August 29, 2026
The Leopard 40 Powercat: Your Weekender Just Got Wider
With a 21-foot-8-inch beam, a shallow 3-foot-7-inch draft, three island-bed cabins and a choice of three Yanmar packages, the Leopard 40 Pow…
Read the articleThe Leopard Catamarans Power Series
Three flybridge Powercats, 40'0" to 50'6", all drawing a little over three feet
A power catamaran gives you a flybridge, a level deck and water a deep-draft motoryacht cannot follow. Leopard's Powercats run from the 40'0" 40 Powercat to the 50'6" 53 Powercat, and all three draw a little over three feet — 3'1" on the 46 Powercat, 3'3" on the 53, 3'7" on the 40.
Stepped hulls, twin Yanmar diesels and a flybridge with a full helm station are common to the range, and tankage climbs with length: 370 gallons of fuel on the 40, 475 on the 46, 562 on the 53. Leopard's own nav calls this the Power Range and the boats Powercats; we use both.
The sailing catamarans have their own guide.
The Power Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Leopard Catamarans Power model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Leopard Catamarans.
40' 0" on a 21' 8" beam, 3' 7" draft — three island-bed cabins, an inside helm, a flybridge above.
46' 4" of hull and waterline both, 24' 1" beam, 3' 1" draft — three or four cabins, all en-suite.
50' 6", 25' 2" beam, 3' 3" draft — three or four cabins, a separate shower in every head, crew optional.
Don't see the Power model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Power Series
The 40 Powercat opens the range — 40'0" on a 21'8" beam drawing 3'7", three island-bed cabins and two heads, 370 gallons of fuel, and a specification quoting 23 knots maximum and 15 knots cruising.
The 46 Powercat is the shallow-water pick: 46'4" drawing just 3'1", with the waterline running the full length of the hull, three or four cabins all en-suite, 475 gallons of fuel, and 23.5 knots maximum against 16 cruising.
The 53 Powercat is the distance boat — 50'6" on a 25'2" beam, twin Yanmar 8LV 370 hp diesels, 562 gallons of fuel, 24 knots maximum and 17 cruising, three or four cabins with a separate shower in every head, and crew quarters if you want them. 141 have been delivered and the design took Multihull of the Year in 2020.
Our Take
The number I keep coming back to in this range is draft. Three feet and change on boats up to fifty feet, and that is most of the argument by itself — the Bahamas banks, the Exuma cuts and the skinny end of the Keys all open up on a boat this size.
The 53 Powercat is the one I point long-trip buyers at. One engine package rather than a menu, so the performance is easy to pin down at 24 knots maximum and 17 cruising; 562 gallons of fuel; a separate shower in every head, which is what decides whether four couples still like each other after two weeks; and crew quarters you can order or leave out. A hundred and forty-one hulls of service history behind it is not nothing either.
The 46 Powercat is the sweet spot for a couple who take guests. It draws the least of the three at 3'1", it is the only one of the three whose waterline runs the full length of the hull, and its engine room is sealed and reached from the deck rather than through the accommodation.
The 40 is the weekender and it is honest about it: three island-bed cabins, 370 gallons, and a flybridge with a full helm station above a 21'8" beam.
Two things to settle before you sign in this range. The 40 and the 46 are each offered with three engine packages, so agree which one you are buying and get observed speed and burn at your intended rpm in writing at sea trial. And check beam against your berth — 21'8" to 25'2" is a real constraint in a lot of marinas.
Leopard Catamarans Power Articles & Guides
Official Leopard Catamarans Premieres
Videos courtesy of Leopard Catamarans.
Frequently Asked Questions
How shallow do the Leopard Powercats draw?
3 ft 1 in on the 46 Powercat, 3 ft 3 in on the 53 Powercat and 3 ft 7 in on the 40 Powercat — so the shallowest boat in the range is the middle one, not the smallest.
That is the whole argument for this range at these lengths. A little over three feet of draft on boats up to 50 ft 6 in opens the Bahamas banks, the Exuma cuts and the shallow end of the Keys to a yacht that would otherwise be looking at them from outside. Beam runs 21 ft 8 in to 25 ft 2 in, and that is the number to check against your berth.
How fast are the Leopard Powercats?
The specifications quote 23 knots maximum and 15 knots cruising on the 40 Powercat, 23.5 and 16 on the 46 Powercat, and 24 and 17 on the 53 Powercat.
The 40 and the 46 are each offered with three engine packages — twin Yanmar 4LV 250 hp diesels as standard, with 320 hp and 370 hp options — so agree which package you are buying before you compare their numbers to anything. The 53 carries a single package, twin Yanmar 8LV 370 hp diesels. On any of the three, get observed speed and fuel burn at your intended rpm in writing at sea trial.
Which Leopard Powercat should I choose?
Match the boat to the trip length. The 40 Powercat is the weekender: 40 ft 0 in, three island-bed cabins, two heads and 370 gallons of fuel, sized so a couple can run it without help.
The 46 Powercat is the one for a couple who take guests. It draws the least of the three at 3 ft 1 in, carries 475 gallons of fuel, offers three or four cabins with every cabin en-suite, and its engine room is sealed and reached from the deck rather than through the accommodation.
The 53 Powercat is the distance boat: 562 gallons of fuel, three or four cabins with a separate shower in every head, and optional crew quarters. 141 have been delivered and the design took Multihull of the Year in 2020, so the systems and the sea manners have been tested by a lot of owners before you.
Which Power Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the Power series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Leopard Catamarans ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819