This delivery of a Leopard 46 along the Australian east coast ahead of the owner’s next cruising season.
The Leopard 46 is a boat we see fairly regularly in multihull delivery work now. They are practical offshore cruising catamarans with huge living space onboard and relatively straightforward systems compared with some larger multihulls. Most are loaded heavily for long-term cruising though, and that definitely affects how they feel offshore once conditions build.
Before departure we spent time going through the usual offshore preparation — rig checks, steering systems, batteries, charging systems, safety gear, and reorganising some of the onboard equipment. Cruising catamarans tend to accumulate a huge amount of gear over time and weight distribution makes more difference than many owners realise.
The route south required fairly typical east coast weather planning. Like most Australian coastal deliveries, it was less about waiting for perfect weather and more about finding a workable window between troughs and southerly changes moving up the coast.
Conditions for most of the trip were manageable with a few uncomfortable sections further south once the sea state became short and confused off the NSW coast. Nothing dramatic, just typical coastal conditions where the motion gets tiring after a few days. The Leopard handled it well overall and settled into an easy offshore routine once properly reefed and balanced.
One thing noticeable on the Leopard 46 offshore is how easy the boat is to live aboard underway. Good visibility, practical deck layout, and manageable sail handling all make longer passages less demanding for both crew and owners. They are not performance catamarans and do not really need to be pushed hard to maintain good daily runs.
Approaching the final stages of the delivery involved the usual coordination around marina access, fuel stops, and owner handover logistics after arrival.
At Yacht Delivery Solutions, Leopard catamarans form a regular part of our offshore yacht delivery work throughout Australia and the South Pacific.
