Boat people, eat your heart out!
The Amazing Marvin is a 2015 Leopard 48, meaning he is a 48′ (14.63 m) sloop-rigged sailing catamaran made by Robertson & Caine in South Africa and designed by Dutch naval architects Simonis and Voogd. We bought him new so we would have no one to blame for our troubles but ourselves. Well, and the factory. Love those warranties!
For full stats and more detailed pictures of Marvin, check out the page we made when we sold him:
The kids picked the name. It has no particular meaning, but it sounds funny, and it is ironically humble. As a family we have always been fascinated with cuttlefish, so we started to conceive of Marvin as a steampunky, cultured Victorian traveller, touring the seas and recording things in his travelogue. Strangely enough, the boat looks a bit like a cuttlefish from the helm. We commissioned an artist for some boat decals, and now we have some personality! As a family, we are writing a story about The Amazing Marvin, cuttlefish detective, here.
Overall, we remain thrilled with the boat and could not imagine a better fit for our lifestyle. Of course, we have customized things over time. Here is a list of all of the modifications we have made (or commissioned to be made) to the boat so far, as well as breakages. Greg plans on writing monographs explaining the more complicated modifications to the electrical system soon!
Update: Mel wrote that last sentence one year ago. So good luck on that.
Here’s a list of all of Marvin’s modifications in the two years we were lucky to own him:
| Modification/ Breakage | Location |
|---|---|
| Removed factory props and installed Max Props | Before launch |
| Removed factory anchor and installed Rocna | Before launch |
| Replaced AGM’s with Lithium Ion batteries | Before launch |
| Replaced power plugs with SmartPlugs | Before launch |
| Replaced crappy swim ladder with good one | Before launch |
| Installed Kyocera solar panel | Before launch |
| Installed more Solaris flex solar panels | Before launch |
| Installed freshwater flush system for toilet | Before launch |
| Installed blue stern lights (because they are cool) | Before launch |
| Had extra storage cabinet built into kitchen | Before launch |
| Installed extra spice racks in kitchen | Before launch |
| Had outdoor cushions and cockpit enclosure made | Before launch |
| Replaced factory mattresses with comfy mattresses | Before launch |
| Had fitted sheets made for new mattresses | Before launch |
| Installed Griipa hooks in showers for drying bathing suits | Before launch |
| Installed bigger spinlock for halyard due to excessive slippage | Before launch |
| Installed CO detectors in aft cabins | Before launch |
| Installed netting in a bilge to allow for better storage | Before launch |
| Installed Spectra watermaker | Before launch |
| Mounted liferaft on stern | Before launch |
| Installed Magma grill on stern | Before launch |
| Anchor bridle hook bent; replaced with Mantus hook | Before launch |
| Bought fenders (including stern fenders) | Before launch |
| Modified reefing system | Before launch |
| Line to grill corroded so we can’t use Magma | On way to Jamaica |
| Jibsheet chafed through and broke | On way to Jamaica |
| Scupper cracked, letting water into master bath cabinet | On way to Jamaica |
| Trampoline tore under upwind stress | On way to Colombia |
| Had broken scupper fixed | In Colombia |
| Had dinghy cover made | In Colombia |
| Had chafed anchor bridle repaired (chafed from poor stowage) | In Colombia |
| Tightened loose engine mounts | In Colombia |
| Got trampoline repaired | In Colombia |
| Modified electrical system | In Colombia |
| Installed analog and digital barometers | In Colombia |
| Modified nav station to make room for satphone mount | In Colombia |
| Installed SSB | In Colombia |
| Replaced port bilge float switch for the THIRD TIME | In Colombia |
| Watermaker electrical system broke | In Colombia |
| Stern lights stopped working | In Colombia |
| Raymarine Seatalk failed to communicate with AIS and chartplotter had to be disconnected from network | In Colombia |
| Velocity indicator sometimes seizes up | In Colombia |
| Learned we needed to flush our freshwater toilet system to avoid post-flush stink | In Colombia |
