Monashee - About Our Boat

The Name:

The word Monashee comes from the Gaelic, monadh-sith, and means "mountain of peace." The Monashee Mountain range is our home range in B.C., and our home town lies in the southern part of it. We wanted a name that was meaningful, but also brought a bit of home along with us on our travels, and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

The Boat:

Monashee is a 2006 Leopard 40 Catamaran, built by Robertson and Caine, designed by Morelli and Melvin. When it came out in 2005, the Leopard 40 won the Cruising World Boat of the Year Award, based on a total redesign from it's predecessor, the Leopard 3800 (it's actually 2 tons lighter than the 3800!).

         Leopard 40 reviews:

           Leopard 40 - Cruising World Boat of the YearCruising Helmsman Topcat 2006
           Sail Magazine Review 2005
           Picking up the Pace at Leopard, Cruising World
           Cruising Helmsman Boat Review 2009

So what's so great about this boat in particular?

After looking at hundreds of boats online, 30 or so boats in person, and surveying 3, we had a very good idea of what we wanted in a boat.  The Leopard 40, and this boat in particular, fit our requirements almost exactly.

The things that we really liked about this particular boat had mostly to do with the layout and all the upgrades that were done by the previous owners.  Here's what hooked us:

The Layout

• 4 cabins, 2 heads!  Harder to find than you would think.  We almost ended up getting a 4 head boat, since there are so many more of them out there.  We think 2 heads makes way more sense for a non-charter boat.  Much less wasted space, and the heads are big enough to actually use.  With stand up showers in each!
• All lines led to the helm - really easy to single hand, with everything lead back to the helm.  
• Great visibility - really good visibility from the helm, and a sliding hard top cover to see the sails.  Much better than other cats we have looked at.
• Good bridge deck clearance - some of the Leopards have a reputation for low bridgedecks, and "slamming" when going up wind.  The Leopard 40 was designed by Morelli and Melvin.  Most of the other Leopards out there were designed by Simonis.  On the 40, the bridgedeck clearance is much better than most of the other ones, so upwind slamming is not an issue.
• 40 feet (actually 39' 3").  Compared to a bigger boat, easier to handle, cheaper to moor, cheaper to dock, cheaper to haul out, cheaper parts, less spent on diesel, etc.  And still lots of space for our family of 5.
• Large, room cockpit.
• Good sized galley - bigger than any other boat this size that we have seen, and still galley up, so the chef can hang with the rest of the crew.

The Upgrades

• Hard bimini.
• Lots of solar.
• Generator.
• Air conditioning throughout.
• Great watermaker (CruiseROwater, easy to maintain, cheaper replacement parts than most other makes).
• 20 hp outboard - gets our family planing.
• Custom cockpit enclosure.
• Ultra well-cared-for.  The couple that owned the boat before us upgraded it for their sabbatical year less than a year before we bought it, so everything had been upgraded, maintained, and perfected. (Thanks Gene and Kat!)

And a little bit of bling!

• Wifi, cell phone boosters.
• Super stereo with cockpit and foredeck speakers.
• Underwater lights.

Catalog of Maintenance/Upgrades/Changes starting August 2013:

• Detailed survey for sale of boat.
• Starboard saildrive boot replaced, August 2013 at Just Catamarans.
• New windlass motor installed, Vector Marine Services.
• Replaced dampener coupling on starboard engine, Vector Marine Services.
• Installed new electric winch, starboard cockpit, Vector Marine Services.
• New blower fan starboard engine room.
• Repaired pinhole leaks in starboard head holding tank.
• Lead main halyard back to cockpit with all new mast and deck fittings.
• Updated mast winches to reflect new halyard arrangement, and removed bent winch base on starboard side.
• Fixed major gelcoat dings in cockpit and around pilot station.
• Replaced macerator pump, port electric head, Vector Marine Services.
• New trampoline, custom made, Sunrise Yacht Products.
• New custom made cockpit cushions and bolster cover, Merle Stewart Designs.
• New Grohe shower hardware in both heads, including shower bar, valve and handle assembly to replace corrosion on previous hardware.
• New mirrors in both heads.
• New slow close toilet lids in both heads.
• Serviced all winches.
• New analog hour meters installed as a backup for digital meters prone to failure.
• New Volvo instrument display cover to replace cracked cover on port side.
• New 24" Samsung TV with USB input to allow downloaded movies/TV to be played.
• New apartment sized clothes washing machine in port head.
• New Polk Atrium outdoor bow speakers.
• New bumper to replace degrading older bumper.
• New Perception Tribe 9.5 kayak, Liquid Surf and Sail.
• New Airis Hardtop Stubby Inflatable 9 foot SUP, Lighthouse Inflatables, Virginia
• New Revere 4 person Offshore Commander Liferaft 84 Boat works and Inflatable Services
• Fixed leaking deck fitting on starboard aft pad eye.
• Fixed loose bolt on helm seat.
• Fixed torn corner on lower corner of port cockpit cover.
• Replaced broken holder for horseshoe buoy.
• Fixed sagging headliner over galley.
• New shelving units in all cabin hanging cupboards.
• Multiple new hooks for hanging clothes and towels.
• New hanging pantry shelving on both sides of salon.
• New transom shower.