Design and Construction
Herreshoff gave the NY40 a beam of 14 feet to match the girth of his own NY50, a width uncharacteristic of the designer and one that drew contemporary criticism. Many critics at the time considered the Forties a somewhat compromised yacht, citing the high freeboard and pronounced deadrise. Yet the numbers tell a sturdier story: at a loaded displacement of 48,200 pounds with 24,555 pounds of lead on the fin, the ballast-to-displacement ratio sits at just under 51 percent, and the comfort ratio of 46.3 marks a vessel built to carry crew and weather rather than chase rating points. The 40-foot waterline and 8.16-foot draft gave a hull speed near 8.5 knots. Wooden hull and deck, solid construction without a core, and a skeg-hung rudder complete a picture of a traditional plank-on-frame yacht with modern ballast philosophy.
Rig and Handling
The first dozen left the builder as gaff-rigged sloops without bowsprits, a rig that the following year gained both increased sail area and a bowsprit. The reported sail plan of 771 square feet on the gaff sloop, later adapted on some hulls to yawl configuration, produced a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 9.31 — modest by modern standards but ample for a heavy hull. Period seamen found the type forgiving and rugged: Edwin J. Schoettle described the New York 40's as excellent, heavy-weather boats, having an ability to withstand all kinds of rough handling, both by men and weather, and added that he had been told a 40 has never been seen reefed. Casper Whitney, writing of the designer's work, credited that Herreshoff characteristic of passing unperturbed through agitated waters. Two NY40s won the Bermuda Race as yawls, and Rugosa II took the 1928 edition overall with a 6.4-knot average and elapsed time of 103 hours, 13 minutes, 48 seconds — out of 25 starters. The class enjoyed great success as a tough seaworthy vessel.
Accommodations and Use
The one-design rule and crew limits shaped the Forties as racer-cruisers for gentleman owners. With four paid hands and two racing crew, the layout served dual purpose on club courses and offshore passages. Rugosa II was later converted for offshore cruising and racing as a jib-headed yawl, evidence that individual owners adapted the class to long-distance work. The high freeboard that drew critique also granted interior volume unusual for a Herreshoff of the era, though the sources do not detail berth or cabin arrangement.
Known Issues
The concerns are historical and perceptual: contemporary reviewers judged the high freeboard and deadrise a compromise, and the wooden construction inherently demands vigilant maintenance absent from later fiberglass designs. The survival rate argues against endemic weakness — four of the original twelve 1916 hulls remain, and all of the 1925-built yachts exist.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a surviving Forty is ownership of a living museum piece that still races. The surviving six remaining 40s currently are still winning races, a century after launch. Conversion history shows at least one hull, Rugosa II, re-rigged to a jib-headed yawl for offshore service. The limited production — fourteen in all — means each hull carries individual provenance, and the class's status as the last large one-design built by a single builder adds to the stewardship burden and reward.
The Verdict
The New York Yacht Club 40 is a wooden one-design of serious pedigree and proven offshore capacity, whose beam and ballast mark a departure for its designer yet deliver a seaworthy, heavy-air performer that has outlasted most of its contemporaries. It asks more of an owner than a modern production boat, but it repays with history and the company of a tight class still competing.
Pros
- Last large one-design class built by a single yard for NYYC; fourteen hulls, six still racing
- Heavy-weather toughness praised by period sailors; Bermuda Race winning record
- High ballast ratio and comfort ratio for stable, able passage-making
Cons
- Wooden construction with high freeboard drew contemporary critique as compromised
- Limited professional crew under class rule; demanding upkeep for a century-old wooden yacht
