New Boat: Leopard 40PC
Back in early December 2022, I joined a crew of my colleagues from Soundings and Passagemaker magazines in Cape Town, South Africa. There, we met the folks from Robertson & Caine Yachts and were given not only a spectacular tour of the country but a granular look at where and how Leopard/Moorings catamarans—among the most popular multihulls on earth—are built.
We also had ample opportunity to drive Leopard/Moorings 46 and 53 footers into ripping winds and confused, sizeable seas off this “Cape of Storms.” Not surprisingly, the boats are designed to handle the sort of conditions the southern oceans regularly deliver with aplomb, and the cats pounded through the chop with solid, quiet authority. But the one quarry that eluded us on that trip was R&C’s newest build, the Leopard 40PC. Also known as the Moorings 403PC, the very first of these 40 footers had just rolled off the assembly line, but R&C brass decided it simply needed more time for a roster of detailed refinements before we would have the chance to drop her under the microscope. Well, at the Miami boat show in February, we finally had the chance to climb aboard—and it was worth the wait.
The 40 may be the smallest in the Robertson & Caine fleet, but she is a beautiful, purpose-built yacht crafted for luxury, simplicity and adventure. Taken in from a distance dockside, she’s a striking boat that takes her styling cues from her larger sisters. Huge, windows encircle almost the entire lower deck, while and an upswept windshield lends her Leopard’s trademark aggressive, no-nonsense look. The near-black tinted windows running almost the entire hull length add a nicely sweeping, uninterrupted line against the gleaming white gelcoat.
Speaking of that hull, Leopard had envisioned this boat as a 38-footer, but there’s an engineering challenge with catamarans. When you shorten the hulls, they tend to become more trim sensitive and less hydrodynamically (and thus fuel) efficient. Extensive fluid-dynamics testing and hull-shape refinement by naval architect Alex Simonis found a sweet spot at 40-feet.
Boarding from astern, it only takes two steps to reach a main deck that’s completely flat clear to the bow sunpads. There’s a comfortable, covered stern cockpit area with a four to five person settee that sets up against a stern table. With a pair of chairs, you could probably wine and dine seven out back.
The general idea of the Leopard/Moorings line is simplicity of operation and maintenance. Because these boats are part of Moorings charter fleet, R&C places premium importance on their standardization and serviceability. This mantra is evident all over the boat. The engine compartments are accessed via a pair of outdoor hatches. There’s ample space to access the twin Yanmar 250 or 370-hp powerplants, massive 5kW inverter, Northern Lights genset and if so equipped, significant bank of AGM or lithium iron phosphate batteries that slurp in power from up to 2.4kW of solar panels atop the 40’s massive flybridge.
The 40PC boasts a draft of 21 feet 8 inches, making her over half as wide as her length. This translates to a seriously comfortable salon and galley area. A faucet is fed by an advanced water purification system that Leopard’s VP of Yacht Ownership and Development Franck Bauguil hopes will keep you from relying on plastic bottles for at-sea hydration. To that end too, the power- and water-sipping dishwasher uses less water in a cycle than handwashing would for the same load of dishes.
Inside the salon’s main area, the 40’s, sweeping, massive bank of windows supply better than 180 degrees of visibility to forward, port and starboard while the expansive stern-facing galley glass basically completes the effect of bringing the outdoors indoors. As with all Leopard PC’s this one offers their trademark, thick glass doors that open bow to stern, offering exceptional ventilation. The forward door is secured by three marine latches. I was amazed at the silence and weather imperviousness the forward salon door provided on the 46 and 53 and can only assume the unit on the 40 will do the same.
In terms of interior materials, there are no veneer surfaces on this boat. Everything is solid wood or handsome and durable plastic composites in soothing, neutral, earthy tones of beiges and grays. Again—she’s built to endure not only rough seas, but a constant stream of guests. The salon offers a comfortable L-shaped lounge/convertible single berth to port and a recliner to starboard. The owners of this boat opted for a coffee table in front of the lounge, but the 40PC can also be spec’d with a full table for out-of-the weather dining. As with everywhere on the boat, lighting is in many cases semi-hidden, and again, soothing.
Leopard calls its salon helm the storm helm. Tucked up on the starboard side, it’s unobtrusive but well sorted with a Fusion audio unit and Raymarine suite that includes digital switching and bow thruster control (this boat didn’t have a joystick control but others moving forward will). Touches like USB outlets and a ROKK wireless phone charger add to the utility. You could sit here comfortably piloting along at her 17-knot cruising speed or 20-plus knot top end all day long.
Belowdecks, the starboard pontoon holds the master living quarters. There’s a double bed—slightly elevated and with a huge storage drawer underneath. The windows in the master stateroom area let in plenty of light to both the stateroom and particularly the huge, ensuite bath. The suite in this model was outfitted with a vanity, but long-term liveaboards can opt to add to the already copious cabinet storage with vanity-replacing drawers.
At the forward end of the head is a square door that leads to a storage area big enough to hold an optional single unit washer/dryer. Beneath that, the lower forward segment of both pontoons is sealed off by a bulkhead—for a smart reason. In case of a pontoon-compromising forward collision with oh, say, a wayward shipping container, this ‘crumple zone’ should keep the rest of the pontoon from flooding.
The portside pontoon holds two staterooms, one forward and one astern, served by a single head in between. Both feature island berths the same size as those in the master suite, ample storage and nice touches like berthside charging ports and his and hers reading lights snaking over your shoulders.
The foredeck is reached either through the salon door, or by a set of wide, railing and handhold-secured walkways. At both bows, the railings are flared out with small single-person seats—a very cool touch. There are a pair of sunpads out front with a functional, button-down aero-angled wedge cushion that releases to form comfortable backrests against the forward windshields. The pads are served by perfectly positioned cupholders and covered with fabric that’s tough enough for them to be left deployed outside. Beneath the sunpads are absolutely huge storage lockers. And by huge, I mean, I’m six-feet tall. I could stand up-or lie down-comfortably in the portside locker.
The whole party can easily be moved up to the 40’s flybridge by climbing a portside stairwell. The flybridge is equipped with a grill, fridge and sink, and while there may not have been room for the twin settees on the 53’s flybridge, the 40 makes do with a single U-shaped settee and a chaise that lets you either lounge forward or comfortably sit at the settee’s table. The big, central table is laden with cupholders and the whole setup could seat upwards of eight people. And that’s not even including the number of folks who could hang out on the aft deck gazing at the sea. The forward helm station can comfortably seat three people. Yet another cool feature of this whole flybridge—it can be weather protected by a zippered canvas. You could have a serious social scene up here—whether cruising the British Virgin Islands, or toasting to a glorious Cape Town sunset.
Leopard 40PC Specifications:
LOA: 40’
Beam: 21’ 8”
Draft: 3’ 7”
Displ: 30488 lb.
Fuel: 370 gal.
Water: 170 gal.
Fuel: 370 gal.
Cruise Speed: 17 knots
Top Speed: 22 knots
Power: Yanmar 2/250-hp or 2/370-hp
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This article originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boats/leopard-40pc-yacht-review
