Island Spirit 40 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for an Island Spirit 40 means looking at a South African-built Phil Southwell catamaran from the Fortuna Catamarans period, a 39-foot-9-inch boat with a 22-foot-1-inch beam and a 3-foot draft. She was built as a practical offshore cruiser with simple, robust systems, and the used fleet reflects that original intent more than any later refit fashion.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both owner and charter-style arrangements appear, and ex-charter examples are common. The roomy interior, wide sidedecks, and elongated transoms that ease boarding carry over from the as-built design, so even a former charter boat tends to feel open and serviceable rather than worn out by configuration. Buyers should simply confirm which cabin count and saloon arrangement suits their plans, since the hull itself does not change between versions.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry a strong offshore-tending equipment set. Commonly fitted items include chartplotter, autopilot, radar, watermaker, air conditioning, solar, inverter, electric winches, EPIRB, freezer, hot water, cockpit shower, and life raft. For power and energy, the beefy electrical system designed for passagemaking pairs well with the commonly fitted solar and inverter and the often-seen wind generator or lithium batteries. Navigation is covered by the common chartplotter, autopilot, and radar, with AIS often seen. Comfort clusters around air conditioning, watermaker, and freezer, while canvas and sail-handling upgrades frequently include a hardtop, bimini, dinghy davits, and an asymmetric spinnaker for downwind work. A circumnavigation-grade rig and trampoline or Starlink appear less often, as owner upgrades rather than standard fit.
What to Inspect
The construction record shows hulls and deck built of hand-laid fiberglass vacuum-bagged over a balsa core core construction detailed in the review, so a buyer should look closely for any balsa saturation or deck softening at through-bolted hardware. The interior is finished with white Awlgrip and has no hull liner, which makes previous repairs easy to see but also means any osmotic or impact damage is visible rather than hidden. Confirm that the simple, robust, and accessible systems remain so: the electrical system was built beefy for offshore use, and the high-quality deck hardware should show minimal corrosion or overload. The stand-up nav station with large chart table is a plus, though note it was originally lacking a proper nav seat.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These cats typically appear in the United States, Panama, and Australia. For a shopper, the takeaway is straightforward:
- Prefer an owner three-cabin layout unless charter capacity matters
- Verify core integrity at deck penetrations given the balsa construction
- Check the electrical system and Yanmar twins for offshore-readiness
- Expect strong standard electronics and power gear; treat hardtop or lithium as bonus
- Inspect the liner-free interior for honest repair history
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Island Spirit 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 9 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 25 | 2 | $179,000 | — |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $179,000 | 0.0% |
| Jan 26 | 3 | $187,000 | +4.5% |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $209,500 | +12.0% |
| Apr 26 | 5 | $220,000 | +5.0% |
| May 26 | 2 | $197,515 | -10.2% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $173,502 | -12.2% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $236,732 | +36.4% |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $173,502 | -26.7% |
Where they're listed
Island Spirit 40 listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 8 (47.1%), followed by Panama and Australia.
Country view
17 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $183,000 | 8 | 0 | 47.1% |
| Panama | $220,000 | 6 | 0 | 35.3% |
| Australia | $216,131 | 2 | 1 | 11.8% |
| Montenegro | $173,502 | 1 | 1 | 5.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robertson and Caine 40 (2005-2009) | 39.27' | $ 329,000 | 308 | 36 |
| FP Isla 40 | 39.14' | $ 474,567 | 114 | 25 |
| Island Packet 40 | 40' | $ 150,000 | 51 | 24 |
| Performance 40 | 40.42' | $ 110,756 | 35 | 2 |
| Performance 40 | 39.04' | $ 88,381 | 28 | 10 |
| Manta 40 | 39.67' | $ 200,000 | 22 | 1 |
| Nautitech 40 | 39.67' | $ 225,000 | 21 | 5 |
| Island Spirit 40You are here | — | $ 197,184 | 18 | 2 |
| Admiral Admiral 40 | 40' | $ 199,990 | 15 | 1 |
| Islander 40 | 39.54' | $ 28,750 | 14 | 0 |
| Island Spirit 37 | 36.08' | $ 169,000 | 11 | 4 |