Design and Construction
The Isla 40 replaced the Lucia 40, a predecessor that saw almost 300 examples built in a career lasting just under five years. The principal change in the new model centers on the hulls: the bows adopt inverted stems, a departure from the earlier wise profile that turns the catamaran into a more sporty and seductive design inverted stems turn the catamaran into a more sporty design. Those hulls gained 8 inches at the waterline, extending length from 38 feet 6 inches to 39 feet 2 inches. The boat is a catamaran with a spade rudder, a 4-foot draft, and a displacement of roughly 20,900 pounds on a 21-foot-7-inch beam. Fountaine Pajot's partnership with Berret-Racoupeau began in 1991, and the Isla continues that lineage as the marque's entry-level sail cat.
Rig and Handling
The Isla 40 is rigged with a flat-top mainsail of 635 square feet and an overlapping genoa of 388 square feet, a combination the boat shows to good effect. The helm station sits to starboard and is raised so the helmsman sees over the cabin top and Bimini, with access from both the cockpit and the side deck and a set of steps leading up to the Bimini. Three winches and several line clutches fall within easy reach of the wheel, and the traveler spans the rear of the Bimini. The boom is mounted low enough to give good access to the sail pouch when zipping things closed. On the water, test sailors found her closehauled in about 12 knots of breeze — not a cat's favorite point of sail — logging 6.5 to 7 knots on the GPS closehauled in about 12 knots of breeze, and cracked off to a reach she showed a few 8s in puffs.
Accommodations
Fountaine Pajot offers the Isla 40 in a Maestro layout with the owner's quarters taking up the starboard hull: a berth aft, a desk and head compartment amidships, and a shower forward with a washer/dryer in the forepeak. The port hull carries double-berth cabins at either end with separate head and shower compartments between them. For charter duty there is a four-stateroom Quatuor layout, and a skipper's cabin in the forepeak is also offered. On deck, the cockpit holds a table adjacent to the galley just inside the saloon door to port, while inside and opposite the galley a digital nav station places a multifunction display at eye level with a dedicated laptop space below. Forward to port, a table raises for dining or lowers for cocktails.
The Verdict
The Isla 40 is a thoughtfully evolved entry in Fountaine Pajot's catamaran line, trading the conservative Lucia profile for inverted bows and a longer waterline while keeping the marque's established interior logic. Her raised starboard helm, reachable winches, and flat-top rig make her a capable short-handed coastal and bluewater candidate, and the Maestro layout gives an owner's hull genuine separation. The Quatuor version serves charter fleets without compromising the platform.
Pros
- Inverted bows and 8-inch waterline gain over the Lucia 40 sharpen the silhouette and extend sailing length
- Raised starboard helm with nearby winches and traveler supports single-handed trim and visibility
- Maestro layout gives a full owner's hull with desk, head, and forepeak laundry
Cons
- At 39 feet she is the smallest in the Fountaine Pajot sail range, limiting absolute volume versus larger sisters
- Four-foot draft suits cruising but anchors her at the smaller end of the multihull envelope
