She comes from the waning years of Moody’s pre-Dixon design lineage: a Primrose-era boat rather than one of the beamy Decksaloon models that followed.
Design and Construction
The Moody 40 measures 39.5 feet overall and 32.5 feet on the waterline, with a 13.33-foot beam and a length-to-beam ratio of 2.97. Draft varies with load from roughly 5.5 to 5.8 feet, allowing her to fit into most marinas.
Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass. The 18,150-pound displacement includes 6,680 pounds of iron ballast, giving a ballast ratio of 37 percent. The underwater profile has about 462 square feet of wetted surface.
Her immersion rate is about 1,509 pounds per inch. That figure reflects a heavily built hull that sits deep in the water and resists large changes in trim as crew or stores come aboard.
Stability and Performance
The numbers describe a moderate-displacement cruiser rather than a featherweight racer. A displacement-to-length ratio of 236 puts the Moody 40 among boats reviewers categorize as moderate racers. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio—reported as 13.79 in one set of figures and 13.78 in another—points to a cruising rig that is adequate but not overpowered.
A Motion Comfort Ratio of 25.6, also reported as 25.76, suggests a comfortable motion at sea. The capsize screening value is 2.03, below the threshold accepted for participation in ocean racing. Together, these figures describe a stable, comfortable hull form intended more for passage-making than all-out competition.
The theoretical hull speed is 7.6 knots, the conventional displacement-hull limit for a boat of this waterline length.
Rig and Handling
The Moody 40 carries a masthead sloop rig with a reported sail area of 595 square feet, paired with a fin keel and spade rudder. Her SA/D figure of 13.78 suggests she’s no light-air screamer, although the moderate-racer classification implies that she responds well enough under sail in typical cruising grounds.
The 32.5-foot waterline and 39.5-foot overall length give her the footing to hold her theoretical 7.6-knot maximum in a seaway. Her modest draft—described here as both 5.5 feet and, depending on load, roughly 5.5 to 5.8 feet—also helps keep her manageable in confined harbors.
Accommodations and Tankage
The available record gives no details of the interior arrangement beyond the principal volumes implied by the boat’s 13.33-foot beam. Tankage comprises 108 gallons of water and 53 gallons of diesel.
The comfort ratio of 25.76 and capsize screening value of 2.03 suggest a hull tuned more for liveaboard steadiness than sprint speed.
The Verdict
The Moody 40 is a Primrose-designed, Moody-built fiberglass cruiser with moderate displacement and conservative rig proportions. She combines a heavily built hull with a stable, comfortable motion profile and a draft shallow enough for broad marina access. Her modest sail plan and capsize screening value, however, mark her as a cruising passage-maker rather than an ocean racer.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck
- 6,680 pounds of iron ballast and a 37 percent ballast ratio
- Stable, comfortable motion profile, with a Motion Comfort Ratio of 25.6
- Draft of around 5.5 feet allows broad marina access
- A moderate-racer D/L ratio of 236 balances load-carrying ability and performance
Cons
- A capsize screening value of 2.03 excludes her from ocean-race acceptance
- An SA/D ratio of 13.78 is modest for light-air sailing
- Fewer than 100 were built, so brokerage availability is limited
