Bob Berg developed the boat as a swift, well-appointed bluewater cruiser. After he left the Flying Dutchman dealership in 1983, it became the Panda 40. When Ta Shing began marketing the boat itself in 1984, it was renamed the Tashiba 40. Despite the changes in name, the essential vessel remained the same. Production totaled 115 hulls.
Design and Construction
The Baba 40 has a solid, hand-laid fiberglass hull. Its 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. Owners frequently describe the structure as sturdy underfoot.
The deck and cabin trunk aren’t solid fiberglass; they’re cored with high-density closed-cell foam and end-grained balsa. Ballast is generally cast iron sealed inside the fiberglass, although at least one hull carried lead instead.
Below the waterline, the boat has a full keel with a cutaway forefoot. Unlike many of Perry’s full-keel designs, it omits the customary wine-glass transition between keel and bilge.
Published dimensions vary. The catalog figures and later Tashiba specifications disagree about length and ballast. The more trusted Tashiba figures give an LOA of 39 feet 10 inches, a waterline length of 36 feet 3 inches, and 12,000 pounds of ballast. The older figures list 39 feet 11 inches, 34 feet 6 inches, and 10,000 pounds respectively. Either way, the 29,000-pound displacement and 6-foot draft describe a heavy, grounded cruiser.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
Most Baba 40s have a cutter rig with a bowsprit and carry about 865 square feet of sail. A pair of boats are thought to have been built or offered as ketches, with 910 square feet of sail. Roughly eleven pilothouse versions were also constructed; these carried 848 square feet and had two compact cabins.
Perry considered the 40 a clear step forward from the early Babas. His first assessment was that it was stiffer, considerably faster, and perfectly balanced, with a distinct, stable personality of its own. The boat becomes genuinely pleasurable to steer as the wind builds.
Some owners have also placed well in races against contemporary fin-keel boats. One owner recorded 396 miles in 46 hours while broad-reaching down the Sea of Cortez in 35 knots, averaging 8.6 knots. Beyond outright speed, the hull will continue sailing through weather that sends many boats hove-to, and it was built to meet severe conditions head-on.
Accommodations and Tankage
Berg oversaw interiors that benefited from notable care and many Taiwanese man-hours. Perry considered the layout among his finest and called the workmanship nearly flawless and “correct”. Headroom is a generous 6 feet 5 inches throughout.
The forward cabin has a double berth offset to port. Aft and to starboard is another stateroom, fitted with a double seagoing quarter-berth. To port, the saloon includes a well-planned U-shaped galley. A seaworthy alternative layout provides two settee berths with a pilot berth above.
Cutter-rigged versions carry 150 gallons of water, divided between an 85-gallon port tank and a 65-gallon starboard tank, along with 100 gallons of diesel. The pilothouse version increases capacity to 200 gallons of water and 125 gallons of fuel.
Known Issues
On boats more than twenty-five years old, a survey should pay particular attention to the chainplates and to sections of the balsa coring, where rot is the usual concern.
The original mild steel fuel tanks were found to be prone to corrosion. Most boats have already had them replaced, but replacement should be verified.
The Verdict
The Baba 40 is a thoughtfully evolved Perry double-ender: heavier and more settled than its Valiant-derived ancestor, finished to a high interior standard, capable in rough water, and surprisingly competitive on the racecourse. Its changing names and the conflicting specifications published during its long production run are worth understanding. At its core, though, it remains a solid, well-balanced bluewater hull with a practical cruising layout.
Pros
- Full-keel, double-ended hull with a cutaway forefoot and substantial laminate thickness around the keel
- Stiff, fast, and balanced Perry-designed cutter that keeps sailing in conditions where other boats may heave-to
- Carefully finished interior with 6 feet 5 inches of headroom and versatile berth arrangements
- A total of 115 boats manufactured in all, including rare pilothouse and ketch variants
Cons
- Balsa-cored deck and cabin trunk require inspection for coring rot
- Original mild steel fuel tanks are prone to corrosion, so replacement should be verified
- Catalog and Tashiba specifications conflict on length and ballast
