Nautitech 40 Buyer's Guide
The Nautitech 40 occupies a well-defined niche in the used catamaran market: a French-built performance-oriented cruiser that takes sailing seriously without sacrificing the liveaboard comfort that charter operators and bluewater families demand. Produced from the early 2000s and refined over a long production run, this is a boat whose reputation was built on slender, fine-entry hulls, twin helm stations, and a conservatively sized sail plan designed to cope with the kind of sudden wind spikes that catch crews off guard in places like Croatia or the Caribbean. Buying a used example means buying into that philosophy — a cat that rewards an engaged helmsman and carries its years well, provided you know what to look for.
Layouts on the Used Market
The four-cabin charter configuration is the more prevalent option you will encounter when browsing brokerage listings. Charter operators ran the Nautitech 40 hard across the Mediterranean and Caribbean, so the majority of used examples were built and outfitted for that market. Each hull holds two cabins with athwartships queen berths, and the bridgedeck saloon serves as the social hub.
The owner's version is far less common but genuinely worth seeking out if you intend to liveaboard or cruise as a couple. In that layout, the entire starboard hull becomes a private suite — a large fore-and-aft berth aft, a generous head with separate shower forward, and a settee and desk in between. The port hull then carries the sailing crew or guests. Small bow cabins in each hull can be pressed into service for children or crew in either configuration. If liveaboard comfort is the priority, patience while searching for an owner-layout example is well rewarded.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Boats that have passed through charter fleets or been sailed offshore tend to arrive with a solid baseline of passage-making kit. Solar panels and a watermaker are commonly fitted, reflecting the self-sufficiency demanded of any boat spending time away from marinas. Dinghy davits, a cockpit shower, an inverter, and a rigid bimini are also widely found — the Nautitech 40 was notably among the first catamarans to popularize the rigid bimini as standard equipment, and it has become near-universal on used examples.
Navigation electronics — chartplotter, radar, and AIS — are frequently present, as is an autopilot, which is indispensable on any passage-making cat. A life raft and a trampoline complete the picture of a well-prepared cruiser. Starlink satellite connectivity has become a frequent owner upgrade on boats that have been recently refreshed.
A spinnaker or gennaker is often seen in the sail inventory, particularly on boats whose owners used the boat for light-air passages. On the electrical side, lithium battery banks are an increasingly common upgrade, often paired with enlarged solar arrays or a battery management system. Electric winches, a furling mainsail, and a freezer appear on better-equipped examples. Hot water systems and EPIRB units are sometimes present but not universal, making them useful items to negotiate into a sale if missing.
What to Inspect
The Nautitech 40's slender hulls are a key source of its sailing performance, but they also mean interior space below the waterline is tighter than on beamier charter cats. This makes inspection of the hull-to-deck joins and bulkhead bonding especially important — any flexing or movement in these joints in older hulls deserves close scrutiny. The twin saildrive installations are a focal point for any survey; saildrive bellows and seals should be inspected carefully, as these are wear items that require regular replacement and are a known source of water ingress if neglected.
The twin steering stations — one at the stern of each hull — are an appealing feature but add mechanical complexity. Inspect steering cables, sheaves, and hydraulic connections at both stations. The dual-winch arrangement, where main and genoa share the same winches via stoppers, is functional but places higher wear loads on those winches; check for internal corrosion and smooth operation under load.
On boats that have spent time in charter, pay particular attention to wear in the sail tracks, traveler, and clutches — these components see heavy use and are not always maintained to the standard a private owner would apply. The saloon windows and their seals are worth checking carefully; the wraparound glazing is a design highlight but can develop slow leaks over time that allow moisture to migrate into the bridgedeck structure. On any example with a rigid bimini, inspect the mounting structure and the bimini itself for stress cracks or delamination where it attaches to the coamings. The modest sail area relative to displacement was a deliberate charter-market choice for safety in variable conditions, so boats fitted with a larger overlapping genoa or a gennaker should have the forestay and chainplates checked with particular care if the rig has been pushed harder than the factory intended.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Nautitech 40 circulates widely across Europe and North America, with a particularly strong presence in France, Spain, and Croatia reflecting the boat's Mediterranean charter heritage. Significant numbers have also made their way to the United States and Australia, where the boat's offshore-capable design and manageable LOA make it a practical choice for coastal and bluewater cruising. The used supply is reasonably healthy, supported by a long production run and an active brokerage network on both sides of the Atlantic.
For the right buyer — someone who wants a genuinely capable sailing catamaran with a proven layout and strong parts availability — the Nautitech 40 represents a compelling used-market proposition. Before committing, run through the following:
- Commission a professional multihull survey with saildrive bellows and seals as an explicit survey item
- Confirm hull-to-deck joins and bulkhead bonding show no signs of movement or delamination
- Test both steering stations and trace all cables, sheaves, and hydraulic connections
- Inspect shared winches and all clutches for wear, especially on ex-charter boats
- Check bridgedeck structure and saloon window seals for moisture ingress
- Verify the sail inventory and condition of any running rigging additions such as gennaker or spinnaker gear
- On owner-layout examples, confirm the head plumbing and freshwater systems are fully functional
- Audit the electrical system for the presence and condition of solar, watermaker, and any lithium upgrades
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nautitech 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 11 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 229,635 | — |
| Mar 25 | 2 | $ 225,000 | -2.0% |
| Apr 25 | 1 | $ 124,528 | -44.7% |
| Jul 25 | 3 | $ 251,341 | +101.8% |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $ 352,966 | +40.4% |
| Jan 26 | 5 | $ 205,807 | -41.7% |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $ 222,780 | +8.2% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $ 236,926 | +6.3% |
| Apr 26 | 11 | $ 279,903 | +18.1% |
| May 26 | 3 | $ 225,000 | -19.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 257,054 | +14.2% |
Where they're listed
Nautitech 40 listings appear across 11 countries. France has the most listings with 5 (19.2%), followed by Australia and Spain.
Country view
26 listings · 11 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | $ 222,511 | 5 | 1 | 19.2% |
| Australia | $ 275,572 | 4 | 1 | 15.4% |
| Spain | $ 279,903 | 4 | 0 | 15.4% |
| United States | $ 225,000 | 4 | 1 | 15.4% |
| Croatia | $ 171,369 | 3 | 0 | 11.5% |
| Curacao | $ 340,000 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
| United Kingdom | $ 480,933 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
| Greece | $ 285,501 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
| Italy | $ 251,341 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
| Panama | $ 150,000 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
| French Polynesia | $ 251,341 | 1 | 0 | 3.8% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robertson and Caine 40 (2005-2009) | 39.27' | $ 333,598 | 346 | 135 |
| Nautitech 40 Open | 39.3' | $ 365,587 | 119 | 32 |
| Trimeran 43 | 43' | $ 450,905 | 37 | 8 |
| Elan 40 | 39.04' | $ 88,082 | 30 | 3 |
| Nautitech 40You are here | — | $ 251,341 | 27 | 4 |
| Manta 40 | 39.67' | $ 200,000 | 22 | 11 |
| Siltala 40 | 39.37' | $ 129,900 | 16 | 2 |
| Island Spirit 40 | 39.66' | $ 204,049 | 16 | 4 |
| Beneteau 40 | 39.83' | $ 152,174 | 16 | 3 |
| Pogo 40 | 39.96' | $ 170,227 | 15 | 3 |
| Solaris 40 | 40.55' | $ 514,107 | 5 | 3 |