With a 19-foot-9-inch beam and a length-to-beam ratio of 1.9, she favors cruising volume over the slender proportions of a racing cat. Her displacement is 19,790 pounds, rising to 22,100 pounds at half load. That gives her a D/L of 211—a figure that points to a heavy, settled cruising hull designed to carry a load rather than deliver sparkling acceleration.
Design and Construction
The Leopard 38’s hull has a pronounced longitudinal knuckle in the topsides, a chine-like feature that shapes the distribution of volume. Below the waterline, she carries low-aspect-ratio fixed keels. These shallow twin appendages trade pointing ability for better grounding tolerance while protecting the saildrive units.
Bridgedeck clearance was estimated by eye at about 28 inches, which helps frame how the boat spans waves beneath the bridgedeck. According to the build record, the structural envelope is fiberglass with solid deck and hull layup. The 2009 redesign came from the Morrelli & Melvin partnership, which also produced the contemporaneous Leopard 39.
Rig, Helm, and Handling
The rig looks tall for the hull. Sail area is 990 square feet, producing an SA/D of around 20 when calculated from the promotional genoa and mainsail areas. Using other figures, the designer estimated a range around 18.5. Either way, she isn’t a lightweight sprinter.
The genoa sheets to the top of the cabinhouse, while the mainsheet traveler sits on the cockpit hardtop. Jib sheets and halyards lead aft to the elevated steering station on the starboard side, gathering the main sailing controls at one helm for shorthanded use.
The helm arrangement is distinctive. To see forward, the helmsman puts his head through a cutout in the bimini hardtop. This keeps the driver connected to the deck below while preserving forward sightlines, though it requires standing through the opening.
Twin 21-horsepower Yanmar diesels provide auxiliary power. Their wide thrust stance offers predictable close-quarters handling.
Accommodation
The Leopard 38 came with two interior plans. In the three-cabin version, the owner’s suite occupies the entire starboard hull, with the head forward. It creates an apartment-like private space within one hull.
The four-cabin layout mirrors the accommodation in each hull and places the heads amidships. This charter-friendly arrangement provides equal quarters on either side of the saloon.
In the saloon, a U-shaped galley sits aft, with a refrigerator/freezer unit to starboard. Forward, the cabinhouse has two vertically mounted opening hatches for light and ventilation. Cherry wood veneer appears throughout the interior; period photographs show a warm, subdued cruising finish that holds up well aesthetically.
Verdict
The Leopard 38 is a purpose-built cruising catamaran. Its second-generation redesign produced a broad, well-mannered platform with sensibly consolidated helm controls and two genuinely different accommodation options.
The shallow keels and moderate bridgedeck clearance suit sheltered cruising, while the twin-engine arrangement makes the boat forgiving in marinas. The tall rig and centralized sheeting reflect a modern cruising approach, but the SA/D figures and D/L of 211 underline that this is a load-carrying cruiser rather than a quick-accelerating lightweight.
Pros
- Broad 19-foot-9-inch beam and 1.9 L/B provide exceptional volume for the LOA
- Elevated starboard helm, with all jib sheets and halyards led aft, helps with shorthanded control
- Choice of a three-cabin owner’s layout or a four-cabin, mirror-image plan
- Twin 21-horsepower Yanmars and low-aspect-ratio fixed keels ease maneuvering and improve grounding tolerance
Cons
- D/L of 211 indicates a heavy hull with modest acceleration potential
- The elevated helm requires the driver to stand through a hardtop cutout to see forward
