Endeavour 40 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is a single molded unit of polyester resin, fiberglass woven roving, and multidirectional chopped strand fiber, with the fin keel molded integrally and the 8,600 pounds of internal lead ballast encapsulated inside. The deck and cockpit are likewise single-unit molded, with plywood coring set between fiberglass layers in the cabin top, deck, seats, and cockpit sole for stiffness; the non-skid is molded in, the exterior is pigmented gelcoat, and the boot and sheer stripes are sprayed Imron. The hull-to-deck joint is a flanged connection liberally coated with adhesive/sealant and thru-bolted in stainless, then capped with a teak rail bedded in the same compound to doubly ensure water tightness. The rudder is solid high-density foam with a fiberglass skin and stainless post welded to an internal steel blade, passing through the hull via a stuffing box. Underbody geometry leans to a modified fin keel with a skeg-protected rudder; the 13-foot beam is carried well aft for form stability and interior volume.

Rig and Handling

Offered as a sloop, cutter, or ketch, the sloop carries 743 square feet of sail (338 main, 405 foretriangle) and the ketch 789. An Owners model stepped a slightly taller mast with an inner forestay and extra winches, while the Charter model took a shorter stick without the track, forestay, or added winches. The main mast is stepped through the cabin roof onto the keel, single-spreader, with all spars extruded 6061-T6 aluminum. Standing rigging is stainless wire — 3/8-inch forestay and backstay, 5/16-inch upper and lower shrouds — anchoring to welded stem fittings and chainplates with extra fiberglass reinforcement molded into the hull at those loads. Halyards are external wire rope with Dacron tails; #32 Lewmar winches sit on the mast and #40 self-tailers in the cockpit, with the main traveler mounted aft of the helm. Owners report she is an easy sailer yet not fast by any stretch, though far tougher than the crew in rough seas.

Accommodations

Below, the two-cabin layout is traditional: a V-berth forward with direct access to the forward head, a midships saloon with centerline drop-leaf table and opposing settees, and an aft stateroom stepped up to a full island berth with private head and shower. The galley sits at the base of the companionway to port, C-shaped with a three-burner gimbaled stove, double sink, counter, and Adler-Barbour refrigeration; the nav station with folding table is to starboard in the passageway aft. Teak is used throughout with a parquet sole, soft white overheads, 14 Beckson opening ports, and four large Atkins-Hoyle hatches. Headroom is 6 feet 4 inches and six berths are provided. The engine area is insulated with great access, and the center cockpit itself is set farther aft than some peers, high and dry.

Known Issues

The principal documented failure mode in service has been tankage: a surveyed hull records a bilge-mounted fuel tank that had failed along with one of the two water tanks. Because the fuel tank sits in the bilge and the boat carries two water tanks, a rupture there introduces contaminated water and diesel into the lowest hull spaces where the floor timbers and bonded sole meet, a repair that goes beyond simple tank swap.

Refits and Ownership

Almost all boats left the factory with a Perkins 4-108 50-horsepower auxiliary — the most common diesel afloat — turning a 17x17 two-blade or optional 17x16 three-blade prop through a 1-1/4-inch stainless shaft in a cutlass bearing at the skeg. Some hulls now show Yanmar 4JH5, 4JH3, or Westerbeke 63C engines, almost certainly replacements as the Perkins age out. Wiring is high and accessible under side-deck panels, 10-gauge stranded copper, color-coded, with metallic underwater fittings bonded to common ground; shore service is 30 amps on two parallel 12-volt batteries fed by a 35-amp alternator. The Endeavour 40 fuel capacity is 75 gallons of diesel.

The Verdict

The Endeavour 40 is a big, comfortable cruiser intended for extended trips, with a genuinely voluminous two-cabin interior, a protected center cockpit, and a heavily built hull-and-deck structure that has proven tougher than its crews in heavy weather. The encapsulated lead keel, flanged and bedded hull-deck joint, and accessible systems speak to a pragmatic cruising design. The soft spot is bilge tankage that has failed on individual boats and demands inspection.

Pros