Leopard Catamarans just announced that they are building a Leopard 46 Powercat, modeled after the award-winning Leopard 53 PC. The latest in the South African company’s new generation of power yachts, the 46 PC will splash in Cape Town this fall and then have its world premiere at the Miami boat show in February.
Built for comfort and performance, the Leopard 46 is a stand-alone design. It is not a spinoff of an existing sailboat catamaran. “We have managed to give the Leopard 46 PC a character of its own,” says Anthony Key, the company’s chief designer. “It stands proudly as the second in a new range of powercats that have benefited from almost 30 years of accumulated design experience, as well as an injection of new thinking.”
For comfort, all the beds in the new cat are queen-sized plus, and they are accessible from all sides. And there will be more walking-around room in all the cabins. (You can order the boat with three or four cabins in the two hulls below.)
On the new Leopard 46, the galley is at the aft end of the salon on the port side. Across the way, a new “galley server area” is on the starboard side, with storage, a wine cooler or ice maker and a dedicated drinks locker. This separation means the cook can do his or her business without bumping into the host preparing drinks for all the guests on board.
The main helm station is on the flybridge on the starboard side. There’s lots of seating and sun lounging pace up there, protected by a hardtop.
On the main deck, large retractable doors lead from the cockpit to the salon (the galley area first), while from the front of the salon there’s access to the wide (24’ 1” beam) foredeck.
Powered by standard 250-hp Yanmars (320-hp engines are upgrades), the Leopard 46 has a top speed of 22 knots, a cruising speed of 16 knots, and a range of 1,600 nm.
Leopard cats are made by Robertson and Caine. They are sold to private owners and can be chartered through The Moorings.
Specs.: LOA: 46’4”; Beam: 24’1”; Draft: 3’1”; Disp.: 36,945 lbs.; Fuel 488 gals.; Water: 185 gals.; Power: 2×250-hp Yanmars. Read more:
