Gulfstar 40 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Gulfstar 40 (Hood) means chasing one of the scarcest Ted Hood collaborations ever built: a St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay product of 1976–1978 with fewer than 20 hulls total, distinct from the later Lazzara-designed center-cockpit 40 CC. She is a traditional two-cabin performance cruiser with teak interior and fiberglass construction, and the brokerage hunter must weigh her limited numbers against a known set of structural watch-items.
Layouts on the Used Market
The boat's belowdecks arrangement is a traditional layout sleeping 6 in two cabins, comprised of a V-berth forward, settees or convertibles in the salon, and an aft cabin, with forepeak anchor storage. Above the waterline she carries a large cockpit over 8 feet long and ample overall volume, and the deck plan centers on an aft-cockpit masthead sloop rig. The optional centerboard/shoal-draft version trades a little max draft for versatility in shallower waters, something worth confirming against any listed spec, since the standard fin keel draws 6.300 feet.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, these boats commonly carry heating, solar, an asymmetric spinnaker, dodger, radar, AIS, chartplotter, and EPIRB as fitted equipment. The asymmetrical spinnaker is commonly fitted rather than a rare addition. No specific owner-upgrade tier items are documented for this model, so any other gear should be judged on its own merits rather than assumed prevalent.
What to Inspect
Early Gulfstars can show blister/osmosis issues, and on the Gulfstar 40 (Hood) the hull/keel joint should always be surveyed thoroughly. Any evidence of osmotic blistering below the waterline warrants professional assessment before purchase. Given the boat's transitional-era construction, these two items outrank cosmetic or equipment concerns in a pre-purchase survey.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Gulfstar 40 (Hood) are the United States. For the buyer, the checklist is short but non-negotiable: confirm the hull/keel joint integrity, test for blister/osmosis, verify whether the boat is the fin-keel or centerboard version, and inventory the commonly fitted safety and navigation gear. Accept that sistership comparables will be few and that model-specific knowledge comes from a very small owner circle.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Gulfstar 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 2 | $ 36,000 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 36,000 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 40,000 | +11.1% |
Where they're listed
Gulfstar 40 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 36,000 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol 41.1 | 41.14' | $ 75,000 | 25 | 10 |
| Wauquiez Hood 38 | 38.06' | $ 59,472 | 15 | 4 |
| Gulfstar 41 | 41' | $ 28,000 | 13 | 5 |
| Gulfstar 37 | 37' | $ 25,000 | 11 | 4 |
| Gulfstar 43 | 43.33' | $ 44,900 | 7 | 4 |
| Gulfstar 40You are here | — | $ 38,000 | 2 | 1 |