Footloose vs. Moorings

All,

Please share your experiences if you have any. We usually go with SailTMM, and have always been very impressed. However they don't have availability in our price/spec this time around. My understanding is that Footloose is basically the value brand of the Moorings, and takes the boats that age out of the Moorings fleet. Same base, same booking process etc. Specific questions: -
- How old/tired are the Footloose boats?
- How responsive are they to maintenance issues? Do they have the same service infrastructure as The Moorings?
- Is the check-out process etc the same as The Moorings?

Right now it seems like they are exactly the same, only you get an older boat for $1000+ cheaper.

Thanks,

Ben

You have it right. As a former Moorings owner, my understanding is that it is essentially the same, with older boats. Boats are typically at least 5 years old - I am not sure what their max age is, but I'd guess 7-8 years maybe.

I know in the past the office was different, but on the same dock so I don't see any reason you can't use the moorings facilities. I'm not sure if they combined it when they combined sunsail/moorings to one check in process.

I'll add, that having used new moorings boats and 5 year old moorings boats, the age isn't necessarily a huge factor in what works or doesn't - they keep everything working. We've had some older boats that haven't required a single chase boat and some newer boats that have required multiple.

Amen on your last comment Matt - we've had trouble-free trips on 12+ year old boats, and call-outs on a <1 yr old boat - no guarantees either way.

Anyway I decided to go ahead and give Footloose a go. It's a 3900/Leopard 39, which I think has only been manufactured since around 2011, so I figured it couldn't be that old. It seems to fit the needs of our crew nicely also, and was a great price. I'll write a trip report when we get back in early June.

Thanks for the input Matt. I think we met on the dock at Scrub Island last year BTW ....

I think the 3900 must be just out of moorings.

We have chartered the 3900 three times with the Moorings. Great boat for a small group.

Interesting point on group size. We are a group of 6 - 2 "grown-ups" and a bunch of college kids. One slight concern I have is the size of the cockpit - the 3900 is fairly narrow, and I wondered if it might be a bit tight with everybody in there. Thoughts? That said, I'm committed now, so it is what it is ...

You won't be able to seat 6 together for meals but there is seating for 6 in the cockpit. With college kids I wouldn't worry as they will use the trampoline a lot.. If it was all older adults I could see it getting cramped.

We were on a Lagoon 380 out of TMM a few years ago. It was 2 adults + 4 college kids. We were fine with the space - they were in an out of the water and all over the place. We never felt cramped.

Only issue we've had with space on the 3900 is with my wife and I moving around in the galley - it is tight - really meant for 1 person. Otherwise there is plenty of space.

I think you can even fit 6 inside to eat and they easily fit outside. Inside might be a little tight, but doable.

If you want to see more of the space, check out their 360 degree tour.

https://www.moorings.com/yachts/sail-fleet/catamarans/3900-3-cabin

Many thanks for the input folks - super-helpful and much appreciated.

One more question (getting detailed here!) - on the 360 view, along the galley window I see a cockpit seat with a hinged lid - is this a cooler? It has a cup holder on it, and what look like drainage outlets. Or would we carry a separate cooler? Thx.

Haven't been on the 3900 but don't believe it is a cooler. On the 4000 it was used to hold either life jackets, boat batteries or both (can't recall exactly) A cooler should be provided with the boat which is placed under the cockpit table. No need to purchase or bring your own unless you want to bring provisions.

Cheers and good luck.

Yep - you're correct - I can eyeball it here - https://www.moorings.com/sites/default/f...tamp=1477424768

Obsessive? Me?

Thanks all - you guys rock!