Boating USA — January 2018

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46 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018

Catamarans seem newfan-

gled, but the Polynesians

were crossing open oceans

on multihulls when the rest

of the “civilized” world was

still gazing at the sea with

fear. Cats have changed the

texture of boating in many

ways, not the least of which

is off ering immense space in

a boat of reasonable length.

A perfect example is the

Leopard 43 PC.

Built in South Africa and

delivered on its own bottom

to North America, the

Leopard 43 PC can be found

in charter fl eets worldwide,

where it has enjoyed a great

reputation. The owners of

our test boat were planning

to live aboard in comfort.

Let’s see why.

Our test boat was the

owner’s version, where the

starboard hull is a palatial

suite that features a queen-

size berth aft; a midship

LEOPARD

43 PowerCat

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

rpm knots mph gph naut. mpg stat. mpg n. mi. range range s. mi. angle levelsound

1000 4.43 5.10 1.80 2.46 2.83 474 546 0 64

1500 6.78 7.80 3.40 1.99 2.29 384 442 1 65

2000 10.25 11.80 5.00 2.05 2.36 395 455 1 68

2500 12.69 14.60 10.20 1.24 1.43 240 276 1 68

3000 15.21 17.50 20.30 0.75 0.86 144 166 2 70

3600 20.59 23.70 30.10 0.68 0.79 132 152 2 75

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

High Points

Clever transom davit for easy launching

and stowage of the tender at the push

of a button.

Wide side decks with welded stainless-

steel rails for easy and safe passage

fore and aft.

Well-labeled and illuminated electrical

panel is eye-level by the salon door.

Great stowage in cabins and the salon.

Low Points

Wide beam might be too much for some

marina slips, forcing the use of end ties.

No lips to prevent spillage on the galley

(or any) counter.

Toughest Competitor

The Aquila 44 (about $835,000) from

MarineMax is similarly sized and pow-

ered, but with an intriguing layout: a

full-beam master suite and two equal

cabins in the hulls, all with en-suite

heads with showers.

·LOA: 42'8"·BEAM: 22'1"·DRAFT (MAX):

3'1"·DISPLACEMENT (APPROX.): 25,794 lb.

·TRANSOM DEADRISE: Not applicable·BRIDGE

CLEARANCE: NA·FUEL CAPACITY: 264 gal.·MAX

HORSEPOWER: 640 ·AVAILABLE POWER:Twin

Yanmar 8LV 320 hp diesels

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINES: Twin Yanmar 8LV 320 hp diesels DRIVE/

PROP: Yanmar KMH40 21.6" x 19.9" 4-blade GEAR

RATIO: 2.62:1 FUEL LOAD: 200 gal. CREW

WEIGHT: 1,500 lb.

area with bureau, desk/van-

ity and hanging locker; plus

a generous head with stall

shower forward.

The port hull has the

queen berth aft in a private

cabin, with another cabin

forward boasting a tapered

berth. These cabins are

separated by a large head

that features a stall shower.

A second version, popu-

lar for charter, makes both

hulls identical for a total of

four cabins. Take note: Un-

like monohulls,

the cabins are

well-separated

in each corner

of the boat, so

you won’t listen

to your neighbor snore. Or

whatever.

The surprise to single-

hull skippers is the sheer

width: just over 22 feet!

This creates a huge salon

with an L-shaped galley in

one corner, L-shaped di-

nette in the other, a chart

table that can become

an inside helm, and an

amount of walk-around-

and-mill-about space not

found aboard monohulls

under 60 feet length overall.

The back “porch” has

another big dinette, and the

foredeck (with a door from

the salon) feels like a tennis

court. The bridge has yet

another dinette, forward

sun pad, doublewide helm,

and mini galley with grill

and fridge. And there is still

space to stow kayaks, sun

on a chaise, or host a small

dance party. The corollary to

all that social prowess is that

fi nding privacy aboard is easy

when desired.

Powering the Leopard 43

PC are twin Yanmar 8LV 320

hp diesels (widely separated

for great maneuvering), and

the slim hulls give a fuel-

sipping cruise of 14.6 mph at

10.2 gph and a top speed of

23.7 mph.

Tired of owning half a

boat? Check out this cool cat.

— Chris Caswell

See a photo gallery of the
Leopard 43 PC by visiting
boatingmag.com/3044.

LEOPARD CATAMARANS

Dania Beach, Florida; 954-925-8050;

leopardcatamarans.com

PHOTO: COURTESY LEOPARD CATAMARANS

Price: $620,000

(well-equipped)

AVAILABLE POWER:

STERNDRIVE