Testimonials
Following are a series of testimonials received over the last 10 years from various people who own LeisureCats and regularly use them. These people range from recreational fishermen to Police and Rescue groups who regularly put their lives on the line to save lives:
Good evening Kevin
Thank you for helping up make our boating experience a great one.
We appreciate the time, effort, and fantastic customer service you provided us; nothing was ever too much trouble.
Thank you for assisting us with your knowledge and expertise to help make the further improvements to our boat.
Kind Regards, Trevor & Tania Farrell (2022)
G’day Kevin & team
Have had my LC8000 since Aug 2020 and while I have managed to steer clear of any real scary stuff, we have been out in varying seas, so feel I am now qualified to speak about this. (Our First cat – after 20 + years owning mono’s). I can confirm that all the concerns I had, after reading the keyboard warriors negative comments while researching cats, were just a crock. This boat is all I hoped it would be, no leans, no sprays, slaps etc – just the smoothest, most stable ride I have ever experienced – no more spine cracking thumps for me & lovin it. As it turned out there was no real getting used to it either, as I often read about (mono to cat), it was just a breeze.
For anyone contemplating a cat – don’t – just get one. I can also attest to LeisureCat being true to their word as far as the quality of build and willingness to cater for any request, as far as optioning the boat to your specific requirements. Not to mention being the most competitively priced cat on the market. After-sales assistance has been first class also, which was great, being a cat novice and over in S.A. To give a true appreciation of how specific our requirements were, we ended up with 3 pages of options/variations which I had either researched, and LC sourced, or I explained and they fabricated to my requirements. Through previous experience I am confident in saying not many boat builders will accommodate to that extent, mono or otherwise. (You would have recovered from this build by now I expect Kevin.)😊
In summary I would just like to thank you and your team, Kevin, you are and all should be extremely proud of the products you put out.
Feel free to send anyone our way that you would like me to expand on regarding the above, or to inspect the boat, as I would be happy and proud to do so.
Love your work and stay safe.
Regards, Frank Porcaro (2021)
I live and fish in Thailand. I purchased my 9 meter LeisureCat 14 years ago in 2005. The LeisureCat team were extremely professional, helpful and efficient during the build and dispatch of the boat. However, what has been exceptional, is their after sales service. Kevin Horsley has always replied to any emails by return, with regard to maintenance questions. Any replacement parts (there have been very few and many people have commented on the quality of components) have been shipped immediately.
The boat has performed exceptionally and is the boat of choice for the Marshalls in regattas at the marina where she is berthed. I would not hesitate to recommend LeisureCat to any purchaser wherever in the world you may be.
Sincerely, John Furlong, Bangkok (2020)
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your commitment to me with my purchase of my LeisureCat Brumby.
You stood by your product and its warranty.
Having spent significant time offshore and having significant experience with cats, I just want to say that the Brumby is an awesome offshore Cat.
Our recent trip to Eden on the Southern NSW Coast in 15-20 Knot conditions, 25Km offshore saw the Brumby performing beautifully with a 2m swell causing it no problems at all.
Martin Stockley (2018)
Just a quick email to let you know I am super stoked with my new 8m.
Big thanks to your entire team for producing my custom 8m and giving me all my “I wants” without compromise.
As you know I have had Cats for the last 18 years and can’t believe the difference in the ride characteristics from my 7m to the new 8m.
I was apprehensive with pushing the cab forward but wow the ride has blown me away – felt like I was in a 60 footer
The boys at MSC have produced a great trailer and they are a great fit to LeisureCat.
I will meet with Furuno in the next week or so to fine tune the Sounder and dial it in.
I also want to get a bit more stainless installed so when I bring the boat up to Cockburn I will try and meet with you at the same time.
The 200hp Yamahas are more fuel efficient than my previous pair of 150 hp so that’s also a bonus.
Thanks for a great package
Regards, Jason Millar (2016)
“As owner/operators of a LeisureCat 8000 Sportsfisher, the claims (by AMSA) could not be further from the truth. We operate our vessel, which is in 2C Survey, for fishing charters along the West Coast Region of Western Australia from Mandurah to Kalbarri, where we constantly encounter less than ideal seas. On most occasions when we charter from Mandurah, we are travelling up to 30Nm off the coast and returning late in the afternoon with a blustering sea breeze. The vessel not only handles effortlessly in these situations, passenger comfort and safety is never compromised. We have been operating our vessel since 2006 and have never had anything but positive responses in relation to our vessel.”
