Leopard Catamarans · Catamaran

Leopard 46

The Leopard 46 is a 14.13 m cruising catamaran designed by Morrelli & Melvin and built by Robertson and Caine in Cape Town; it was launched in September 2006 and had left the Leopard range by October 2012, when the sailing models were the Leopard 39, 44, 48 and 58. Private boats have three cabins, with the whole starboard hull as the owner’s suite with a study, or four; The Moorings ran the same boat as the Moorings 4600 with four cabins, two forepeak berths and a generator, air conditioning, electric toilets and electronics as standard. The engines changed during production: the first private boats had two 40 hp Volvo Penta D2-40 and the first Moorings boats two 55 hp D2-55 with 130S saildrives, while private boats from model year 2008 have two 39 hp Yanmars and Moorings boats by 2008 two 55 hp Yanmars, always with saildrives. Both names were later given to a different boat: the Leopard 46 unveiled in 2024, which The Moorings again sells as the Moorings 4600.

Manuals & documents

The links go to Leopard Catamarans’s own documents — some as archived copies of pages the maker has since taken down. We host no manuals or drawings.

Equipment & its manuals

Standard equipment as the builder’s documents list it. Boats were ordered with options and refitted since — check what is actually aboard.

ItemModelManual / pageNote
EngineVolvo Penta D2-40 × 21,2,3Private boats of the first production: builder’s equipment list of June 2006 and model page of September 2006, 40 hp eachVolvo Penta D2-40 Parts & service pageWith saildrives and a Morse dual-lever control; the June 2006 list names high-output 115 A alternators. Cruising World’s test boat of 2007 also had 40 hp Volvos.
EngineYanmar 39 hp × 24,5,6,7Private boats from model year 2008: builder’s list of May 2007 (the October 2007 model page rounds to 40 hp) up to the August 2011 brochure (39 hp, with engine upgrades as an option)—The builder never names the engine model. 39 hp is the rating of Yanmar’s three-cylinder JH engines such as the 3JH5E, but the builder does not confirm it: read the engine plate before ordering filters, impellers or belts.
EngineVolvo Penta D2-55 × 28,9Moorings 4600 of the first production: Moorings sheet of 2006 (Y4600/7-06), with 130S saildrivesVolvo Penta D2-55 Parts & service pageCruising World’s 2007 quick look at the Moorings 4600 also gives 55 hp Volvo saildrives.
EngineYanmar 55 hp × 210,11,12Moorings 4600 from 2008 at the latest: Moorings fleet page of September 2008 and sheets of August 2009 and August 2010—The Moorings never names the engine model. Yanmar’s naturally aspirated four-cylinder of about 54 hp in these years is the 4JH4AE, but nothing confirms it for this boat: read the engine plate before ordering parts.
SaildriveVolvo Penta 130S × 28,1,13,11Moorings 4600 with the D2-55 (2006 sheet); the builder’s 2006 list for private boats with the D2-40 says only ‘with sail drives’Volvo Penta operator’s manual D2-55, D2-75 (D2-55 C / D2-75 A edition), with the 130S and 150S saildrivesVolvo Penta’s manuals pair both the D2-40 and the D2-55 with the 130S. The Moorings sheets of 2009 and 2010 still print ‘130S sail drives’ next to the Yanmar engines, although the 130S is a Volvo Penta drive: read the plate on the leg before ordering seals, anodes or oil.
SaildriveYanmar × 24,12Boats with Yanmar engines (private boats from model year 2008, Moorings 4600 by 2008); the drive model is never named—Read the plate on the leg (SD40, SD50 or SD60, for example) before ordering seals, anodes or oil.
Propeller—1,4Fixed three-blade propellers (builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007); make and size not named—
WinchesLewmar 54CST × 2 + 44CST × 21,4,14Builder’s list of June 2006; the May 2007 list gives 46CST halyard winchesLewmar Ocean & EVO winches Parts & service pageTwo self-tailing 54s as primary sheet winches at the helm and two smaller ones on the mast for the halyards; an electric winch was an option. Lewmar size 2 genoa cars and tracks, size 3 traveller car on the hardtop, two Lewmar winch handles.
WindlassQuick Hector 1000 W1,4,8Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007; the Moorings sheets give a 1000 W horizontal windlass without make—Horizontal windlass with hand-held remote, bow roller with chain wear plates. The Moorings boats carried a primary and a secondary anchor and a bridle.
FurlerProfurl1,4,8Builder’s lists and Moorings sheets; furler model not namedProfurl furling systems Parts & service pageFor the 130 % furling genoa, with the furling line to a jammer on deck.
