Under $300K: The Best Affordable Cruising Catamarans + What Really Happens at Survey
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
Release Date: 08/28/2026
Is There a Survey Available? (And Why the Outremer 51 Catamaran Is Still a Steal)
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
Wiley Sharp and Bill Regan break down boat show season, go deep on the Outremer 51, answer a listener favorite about pre-purchase surveys, and share this week's best-value brokerage pick. In this episode: (0:00) Boat Show Season Recap — Cannes came in stronger than expected despite economic headwinds, with notable debuts from Aquila (45), Fountaine Pajot, and Lagoon (47). Newport skewed more toward sportfish and motor yachts, with some election-cycle buyer hesitation on the new-boat side. Looking ahead: Annapolis Sailboat Show (find Wiley and Bill at booth D2/D3 on Ego Alley) and the Fort...
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Market Momentum, the Lagoon 65, and Caribbean Buying Myths
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
The catamaran market is heating up for fall, and Wiley Sharp and Keagan Steyn are back to break down what's driving it. This episode covers the uptick in buyer activity compared to last summer, a look ahead at the Cannes Yachting Festival and the upcoming Annapolis and Fort Lauderdale boat shows. A full model-of-the-week breakdown of the Lagoon 65 — how it stacks up against the Lagoon 620, what sets its flybridge and galley layouts apart, and why it's become the go-to choice for owners weighing resale value and charter income. Wiley and Keagan also tackle one of their most frequent...
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Should You Consider Buying an Ex-Charter Boat? Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 and Behind the Scene Survey Logistics.
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
Wiley Sharp and Keagan Steyn are back with another episode of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls. They open by comparing this summer's noticeably busier buyer activity to last year's slower season, then dig into what actually goes into prepping for a survey — from wrangling a haul-out slip for a 65+ foot cat headed up to Newport, RI (Keagan's first survey north of Florida) to the small logistics, dockage, food, confirming who's showing up, that keep survey day running smoothly. This week's Make & Model spotlight is the Fountaine Pajot Aura 51. Wiley and Keagan compare it to its...
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Under $300K: The Best Affordable Cruising Catamarans + What Really Happens at Survey
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
Yacht brokers Wiley Sharp and Bill Regan are back for episode 5 of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls, the show about what's really happening in the catamaran market from two brokers who live in it every day. This week: instead of a single make and model, Wiley and Bill zoom out to a whole class of boat — the sub-$300,000 cruising catamaran. As pandemic-era prices finally come back to earth, they break down which older Lagoons, Leopards, and Fountaine Pajots are worth a look, what to budget for standing rigging and refits, and why a smaller boat that's already been upgraded can beat a...
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Meet Keagan Steyn + The Leopard 50 Deep Dive + Do I Need a Management Company?
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
Keagan Steyn joins Cat Chat Live for his first appearance on the show, and Wiley puts him through the paces: six years running charter catamarans in the Caribbean (Lucia 40, Leopard 50, Lagoon 620), a 200-ton Yachtmaster license earned the hard way in Cape Town, a Dive Master ticket picked up during COVID downtime, and an engagement to Olivia — the chef he talked into joining him on the boat mid-pandemic. From there, Wiley and Keegan dig into what actually makes a catamaran charter-worthy, take a full deep dive on the Leopard 50 (production history, known maintenance quirks, and what to look...
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Cruising / Boating Tech - Lagoon 450 - Yanmar Versus Volvo
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
In Episode 3 of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls, Wiley Sharp and Bill Regan of Catamaran Central sit down for another candid conversation about cruising, catamarans, and life in the yacht brokerage world. This episode takes a look at how technology is changing life on the water, from Starlink and connected chartplotters to apps like NoForeignLand and the growing role of AI in passage planning, troubleshooting, and boat ownership. Wiley and Bill also dive into the Lagoon 450, discussing why it remains one of the most popular cruising catamarans on the brokerage market, what buyers should...
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Hurricanes, FP Saba 50's, And How Many Hours Are Too Many Engine Hours?
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
In Episode 2 of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls, I’m joined once again by Catamaran Central’s Mid-Atlantic broker, Bill Regan. We start the episode by talking a little about our own experiences as boat owners and how actually owning, maintaining, and cruising boats gives us a different perspective when helping clients navigate yacht ownership. For this episode’s “Between Two Hulls” segment, we’re talking hurricane season. We break down some of the most popular options for catamaran owners during the summer months, from heading south to Grenada and St. Lucia to spending the...
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Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls - Tariffs, Foreign Flags, Leopard 40's, and Who We Are!
Cat Chat Live - Life Between The Hulls
In Episode 1 of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls, I’m joined by Catamaran Central’s Mid-Atlantic broker, Bill Regan. We kick things off by introducing ourselves and sharing how our backgrounds in the yachting world led us to where we are today. Next, we launch our “Between Two Hulls” segment, where we discuss timely issues affecting the yachting and multihull industries. For this episode, we take a closer look at the current U.S. tariff climate and what it could mean for catamaran buyers, sellers, and owners. We then dive into the Leopard 40, discussing what we like about the...
info_outlineYacht brokers Wiley Sharp and Bill Regan are back for episode 5 of Cat Chat Live: Life Between the Hulls, the show about what's really happening in the catamaran market from two brokers who live in it every day.
This week: instead of a single make and model, Wiley and Bill zoom out to a whole class of boat — the sub-$300,000 cruising catamaran. As pandemic-era prices finally come back to earth, they break down which older Lagoons, Leopards, and Fountaine Pajots are worth a look, what to budget for standing rigging and refits, and why a smaller boat that's already been upgraded can beat a bigger "bargain" that isn't.
They also pull back the curtain on survey day — the single most nerve-wracking day in the buying process. From what a surveyor is actually looking for (and why sellers should stay off the boat), to the haul-out, the sea trial, the full-power engine test, and the findings that show up on almost every survey, this is the closest thing to a field guide you'll get. Naturally, a few war stories come with it — including a mouse in the mainsail and a dock line lesson Wiley won't forget.
Plus: their between-the-hulls catch-up on why St. Augustine has quietly become one of the East Coast's best catamaran hubs, and this week's Broker Pick — the catamarans they'd actually buy for under $300K.
Topics covered:
- Why St. Augustine, FL is becoming a go-to catamaran hub
- Affordable cruising cats under $300K: Lagoon 380/400/440, Leopard 38/39/40/46, Fountaine Pajot Mahé 36 and Lavezzi 41
- What to budget for on an older catamaran (standing rigging, engines, refits)
- A full walkthrough of survey day, start to finish
- What surveyors actually check in the water, out of the water, and under full power
- The most common findings on catamaran surveys
- Broker pick of the week: best sub-$300K cruising catamarans
Have a topic you want Wiley and Bill to cover? Email the show or leave a comment on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.