“One particular situation comes to mind as a testimonial as to how well these vessels perform in adverse conditions. On a return trip from the Abrolhos Islands in April 2008 we were inadvertently caught in a storm on our return trip to Kalbarri. Not only were we battered by 42 knots winds, we were encountering waves of up to 6m in height. Yes, the situation was intense but the vessel handled well under the harshest of conditions and through the skill of the skipper and the seaworthiness of the vessel we returned safely back to Kalbarri.”
Dave & Natasha Soltoggio (2011)
“I would like to say that the 9m I had for 3 years was an extremely safe boat. I often got caught in 4m plus swells, 35knot plus winds, often in the dark of night and never once did I or my crew feels unsafe.”
Nigel Ryde – Builder / Director (2011)
“Upon reading a recent article questioning the safety of LeisureCat boats I was amazed at the allegations made. Being involved in the boating and fishing industry I have had the pleasure of skippering Leisure Cats now for over 2 years with many hours behind the wheel and I must say they are one of the top hulls in their category in my opinion when it comes to rough weather handling and safety. I have skippered the 6 metre Brumby, 7 metre Game Fisher, 8 metre Sport Fisher, 8 metre storm cat and the 9 metre Pro Fisher. Each hull has its own distinctive ride and capabilities but not once did I or my crew ever feel in danger due to poor performance, handling or build quality.”
“I distinctly remember one trip offshore from Kalbarri. We were 30km out to sea in the 6 metre Brumby with four guys on board accompanied by a 7 metre WA built Plate alloy mono hull boat. The wind picked up that afternoon creating a 3 metre swell with a 2 metre sea. A decision was made to cut the day short and head home. The cat performed fantastically that day, averaging around 24 knots on the way home in those terrible conditions, not to mention the treacherous river mouth at Kalbarri. It handled that with ease. All on board were dry, comfortable and, more importantly, safe, which is more than I can say for the guys in the alloy boat. Yes, their journey home was a lot slower and they got home safely but they were soaking wet and had to visit the chiropractor afterwards, ha-ha.”
“I would highly recommend a Leisurecat to anyone out there thinking of purchasing a vessel. They are one of the safest and comfortable boats you will find on the market and, having the safety of twin engines operating independently, you never have to worry about not making it home due to an engine failure or a fuel problem. The staff at LeisureCat are friendly and always there when you need them.”
Paul Green (2011)
“It is unfortunate that anyone could put such a cloud over such a great performer of a vessel. We have had our 8.99m LeisureCat now for just under 3 years and it has out-performed our expectations and has had to deal with some very heavy seas and has been a stable platform to operate from. As to date we have just done over 17800 nautical miles on our original motors which will be due for change over in August. Have not missed a beat. Well done Suzuki. As for the issues that have been stated in this complaint, I have had none of these issues affect my work with Sirenia III. I am the only person to skipper our vessel and I can understand that human error may have been the issue and not the vessel. Isn’t it amazing when we get in trouble we blame everything but ourselves. To LeisureCat, keep up the good work and we look forward to dealing with you in the future.”
Wayne Moroney (Marine Ranger – Shark Bay) (2011)
“My name is Col Alexanderson and I live in Exmouth WA. I purchased an 8M Leisurecat Westerner in December 2009 and believe this may just be the last boat I will purchase, much to my wife’s delight. I have owned many boats in the 6-8 meter range and the Leisurecat outperforms any of these by far. It is very stable and steady in any of the conditions that I’ve used it in. It tracks straight no matter where the seas or swell are coming from and the ride is exceptionally smooth . I fish the many islands off Exmouth and think nothing of travelling 40 nautical miles to get to the pristine islands or unspoilt reefs and diving locations with my wife and 2 young kids. Next trip planned is to the Monte Bell Islands, which are about 100 nautical mile from Exmouth. We plan to spend a week there and I have full confidence that my Leisurecat will get me there and back safely.”
Col Alexanderson (2011)
13 December 2002
“We have had our 30′ Profisher for a little over 4 months now and I wanted to let you know how it was working in its role as a police boat. As you are aware, it is the first of its kind in our area, and as such has been closely watched by other government agencies and civilians as well. All are very impressed with the boat; we constantly receive compliments wherever we take her, and other agencies have taken notice when we breeze by them in rough seas while they are taking a pounding! To say that the boat has lived up to our expectations is an understatement, as it has exceeded them and actually surprised us in some areas.
“One of the things that the boat does very well is towing. We recently had a call for service that involved a 65 foot, 35 ton motor yacht that had lost power in 4 ft seas. The vessel was taken in tow by us and I expected that we were going to have a tough time. Instead we made quick work of the tow and I was amazed how smooth and maneuverable the catamaran was, even with 35 tons behind it.
