Leopard Catamarans has a new "cub" for the Miami Boat Show, the Leopard 40PC. But its birth wasn't without challenges...
Looks like a case of “Honey, I shrunk the cat”. Cape Town-based Leopard Catamarans is expanding its oh-so-popular powercat line-up, currently comprising the flagship 53PC and Leopard 46PC. But instead of going large, it’s introducing a brand new 40-footer, the Leopard 40 Powercat, that’s getting its global debut at the 2023 Miami Boat Show.
Seems shrinking the cat isn’t such an easy task. Designer Alex Simonis, of Simonis Voogd Design says creating the 40PC was his studio’s “biggest challenge”. All the weight that goes into a top-heavy, family-friendly, three-cabin cruiser tends to mess with the trim, balance and general seakeeping when you make the hulls shorter.
But a 28ft 8in (6.6m) beam does help with stability, as does a whole bunch of design time spent with Computational Fluid Dynamics software. And stability is pretty key when you’re building the Leopard 40 Powercat for The Moorings’ charter fleet under the name Moorings 403PC.
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Leopard has certainly squeezed a lot into this new 40PC. The flybridge is reckoned to be the biggest ever seen on a 40-footer and features an upper helm, big L-shaped dinette, compact galley, and a hardtop filled with solar panels for juicing up the house batteries.
Up on the bow there’s a multitude of sun loungers, plus convenient access to the interior through a forward door. On the rear deck, full-width sliders open into the galley and saloon, while steps lead down to dual swim platforms. It all feels much bigger and roomier than that 40-foot length suggests.
Below decks, there’s the master suite taking up the full starboard hull, with two doubles in the port hull with a shared head. As for power, take your pick of Yanmar diesels, either 250, 320 or 370-horse, with the 370s giving a feisty 20-knot-plus top speed and comfy 17-knot cruising.
Update: The Leopard 40PC is due to attend the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival.
Leopard 40 Powercat specification
LOA: 40ft 0in (12.2m)
Beam: 21ft 8in (6.6m)
Engines: Yanmar 250hp base
Top speed: 20 knots (with 370s)
Starting price: TBC
