Good things do indeed come in small packages and the Leopard 40 Power Cat fits that old adage perfectly. Winner of the European Boat of the Year 2024, the 40 fulfills its mission extremely well by delivering a cat that has a ton of living space, a good turn of speed and admirable fuel efficiency.
Designed by Simonis Voogd and built by Robertson & Caine in Cape Town, South Africa, the 40 is the little sister to the Leopard 46 and 53, both of which have proven to be handsome, durable and comfortable cruisers that work well both as private yachts and as charter boats in The Moorings and Sunsail fleets.
The designers made an interesting choice by not having a full dinette in the salon. Instead, there is an L-shaped sofa with a drop leaf table and two easy chairs. You could seat four at the table but the main dining area is outside. The galley is aft in the salon so it adjacent to the cockpit and the al fresco dining table and settee. Forward, a door next to the inside helm leads to the lounging area on the foredeck.
The main social area on the 40 is up on the bridge. The helm is forward where it will provide great sight lines for the person at the wheel. The rest of the bridge is dedicated to a large U-shaped dinette and the wet-bar and grill.
It is easy to imagine breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner all spent right here. With the T-top over it, the cockpit, conceivably, could be made weatherproof and snug with Isinglass panels all the way around.
The 40’s standard layout has the master suite in the starboard hull, complete with a large shower stall and a vanity that could double as a home office. The two guest cabins are in the port hull and share a head between them.
One of the benefits of a cruising power cat is the efficiency of the narrow hulls. Powered by twin 250-horsepower engines, the 40 has a cruising speed of 15 knots and will burn approximately 30 gallons of diesel an hour. That means you can steam from Florida to the Bahamas in four or five hours and still have 200 gallons left in the tanks that have a total capacity of 370 gallons.
There is a lot to like in this 40 foot cat that will make a fine family cruiser and even a good live-aboard home for a couple.
