Last Thursday we visited the factory floor where our boat was built. It was very interesting to see how everything is still very manual, and the level of craftsmanship involved. We saw the huge molds used for the hulls, the vacuum infusion process, how all the parts are put together. No automation, no robots. And that is exactly what makes this place magic. I have lot of respect for the people who work in this place and for those who run it. Amazing work gets done here!
The factory floor at Robertson and Caine, Cape Town
Hull molds and the production line
Also for me it was a perfect opportunity to find out what's hidden in every nook or cranny of my boat. Not many people get the chance to really see what's "under the hood".
Inside the hull — structural components laid out on the factory floor
The vacuum infusion process draws resin through the laminate
Robertson and Caine was established in South Africa in 1991 and initially was in the monohull business. The company grew over the years and today employs over 1,400 local people who have been trained into highly skilled workers. It takes 8 weeks to produce our boat, plus 2 weeks for commissioning. The number of boats that R&C can produce in a year (approx 180), is just a fraction compared to its French competitor, with the Lagoon. And that's what makes the Leopard so "special".
At Robertson and Caine, over 1,400 workers craft each Leopard by hand
No robots, no automation — every boat built by skilled hands
It takes eight weeks to produce a Leopard 40 on this floor
Cross-members and structural beams giving the catamaran its rigidity
Interior finishing work
The galley area taking shape
The saloon space, designed to flow into the cockpit through a large sliding window
Oroboro in her final stages before commissioning
These are specific pictures of Oroboro when it was built in July 2018.
The following day we had a chance to have dinner with Alex Simonis, the Naval Architect who designed our boat. He and his wife Laura are very interesting persons, with lot of stories to tell. Alex is a passionate sailor and it's been great to hear his thoughts about the boat.
Alex Simonis, the naval architect who designed our Leopard 40
His new design of the L40 has been a game changer. Alex managed to strike a great balance between comfort and performance, and on top of this, he used an innovative interior layout design that Yuka just fell in love with.
The layout has been radically changed from the previous model and is unique in this size of boat, as the galley is now forward beside the foredeck door, alongside the nav station. This leaves the saloon aft area for the L-shaped lounge and plenty fresh air if you slide the large window open, nicely integrating the outside cockpit. Simply genius!