Factory vs After market options

[jcinfburg]

We are making the plunge and buying a new Leopard 45. I'd like to know from you experience, what options should be done by the factory versus having it done by a third party installer. Items such as generator, air conditioning, blinds, washer / dryer, water maker, etc.

Thanks for your help and input.

[RELENTLESS 1]

We looked at Leopards but decided a different direction. Some items - particularly a generator, water maker, AC and Washer that require plumbing etc. were no - brainers to have the factory install. All of the plumbing, wiring, mounting etc. are going to be much less expensive than having an after market guy have to chase all that stuff in/through/around the boat.

Just take a look at one and see how much stuff they 'bury' and how easy it will be for them to run it all ahead of time - way better - and likely covered by the warranty - such as it is.

[bikekite]

We also looked at the Leopard 45 and put a deposit on a Seawind 1370 instead.

That said, the options list is similar and did a fair bit of research on it.

Here is my take:

First evaluate how much you want to DIY or make unique vs just get a boat that is ready to sail. I opted to get a lot of items aftermarket since we plan on extensively customizing the boat with 20KW of 48V Lithium.

Options:

1- Watermaker- Leopard can pre-plumb this option for $500. I would opt for this and go after market since you can put in exactly what you want for a lot less if you install yourself or a little less if professionally installed. Leopard charges $10K more for Spectra 400!

2- Genset- I live in the NW and don't need one but you may if you run A/C all the time. Leopard also offers pre-plumbing. You can save some money if you are willing to deal with it aftermarket. Something to consider- with today's boost inverters, you can run a much smaller genset and save some weight and go faster!

3- A/C system- Leopard also offers pre-plumbing for this as well. I would only consider aftermarket if you wanted to spec high efficiency brushless/inverter based A/C systems like the Velair over the ancient Cruise-airs they put in the Leopards (at least last I checked so they could have updated). They run more efficiently and require a lot less power.

4- Anchor chain- hard to splice chain so I would go for longer. Even if you plan only on shallow anchoring, you double the life of the rode because you can flip it.

5- Enclosures- the stock enclosure/dodge from pretty much every company is pretty basic. Go aftermarket with a local canvas shop and you can get plenty of nice customization. Won't save much money however but will get a better enclosure.

6- Blinds- amazing how they charge $6100 for these! Unfortunately there are only a few companies that make blinds that fit angled windows nicely (Dometic Skysol). You can save some money DIY but you will need to invest time measuring and ordering to save a $2K. I plan on being retired when I get my boat so that will buy lots of beer for me!

7- Solar- definitely go aftermarket. The price per watt is crazy from the factory and there are lots of great options for solar arches with glass panels. I would go glass if you can as they will last a lot longer.

8- Lithium batteries- noticed that Leopard does not even offer the option. Pretty easy to do aftermarket but you do need to modify the Alternators and wiring to do it right. This upgrade would be #1 on my list of non-sailing items.

Something else to consider is taxes depending on where you live. Some states like Florida cap the sales tax on the boat to $18K so effectively any options you get are tax free vs. getting them aftermarket. Something to consider if this applies to you.

Check out this family that did a specific outfitting video of their 45 on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNe5hb8f6JU

robin

[jcinfburg]

Thanks for the input Robin. Just curious why you chose Seawind over Leopard?

[bikekite]

We chose the Seawind 1370 for the following reasons:

1- Timing- we have a few years before the kids are off to college so the long lead time on the Seawind actually worked perfectly for our plans.
2- Performance- want a boat that is able to perform especially in lighter winds
3- Design - The Seawind is a couples liveaboard performance oriented cruiser. The Leopard is a cruiser optimized for life on the hook with great comfort. We are willing to give up items like a forward cockpit and flydeck for greater performance and comfort at sail.
4- Location - this was a big one for us. Our plan is to start in the Pacific NW for the first couple years and then venture on mainly due to family and convenience. Yes we could have a Leopard delivered to the NW for $$$ but Seawind has a strong dealer in the area.
5- Materials- The Seawind is a foam core boat with carbon reinforcement (11T vs 14.5T) and has real glass windows vs. plastic. May be small but I really like the idea of having windows that can look like new even after 5 years and and thousands of miles.

Don't get me wrong. I think Leopards are great boats but I think the Seawind's design brief is perfect for our plans.