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Faced with increasingly fierce competition in this key segment of the 45/50-foot market, it's important to keep a competitive catamaran, a fact that the shipyard has clearly understood, especially as the Leopard 46 is heavier than its predecessor, weighing in at just over 17 tons. The Leopard 46 therefore gets a slightly longer mast and slightly more powerful winches. This brings the standard sail area to 144.4 m2 (1,554 sqft), with the option of adding a spinnaker and/or gennaker. There's even the option of a set of Ullman sails optimized for performance.
A Longer mast to increase the sail area
For our test, we had the standard sail with a Code 0, which is nowadays an essential sail for boosting a pure cruiser. To put the 46 through its paces, we had an easterly wind of 7 to 9 knots, with smooth sea. Rather mild conditions, in line with what we often find in Chesapeake Bay, but already giving us an idea of the new Leopard's capabilities.
The first thing to notice is ...
