Hunter 40-1 Sailboats for Sale

Cortland Steck·1984 – 1990·Hunter Marine
Hunter 40-1 drawingBuilder drawing
Hull Type
Monohull · fin
Rig
Fractional Sloop
LOA
39.58' · 12.06 m
Disp.
17,400 lbs · 7,893 kg
First year
1984

The Hunter 401 stands as one of Cortland Steck's more consequential cruising designs for Hunter Marine, an American sailboat first built in 1984 and produced through 1990 before going out of production. Originally marketed simply as the Hunter 40, the boat is now usually referred to as the Hunter 401 or the Hunter 40 Legend to keep it distinct from the unrelated 2012 MarlowHunter 40, sometimes called the 402. As a recreational keelboat of just under forty feet, it captures a particular late1980s approach to volumedriven coastal cruising without pretending to be something else.

Market snapshot

Median asking · 12 mo
$37,000
Asking price · 20 listings
Recent listings · 90 d
4
20 tracked · 12 mo
3-month price trend
-19.2%
vs. 12-mo median
Countries with listings
4
United States (78.9%) · Mexico (10.5%) · Canada (5.3%)

Recent Listings

13 for sale · showing 10 newest

Hunter 40-1 Buyer's Guide

Shopping the used Hunter 40-1 means looking at a Cortland Steck-designed cruiser built by Hunter Marine in the United States between 1984 and 1990, now out of production but still present in meaningful numbers across several markets. The boat's broad beam and two-cabin, two-head factory layout make it a recognizable coastal cruiser on the brokerage scene, with ex-charter examples a common sight alongside privately owned boats.

Layouts on the Used Market

The Hunter 40-1 left the factory with private forward and aft cabins and two fully enclosed heads with showers, a dinette table, and teak and holly sole — and on the used market the owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common version, though both layouts turn up. Ex-charter boats are common and tend to show higher hours and more worn interior trim, so a buyer should expect the aft-cabin privacy and dual-head convenience either way, but should weigh charter history in condition assessments.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most used Hunter 40-1 boats carry chartplotter, air conditioning, solar, bimini, and dodger as commonly fitted gear — the solar and canvas clusters matter most for a buyer, since they speak to whether the boat can sit on a mooring and keep its batteries up without shore power. Often-seen inverter, autopilot, and heating shift the boat toward extended coastal living, with autopilot the item that most reduces crew fatigue on long reaches. Less common but possible owner upgrades include electric winches, freezer, hot water, swim platform, and radar; of these, a freezer and radar are the consequential ones for passage comfort and navigation, while the rest are nice-to-have rather than decisive.

What to Inspect

The construction is predominantly fiberglass with wood trim and a fixed fin keel, and the factory Yanmar diesel should be started cold and run under load as part of any trial. A survey should follow normal practice for a 1980s fiberglass cruiser.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Hunter 40-1 is typically found in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. For a shopper, the short list is: confirm whether the example is ex-charter, verify the Yanmar diesel and factory three-burner stove function, check that commonly fitted solar and canvas are present and serviced, and prefer a privately owned three-cabin layout unless charter pricing justifies the trade-off.

Where they're listed

Hunter 40-1 listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 15 (78.9%), followed by Mexico and Canada.

Median ask by country
USD
Share of listings
Count · past 12 months

Country view

19 listings · 4 countries
CountryMedian askListings · 12 moActive · 90 dShare
United States$36,50015378.9%
Mexico$43,9002110.5%
Canada$64,500105.3%
United Kingdom$176,576105.3%

Comparable models

Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.

Similar boats to compare

11 similar designs
ModelLOAMedian askListings · 12 moActive · 90 d
Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 40.142.22'$ 347,02314216
Hunter Marine 41043.42'$ 89,90012021
Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 4140.78'$ 185,00011123
Hunter 41 AC40.32'$ 114,9007524
Elan 4039.04'$ 91,996306
Hunter 40-1You are here$ 37,000204
Islander 4039.54'$ 28,750146
Marlow-Hunter 4041.25'$ 186,000137
Elan Impression 40.139.33'$ 220,092131
Marlow-Hunter 3333.5'$ 79,900135
Hanse 40139.3'$ 91,99661

Frequently asked questions

01How much does a used Hunter 40-1 cost?+
The median asking price for a used Hunter 40-1 over the past 12 months is $37,000. Prices vary by condition, year, equipment, and location.
02How many Hunter 40-1 sailboats are for sale?+
4 Hunter 40-1 listings have gone live in the last 90 days, and 20 have been tracked across the past 12 months.
03Are Hunter 40-1 prices going up or down?+
The median asking price for the Hunter 40-1 is down 19.2% over the last 3 months compared with the 12-month median.
04Where are Hunter 40-1 sailboats for sale?+
The top markets for used Hunter 40-1 listings over the past 12 months are United States (78.9%), Mexico (10.5%), Canada (5.3%).
05Do Hunter 40-1 listings get price reductions?+
About 25% of Hunter 40-1 listings have had a price reduction, with an average discount of 18.4% off the original ask. If a listing has been on the market for more than 90 days without a cut, the seller may not be in a hurry.
06What should I look at instead of a Hunter 40-1?+
Comparable models include Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 40.1, Hunter Marine 410, Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 41. Use the comparison table above to check pricing and availability.