Design and Construction
The hull is a Bruce Farr & Associates design with slender appendages and a fin-with-bulb keel carrying a spade rudder, the whole shape developed from the firm's IMS pedigree to give good all-around performance. The bow is relatively fine for upwind work, with straight runs aft for high speed off the wind, and the target PHRF rating settled at 54. Hulls are hand laid-up using pre-cut sections of glass wetted out with vinylester and polyester resins, and the builder employed vinylester resins to protect against blistering, with earlier models using the Beneteau WaterShield process for the same end at lower cost. The hull itself is solid fiberglass into which a fiberglass pan is bonded while still in the mold to retain shape; that pan carries solid fiberglass longitudinal stringers from bow to stern and six athwartships floors. The deck is balsa-cored fiberglass with solid patches under hardware, and the hull-deck joint uses an internal flange bonded to an external one with polyurethane glue and stainless bolts. Tides Marine built the updated rudders with carbon fiber stocks that factory tests found to have four times the breaking strength of stainless steel, and the bearings are self-aligning.
Rig and Handling
Above the deck, the 40.7 carries a Sparcraft 9/10 fractional rig with triple spreaders and aluminium spars, standard rod standing rigging, and Dyform rigging in the tested configuration. The mainsheet traveler sits just forward of the helm with Lewmar ball-bearing cars, and an above-deck mainsheet system leads to the aft winches; running rigging is led aft to Spinlock XT clutches for the main, genoa, and spinnaker halyards, one reef, outhaul, and topping lifts. Writing in Yachting World, testers found the helm positive with Kevlar steering cables avoiding stretch, and under power the boat tracked well astern, turning in 1.25 boat lengths and cruising at about seven knots with a knot in reserve. Under sail in 16-knot wind gusting 23, she notched 6.5 knots close-hauled, tacking through 80 degrees and adding half a knot on bearing away; in lighter air, testers hardened sheets to sail within 36 degrees of apparent wind at 6.75 knots, while owners reported 8 to 10 knots in 12 to 15 knots on high jibe angles.
Accommodations
Below, the saloon holds two straight settees around a 44-inch double-leaf table, with curved edges softening the table, nav station, and galley. Light comes from four Lewmar hatches and opening ports, and brushed aluminium grabrails run from cabin sole to companionway top, also housing roller shades for race-day simplicity. The layout gives two mirror-image aft cabins with 78-by-60-inch berths and a forward V-berth 7 feet 3 inches long; headroom runs 6 feet 3 aft and 6 feet 2 forward. A single head serves all three staterooms, with the heads-to-starboard adequate to shower in comfort though the separate shower space measures a tight 40 by 24 inches. The galley is an ordinary L-shaped area with a top-opening reefer that forms the entire counter, a double sink with pressurized hot and cold water, and a gimbaled two-burner stove. Tankage sits below the settees, leaving high-level lockers and spaces behind seat backs for stowage, and a dedicated wine locker nods to the boat's origin.
Equipment and Cockpit
The cockpit is built around racing ergonomics: removable lockers aft of slatted teak seats can be pulled for the race course, quarter lockers bridged by a curved seat replace an open transom, and a 63-inch leather-covered wheel sits recessed below the sole. Primary Lewmar 50 self-tailers and coachroof Lewmar 44s support a six-winch layout that works for crewed or short-handed sailing, with optional spinnaker winches and Harken Quattro winches for fast kite work. A propane well vents overboard in the port corner, a starboard locker takes an inflatable, and French rules placed a life-raft canister below the helm seat. The early sugar-scoop transom carries a teak slatted swim platform with stainless ladder, and wide nearly level decks with diamond nonskid, recessed stanchion bases, and 26-inch double lifelines make forward movement safe.
Known Issues
Two accommodation points warrant attention. The top-opening reefer lid forms the entire galley counter, forcing tactical stowage whenever it is open, and the single head against three berths sleeping six is a genuine shortfall for a 40-plus footer. The forward cabin's small deck hatch also makes spinnaker drops into the cabin tricky. On the systems side, a centralized sea chest amidships routes several hoses to one through-hull, a sensible manifold but a single point worth inspecting for age and seal integrity.
The Verdict
The First 40.7 succeeds as a versatile cruiser-racer because the IMS-derived hull and high-aspect rig deliver club-race pace without sacrificing a real three-cabin interior. The construction is conventional solid-glass with a balsa deck and a clever pan, and the cockpit is genuinely race-ready yet safe to move around. The compromises are those of the type: a galley compromised by its reefer lid, one head for six berths, and a forward hatch small for spinnaker work.
Pros
- Slender Farr hull with fine bow and straight aft runs for all-around performance
- Race-minded cockpit with removable lockers and six-winch layout
- Carbon rudder stocks and self-aligning bearings exceed original stainless spec
- Three cabins sleeping six with 6-foot-plus headroom throughout
Cons
- Single head serves all three staterooms
- Top-opening reefer consumes all galley counter space
- Small forward deck hatch hinders spinnaker drops below
- Centralized sea chest is a single through-hull failure point
