On the Water at the Palm Beach International Boat Show: Inside the Leopard 53 Powercat
There are boat shows.
And then there are moments on a boat that make you understand exactly why people fall in love with life on the water.
Sitting on the foredeck of the Leopard 53 Powercat at the Palm Beach International Boat Show was one of those moments. The sun was out and Frank Bauguil – Senior Vice President of Ownership & Product Development for Leopard Catamarans, Moorings and Sunsail – was walking me through what makes this catamaran something truly special.
The Leopard 53 Powercat is not a new boat. Launched six years ago and with over 150 units delivered worldwide, it has earned its place as a class leader and a previous Multihull of the Year winner. But what Leopard has done with this latest refresh is thoughtful and significant… focusing less on changing what already worked beautifully on the outside, and more on elevating everything happening inside.
"We figured the outside was still very relevant," Bauguil told me. "So we did a lot of work on the inside. The transition between the cockpit and the main salon, furniture in the cockpit, upholstery. A lot of interior design work."
The result is a boat that feels both familiar and elevated. The galley has been redesigned with Lewmar glass stackable doors, creating a wider, more seamless connection to the main salon. The aft cockpit now offers two distinct options… a modular "alfresco" setup for a customizable experience or a more traditional fixed furniture configuration. The flybridge has been refreshed with a modernized helm station, convertible sunpad areas, an upgraded wet bar with added sink, grill and fridge, and premium finishes throughout. Every detail has been considered with one goal in mind: making life onboard better.
What sets the Leopard 53 PC apart isn't just its design, it's its performance. Built by Robertson & Caine in Cape Town, South Africa, the testing conditions during development were extraordinary.
"The testing ground is incredible… 45 knots of wind, six, seven meter swells," Bauguil told me. "It's the best test ground I've ever seen in my life."
The result is a boat that handles serious open water with confidence and comfort and I’m told the stability is equally impressive.
"The first picture that comes to my mind when I think about the 53 is going 22 knots in 8 meter swells and having a glass of wine on the table," Bauguil said. "That's what catamarans do. And we consume half of what a monohull would consume."
One of the most compelling things about the Leopard 53 PC is its versatility. Available for private ownership through Leopard Catamarans or as part of The Moorings' charter program, which Baugil said operates 11,000 charters a year across 22 destinations worldwide, this boat serves a remarkably wide range of lifestyles and dreams.
"Anywhere from doing a charter for a week in the Virgin Islands or in Greece, to an owner who keeps it behind a house in Miami and goes out for the weekend," Bauguil explained. "There are people taking them offshore, running the East Coast, going up to the Chesapeake Bay, coming back down to the Bahamas, ending up in the Caribbean in the wintertime. In the Mediterranean, there's a lot of crossing. And there's an element of liveaboard as well."
The boat can be single-handed thanks to an intuitive joystick system that interfaces with the bow thruster, or crewed with dedicated crew quarters built in. Available in three or four cabin configurations, each private cabin with its own ensuite, there's room for a family, a group of friends, or a full charter crew.
"It's hard to do," Bauguil said, "but I think this boat is ticking a lot of boxes."
Standing on the foredeck at the Palm Beach International Boat Show… I think he's right.
The Palm Beach International Boat Show runs through Sunday, March 29. Saturday hours are 10AM-7PM and Sunday hours are 10AM-5PM. Follow along @paigekornbluemedia for more from the Palm Beach International Boat Show and beyond.