“The other truly amazing trait is the boat’s sea-keeping abilities. We have run in seas as high as 8 ft. The boat is very predictable and has no bad habits; no matter how you approach the seas you can turn at any point in a rough sea and the boat will willingly go wherever you steer her. With her engines set so wide apart, she is also a pleasure to maneuver at low speeds or with a side tow.
“I’m sure that you are already aware of these handling traits, but they were a pleasant surprise for us, having had only monohull experience prior to the purchase of one of your boats. The quality of construction and your willingness to work with us during the build paid off as we now have a police boat that can perform beautifully the tasks we face on a daily basis.
“In closing I would like to say that we would be pleased to be a reference for any potential clients that may be shopping for a law enforcement vessel. I can be contacted via phone or email at the numbers and address listed below.
Sgt Peter J Wolf” – Stamford Police Department
“The Fremantle Volunteer Sea Rescue Group has been in existence for over 30 years. We have been utilising power catamarans now for over 15 years. When choosing our latest catamaran 3 years ago we looked for a manufacturer who would work with us throughout the design and building stages and who was willing to customise the vessel to suit our demanding needs. Only the people at Leisurecat were willing to work with us to such a degree. We ordered the 7 metre version as it was ideally suited for the conditions around Rottnest Island.”
“We needed a vessel that was stable, had superb sea handling characteristics (especially short chop), could tow large vessels, able to operate in very shallow water and be beached easily plus it needed to be fast and responsive.”
“The resultant vessel supplied exceeded our demands and all skippers in our group have no hesitation in taking the vessel to sea in the worst conditions. On the 1st September this year our group responded to a mayday (hoax) 15NM west of Rottnest. The conditions were the worst we can remember with 5 – 6 metre seas. As our main rescue craft approached the west end of Rottnest one engine had to be shut down resulting in it having to return in following seas on one engine. As there was now a big risk to the safety of all on board, our Rescue craft (Leisurecat), Reliant, was despatched from Rottnest. Within minutes it was alongside R100 and escorted it back to safety. At no time did the crew of Reliant feel unsafe and the vessel performed superbly especially in regards to pulling out of troughs in the following sea.”
“We are very satisfied with the craft in all respects and would be happy to be contacted directly if further information is required.”
Frank Pisani OAM, (Master V, MED 2), Operations Officer, Senior Skipper
“I read the article in last Saturdays West Australian regarding the seaworthiness of your LeisureCat 8 m boat which I thought was a very biased opinion.
I have an interest in LeisureCat Boats as, for the last 7 years, I have travelled to Gnaraloo Station for yearly fishing trips.
As some of you would know, the conditions up there can be extremely harsh with high winds and big swells.
On some occasions we have had the only boat, being a LeisureCat, that is capable of handling these conditions and, consequently, were the only Boat to head out on that occasion.
At no time have I had any concern as to the boats ability to handle any condition I have encountered and would recommend the Boat to any one who needs a seaworthy boat to handle rough conditions.
Please feel free to contact me regarding LeisureCat’s ability to handle rough seas, the boat’s finish quality and the reliability of the Boats.”
Bob Winspear 0402986405 (2011)
“Why buy a Cat? Because a good friend has had one for a couple of years and he swears by it. Okay, hit the net and do some research and you find a lot of testimonials, most being good. Read Peter Webster’s report and I am ready to take the gamble and see if they are right.
Okay, why LeisureCat? To start with they are here in WA and they are glass and they have a great hard top and cab set up.
So I bought a second-hand 2010 Sports fisher 8000. Two trips down and all I can say is OMG.
I live and fish out of Geraldton and, as most people would be aware, we don’t have the nicest weather and seas which make it difficult to find a nice day this time of the year to go fishing in a trailerable boat, let alone get across to the Abrolhos Islands.
First trip was just a small trip, it was blowing 12 to 15 knots of easterly after a night time south easterly. This left a confused sea with the south westerly swell and two different waves. In my previous 6m that would keep me down to around 13 knots. Not in the Cat, 19 knots comfortable once I got out of mono mentality.
Second trip over to the Abrolhos Islands. More confident in the Cats ability now, 15 knots of easterly, who cares! Left the ramp around 30 minutes after a couple of 6m boats that were also going over, caught up with and overtook them with ease and in comfort.
Added bonus is that my sea-sick prone wife wasn’t sick at all.
I think you made this boat for this area. Even my wife commented that we should of bought one of your boats years ago.”
Keith Burrows (Geraldton, Western Australia)
