Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 means choosing among the smallest catamaran the French builder has offered in its sail range, a model introduced for summer 2020 with inverted-bow hulls that lengthened the waterline over the earlier Lucia 40. Both owner and ex-charter examples appear, and the boat's Maestro and Quatuor layouts shape very different buyer profiles.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin Maestro layouts are the more common on the used market, though the four-stateroom Quatuor is available and ex-charter examples are common. In the Maestro, the starboard hull is given over to the owner with a berth aft, a desk and head amidships, and a forward shower with a washer/dryer in the forepeak, while the port hull holds two double cabins with separate heads between them. The Quatuor packs four double staterooms for charter turnover. A skipper's forepeak cabin was also offered. On deck, the cockpit table sits by the port galley just inside the saloon, and the nav station opposite carries a multifunction display at eye level.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most used Isla 40s carry a chartplotter, autopilot, inverter, solar, AIS, life raft, bimini, radar, electric winches, freezer, and cockpit shower as standard cruising kit. Often seen are a watermaker, air conditioning, and hot water, which matter for liveaboard comfort and tropical charter use. Less common owner upgrades include dinghy davits, teak decks, lithium batteries, heating, a washing machine, and a code zero or other downwind sail — worth verifying on any specific boat, as their presence changes energy and passage-making capacity.
What to Inspect
The known structural change from the Lucia 40 is the adoption of inverted stems and the 8-inch waterline gain in the hulls hulls adopt inverted stems and gained 8 inches, so inspect the bow sections for gelcoat and structural integrity at the new stem line. The Isla's hulls are balsa-cored fiberglass. The raised starboard helm, three winches, and traveler spanning the Bimini should be cycled for smooth operation, and the low-mounted boom's sail pouch access confirmed. Drivetrain choices were 2 x 20 hp or 2 x 30 hp Volvo diesels, so verify which pair is fitted and its service history.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Isla 40 include the United States, Croatia, France, Spain, the British Virgin Islands, and Montenegro. For a buyer, the checklist is short: confirm Maestro versus Quatuor and owner versus ex-charter history; verify the Volvo drivetrain configuration; check the inverted bow hulls for integrity; and confirm whether a watermaker, air conditioning, and lithium upgrade are present. The Isla 40 rewards the shopper who wants a modern, raised-helm catamaran with a real owner's hull at the smaller end of the range.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Fountaine Pajot Isla 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 17 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25 | 3 | $599,000 | — |
| Apr 25 | 1 | $569,000 | -5.0% |
| May 25 | 2 | $598,952 | +5.3% |
| Jul 25 | 3 | $523,209 | -12.6% |
| Aug 25 | 4 | $550,885 | +5.3% |
| Sep 25 | 10 | $551,319 | +0.1% |
| Oct 25 | 3 | $518,548 | -5.9% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $466,111 | -10.1% |
| Dec 25 | 3 | $465,000 | -0.2% |
| Jan 26 | 13 | $475,000 | +2.2% |
| Feb 26 | 7 | $529,000 | +11.4% |
| Mar 26 | 4 | $458,816 | -13.3% |
| Apr 26 | 34 | $452,231 | -1.4% |
| May 26 | 5 | $474,134 | +4.8% |
| Jun 26 | 17 | $499,500 | +5.3% |
| Jul 26 | 5 | $525,000 | +5.1% |
| Aug 26 | 12 | $501,057 | -4.6% |
Where they're listed
Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 listings appear across 21 countries. United States has the most listings with 24 (21.6%), followed by Croatia and Montenegro.
Country view
111 listings · 21 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $475,000 | 24 | 10 | 21.6% |
| Croatia | $457,252 | 12 | 5 | 10.8% |
| Montenegro | $580,703 | 8 | 4 | 7.2% |
| France | $547,680 | 7 | 1 | 6.3% |
| Greece | $442,805 | 7 | 0 | 6.3% |
| Italy | $501,057 | 7 | 3 | 6.3% |
| Turkey | $382,932 | 7 | 1 | 6.3% |
| British Virgin Islands | $459,000 | 7 | 2 | 6.3% |
| Spain | $595,005 | 6 | 1 | 5.4% |
| Germany | $541,553 | 4 | 1 | 3.6% |
| Cyprus | $407,025 | 3 | 0 | 2.7% |
| United Kingdom | $373,835 | 3 | 1 | 2.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagoon 40 | 38.52' | $ 369,000 | 295 | 47 |
| FP Lucia 40 | 38.48' | $ 390,870 | 180 | 49 |
| Beneteau, France Oceanis 40 | 39.86' | $ 129,000 | 157 | 50 |
| Nautitech 40 Open | 39.3' | $ 349,583 | 125 | 26 |
| FP Isla 40You are here | — | $ 480,000 | 116 | 35 |
| Elan 40 | 39.04' | $ 92,057 | 30 | 6 |
| Manta 40 | 39.67' | $ 200,000 | 22 | 3 |
| Island Spirit 40 | 39.66' | $ 200,174 | 16 | 2 |
| Islander 40 | 39.54' | $ 28,750 | 14 | 6 |
| Marlow-Hunter 40 | 41.25' | $ 186,000 | 13 | 7 |
| Robertson & Caine 40 (2015-2020) | 39.34' | $ 375,000 | 11 | 2 |