Hull Design and Construction
The 47's structural approach is a product of R&C's commercial background: the hull and lower bridgedeck structure are moulded as a unit, with bulkheads glassed in place and the monocoque deck and coachhouse moulding lowered onto the assembly. The circumferential hull-deck join is bonded, through-bolted, and tabbed to structural bulkheads. This method results in a hull that has a reputation for thicker, overbuilt construction compared to later Leopard generations — a characteristic that liveaboard owners specifically cite when discussing the model's suitability for offshore passages. The keels are sacrificial, mid-hull, bolt-on units that increase draft and provide lateral resistance, through-bolted horizontally to a laminated ridge projecting from each hull bottom. The wider beam of 7.4 metres combined with the longer waterline means the 47 carries a measurable speed advantage over its predecessor the 45, which shares the same internal layout and footprint but loses two feet on the sugar scoops, resulting in a shorter waterline, more transom squat under cruising load, and a practice of owners retrofitting fibreglassed extensions. On the 47, the extended transoms prevent squatting as cruising weight is added.
Rig and Handling
The mast stands 21 metres and carries a mainsail of 124 square metres, with a total sail plan of approximately 134 square metres. The rig uses single, swept-back spreaders with upper and lower diamonds, aft-angled cap and lower shrouds leading to chainplates, and a forestay tacked to a triangulated-support cross-beam fitted with a headsail furler. The boom is aft-sheeted to a bimini-top traveller that runs almost full width, bolted to sturdy bimini support posts. Like most catamarans of its era, the 47 has no backstay; the backstay function is performed by the topping lift and traveller, which encourages owners to favour the mainsail rather than the genoa for upwind work.
Under sail, the 47 is considered quick for a production cruising catamaran. Liveaboard owners report sustained averages of nine to ten knots on Caribbean crossings, with a top recorded speed of 15.7 knots. The boat's slender hulls — low to the water by design — produce noticeable bridgedeck slap, particularly from the curved sugar scoop geometry that lets swell curl underneath. Owners consistently note that the slap diminishes in significance with familiarity and serves as an auditory sea-state indicator rather than a structural concern.
Tacking requires some technique: owners must build speed before the turn and take a generous arc. Port jib sheeting is heavier than starboard due to the offset winch position, ruling out rapid tacks — a consequence of the sheet turning through extra angles at the port winch.
In the charter configuration, running rigging is not led to the cockpit, so hoisting the main and reefing require crew to go forward to the mast. Tacking the genoa means running across the cockpit between winches. This arrangement makes the 47 an athletic catamaran without modification — manageable short-handed, but preferably re-rigged to route control lines aft before bluewater passages.
Accommodations and Liveability
Below decks, the four-cabin charter layout places en suite heads in each cabin, with a small kid's bunk accessible through a forward bulkhead door in the port bow and a crew cabin with pipe cot and head in the starboard bow. The three-cabin owner's version converts one hull into a forward bathroom with separate shower and house-style toilet, plus a lounge, buffet, and study module. The galley runs U-shaped to starboard in the saloon, with stove top, oven, microwave, and double sink. A double fridge-freezer lives to port beneath a large electrical panel. The saloon dinette is offset slightly, leaving room for a chart table and generous shelf space.
The interior is notably compartmentalized by modern catamaran standards — a consequence of its era. Rather than the open-plan format of post-2010 designs, the 47 creates smaller discrete areas that work well in seaway conditions, with rounded corners on most interior furniture reducing injury risk when the boat moves. A staircase effect in the hulls — produced by fuel tanks positioned midship above the keels — creates an extra level of isolation between cabin spaces, and the stern and forward cabins are surprisingly quiet from each other. Ventilation is a genuine strength: a hatch above every berth, with at least one or two opening ports in every cabin, plus additional hatches in the heads.
The principal accommodation compromise is bed height. Because the 47 uses straight shaft drives with engines positioned under the aft cabin berths, the island beds sit at near-shoulder height, limiting the headroom available when lying down — roughly three feet from mattress to overhead. The beds are also oriented athwartships rather than fore-and-aft, meaning occupants must climb over their partner to exit. The owner's version addresses this with a master island berth in the converted hull. Sail drive alternatives, which allow engines to be moved to lazarettes and beds to normal height, are found on the later Leopard 46 onward — a materially different boat with a different helm arrangement, different cockpit table, and a redesigned layout that shares little with the 45/47 generation.
