Nauticat 40 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Sparkman & Stephens reshaped the Nauticat line for the 1980s by replacing the earlier full keel with a modern fin keel, which reduced wetted surface and improved sailing and seakeeping. The keel retains a long chord for directional stability while keeping draft modest at 5 feet 9 inches. Below the waterline the hull is solid GRP single-skin, hand-laminated from E-glass fabrics in polyester resin during the 1980s, with no vacuum bagging or resin infusion employed. The rudder hangs aft on a skeg and is given balance by a lower horn section projecting forward of the shaft. Above the sheerline, the deck is built with a balsa-cored fiberglass laminate, and the S&S designs dropped the original sliding pilothouse side doors in favor of improved seaworthiness. Teak decking provides secure footing on the exterior.

The S&S trio of Nauticats, including this 40, carry shorter pilothouses, smaller windows, less freeboard, and a flatter but still springy sheer than earlier models. To compensate for reduced forward visibility from the cockpit, the designers raised the cockpit sole high enough to see over the pilothouse roof. The boat’s essential pilothouse character is intact, with an inside and outside steering station and a high center cockpit.

Rig and Handling

Most Nauticat 40s are delivered as staysail ketches with a masthead rig, a fixed staysail stay, and a fixed bowsprit, carrying 948 square feet across main, #2 genoa, and mizzen. A cutter-rigged example such as Pyxis used the same sail plan without the mizzen and a keel-stepped mast, with just 552 square feet in main and working jib. On a test sail in light air, the boat reached 5 knots on a close reach in 7 knots of wind and generally made 4 to 6 knots, coming through tacks smartly.

The numbers tell the comfort-biased story: an extremely high displacement-to-length-waterline ratio of 390, a low ballast-displacement ratio of 29 percent, and a sail-area-displacement ratio of 12.9. Her capsize number sits well under the safety threshold of 2, and the comfort ratio is a notably high 45. Hydraulic steering is standard, with provision for an emergency tiller if the system fails.

Accommodations

The interior is light and airy, organized around a center cockpit and pilothouse. Four steps down enters the pilothouse with a nav station suited to Baltic cruising, a 360-degree helm view, and a hatch above the helm for sail visibility and ventilation. A raised port dinette places occupants at eye level with the large windows; forward and down lie a compact galley to port and a starboard dinette that converts to a small double bunk with a privacy curtain. A further forward head and cabin hold a small double bunk and a seat sized for two children.

Aft, the owner’s cabin is large, with a full-width berth and an en-suite head featuring a separate shower stall. This aft cabin is more sumptuous than those of the Gulfstar 39 and Pacific Seacraft 40. Storage is massive throughout, and forced-air heating is fitted for cold-weather use. The inside pilot station offers a comfy chair and full instruments, letting the helmsman stay out of the elements.

Known Issues

Owners report no evidence of osmotic blisters on their Nauticat 40 hulls, consistent with the solid below-waterline laminate. The principal vulnerability is the balsa-cored deck: if water tracks down dried-out bungs over screw heads and into the core, deck integrity can be severely compromised. The high center cockpit also creates a fair-lead problem for foresail sheets, a design consequence rather than a defect.

Refits and Ownership

The 40 carries 230 gallons of fresh water in two tanks beneath the galley and a documented example held just over 200 gallons of diesel, burning roughly 1.5 gallons per hour under power. A 90-horsepower Ford Lehman engine with a 22-inch Max-Prop propelled the cutter-rigged Pyxis, and a vertical electric windlass with wireless anchor remote simplified anchoring. The blend of inside steering, heating, and storage makes the boat a long-season coastal and moderate-offshore cruiser.

The Verdict

The Nauticat 40 is a comfort-first pilothouse ketch with genuine sailing ability in light to moderate air, a protected helm, and an exceptionally roomy aft cabin. Its heavy displacement and low sail plan favor passage-making ease over speed, and the balsa deck core demands vigilance. For the cruiser who values shelter and stowage over racer-like performance, it is a considered choice.

Pros