylic windows, if only it was. Infusion voids in the hulls are not a minor issue, it goes to the structural integrity and basic seaworthiness of the boat. Rather than type a report here, go look at the work Travel Sketch have had to get done under thier extensive warranty repairs ( 1 year on the hard on a two and a half year old boat so far ). You mention Sisu is 6yo, so prior to covid, i hope you are free from the issues some are having, its my best wish for you. Personaly, i would be getting my boat checked for infusion voids with my fingers and toes crossed that you are free of those particular concerns, Leopard have always had a great reputation but right now, best check.
Thank you for the kind words! I should, but then I heard about better and easier ways to hold the window in place :-D will rebed the port side window and put that video out ;-)
Time for a class action against Leopard, too many of you out there suffering from sub optimal manufacturing, seems like there is zero QC happening at base, I bet the charter companies don't pay for these repairs!
:-D we will not be joining that action. The video is actually about what the issue is with acrylic windows, how we fixed it, and how to rebed the window at a fraction of the cost the boat yard is charging. We've sailed 6 years and more than 36,000nm and we still love our boat! thank you for watching and visiting! you may want to watch our other videos and see how we love our boat! We have been through rough seas and high winds, at sea and at anchor. we still love our big windows and forward cockpit. we love the design, the layout, the way Robertson and Caine thought about using hidden spaces, placement of propellors, how the chain plates is attached, the safety measures such as propane or CO alarms, placement of the electrical board and DB board. Are there issues? oh yeah! it is how you deal with them. some can deal with issues and others not, but, believe me you will not even buy a toaster without warranty, BECAUSE you expect issues. A boat is in just so much more aggressive environment than a toaster. are there things that irritate us? oh, yeah for sure! but looking at other boats with their irritations, then it just becomes a preference like which car you like best.
tbh, I think the actual issue is far too much UV Light is now getting through Our Solar Emissions damaged Ozone Layer, and we don’t have nearly enough CO2 Content in Our Atmosphere to really boost Photosynthesis, to create the Ozone needed to make the necessary repairs? tbh, this is why in Mast Furling for protecting Sailcloth from rapid UV Damage is now pretty much an indispensable essential for sailing from the Arctic Circle, south as far as the Mediterranean and Caribbean latitudes. Should be the same for the Pacific as well ? 🤔 Something I’ve been waiting on, showed up in the Greek Islands of the Mediterranean in Mid December 2023 - Purple Couloured Algae ! 🤔☹️☹️☹️Bob.☹️☹️
@@SailingSisu Frankly, if sailing Catamarans didn’t seriously do my head and my balance in, Sisu has impressed me so much, that I would actually buy a Leopard, though would specify square moderately sized portholes, with external sunshades. For a Monohull, square moderaly sized deck lights, with rectangular narrow sized hull portholes- like recent Jeanneau and Beneteau Sailboats have shifted to. 🤔 Bob. PS.Full beam deck glazing, are an expensive nightmare just waiting to need replacing. 🤔
