Design and Architecture
The brief handed to Morrelli and Melvin was pointed. The earlier Leopard line suffered from low nacelles and high wetted surface, traits that blunted performance and sat poorly with buyers who wanted genuine multihull responsiveness. The new 40 addressed both. The resulting hull stretches 39.27 feet on deck with a waterline of 37.5 feet, a beam of just over 20 feet, and a shallow max draft of 3.87 feet — the twin-keel arrangement keeping the boat accessible to the thin-water anchorages that define Caribbean and Pacific cruising grounds. Construction is fiberglass throughout. The fractional sloop rig sits atop a mast 61.88 feet above the waterline, and reported sail area of 1,033 square feet feeds a sail-area-to-displacement ratio that places the boat firmly in high-performance territory for a cruising catamaran.
Rig and Sailing Character
The numbers tell a straightforward story: a sail-area-to-displacement ratio above 25 marks the Leopard 40 as a genuinely well-powered boat, not merely a floating apartment that happens to carry canvas. The Kelsall Sailing Performance figure of 0.76 suggests a cat capable of sailing close to seven knots in ten knots of true wind — respectable for a loaded cruiser. The boat picks up well even in light breezes, a characteristic that vindicates the decision to move away from the high-wetted-surface architecture of the earlier models. Twin Volvo Penta diesels, each rated at 19 horsepower, handle auxiliary propulsion, with 92 gallons of fuel capacity giving reasonable range under power.
Accommodations and Liveability
Headroom of 6.4 feet satisfies standing passage without the cramped compromise that plagues smaller cats, and 206 gallons of water tankage reflects the boat's intent as a long-range cruiser rather than a weekend daysailer. The charter division's influence shows in the layout priorities: Moorings used the platform to attract charterers seeking an easy, cheaper boat alongside owner-managers wanting a private vessel, which pushed the design toward generous twin-hull accommodation volumes. The arrangement accommodates both owner-biased three-cabin configurations and the four-cabin charter layouts that dominated Robertson and Caine's fleet order books.
Commercial Lineage and Fleet Context
The Moorings connection shaped the Leopard 40 more profoundly than its design brief alone. Lex Raas, then leading Moorings, applied to the Robertson and Caine relationship the same playbook that had made the operator's Beneteau partnership successful: improved specification, careful siting of bases, and a focus on fleet reliability. The 40 was positioned below the dominant 43 and 47 in the charter lineup, its role being to penetrate the European owner market while keeping per-berth charter costs accessible. That dual mandate — robust enough to survive charter cycles, refined enough to attract private buyers — drove construction and systems choices across the production run from 2005 to 2009.
Known Considerations
The Multihulls World review noted that the boat's development required a deliberate pivot away from the characteristics that had defined earlier Robertson and Caine designs. The low nacelle geometry of prior models was identified as a specific liability, which means buyers comparing the pre-2005 Leopards with the Morrelli and Melvin generation should treat them as architecturally distinct. The charter life that many hulls led before entering private ownership is the other standing consideration: fleet maintenance practices vary, and boats returning from commercial service typically require systematic inspection and targeted refitting before offshore use. The capsize screening figure of 3.14 — well above the 2.0 threshold considered indicative of blue-water suitability — reflects the wide, light catamaran geometry and is consistent across the cruising cat category rather than specific to this model.
Refitting and Upgrading
The straightforward fractional sloop rig and Volvo Penta twin diesel package give the Leopard 40 a refit baseline that is well-understood and well-supported. Parts availability for Volvo's small auxiliary diesels is broad globally. The FG hull construction ages predictably, and the wide beam offers practical working space for systems upgrades. Common owner additions include watermakers, solar and battery banks, and hardtop biminis — equipment categories where aftermarket solutions are mature and fitment is well-documented for this hull.
The Verdict
The Leopard 40 from the 2005–2009 production run represents a genuine step forward in the Robertson and Caine lineage, with the Morrelli and Melvin hull resolving the performance liabilities that had hampered earlier models. Its commercial genesis through the Moorings partnership is both an asset — driving real-world reliability and serviceability — and a context that prospective buyers must weigh carefully when evaluating individual hulls.
Pros
- Morrelli and Melvin hull eliminates the high-wetted-surface drag of earlier Leopard designs
- Strong sail-area-to-displacement ratio produces genuine light-air performance
- Shallow twin-keel draft opens shallow anchorages
- Generous water tankage and headroom support extended offshore passages
- Well-supported twin-diesel and rig package with broad global parts access
Cons
- Capsize screening figure reflects wide-beam catamaran geometry, limiting blue-water confidence relative to narrower designs
- Heavy charter service history on many hulls requires disciplined pre-purchase inspection
- European market awareness lagged the boat's Caribbean and US presence throughout production
