Design and Construction
Perry built the Baba 40 around a solid hand-laid fiberglass hull whose laminate thickens from roughly 0.41 inch at the topsides to 0.57 inch at the waterline and 0.90 inch where the keel sits hull thickness increasing to 0.90 inch at the keel, a structure that owners frequently describe as sturdy underfoot. The deck and cabin trunk are cored with high-density closed-cell foam and end-grained balsa rather than being solid, and the ballast is cast iron sealed inside the glass, though at least one hull carried lead instead. Underwater, the boat wears a full keel with a cutaway forefoot, and unlike many of Perry’s full-keel layouts it omits the customary wine-glass blend where keel meets bilge. The catalog figures and the later Tashiba specifications disagree on length and ballast — the more trusted Tashiba numbers list a 39-foot 10-inch LOA, 36-foot 3-inch waterline, and 12,000 pounds of ballast against the older 39-foot 11-inch, 34-foot 6-inch, and 10,000-pound figures — but either way the 29,000-pound displacement and 6-foot draft describe a heavy, grounded cruiser.
Rig and Handling
Most Baba 40s carry a cutter rig with a bowsprit, giving about 865 square feet of sail; a pair of boats are thought to have been built or offered as ketches with 910 square feet, and roughly eleven pilothouse versions with 848 square feet and two compact cabins were constructed. Perry judged the 40 a clear step up from the early Babas, noting at first it was stiffer, considerably faster, and perfectly balanced, with a distinct stable personality of its own. The boat is genuinely pleasurable to steer as wind builds, and some owners have even placed well against fin-keel contemporaries in racing; one owner account records 396 miles sailed in 46 hours broad-reaching down the Sea of Cortez in 35 knots at an 8.6-knot average. Beyond speed, the hull will keep sailing through weather that sends many boats hove-to, and it is built to meet severe conditions head-on.
Accommodations
Berg oversaw interiors finished with notable care and many Taiwanese man-hours, and Perry regarded the layout among his finest, with workmanship he called nearly flawless and “correct” Perry regarded the interior as one of his greatest. Headroom runs a generous 6 feet 5 inches throughout. The forward cabin holds a double berth offset to port, while aft to starboard sits a stateroom with a double seagoing quarter-berth. To port, the saloon offers a well-planned U-shaped galley and, as a seaworthy alternative arrangement, a two-settee berth plan with a pilot berth above. Cutter versions carry 150 gallons of water split 85 port and 65 starboard and 100 gallons of diesel; the pilothouse variant expands tankage to 200 gallons water and 125 gallons fuel.
Known Issues
Any survey should examine chainplates and sections of the balsa coring for rot, the usual concern on boats past twenty-five years. The original mild steel fuel tanks were found corrosion-prone, and most examples have already had them replaced.
The Verdict
The Baba 40 stands as a thoughtfully evolved Perry double-ender — heavier and more settled than its Valiant-derived ancestor, finished to a high interior standard, and proven capable in rough water and surprising on the racecourse. The name changes and specification drift across its long run are worth knowing, but the core is a solid, well-balanced bluewater hull with a practical cruising layout.
Pros
- Full-keel double-ender with cutaway forefoot and substantial laminate thickness at keel
- Perry-designed cutter that is stiff, fast, and balanced; sails on where others hove-to
- Meticulously finished interior with 6′ 5″ headroom and versatile berth plans
- 115 built; pilothouse and ketch variants add rarity 115 boats manufactured in all
Cons
- Balsa-cored deck and trunk demand coring-rot inspection
- Original mild steel fuel tanks prone to corrosion; verify replacement
- Conflicting catalog vs. Tashiba specs on length and ballast