Mast & riggingSparcraft1,4,8Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007; the Moorings sheets give no make—Natural-anodised mast and crossbeam with an Antal mast slider system and a Windex; the Moorings boats have two spare 12 V wires and a spare conduit with messenger line in the mast.
SailsQuantum1,4,8,14Builder’s lists and Moorings sheets—Fully battened mainsail with two reefs in a stack pack and a 130 % furling genoa; mainsheet and traveller each 4:1, traveller on the hardtop with an Antal line driver.
SteeringEdson1,4Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007—Chain-and-wire steering with bulkhead steering unit and brake, destroyer wheel and stainless emergency tiller; balanced spade rudders on 17-4PH stainless stocks in JP3 self-aligning bearings.
ToiletJabsco × 3 / 41,4,8,12Private boats: a manual large-bowl toilet in each head (builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007); Moorings 4600: electric toilets in the four heads plus a PAR Brydon manual toilet in the starboard forepeak—The builder does not name the Jabsco model, and the Moorings sheets give no make for the electric toilets; compare the label on the pump before ordering parts. PAR is a Jabsco trade name.
Water pumpJabsco PAR-MAX 3 · 3.5 GPM1,4,8Builder’s lists of 2006 (‘Par-Max3’) and 2007; the Moorings sheets give a 3.5 GPM pump without makeJabsco PAR-MAX pressure pumps Parts & service pagePressure pump for the hot and cold fresh-water system, with an accumulator tank.
Water heater46 l1,4,8Builder’s lists and Moorings sheets; make not named (May 2007 list: 45 l)—Two hot-water cylinders with 12 US gal in total; cold-water shower on the transom.
FridgeSeafrost · 220 l · 12 V1,4,8,14Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007; the Moorings sheets give 12 V refrigeration without make—Two-door front-opening fridge/freezer of 60 US gal with stainless doors, to port in the galley.
StoveForce 101,4,8Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007; the Moorings sheets give the same type of cooker without make—Three-burner gas cooker with oven and broiler; gas solenoid valve switched at the panel with a warning light at the cooker, cylinder and regulator in their own locker.
Bilge pump—1,4,8Four electric and two manual bilge pumps (builder’s lists and Moorings sheets); make not named—Electric pumps with float switches and alarms at the helm and nav station; manual pumps with strum boxes.
Batteries2 × 180 Ah + 2 × 95 Ah1,4,8Private boats: lead-acid house and starter batteries (builder’s lists); Moorings 4600: three AGM house batteries and two AGM starter batteries—12 V system with two 180 Ah deep-cycle house batteries and one 95 Ah starter battery per engine, a house isolator and an isolator per starter battery; fuel gauges and ammeters at the helm.
Alternators115 A × 21,4Builder’s list of June 2006 (Volvo D2-40); the May 2007 list says only ‘supplied with std engine’—A high-output alternator on each engine.
Charger12 V · 40 A8,11,12,4Moorings 4600 (sheets of 2006, 2009 and 2010); not in the builder’s standard list for private boats—With an AC panel for shore power, 110 or 220 V double outlets and two heavy-duty 15 m shore-power cables; make not named.
Generator9 kW8,12,14,9Moorings 4600 standard (diesel); an option on private boats (builder’s brochure)—110 or 220 V, with a sound shield; The Moorings does not name the make. Cruising World places the generator in a large bridgedeck locker forward of the saloon.
Air conditioning44000 BTU8,12,14Moorings 4600 standard: three units, 1 × 12000 and 2 × 16000 BTU; an option on private boats—Make not named in the Moorings sheets.
Instruments—8,12,14,4Moorings 4600 standard, makes not named; options on private boats (the brochure names instruments and a remote autopilot as optional)—Moorings sheets: wind system with display and masthead unit, speed/log/depth, autopilot control, colour chartplotter, DSC VHF and a radio/CD player with speakers in saloon and cockpit; a compass at the helm is standard on every boat.
Solar panels—11,12Moorings 4600 built from 2009: solar panels on the hardtop (sheets of August 2009 and August 2010); number, output and make not given—
Davits—8,14Moorings 4600: fixed GRP davit system with tackle; private boats: the optional aft bench folds down into a dinghy landing platform—
Hatches & portsLewmar1,4Builder’s lists of 2006 and 2007—Hatches: 4 × size 10, 2 × size 40, 6 × size 60 plus a size-60 escape hatch, 3 × size 41; portlights: 4 × Atlantic 32 and 2 × size 1; a louvre set over the forward windows.

