RS RS400 Buyer's Guide
The RS400 is a 1990s two-man dinghy designed by Phil Morrison with LDC and built by LDC Racing Sailboats, with around 650 examples and a class selected for the UK's Endeavour Trophy. For a buyer scanning the used market, it is a high-performance planing double-hander whose beamy 4.52 m by 2.00 m hull and 85 kg weight put a premium on condition of controls and appendages rather than on interior fitout, which a dinghy of this type does not really have.
Layouts on the Used Market
Used RS400s follow the open dinghy format shared with the smaller RS200: a wide centre thwart carrying recessed cleats for vang, cunningham, and jib luff tension, a pivoting centreboard with adjustable friction, and a lifting rudder. The cockpit is not truly self-draining, so any boat's history of water exposure and subsequent care of the built-in bailer matters more than cosmetic presentation.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The meaningful inventory on a used RS400 centres on its rig and handling gear. A Proctor mast on an adjustable mast ram, Hyde sails, and a hoop-mounted mainsheet to a centre jammer define the standard platform. The asymmetric spinnaker with swinging pole and one-patch retrieval system are the downwind essentials, and a hidden pocket under the spinnaker chute keeps halyards tidy. Beyond that, the comprehensive instruction book is a genuine ownership asset for tuning.
What to Inspect
The non-self-draining hull means you should verify the ingenious built-in bailer functions and that the cockpit shows no neglected standing water damage. Check the pivoting centreboard and its simple adjustable friction device for free movement and wear, and confirm the lifting rudder is sound. Testers noted the boat's initial impression of rocking from chine to chine is normal, but once heeled slightly stability returns—so assess structural integrity rather than that motion. Inspect the recessed cleats and adjustable jib leads for cracked surrounds, and confirm the swinging pole and spinnaker chute pocket are intact.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Regional availability is not characterized here, so treat the active UK class presence and 650-boat fleet as the context for finding one. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm the bailer and non-self-draining cockpit condition, test the centreboard friction and rudder lift, verify rig controls and spinnaker gear, and obtain the instruction book. A sound RS400 offers race-circuit credibility and sharp performance equal to most trapeze boats.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the RS RS400. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | 1 | $8,097 | — |
Where they're listed
RS RS400 listings appear across 1 country. Germany has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $8,097 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |