Design and Construction
The hull and deck are vacuum-infused in vinylester with a foam core carried down to the waterline, a modern laminate approach that pairs with a lighter carbon-fiber structure replacing the galvanized steel grid used to stiffen previous Grand Soleil hulls anchor. Under deck hardware, bronze plates are embedded in the laminate rather than the more corrosion-prone aluminum seen in lesser installations. Outboard, proper raised bulwarks run the length of the boat. Ballast strategy is telling: an extra 550 pounds of weight is carried low in a more efficient T-bulb lead keel, and the deeper standard keel draws 7 feet 10 inches while the optional shoal-draft version draws 6 feet 6 inches.
Rig and Handling
All sail controls, including the double-ended German-style mainsheet, are led aft belowdeck to Spinlock XTS clutches and six Harken winches, with the wide main traveler recessed beneath the teak cockpit sole directly ahead of the twin wheels anchor. A flap behind the traveler folds back for full track access, and the mainsheet tails running under the side decks can be reached through the overhead below if needed. The standard rig is a 9/10ths fractional Sparcraft aluminum mast with two sets of sweptback spreaders and discontinuous rod rigging, while a carbon-fiber racing rig about three feet taller is offered as an option. Test sailors found the helm remarkably light and precise, with subtle but accurate feedback; pressed closehauled in apparent gusts over 20 knots the helm loaded up very little and the rudder never approached losing grip. In 16 knots of apparent wind at 80 degrees the boat made 8.5 to 9 knots, and at about 32 degrees in 18 knots she still did over 8 knots. Spinning hard, she turned within a single boatlength around her T-keel, and in reverse proved equally predictable.
Cockpit and Deck Equipment
The open-transom cockpit carries twin Solimar helms on a single rudder, with a very easily accessed steering quadrant and a narrow fold-down swim platform anchor. The liferaft sits in a dedicated locker under the aft end of the port cockpit seat and can be pushed straight overboard off the stern. Forward of the traveler, a clever fold-down cockpit table collapses into the sole, though testers noted it is a light structure usable only when the boat is idle. A series of flush Moonlight hatches gives the deck a sleek appearance, and at the bow a small but useful sail locker sits behind the belowdeck Furlex furler and anchor well.
Accommodations
The interior is a straightforward layout for a boat this size: twin aft staterooms under the cockpit and a forward owner’s stateroom ahead of the mast. The aft cabins offer great vertical clearance over full rectangular double berths with no cutouts, full standing headroom at the door, and ample light and storage. Forward, the owner’s stateroom is genuinely luxurious with a generous island double and an ensuite head featuring a segregated shower and electric Tecma toilet. Midship finds an L-shaped galley to port opposite a small head with another Tecma unit; the test boat showed sleek black Corian counters, a three-burner Techimplex stove and oven, and two fridges—a large top-loading Isotherm and a smaller front-loading Frigoboat. A U-shaped dinette with a full-length sleeping settee lies just forward, with a sliding centerline bench opposite and a short starboard settee plus a small nav station, the latter necessary because the cockpit offers no chartplotter mount.
Propulsion
Auxiliary power is a 55hp Volvo diesel, which on the test boat turned a two-bladed folding Gori racing propeller anchor. Wide open, the engine reached only 2,600 rpm, suggesting the prop needed tuning, yet still delivered 8.4 knots running downwind in flat water; at a cruising 2,000 rpm she made 7.8 knots.
The Verdict
The Grand Soleil 43 is a considered execution of the modern performance-cruiser brief: a vacuum-infused vinylester hull with foam core, carbon-fiber structure in place of steel, and a T-bulb lead keel carrying extra ballast low. She is quick, balanced, and unusually easy to handle for her size, with a deep and well-organized belowdeck sail-control scheme and a light, precise helm. The interior is traditional in plan yet well-finished and roomy where it counts.
Pros
- Light, precise helm with strong gust response and easy single-boatlength turns
- Carbon-fiber structure and T-bulb lead keel replace heavier older construction
- Roomy aft and forward staterooms with full berths and good headroom
- Belowdeck-led sail controls with recessed traveler and accessible mainsheet tails
Cons
- Folding racing prop on test boat peaked at 2,600 rpm wide open
- Cockpit table is light and idle-use only
- No cockpit space for a chartplotter mount
