The all-new Leopard 40 power catamaran just made its debut in Fort Lauderdale, with a cruise along the ICW and a then a run over to Bimini.
Leopards are made in Cape Town, South Africa, by Robertson and Caine. The company calls the new 40 a third-generation power cat, following the Leopard 46 and Leopard 53.
The Leopard 40 is a three-cabin, three-head, stable and seaworthy cruiser The Leopard’s beam is 21’ 8”, slightly more than half its length, so it has vast amounts of usable space inside and out. The salon is full of light from large side windows, a glass door aft and windows facing forward; there’s even a glass door there that opens directly to the foredeck.
The galley is aft on the port side and is made for cruising; a full-size fridge is opposite to starboard. An L-shaped settee is forward to port, with a table. The lower helm is to starboard.
The aft deck is protected by the overhang from the flybridge. It’s an open area with a settee and a table. Three steps on either side lead down to the swim platform.
The three cabins are below in each hull. Two cabins are in the port hull; the master’s cabin has the starboard side all to itself.
Leopard says the flybridge on the 40 is the largest in its class. It has an upper helm with a seat on the starboard side, an L-shaped settee and table a bit aft, and a bar area to port. A hard top provides weather protection overhead. The boat does indeed hold a crowd as you can see from the picture of a recent party in Fort Lauderdale.
Power comes from twin 370-hp Yanmar diesels with straight shafts. Top speed is just over 20 knots; range is about 230 nm at 10 knots. The engine compartments are aft in each hull and are isolated from the living areas; access is from the outside only.
Leopards are sold to private owners. They also are put into The Moorings charter fleet, where the 40 is known as the Moorings 403.
Specs.: LOA: 40’; Beam: 21’8”; Draft: 3’7”; Disp.: 30,488 lbs.; Fuel: 370 gals.; Water: 169 gals.; Power: 2×370-hp Yanmar diesels.
Read more at http://leopardpowercatamarans.com and http://moorings.com and see the video below:
