Leopard Catamarans 46

The Leopard 46 is a sailing catamaran of 45'7" (13.9 m) overall — 47'6" with the lifting platform — on a 24'1" (7.35 m) beam, drawing 5'5" (1.65 m), with a waterline length of 44'0" and a displacement of 38,925 lbs. She succeeds the Leopard 45 and keeps what made that boat work, while reorganising the accommodation around one decision: the skipper cabin is gone, and the volume it occupied went into the living space.

That buys three layouts, every cabin with its own head and shower — three cabins plus a utility room, four cabins with a large owner's cabin, or five doubles. Tankage is 182 gal of fuel and 185 gal of water with a 48 gal holding tank, and load carrying capacity is 12,915 lbs. All Leopard catamarans are NMMA and CE certified.

Standard power is twin Yanmar 45 hp diesels, with 57 hp versions optional. The third choice is the one worth studying: an integrated hybrid electric drive built around a power management box, an electric propulsion pod, a high-voltage lithium-iron-phosphate battery bank, a solar array and a range-extending generator. Each pod produces 25 kW of propulsion power in place of a 75 hp thermal engine, energy can come from solar, regeneration under sail, shore power or the range extender, and the system carries house loads as well as propulsion. Leopard's testing shows speeds over 8 knots and regeneration of up to 1.8 kW per hour per hull, with the batteries starting to recharge from 4 knots of boat speed.

Under sail, total sail area is 1,512 sq ft, and a taller mast with the optional Aramid Sport performance rig adds 15% more sail area along with upgraded running rigging. Stepped hulls and an overlapping genoa are the handling story, and the protected helm station is laid out for offshore singlehanded work — which is the real test of whether a couple can keep the boat moving when the weather turns.

Losing the skipper cabin is what makes this interior feel a size larger than the number on the transom. The aft cockpit and saloon integrate through main saloon doors that open fully or close fully, so the same footprint works as one open room in the trades and as a sealed saloon on a cold passage.

Below, the three-cabin layout trades the forward port cabin for a workspace utility cabin with cabinetry and a washer/dryer — the layout most owner-operators end up wishing they had specified. The four-cabin version gives a whole hull to the owner, and the five-cabin arrangement is the family and charter answer, with every cabin ensuite. Materials and lighting are a step up from the 45, with customisable upholstery, and the options list runs to an electric induction cooktop, a large-capacity inverter, a full lithium house bank and a watermaker.

The 46 sits in the middle of the Leopard sailing range, above the 42'7" Leopard 43 and below the 51'8" Leopard 52, and it is the model that carries the brand's electric argument first. Against the Lagoon 46 Iconic at 47'7" and the Fountaine Pajot FP48 at 47'4" — both close on length and both comfort-led — the Leopard's differentiators are the hybrid drive option and the three-cabin-plus-utility layout.

It remains an owner-operator boat: the protected helm and lines-aft deck are sized for a couple, while the five-cabin configuration keeps it credible for charter fleets. Buyers in this class are usually choosing between interior volume and systems sophistication, and the 46 is the boat arguing you can have the second without giving up the first.

Choose the Leopard 46 if you plan to spend months at a time away from a dock and you would rather solve that with lithium, solar and regeneration than with engine hours. The hybrid drive is a full propulsion and house-power system rather than a marketing option, and it changes the ownership arithmetic most for owners cruising remote areas.

Spec the three-cabin layout with the utility room unless you genuinely need the berths — the workspace and the washer/dryer pay you back every week. If you take the hybrid, work the full energy budget against your real house load, air conditioning included, before you decide how hard the range extender will have to work; the same conversation should settle whether the standard 45 hp diesels or the 57 hp upgrade suits your waters and your displacement when loaded. If you need six cabins or a bigger sail plan, step up to the Leopard 52; if the 46 is more boat than two of you want to handle, the Leopard 43 is the same deck philosophy at a shorter length.