#6t Owner vs Charter Options for Leopard 45 Catamaran | Sailing Sisu

Charter Version: 4 Cabin, 4 Head version

Owners Version: 3 Cabin, 3 Head version

UPDATE: In this video we concluded to purchase the 4 Cabin version, but in the end we went for the 3 Cabin Owners version and we love it! We do not have that often guests on board and when we do have, we manage with the two Starboard Cabins.

Cabin layout is a very personal choice, and again we would like to emphasize that what we’ve decided on is what works best for us. Everyone has their own tolerance levels for comfort or discomfort and privacy or the lack thereof. So I’m not going to go into a lengthy boring debate about pros and cons about either, but rather cut through the chase and share with you the reasons why we opted for the 4 cabin version and why the owner’s version will not work for us.

We had to analyse and prioritize what will work and came up with the following findings:

What is our priority as far as cabin space VS storage space was concerned?

ANSWER:  Both – we wanted the best of both worlds

During ocean crossings and whenever we have patrons on board, our need for more cabins will be our number one priority, the main reason being privacy and comfort levels and the amount of tolerance you will have spending, in some instances, up to 6 weeks with a full complement of souls on board.  When I say privacy and comfort, I mean taking everybody on board into consideration.

Put it this way, if we opted for the owner’s version, a 3 cabin, we would have to accommodate people sleeping in the main saloon as the saloon table can convert into a double bunk. We really did not think this was an option because it may be a bad start to a sailing trip for the person or persons who draw the short straw for sleeping in the saloon, for the following reasons:

• No privacy for everybody concerned because the saloon has now become a “mock” cabin.  The cockpit, galley and saloon in a catamaran are on the same level, which is supposed to be a comfortable gathering area
• The saloon area can get rather cramped if you are trying to cook or plot a course at the navigation station
• Everybody not on watch duty will have to stay “cabin locked” when the weather is undesirable, or in extreme cold weather (remember we will be doing both north and south poles) so as not to make a noise and disturb the unfortunate sleeping beauty.
• In good weather even the aft cockpit area will get too noisy and everybody will have to be on tip-toe otherwise the saloon sleeper will be tired and not rested when it is his watch turn and might fall asleep at the helm – not a desirable option as everybody’s safety is at stake
• No movie nights.  This might sound trivial, but alas, I believe it to be a daily event during an ocean passage
• And I am not even going to raise the subjects of snoring and gas man!!

This is the layout of an owners version where I have indicated what is (according to our requirements), wasted space.  I have no need for a vanity (not that kinda gal) and would much rather prefer to spend time in the aft cockpit or saloon.  Frik and I feel we have made the correct decision to convert this into a workable area and storage space – we will elaborate more on storage, and particularly how we plan to utilize these spaces, in a future episode.

An additional cabin is an absolute necessity for us:

• It serves as a good storage room.  We do realize that most of the time it will only be the two of us, but considering the list of stuff, it is never-ending:  Bicycles, sewing machine, moonshine equipment, sub-zero stuff (I did mention we will be doing both the poles???) Yah right, beeeeeg items of clothing, spares (I believe there is a huge list of extras/spares), vacuum cleaner, scuba gear, fishing gear, wine, wine, wine, lots of wine and the list goes on
• As a matter of fact, over and above storage, we will be utilizing it as a “workshop” by customizing the bed so that it can convert into a workbench.  And the added advantage is that it will not necessitate any serious structural alterations
• Having 4 heads will also eliminate a clogged up bilge that can potentially become as nasty and unsavory as a public lavatory at a soccer match
• Because the cabins are located fore and aft in each hull it gives you full privacy and you do not hear anything from one cabin to the next

The choice once again, is a personal choice based on whether you are a group of youngsters or a group of baldies, a couple or single or a family, everybody will not have the same expectations. Take your time to determine which layout will be the most comfortable for you.

Safe

Where to put all your valuables like passports, cash, jewelry and the likes? It seems like the option of a safe might not be the answer, as it is such an obvious place and if confronted by opportunistic desperadoes, they will merely demand you open up and hand over, or if you are not around, they might cause havoc trying to get the safe out and possibly sink the boat in the process. It would be like having big red letters saying ‘steal me’ or unless you have stickers on it saying ‘snakes in transit’ lol. Again, this is based on information obtained from various blogs and it would seem like most people are inclined towards not having a safe. There are a number of innovative suggestions like a secret compartment in the engine room, chain locker, below canned food, false bottom drawers, inside a fender (just remember which one is the ‘fake’ one, otherwise you will end up with moldy money)

It appears that the common consensus is to be imaginative and select a hiding place that appears to be something else than what it is actually made for, a place that will take a lot of time to be found. A thief will look in easy, common and quickly found places for cash, jewelry, mobile phones — anything he can sell quickly. So Frik and I will have to put our thinking caps on once we cross this bridge.

Interior Blinds

There are just so many options to go for, curtains, blinds, roller, electric, pleated with studs, pleated without studs, roman blinds, and the list goes on and on.  Way back when I had a mono hull that needed a bit of TLC and some minor revamping, one of the items that needed to be replaced were the curtains/blinds.  Those days the normal stretch wired top and bottom curtains were pretty much the only option to go for.

Today curtains are considered to create a more traditional cozy feel and a lot of yacht owners (as did I way back when) opt to go this route, it is after all home away from home. I soon discovered I had made a wrong choice, they don’t seem to eliminate lite streaming in completely, as there is always a gap.  When you open the curtains they don’t draw all the way back, they take up space in front of the window, which restricts all the light to come through. I found this problematic, as I needed more natural light in the galley and saloon areas, and found I needed to make use of alternate lighting.  Let alone obscuring your view to the outside – and once in an idyllic spot, you seriously want to take in all the scenery. That’s the whole purpose of sailing and visiting exotic places, right??

The reverse goes for when you want to close the curtains.  Because of the flexibility in the curtain cord that holds the curtains top and bottom – the longer the span the worse it gets – they “hang/droop” which results in the curtains not closing properly, so you end up with an irritating sun ray (even a romantic full moon can become a bother) in your eye when you least need it – no sleeping in.  When moored in a marina, the ambient light can keep you awake all night so you need to close all possible crevices where light might creep in.

We opted for blinds, they are neat and tucked away, does not obscure any view or take up unnecessary space.  We will have vast open spaces with an almost 360˚ views, so it will be a real pity if a curtain spoils any this view.

Need I say more . . . .   No seriously, it is a personal choice, and we do prefer the more modern look.  Petro will definitely jazz it up and add atmosphere by means of scatter cushions and one or more bits and pieces of homeliness.

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