At 50ft 6in overall, she is two feet longer than her predecessor, while her beam has grown to 26ft 5in. Simonis Voogd Yacht Design provided the naval architecture, with exterior and interior styling by the builder’s own team. From the start, Robertson & Caine offered both the performance-oriented 50P and the 50L lounge version with a flybridge.
Design and Construction
The hulls use vacuum-bagged, isophthalic resin-infused E-glass with an end-grain balsa core, a construction approach aimed squarely at the bareboat charter market. Carbon-fiber ring frames take the place of solid wood or composite bulkheads, adding stiffness without increasing weight. The builder notes that carbon-infused ring frames are used in the most critical areas, while ring frames of carbon fiber replace solid wood or composite bulkheads. Pioneered on larger all-carbon racing catamarans, the technique is applied here to a cruising design.
The twin keels are filled with closed-cell poly foam to prevent water ingress. Above the waterline, the side decks are wide and protected by double lifelines. Flush hatches sit in deep gutters that carry away runoff.
Rig, Helm and Sailing Performance
The 50P has a raised helm station beneath a solid Bimini. On the 50L, the flybridge requires the boom to be raised slightly, providing passengers with ample headroom underneath while sailing.
All sail-control lines lead to three beefy winches within easy reach of the wheel. The deck between the helm and mast carries a trio of electric winches with Spinlock stoppers, allowing the skipper to handle nearly everything singlehanded. Halyard and sheet tails drop into a canvas bin.
The reviewed boat carried a square-topped Ullman Sails mainsail and an overlapping genoa. A short bowsprit accommodated a Code 0 and an asymmetric spinnaker for reaching. Steering proved as light and sensitive as that of a round-the-buoys racer.
SAIL Magazine’s test sailors found that the Leopard 50 wasn’t happy pinched up to 45 degrees apparent, when speed dropped to 7 knots. Cracked off to around 60 degrees, however, she held steady speeds in the 9s with occasional 10s. On a beam reach in 15 knots, a Cruising World tester recorded a steady 9 knots and a 10.4-knot puff. A delivery captain reported in SAIL Magazine that the boat maintained 17 knots on autopilot for days during an ocean crossing.
Accommodations
Pale whitewashed-oak veneer, walls of glass and an overhead skylight spanning nearly the length of the saloon give the interior a contemporary, open feel. Exotic materials and modern construction allow wider bulkhead openings into the cabins. At the aft end of the saloon, sliding doors open the space broadly to the cockpit.
A watertight door leads to the forward cockpit, a signature Leopard feature first introduced on the Leopard 44 in 2012. The standard four-cabin arrangement places the master suite aft in the starboard hull, with a dressing area and ensuite. A VIP cabin forward in the same hull has a berth of the same size. The port hull contains two more cabins with private heads. A fifth or sixth cabin can be configured in the forward port bow or as a midships berth.
The galley occupies much of the starboard side of the bridgedeck. It includes a Miele cooktop above a Force 10 oven, Vitrifrigo drawers and an L-shaped counter overlooking the forward cockpit.
On the 50L, the flybridge adds a three-sided settee, a fiberglass table with breeze-proof compartments and an oversized sunpad beside the helm. It can be reached by floating stairs from the aft cockpit or from the starboard side deck.
Power and Systems
Standard propulsion comes from two Yanmar 57hp diesel saildrives. Optional 80hp Yanmars pushed the test boat to nearly 9 knots at 2,500 rpm. Twin cockpit hatches provide engine access without requiring a berth to be lifted.
A Northern Lights 9kW genset sits in an accessible forward deck locker. Fuel capacity is 243 gallons, compared with 185 gallons of water.
At the stern, a hydraulic transom platform carries a tender up to 10ft long and becomes a beach when lowered.
Known Issue
Visibility from the helm is good forward and to starboard but iffy to port. That blind spot is worth considering when docking or maneuvering toward the port side.
The Verdict
The Leopard 50 is a thoroughly modern cruising catamaran that replaces the incremental-upgrade approach with a clean-sheet platform. Its carbon ring-frame structure opens the interior and provides stiffness while keeping weight in check. The boat offers genuine speed off the wind, straightforward short-handed sail handling and a remarkably flexible cabin plan. The recurring caution is the helm’s port-side blind spot.
Pros
- Carbon-infused ring frames replace bulkheads, providing stiffness without added weight
- Three winches at the helm make singlehanded sail handling easier
- Strong off-wind performance, with cruising speeds of 9–10 knots and a reported 17-knot passage
- Highly configurable three-to-six-cabin layouts with private heads
- Flybridge lounge with safe headroom beneath the raised boom
Cons
- Poor helm visibility to port
- Unhappy when pinched up to 45 degrees apparent wind
