August 29, 2026
The Leopard 46: Cruising Redefined for the Modern Sailor
Quiet, efficient and spacious, the Leopard 46 pairs a smart owner-operator layout with an optional hybrid electric drive - 25 kW pods, solar…
Read the articleThe Leopard Catamarans Sailing Series
Three cruising catamarans, 42 to 52 feet — stepped hulls, an overlapping genoa and a helm in the cockpit
A sailing catamaran earns its keep when the wind is light and the crew is two. Leopard's sailing range is drawn around both: stepped hulls, an overlapping genoa, and a helm station set in the protected cockpit rather than up on a flybridge, so the person steering stays in the same conversation as everyone else aboard.
Three boats, from the 42'7" Leopard 43 to the 51'8" Leopard 52, on hulls by Simonis Voogd Yacht Design and built in Cape Town. Sail area runs from 1,354 sq ft on the 43 to 1,812 sq ft on the 52, and this is where Leopard has put its electric work — the 46 offers a full hybrid electric drive, and the 52 offers electric drives among its options.
The Powercats have their own guide.
The Sailing Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Leopard Catamarans Sailing model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Leopard Catamarans.
Wave-piercing hulls, reverse bows, 1,354 sq ft of sail and a glass-wrapped saloon with 360-degree views.
Optional hybrid electric drive: 25 kW pods, solar, and regeneration that starts at 4 knots of boat speed.
Ten layouts from four to six cabins, on a Simonis Voogd hull with 1,812 sq ft of sail area.
Don't see the Sailing model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Sailing Series
The Leopard 43 opens the range — 42'7" on a 23'0" beam, twin Yanmar 45 hp diesels, 1,354 sq ft of sail and three or four cabins. Its mast stands three feet taller than the Leopard 42's for 12% more upwind sail area, wave-piercing hulls and reverse bows cut the pitching, and 1,365W of solar sits on the coachroof.
The Leopard 46 is the systems boat: 45'7" on a 24'1" beam, 1,512 sq ft of sail, three layouts with every cabin en-suite, and the option of a hybrid electric drive whose pods produce 25 kW each in place of a 75 hp thermal engine.
The Leopard 52 is the long-stay boat — 51'8" on a 26'9" beam, 1,812 sq ft of sail, twin 57 hp Yanmars with 80 hp diesels or electric drives optional, and ten layout configurations from four to six cabins.
Our Take
What separates these three from the rest of the production catamaran market is where you stand to sail them. The helm is in the cockpit, protected, with the lines led to it and the layout set up for one person to work the boat. On a long night that matters more than any number on a spec sheet.
My pick in the range is the 46. It is the one that gives you a real choice of propulsion — standard 45 hp diesels, 57 hp diesels, or the full hybrid electric drive with solar, regeneration under sail and a lithium bank carrying house loads as well as the boat. If you cruise remote places and you are tired of listening to a generator through dinner, that system is the reason to look at this range at all.
Take the 43 if the crew is two and you want the sportiest hull Leopard draws at this length, with a rig sized to use it. Take the 52 if you want the layout choice, because ten configurations means you can order the boat you actually want rather than the one that happened to be drawn.
Whichever one you land on, measure your home berth first. Beam runs 23'0" to 26'9" across these three, and that is the number that decides where the boat can live.
Leopard Catamarans Sailing Articles & Guides
Official Leopard Catamarans Premieres
Videos courtesy of Leopard Catamarans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Leopard sailing catamaran suits a couple cruising full time?
The 46 is the one most full-time couples land on. Its three-cabin layout trades the forward port cabin for a workspace utility cabin with cabinetry and a washer/dryer, every cabin is en-suite, and it is the model that offers a full hybrid electric drive carrying house loads as well as propulsion.
The 43 is the answer if you want the shortest way into the current Leopard deck layout and the sportiest hull the yard draws at this length — 42 ft 7 in, 1,354 sq ft of sail, three or four cabins. The 52 is the answer if you want layout choice: ten configurations from four to six cabins on a 51 ft 8 in hull with 1,812 sq ft of sail.
All three are rigged for offshore singlehanded work, so the decision is about accommodation and beam, not about whether two of you can manage the boat.
Do Leopard sailing catamarans offer electric propulsion?
Two of the three do. The 46 offers an integrated hybrid electric drive: 25 kW propulsion pods in place of 75 hp thermal engines, a power management box rated at 25 and 50 kW DC, a lithium-iron-phosphate battery bank, solar, and regeneration under sail from 4 knots of boat speed, with Leopard's testing showing speeds over 8 knots and up to 1.8 kW per hour per hull of regeneration.
The 52 offers an Electric Thrust System — two 25 kW drives, two 27 kW lithium batteries and a 24 kW range extender, with up to 1,600W of solar. The 43 is offered with twin Yanmar 45 hp diesels.
On either electric boat, 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.
How much do the Leopard sailing catamarans draw?
5 ft 2 in on the 43, 5 ft 5 in on the 46 and 5 ft 7 in on the 52 — so draft climbs steadily with length across this range.
Beam climbs with it: 23 ft 0 in, 24 ft 1 in and 26 ft 9 in. Between the two numbers, beam is usually the one that decides where the boat can live, so measure your home berth before you settle on a size. If shoal water is the point of going multihull, the Powercats draw a little over three feet across the whole range.
Which Sailing 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 Sailing series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Leopard Catamarans ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819