ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Catamaran Makers and Manufacturers: Lagoon, Leopard, Royal Cape, French Fountaine Pajot... Which One is the Best?

Updated on May 6, 2011

The Most Popular Catamaran Manufacturers

There are many types, brands, and models of catamarans on the market today, and they have as many differences between them because there are many catamaran makers. If you are really interested in purchasing a boat or catamaran at some point, then it’s highly recommended that you study, learn, and listen as much as you can to all the manufacturers, cruisers, and people in the know before you actually lay down your money and buy something. Decide what you’re more interested in, a sailboat or a powerboat. Both have pros and cons involved. With a sailboat you can travel farther and lighter, but there is more work involved. With power, there is less to do on deck as far as unfurling sails, but you also may be limited in overall range.

Check out as many boat shows as you can, because that is really the only way to see the differences in the boats and types. Some of the major brands or catamaran makers and manufacturers on the market for catamarans are Lagoon, Leopard, and Fountaine Pajot. These may be the big 3 cat makers, especially for the huge charter business. That actually brings up another point, if you really want to see if purchasing a live aboard catamaran is for you, then go ahead and charter one for a week in the Caribbean and practice operating it, working the sails, and give it a good test. Only you will know if you’re going to like it or not, and the captains are usually pretty good about catering to your needs or questions.

More Catamaran Makers...

Lagoon may very well be the overall leading catamaran makers in sales, and they have been around for a while. It’s a French company and they manufacture their boats in that country, even though they also have a large plant in South Carolina. The most popular charter models range from 38 feet to 42 feet in length, but they also build them up to 67 feet. Lagoon tends to show off at as many boat shows as possible, and I’ve always seen them when I go. One thing about Lagoon is that their hulls tend to be thinner or more condensed, and there is not a lot of elbow room down in the sleeping areas. These boats are more designed for the charter business, where they can fit 4 cabins onboard for 4 couples and make as much rental income as possible. The bunks are not very luxurious compared to some of the South African models I’ve seen, but that may be all you need.

Leopard is actually pretty similar in size and look to Lagoon, but has a size range from 39 feet to 47 feet in length. Leopard is a South African company, and I actually prefer them slightly over Lagoon having seen them side by side, but in reality you have to study them closely to see that much of a difference. Leopard was also designed for the charter market and has a similar layout and living area. The company is an offshoot of Robertson and Caine, and long established catamaran maker in that country.

Antares 44 Sailing Catamaran

Leopard Catamaran

Catamaran Makers, Catamaran Maufacturers...

Fountaine Pajot is a French company that has been building production cruising catamarans since 1983, and has a size range from 36 feet to 65 feet in length. They are also one of the leading catamaran makers in the industry, and hugely popular in the charter business. Lots of luxury and options available, and many owners are happy and satisfied with their purchase.

I can’t end a discussion of luxury catamaran makers without mentioning South Africa and some of their fine high end products. The charter market is one thing, but for discerning owners more living space and room to move around is always a great asset. One company from South Africa, Royal Cape Catamarans, makes a great cat with huge amounts of space down below without bumping your elbows into things around you. An immaculate master bedroom area with desk and lots of counter space, closets for both hanging and storage, and an optional bathtub in the master head! The hulls are much wider than other catamarans, but it doesn’t effectively reduce the overall speed much either. If you’re looking for more fishing or diving space on the stern, you can opt for an extra 3 feet of activity space that you will be sure to love! All in all, I give Royal Cape Catamarans two thumbs up!

I hope you’ve learned a few things today about the types of catamarans out there and some brands available. You can really only know what it is you’re looking for by actually going to as many boat shows as possible to see what catamaran makers are out there, and the bigger ones are the best. Such as the Miami Boat Show in Florida. Try to attend, it usually happens in February of each year. Good luck, and have fun!

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)