Block Island 40 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Most boats you encounter will be yawls, and the later Woods-version hulls are distinguishable by a lengthened cabin trunk that permitted a genuine U-form galley and a sit-down chart table, features missing on earlier builds. All share wide side decks carried from the Hinckley B40 template, letting crew move forward clear of the shrouds. Below, the all-wood interior uses ash ceilings, teak joinery, and louvered locker doors, with a removable vinyl headliner and eleven portlights plus two hatches and two Dorades for ventilation. The watertight bulkhead ahead of the forepeak is a constant across the class, reached by a foredeck hatch.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the brokerage market, used Block Island 40s commonly carry a watermaker, cabin heating, an inverter, a dodger, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, and a life raft—a cluster that signals boats equipped for extended independent voyaging. Among the more consequential buyer items are the energy and navigation suites: an inverter and heating point to house-power and shoulder-season comfort, while radar and chartplotter paired with autopilot suggest a boat set up for long passages rather than day sailing. A dodger and life raft round out the safety-and-weather picture. Less visible but meaningful are the Woods refinements some boats received: a feathering three-bladed Max Prop, a stern-pulpit Lewmar mizzen traveler, and a cleaned-up propeller aperture.

What to Inspect

Practical Sailor’s survey documented the hull layup as 1-1/2-ounce mat, 18-ounce biaxial, and 24-ounce directional fiberglass in polyester with vinylester first laminations and an isophthalic gelcoat, and the Airex core and balsa-cored deck should be checked for moisture anchor. The hull/deck joint is bonded with 3M 5200 and bolted every six inches, so inspect that seam for past separation. The single fiberglass pan in the head warrants a look for cracking where shower water collects. Judge each boat on its own build date and refit history for the Woods hydrodynamic centerboard and lengthened trunk, which are owner-report improvements rather than factory corrections.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Block Island 40s are found in the United States market. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm yawl rig and wide side decks, verify the vinylester/polyester laminate and core condition, check the through-bolted hull/deck joint, note whether the boat has the later Woods galley and centerboard, and assess the common passage-making gear (watermaker, heating, inverter, dodger, radar, autopilot, chartplotter, life raft) against your own cruising plan. A sound example rewards the sailor who wants a proven, manageable classic rather than a polished production boat.