Beneteau 40 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Berret/Racoupeau gave the 40 a hull with a fine entry that opens into what BOTY judge Steve Callahan described as broad shoulders, terminating in a fairly beamy transom under a wide cockpit and twin wheels broad shoulders. The hull itself is an all-glass laminate, solid fiberglass through the topsides from rub rail to waterline and across the bottom, while the decks are built with a balsa core for stiffness and insulation. Bulkheads are Plexus-bonded, and the boat carries an iron keel held with stainless-steel keel bolts. At 18,210 pounds displacement on a 34-foot waterline with a 12-foot 10-inch beam and a choice of 6-foot 3-inch or 5-foot 1-inch draft, she is a substantial mid-size cruiser; SpinSheet notes that every example the author encountered came out of Beneteau's Marion, SC, plant, and that from a structural point of view the 40s consistently survey well.

Rig and Handling

Sail handling is built around a roller-furling headsail and a standard in-mast furling main, which makes setting and dousing sails a simple task for a short-handed crew. Twin wheels give the helm good visibility of the rig on either tack, and the fractional sloop plan carries roughly 680 square feet of sail area. On the water she proved a good light-air performer, a trait the Annapolis trial confirmed and later owner experience reinforced. The Yanmar 40-horsepower diesel turns a traditional shaft drive through a Kanzaki transmission, a combination owners report as very reliable for docking and maneuvering.

Accommodations

The straight-lined, modern interior comes from Nauta, the interior designer for the Beneteau range, with moabi mahogany woodwork whose luster is accented by off-white upholstery and panels through the saloon. Beneteau produced the 40 in both two- and three-cabin models. The two-cabin boat the judges sailed carried roomy aft and V-berth queen bunks, a head with separate shower to starboard at the foot of the companionway, and a compact, functional galley to port. Several opening ports and hatches provide ample ventilation and light. The three-cabin version added a second head and moved the galley into the port side of the saloon area, trading some owner-private space for guest separation.

Known Issues

Moderate to heavy groundings can cause bonding failures between the interior pan structure and the hull laminate, a structural defect that a surveyor should chase carefully on any boat with a hard-keel history. Some boats tend to show crazing in the deck gelcoat, cosmetic but worth noting on a balsa-cored deck. The bronze or brass hose barb that ventilates the fiberglass propeller shaft tube corrodes, becomes brittle, and can break easily after years in salt or brackish water. The alloys used in the ball valves fitted by Beneteau and other European builders corrode faster than domestic equivalents, so seacocks deserve a close look. The adhesion of the soft headliner in the aft and forward cabins frequently fails as the foam backing deteriorates. Finally, Yanmar engine hour meters of this generation are notorious for failure, making true engine hours difficult or impossible to determine.

Refits and Ownership

Stock battery inventory is adequate and the OEM Yanmar Hitachi alternator suits weekend or week-long use, but extended cruising would likely see upgrades in batteries and charging capacity. Factory default electronics were Raymarine ST 60 series with E80 or E120 chart-plotter and radar displays, a baseline that most long-term owners have since augmented. The fiberglass propeller shaft tube breather fitting, if still original, requires at a minimum careful inspection with replacement highly recommended.

The Verdict

The Beneteau 40 is a thoughtfully modern cruiser that earned her Boat of the Year recognition through real light-air ability and a forgiving furling rig, wrapped around a structurally sound solid-glass hull with a Nauta interior that wears well in daily use. The known weaknesses are concentrated in aging small fittings and bonded surfaces rather than the core structure.

Pros