Design and Construction
Lombard’s hull is a study in controlled volume. At 40 feet overall and on the waterline, with a beam of 14 feet 8 inches, the Akilaria sits at the class limit for beam and carries a transom that is 93 percent of maximum beam—an unusually broad stern that, paired with chines aft and no forward chine below the design waterline, gives the boat its distinctive planing-friendly shape. The half-angle of entry at the deck is a full 26.5 degrees, and the sheer spring is genuinely handsome rather than merely functional. Beneath the skin, the hull is a low-tech balsa-cored laminate laid up by infusion with vinylester resin throughout, while the deck is PVC foam cored with hardwood inserts in high-load areas built on the coast of Tunisia by MC-TEC. The keel fin is steel, and the twin rudders hang on solid stainless steel stocks. Ballast is 4,594 pounds against a displacement of 10,628 pounds—a ratio that marks the boat as firmly in the light-displacement racer camp.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig places the mast quite far aft, a layout that shortens the foretriangle and puts the asymmetrical chute—at 2,052 square feet—to work off a bowsprit-style arrangement rather than a conventional pole. Jib sheeting uses three widely spaced pad eyes with blocks arranged in a triangle, two on the deck and one on the housetop, with control lines leading to a titanium rig that the jib sheet passes through chainplates are right at the sheer and external. The cross-linked twin rudders are small and well outboard, requiring only short tillers, and a tall centerline console between them houses the mainsheet and traveler controls. Primary and secondary winches sit very close to the helmsman, while halyard winches flank the companionway hatch—a cockpit that keeps the shorthanded crew within a step of every control.
Accommodations and Deck Layout
True to the box rule’s cruising concession, the standard version is a spartan but usable offshore interior, though the race version trades livability for a more exotic deck layout and complex electronics. The 13-gallon water capacity and 23-gallon fuel capacity underline that this is a boat built around the engine—a single Nanni 3.100 diesel—as a fallback rather than a primary propulsion mode Fuel 23 gals.. The broad transom and beamy midbody translate to a voluminous aft section, but the deep 9-foot 11-inch draft signals a boat that rewards competent seamanship rather than casual gunkholing.
Performance Profile
With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 41.11 and a displacement-length ratio of 74.14, the Akilaria is quick in the modes the Class 40 rule encourages: reaching and running in moderate to fresh breeze, where the water ballast and broad stern come into play. The hull speed is a theoretical ceiling, but the light build and efficient rig mean she will surf readily when the chines aft engage. The low comfort figure confirms that this is a thoroughbred rather than a couch.
The Verdict
The Akilaria 40 is a serious shorthanded offshore platform that happens to carry a cruising passport. Lombard’s beam-maximized hull and far-aft rig make her a distinctive presence on any starting line, and the infusion-built balsa hull keeps weight where the rule allows. She is not a boat for the faint of heart or the shallow draft, but for a speed-hungry sailor she delivers Class 40 adrenaline without canting-keel complexity.
Pros
- Built to French Class 40 box rule with water ballast and no exotic materials
- Broad beam at class limit with chines aft for planing shape
- Cockpit controls clustered for shorthanded sailing
- First Class 40 design available in the United States
Cons
- Deep 9-foot 11-inch draft limits cruising grounds
- Minimal tankage suits racing over cruising
- Race version sacrifices livability for deck layout and electronics