Known Issues
The 47 carries several design-era weaknesses that prospective owners should evaluate directly. The most serious involves the life raft storage compartment under the cockpit floor: the panel is accessible from both above and below, secured from underneath by four bolts. Hull slap and sustained slamming pressure can shear these bolts without any visible indication from above, leaving the life raft hanging or, in the worst case, lost overboard silently during a passage. A well-documented remediation is to glass in the underside panel and relocate the life raft to an external mount where it remains accessible in any orientation.
The electrical systems on early production examples predate LED lighting and serious solar integration. All lighting may be incandescent or fluorescent, and the battery bank is typically aged AGM. Charter-sourced boats frequently carry no solar at all. The standard bimini is soft-top, making it difficult to work on the boom and hazardous to walk along the sail bag while zipping a stack pack; the hardtop is a widely recommended upgrade. Davit arrangements vary considerably between examples and warrant individual inspection, as poorly considered systems can obstruct the transom view and require significant reworking. The cockpit steering station is offset to starboard, which creates a blind spot to port in tight maneuvering and benefits from a crew member stationed there during marina work.
The bridgedeck clearance is lower than average for the boat's size. This is a design characteristic rather than a defect, but it is notable and produces more pronounced slap than higher-clearance contemporaries.
Refit Considerations
The most productive upgrades address the systems gaps endemic to the model's charter origins. Electrical modernization — LED fixtures throughout, lithium battery replacement for the aged AGM bank, and substantial solar capacity — is a near-universal first project. The hardtop, where not factory-fitted, transforms usability of the bimini area and provides mounting surface for solar panels. Life raft relocation and the glassing of the under-cockpit panel should be treated as a safety refit rather than an optional upgrade. Owners pursuing extended offshore passages typically route genoa sheets and the reefing system to the cockpit, converting manual winches to electric or at minimum adding a second set of turning blocks to equalize port and starboard sheet loads. The davit system, often a non-standard or adapted arrangement, benefits from a purpose-designed replacement that preserves the wide transom view and boarding platform that owners consistently cite among the model's strongest attributes.
The Verdict
The Leopard 47 is a production catamaran that aged more gracefully than its direct competitors because Robertson & Caine built it with the structural conservatism of a specialist performance boatyard before the cost pressures of mass-market production took hold. Its longer waterline genuinely produces passage-making speed; its construction genuinely is more robust than the generation that followed; and its ventilated, functional layout works at sea in a way that later comfort-focused designs traded away. None of this is nostalgia — it is a specific set of engineering choices that carry consequences both positive and negative. A buyer who wants minimal maintenance windows, low beds, cockpit-controlled sail handling, and open-plan saloon living will find the 47 frustrating. A buyer who wants speed, durability, excellent bridgedeck-free passages, and a boat that rewards investment in systems upgrades will find the model earns its reputation on every passage.
Pros
- Thicker, overbuilt GRP sandwich construction with a demonstrable performance heritage
- Long waterline delivers genuine passage-making boat speeds
- Extended sugar scoops prevent transom squat under loaded cruising conditions
- Outstanding hull ventilation with hatches and opening ports in every cabin and head
- Straight shaft drives are simpler to maintain than saildrive alternatives
- Low cockpit helm station keeps crew connected rather than isolated on a flybridge
- Wide, uncluttered transom provides an exceptional anchorage platform
Cons
- Low bridgedeck clearance produces pronounced hull slap, most noticeable in stern cabins at night
- Engine placement under aft berths raises beds to near-shoulder height with limited overhead when lying down
- Athwartship berths require climbing over a partner to exit; only the owner's version has an island bed
- Running rigging not led to cockpit from the factory; tacking and reefing require going forward
- Life raft storage under the cockpit floor has a documented failure mode that demands immediate attention
- Soft-top bimini standard; hardtop is a safety upgrade, not an aesthetic choice
- Electrical systems on early examples need comprehensive modernization