Specifications

VersionsLeopard 46 for private owners with 3 cabins, 3 heads and a study in the owner’s starboard hull, or 4 cabins and 4 heads · Moorings 4600: the charter version with 4 cabins, forepeak berths, generator and air conditioning (Moorings also listed a 3-cabin 4600 and the crewed Signature 4600) · engines changed from Volvo Penta to Yanmar in 2007/082,6,8,15,4
Years builtLaunched in Cape Town in September 2006 and shown at the Annapolis show in October 2006; still on the builder’s website in September 2011 (brochure dated August 2011); gone from the Leopard range by October 201216,6,7,17
Hulls builtNot published by the builder
DesignerMorrelli & Melvin; The Moorings describes the 4600 as designed together with The Moorings and Robertson and Caine14,8
BuilderRobertson and Caine, Cape Town, South Africa14,8
Length overall14.13 m (46 ft 4 in)14,7,12
Waterline length13.60 m (44 ft 7 in); the 2010 Moorings sheet labels this figure ‘hull length’14,7,12
Beam7.57 m (24 ft 10 in)14,7,8
Draft1.35 m (4 ft 5 in)14,7,8
Displacement10980 kg (24206 lb), builder 2006–07 · the 2011 builder page and brochure print ‘22067 lbs / 12700 kg’, two figures that do not match · Moorings 4600 (2010 sheet): 12600 kg (27850 lb)14,5,6,7,12
Max. payload6020 kg (13271 lb), the builder’s load-carrying capacity (model pages of 2006 and 2007)2,5
KeelTwo fixed keels built as replaceable units, so that keel damage does not compromise the hull structure; Cruising World describes them as bolt-on units14,7,3
Sail area134 m² (1442 sq ft) in the builder’s brochures and the Moorings sheets (‘120 % genoa’, though the same sheets list a 130 % genoa) · 148 m² (1593 sq ft) on the builder’s model pages of 2006–07 and in Moorings’ 2008 fleet brochure; neither says what is included14,7,8,2,18
Air draft21.30 m (69 ft 9 in) in the 2006 brochure · 21.57 m (70 ft 9 in) on the model pages of 2006–07 and in the Moorings sheets · 21.60 m (70 ft 10 in) in the 2011 brochure; the reference point is not stated14,2,8,11,7
EnginePrivate boats: 2 × 40 hp Volvo Penta D2-40 (2006), then 2 × 39 hp Yanmar (from model year 2008) · Moorings 4600: 2 × 55 hp Volvo Penta D2-55 (2006), then 2 × 55 hp Yanmar (by 2008) · always with saildrives1,4,7,8,12
Fuel tank700 l (185 US gal) in two aluminium tanks; the builder’s model pages of 2006–07 print 158 US gal14,4,8,5
Water tank780 l (206 US gal) in two tanks; hot water 46 l (12 US gal) in two cylinders14,1,8
Holding tank170 l (45 US gal) in two tanks of 85 l1,4,5
Cabins3 cabins, 3 heads, 4 showers (owner’s hull to starboard with master cabin aft, study amidships and head forward) or 4 cabins, 4 heads, 5 showers · Moorings 4600: 4 cabins plus two forepeak berths, the starboard one with a manual toilet and basin (5 heads, 5 showers)6,14,8
Berths6 + 2 (3 cabins) or 8 + 2 (4 cabins), the extra two in the forepeaks; Moorings 4600: 8 + 26,8
Berth sizesDouble berths forward 1.35 × 2.00 m, aft 1.45 × 2.00 m (builder’s lists 2006–07); Moorings’ 2008 fleet brochure gives the aft berth as 2.00 × 1.65 m1,4,18
HeadroomSaloon 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in), Moorings fleet brochure 200818
HullGRP sandwich: stitched E-glass with vacuum-bonded balsa core, isophthalic gelcoat and resin-rich tissue against osmosis; solid-glass hull joints, hull-deck joint bonded and through-bolted, bulkheads bonded to the hull, collision bulkheads in both bows14,7
SuccessorNone named by the builder; in October 2012 Leopard’s sailing range was the Leopard 39, 44, 48 and 58, with the new Leopard 48 as the next size up. The Leopard 46 unveiled in September 2024 is a different boat.17,19