| Cut drainage holes in dryer vent hose to stop it from filling with seawater | In Colombia |
| Replaced 12 mm jibsheet with 14 mm jibsheet | In Aruba |
| Started troubleshooting our Rocna anchor, which wasn’t setting | In Aruba |
| Further modified reef system after found chafe in reefing line | In Aruba |
| Replaced swivel on Rocna anchor with shackle; didn’t help | In Aruba |
| Added outlets to aft cockpit and master bedroom | In Aruba |
| Got Raymarine e125 replaced so AIS works again! | In Curacao |
| Flushed our A/C lines with acid because Cartagena clogged them up | In Curacao |
| Replaced watermaker circuit boards and cable to control panel | In Curacao |
| Put handle on trash drawer to prevent it going off track | In Curacao |
| Figured out Rocna wasn’t setting because it was bent (factory error) | In Curacao |
| Moved master hull A/C thermostat to bedroom and made curtain to master berth to conserve electricity | In Curacao |
| Got free,new Rocna anchor from Rocna | In Curacao |
| Changed bolster fixtures so we can better open lazarette in aft cockpit | In Curacao |
| Finally put in anchor chain markers | In Curacao |
| Line holding trampoline on broke AGAIN | On way to Sint Maarten |
| Drawers below the oven and in the owners’ hull desk flew out | On way to Sint Maarten |
| Saltwater dripped on nav station, but we can’t find leak (never happened again, BTW) | On way to Sint Maarten |
| Anchor windlass found to be inop because a wire was nicked on install and then corroded;Greg fixed | On way to Sint Maarten |
| Owner’s bath hatch leaks because of broken hatch handle | On way to Sint Maarten |
| Greg installs some engine monitors | In BVI |
| First run of air compressor to fill scuba tanks successful | In BVI |
| Greg jury-rigs a replacement stern light | In BVI |
| Greg replaces cheap, broken drawer slider for a drawer in the port forward cabin | In USVI |
| Spinnaker sheet fouled prop,bent lifelines because Mel let too much out while dousing | In Spanish Virgins |
| We forgot to raise swim ladder before going underway and it caught on a mooring ball pennant and bent | In Spanish Virgins |
| Port engine failed to start due to corroded butt connector;fixed | In Spanish Virgins |
| Windlass circuit breaker keeps on blowing and has to be reset before we anchor | The entire time |
| Hauled out: Saildrive boots replaced under warranty | In Tortola |
| Hauled out: Stern lights replaced and engine room leaks fixed | In Tortola |
| Hauled out: props cleaned and repainted | In Tortola |
| Realized battery combiner was inadequate to charge batteries to start engine in certain conditions | In Rudder Cut Cay |
| Did numerous boat upgrades per this post | In Dania Beach, FL |
| Block fell off of jib leech line | On passage to Bermuda |
| Realized hydrogenerator needed a lot of lines to keep it out of the water | On passage to Bermuda |
| Fuel intake vent developed a kink;fixed | In Bermuda |
| Generator coolant return line broke and it overheated;fixed | In Bermuda |
| Generator impeller found to be destroyed;replaced; ?related to coolant line breakage | In Bermuda |
| Hydrogenerator prop not turning easily and we gave up on it | Transat |
| Metal fitting attaching port mainsheet block to boom broke due to bad weld | Transat |
| Broke winch self-tailor on port electric winch: user error | Transat |
| Parasailor split after huge wave in 15 kts of true wind | Transat |
| Autopilot compass heading off from magnetic compass by 40 degrees | Near Azores; this apparently happens there |
| Dometic fridge stops working after after cockpit got pooped; restarted after we dried it out | Transat |
| Greg shackles down first reefing line at the clew to help with chafe | Transat |
| Got, uh, “ding” sustained while docking fiberglassed over | Cadiz |
| Greg assembles complicated shore power plugs for Europe (some are 16 amp, others 32) | The Med |
| Broke plastic reefing sheave; replaced | On way to Sardinia |
| The radiator line to the generator chafed through; replaced | Sardinia |
| Haulout: Repaired ding to hull | In Rome |
| Repaired winch broken on transat | In Rome |
| Haulout: Resealed escape hatches with silicone to stop leaks | In Rome |
| Haulout: Changed oil in saildrives (of course) | In Rome |
| Master head not flushing well due to hair in macerator; fixed | On way to Greece |
