Moody 40 Buyer's Guide
The Moody 40 (Primrose) on the used market is a Pre-Dixon, Angus Primrose-designed fibreglass cruiser built by A. H. Moody & Son Ltd in the late seventies, with fewer than 100 examples produced. Buyers shopping brokerage listings are therefore dealing with a low-volume boat whose equipment and layout variety is shaped more by owner history than by factory options at scale.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The Moody 40 (Primrose) was designed by Angus S. Primrose in the late seventies and built by the British yard A. H. Moody & Son Ltd, with a fibreglass hull and fin keel under a masthead rig. The 39.5 ft LOA and 13.33 ft beam, with a load-dependent draft of about 5.51–5.81 ft, describe a boat that fits standard Mediterranean and Atlantic marina berths without special arrangement.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, heating, autopilot, and life raft are commonly fitted to Moody 40 (Primrose) boats. Solar, lithium batteries, inverter, bow thruster, bimini, radar, AIS, and chartplotter are often seen as well. The builder's own specification carries a 47 hp Thornycroft T109 diesel on a shaft drive, 53 gal fuel and 108 gal water capacity, and a 595 sq ft sailplan on the masthead sloop rig — a baseline that owners have typically supplemented rather than replaced.
What to Inspect
The authority documents for the Moody 40 (Primrose) do not list model-specific structural defects, drainage failures, or flooding paths. The documented facts are limited to configuration and ratio evidence: the hull is fibreglass, the boat is built with a fin keel and masthead rig, and the capsize screening value of 2.03 indicates it would not be accepted to participate in ocean races. A standard marine survey remains the appropriate inspection path rather than a list of known faults.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Moody 40 (Primrose) typically appears in Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and United States markets. Given fewer than 100 built, listings are intermittent rather than abundant.
- Confirm three-cabin vs alternative layout and ex-charter history
- Verify heating, autopilot, and life raft are present as commonly fitted
- Check often-seen upgrades (solar, lithium, inverter, bow thruster, bimini, radar, AIS, chartplotter)
- Commission a full survey; no model-specific defects are documented
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Moody 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $ 85,985 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $ 74,463 | -13.4% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $ 129,015 | +73.3% |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $ 111,494 | -13.6% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 68,787 | -38.3% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $ 85,985 | +25.0% |
Where they're listed
Moody 40 listings appear across 7 countries. Spain has the most listings with 4 (36.4%), followed by Netherlands and Belgium.
Country view
11 listings · 7 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | $ 85,985 | 4 | 0 | 36.4% |
| Netherlands | $ 127,946 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Belgium | $ 68,787 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Greece | $ 79,106 | 1 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Ireland | $ 62,941 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Italy | $ 40,126 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| United States | $ 185,000 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moody 34 | 33.42' | $ 43,256 | 21 | 3 |
| Moody 37 | 37' | $ 67,626 | 19 | 3 |
| Moody 42 | 41.79' | $ 64,255 | 14 | 2 |
| Moody 33 Mk I | 33' | $ 20,646 | 13 | 4 |
| Moody 39 | 38.58' | $ 54,087 | 12 | 3 |
| Primrose design 40You are here | — | $ 86,023 | 11 | 1 |
| Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch | 40.16' | $ 26,000 | 11 | 10 |