Good to know

  • Check which engines are fitted before ordering parts. The builder’s June 2006 list gives two Volvo Penta D2-40 and the 2006 Moorings sheet two D2-55 with 130S saildrives; the builder’s list for model year 2008 (May 2007) gives two 39 hp Yanmars, and Moorings boats had two 55 hp Yanmars by 2008. Neither names the Yanmar model, and the 2009 and 2010 Moorings sheets still print ‘130S sail drives’ next to the Yanmars, so read the plates on the engines and the drive legs.1,8,4,10,11,12
  • Do not confuse the boat with two later ones of the same name: the Leopard 46 unveiled in September 2024, a new design with a forward cockpit that The Moorings again sells as the Moorings 4600 (13.90 m long, 7.35 m beam, 45 hp Yanmars), and the Leopard 46 Powercat. The 2006–2012 boat is 14.13 m long and 7.57 m wide; give the year and hull number when ordering parts.19,20,21,14
  • An ex-charter Moorings 4600 is equipped differently from a private Leopard 46. The Moorings sheets list a 9 kW generator, three air-conditioning units, electric toilets, AGM batteries with a third house battery, a 40 A charger, instruments, autopilot, chartplotter and VHF, GRP davits and, from 2009, solar panels on the hardtop. The builder’s standard list for private boats has manual toilets, two 180 Ah lead-acid house batteries and no charger; generator, air conditioning and watermaker were options.8,11,12,4,14
  • The builder designed the keels as replaceable units so that a keel strike does not damage the hull structure, and fitted collision bulkheads in both bows; Cruising World describes the keels as bolt-on units meant to break away in a hard collision. After a grounding, have the keel joints and the bows checked.14,7,3
  • At a survey, test the bilge system the builder’s lists and the Moorings sheets describe: four electric bilge pumps with float switches and alarms at the helm and nav station, and two manual pumps with strum boxes. Each engine room has its own ventilation fan with ducting, fuel filter/water separator, exhaust water lock and raw-water strainer.4,8
  • Leopard offers no owner’s manual for this boat as a download. Its owners page points to the Leopard Catamarans Owner app (built on Boatclick), which it says holds owner’s manuals and the equipment makers’ documents per model; whether it covers the 2006–2012 boat could not be checked. The builder’s archived equipment lists of 2006 and 2007 name most makes.22,23,1,4

Videos & how-tos

Links to YouTube, nothing embedded. The maker’s own channel comes first; the rest are channels we found clear and correct for this model.

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Sources

  1. web.archive.org/web/20060918174344/http://www.moorings.com/images/paraimages/4386.PDF
  2. web.archive.org/web/20060901235337/http://www.moorings.com:80/LeopardCatamarans/YachtsFor…
  3. cruisingworld.com/sailboats/leopard-46-leap-leisure/
  4. web.archive.org/web/20071024093156/https://www.moorings.com/documents/Fleet%20PDFs/Leopar…
  5. web.archive.org/web/20071016031849/http://www.leopardcatamarans.com:80/LeopardCatamarans/…
  6. web.archive.org/web/20110927015116/http://www.robertsonandcaine.com:80/html/leopard46.html
  7. web.archive.org/web/20120907023222/http://www.robertsonandcaine.com:80/images/brochures/l…
  8. web.archive.org/web/20060918181656/http://www.moorings.com/documents/Final4600_0806.pdf
  9. cruisingworld.com/sailboats/moorings-4600-mini-review/
  10. web.archive.org/web/20080921133104/http://www.moorings.com:80/Fleets/FleetInterior.aspx?i…
  11. web.archive.org/web/20130203045230/http://www.moorings.com:80/files/ASSETS/PDFs/yacht_own…
  12. web.archive.org/web/20120617065702/http://www.moorings.com:80/files/ASSETS/PDFs/yacht_own…
  13. pubs.volvopenta.com/publications/7745858
  14. web.archive.org/web/20061118203332/http://www.moorings.com/images/Leopard/Leopard%2046/L4…
  15. web.archive.org/web/20091022192149/http://www.moorings.com:80/charter-fleet/moorings-4600…
  16. web.archive.org/web/20060912174216/http://www.moorings.com/LeopardCatamarans/Leopard46str…
  17. web.archive.org/web/20121002233938/http://www.leopardcatamarans.com:80/catamarans
  18. web.archive.org/web/20071024011046/http://www.moorings.com/documents/Brochures-us-2008/fl…
  19. cruisingworld.com/sailboats/new-on-the-docks-leopard-46/
  20. assets.moorings.com/uploads/2024/09/Moorings-4600-4-cabins-EN-01-14-2026.pdf
  21. robertsonandcaine.com/leopard46.html
  22. leopardcatamarans.com/owners
  23. apps.apple.com/us/app/leopard-catamarans/id6473780794

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