| Sheared the bolt on the dingy davit latch; drilled out and replaced | On way to Patras |
| Discovered port forward side bathroom hatch minimally leaking into the hull from the outside; sealed leak | In Patras |
| Re-seated Raymarine chartplotter into helm as seal was leaking | In Patras |
| Port battery isolator not working; Greg fixed | In Greece |
| Both port shower doors have hinge problems; screws tightened and door re-aligned | In Greece |
| Port aft berth ceiling fan farts out; replaced with the one from the port forepeak | In Greece |
| Ethernet connector to WiFi booster corroded; ergo re-sealing chartplotter (it is connected behind the control panel, inside the hull) | In Greece |
| Owner’s head outlet hose blocked off; had to dissolve mineral deposits with several flushes of muriatic acid | In Greece |
| The VHF sometimes still spontaneously turns itself off but looks like it’s still on — AAAARRRGH Raymarine! | In Greece |
| Three fenders pop and can’t hold a seal anymore; replaced | In Greece |
| We are still having problems with the seals around the helm instruments –water gets in behind the panel when we wash the boat | In Greece |
| Found a 10″ long crack in the fiberglass ceiling near the door to the owner’s bedroom; Greg patched | In Greece |
| Starboard stern cleat bent a bit in bad swell | In Malta |
| Rivets popped off on our mainsheet hangars and so Greg bolted them in | On the way to Sardinia |
| Trampoline split down the middle in bad upwind swell | On the way to Menorca |
| Discovered small leak in seal around side window in owner’s hull | On the way to Menorca |
| Got new A3 asymmetric spinnaker from Quantum | In Gibraltar |
| Got new trampoline from Ullman — just like old trampoline | In Gibraltar |
| Discovered stranding in inner shrouds; replaced shrouds | In Gran Canaria |
| Bolt securing jib to furler loosened and almost fell out; screwed back in;we check this all the time now | In Gran Canaria |
| Discovered stranding in inner shrouds; replaced shrouds | In Gran Canaria |
| Boat slammed into us at anchor and damaged bow gelcoat; repaired | In Gran Canaria |
| Popped another fender at a rough marina; replaced | In Gran Canaria |
| Fenders trapped between boat and dock in swell bent a couple stanchions; fixed | In Gran Canaria |
| Replaced bent bolt in aft cleat that was bent in Gozo | In Gran Canaria |
| Upgraded Raymarine p70 autopilot from version 14 to 17 without any issues and recalibrated autopilot | In Gran Canaria |
| Hit unlit fish farm going 9 kts; tore both engines out of mounts, tore off both rudders; Coast Guard rescue | In Gran Canaria |
| Massive damage and repairs described here. I.CAN’T.EVEN. | In Gran Canaria |
| Attempted to replace broken strap for mainsail clew, but Doyle Sails made it too small and we had to leave before we could negotiate a new one. Strap replaced in St. Lucia. | In Barbados |
| A/C flushed; regular maintenance; A/C working perfectly; it’s frickin hot here! | In St. Lucia |
| Boat waxed by Jeremiah & Nucky of Yacht Refinishing out of Gros Islet, who did a fantastic job and put in a really long day for us as we were leaving in the morning. We so pretty now! | In St. Lucia |
| Mel’s Instant Pot pressure cooker wouldn’t come to pressure while she was making chicken cordon bleu and it is so annoying that she is putting it on this list. Fixed by cleaning silicone lid seal. | In St. Lucia |
| Our Dometic fridge stopped working, which may or may not have had anything to do with the breaking of a beer bottle near it. Okay, Mel broke the bottle. Greg fixed fridge. | In Martinique |
| Greg pulled out a desk drawer in the owner’s hull and the face came off in his hands; reglued; we’ve had a lot of trouble with those drawers for some reason | In Martinique |
| One-month-old Culligan water filter under sink cracked and saloon flooded with freshwater on overnight passage; water filter replaced | On way to Eleuthera |
| Chain stopper for anchor chain bent, got it pounded back flat at machine shop in Spanish Wells | In Eleuthera |
| Mounting bracket for dryer vent lid bent, easily fixed | In Eleuthera |
| Dinghy nav lights had corroded connector, replaced | In Florida |
| Window that cracked in Gran Canaria finally replaced | In Florida |
| Replaced poly spinnaker halyard with Dyneema | In Florida |