Design and Construction
Belliure had moved from traditional wooden shipbuilding into fiberglass leisure boats during the 1970s, and the 40 reflects that matured FRP practice rather than an early experimental phase. The hull is solid fiberglass, which period reviewers noted requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. The Scheel keel gives her a shallow reported maximum draft of 4.75 feet, yet the yard also offered alternative keel configurations: one drawing about 1.45 to 1.55 meters dependent on load for shallow-marina access, and another around 1.80 to 1.90 meters for deeper water. With a beam of 13.17 feet on a 31.16-foot waterline, her length-to-beam ratio of 3.05 places her among the roomier 40-foot designs, and reviewers calculated that she is more spacious than 76% of comparable sailboats as yachtdatabase.com assessed her space and comfort.
Rig and Handling
The masthead sloop rig carries a reported 764 square feet of sail area, returning a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.20 — modest, consistent with her categorization as a heavy cruiser on a displacement-length ratio of 306. Her theoretical hull speed is 7.5 knots, and the same figure applies to calculated maximum speed under the optional Volvo Penta diesel of 67 horsepower with shaft drive. The capsize screening value of 1.91 would, by that formula alone, admit her to ocean racing; more tellingly for a cruising couple, her Motion Comfort Ratio of 30.5 is more comfortable than 54% of similar designs. Sheet specifications are generous: a 30.5-meter mainsheet and 12.2-meter genoa sheets, both 14 mm, suit a crew handling her canvas by hand.
Accommodations
Below, the Belliure 40 is laid out with three cabins and between six and nine berths, a toilet facility, and substantial tankage: 210 gallons of fresh water and 132 gallons of diesel. That water capacity supports extended stays away from dock, and the three-cabin arrangement gives a cruising family or charter-style group real separation. The 41-square-meter wetted surface and 254 kg/cm immersion rate speak to a hull that sits heavily and moves with steadiness rather than skittishness when loaded for passage.
Known Issues
The only documented design variability that a buyer should understand is the keel: because the 40 was built with different keel alternatives, draft and underwater profile vary hull to hull, and the stated 4.75-foot maximum draft does not describe every example afloat. A shallow-keel boat will enter marinas a deeper-draft sister cannot, while a deeper variant will carry more ballast-style stability behavior in a seaway. This is a configuration fact, not a defect, but it changes the boat's character enough that it must be confirmed on the specific hull.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a Belliure 40 centers on her mechanical simplicity. The fiberglass hull asks little in season, and the Volvo Penta diesel with shaft drive is a conventional, serviceable installation. Her generous tankage and three-cabin plan made her as suited to extended cruising as to coastal Spanish life, and the shallow-keel option extends her reach into minor harbors.
The Verdict
The Belliure 40 is a thoughtfully proportioned Mediterranean cruiser with genuine passage-making substance. Her Scheel keel and configurable draft, roomy three-cabin interior, and heavy-cruiser stability profile make her a compelling used-market bluewater candidate, though her modest sail plan favors comfort over speed.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with low seasonal maintenance demands
- Three cabins and six to nine berths with 210 gal water, 132 gal fuel
- Configurable keel draft from ~4.75 ft to ~6.2 ft for marina access
- Comfort and space ratings above the majority of similar 40-foot designs
Cons
- Modest sail plan with low sail-area-to-displacement figure limits light-air performance
- Keel configuration varies by hull; stated draft does not fit every boat
