Design and Construction
The hull and deck are vacuum-infused in vinylester, with a foam core extending down to the waterline. This modern laminate is paired with a lighter carbon-fiber structure in place of the galvanized steel grid used to stiffen previous Grand Soleil hulls.
Bronze plates are embedded in the laminate beneath the deck hardware, rather than the more corrosion-prone aluminum found in lesser installations. Proper raised bulwarks run the length of the boat.
The ballast arrangement is equally purposeful. An additional 550 pounds of weight is carried low in a more efficient T-bulb lead keel. The deeper standard keel draws 7 feet 10 inches, while the optional shoal-draft version draws 6 feet 6 inches.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig is a 9/10ths fractional Sparcraft aluminum mast with two sets of sweptback spreaders and discontinuous rod rigging. An optional carbon-fiber racing rig stands about three feet taller.
All sail controls, including the double-ended German-style mainsheet, lead aft belowdeck to Spinlock XTS clutches and six Harken winches. The wide mainsheet traveler is recessed beneath the teak cockpit sole, directly ahead of the twin wheels. A flap behind the traveler folds back to provide full access to the track. If needed, the mainsheet tails running beneath the side decks can be reached through the overhead below.
Test sailors found the helm remarkably light and precise, with subtle but accurate feedback. Pressed closehauled in apparent gusts above 20 knots, the helm loaded up very little and the rudder never came close to losing its grip.
In 16 knots of apparent wind at 80 degrees, the boat made 8.5 to 9 knots. At about 32 degrees in 18 knots, she still managed more than 8 knots. When spun hard, she turned within a single boatlength around her T-keel; in reverse, she proved equally predictable.
Cockpit and Deck Equipment
The open-transom cockpit has twin Solimar helms working a single rudder, along with a very easily accessed steering quadrant and a narrow fold-down swim platform.
The liferaft occupies a dedicated locker beneath the aft end of the port cockpit seat, from which it can be pushed directly overboard off the stern. Forward of the traveler, a clever folding cockpit table collapses into the sole. Testers noted, however, that it is a light structure usable only when the boat is idle.
Flush Moonlight hatches give the deck a sleek appearance. At the bow, a small but useful sail locker sits behind the belowdeck Furlex furler and anchor well.
Accommodations
The interior follows a straightforward layout for a boat of this size: two aft staterooms beneath the cockpit and a forward owner’s stateroom ahead of the mast.
The aft cabins have excellent vertical clearance above full rectangular double berths with no cutouts. Each also provides full standing headroom at the door, ample light, and plenty of storage.
Forward, the owner’s stateroom is genuinely luxurious, with a generous island double and an ensuite head. The head includes a separate shower and an electric Tecma toilet.
Amidships, an L-shaped galley lies to port, opposite a small second head fitted with another Tecma unit. The test boat’s galley had sleek black Corian counters, a three-burner Techimplex stove and oven, and two refrigerators: a large top-loading Isotherm and a smaller front-loading Frigoboat.
Just forward is a U-shaped dinette with a full-length sleeping settee. Opposite are a sliding centerline bench, a short starboard settee, and a small navigation station. The nav station is necessary because the cockpit has no place to mount a chartplotter.
Propulsion
Auxiliary power comes from a 55hp Volvo diesel. On the test boat, it turned a two-bladed folding Gori racing propeller.
At full throttle, the engine reached only 2,600 rpm, suggesting that the propeller needed tuning. Even so, the boat made 8.4 knots while 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 interpretation of the modern performance-cruiser brief. Its vacuum-infused vinylester hull with foam core, carbon-fiber structure in place of steel, and T-bulb lead keel with additional ballast carried low all support that aim.
She is quick, balanced, and unusually easy to handle for her size. Her belowdeck sail-control system is comprehensive and well organized, while the helm is light and precise. The interior is traditional in plan but well finished and spacious where it matters.
Pros
- Light, precise helm, with little loading in gusts and easy turns within a single boatlength
- Carbon-fiber structure and a T-bulb lead keel in place of heavier older construction
- Spacious aft and forward staterooms with full berths and good headroom
- Belowdeck sail controls, a recessed traveler, and accessible mainsheet tails
Cons
- The test boat’s folding racing propeller allowed the engine to reach only 2,600 rpm at full throttle
- The cockpit table is lightly built and suitable for use only while the boat is idle
- No space in the cockpit for a chartplotter mount
