Design and Construction
Huntingford's brief for the 416 paired comfortable accommodations with good sailing qualities, and the hull reflects a conventional fiberglass cruiser approach: predominantly glass with wood trim, a raked stem, a raised counter, and a reverse transom anchor. The skeg-mounted rudder is controlled by a wheel, and the fixed fin keel gives her a moderate 6.58-foot draft. With a ballast-to-displacement ratio near 44 percent and a displacement-length figure over 300, the 416 reads as a heavy, steady cruiser rather than a light-displacement racer. She was built as a recreational keelboat with the kind of mass that suits long passages more than regatta circuits.
Rig and Handling
The 416 is a masthead sloop on a Bermuda rig, carrying a total sail area of 732 square feet — a 270-square-foot main and a 453-square-foot jib or genoa beneath a 51.8-foot foretriangle anchor. A British Perkins 4-108 fresh-water-cooled diesel of 48 horsepower drives her for docking and maneuvering rather than sustained passage-making, and the 100-gallon fuel tank supports that auxiliary role. Her hull speed is a modest 7.64 knots, consistent with the long-keeled, heavily ballasted cruiser archetype. A symmetrical spinnaker may be fitted for downwind work, extending her range off the wind without altering the core sloop configuration.
Accommodations
Below, the 416 sleeps eight across a bow double "V"-berth, a U-shaped and a straight settee in the main cabin, an aft double berth to starboard, and a single quarter berth to port anchor. The U-shaped starboard-amidships galley sits opposite a port-side navigation station and carries a four-burner stove, an ice box, and a double sink. A head just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side includes a shower. The layout is a straightforward aft-cockpit cruiser plan that puts the working galley and nav station on opposite sides amidships, leaving the aft cabin as a private owner's space.
The Verdict
The Cooper 416 TM is a purposeful 1980s cruiser: heavy, well-ballasted, and laid out for liveaboard comfort rather than speed. Huntingford's design holds to a conventional fiberglass build with wood accents, and the accommodation plan remains practical for a family or a couple with guests. The Perkins 4-108 is a known-quantity auxiliary, and the sail plan is generous enough for offshore work with a spinnaker option.
Pros
- 24,000 lb displacement with 10,500 lb lead ballast for steady offshore behavior
- Sleeps eight with a private aft cabin and separate forward head with shower
- U-shaped galley opposite navigation station for practical cruising layout
- 150-gallon fresh water and 100-gallon fuel capacity for extended range
Cons
- Hull speed limited to 7.64 knots by heavy displacement and moderate rig
- 6.58-foot draft restricts shallow anchorage access
- Now out of production; moulds passed to Bayliner
