Solaris 40 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common on the used market, but both two- and three-cabin versions are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The three-cabin boat gives a huge forward owner’s cabin with a separate shower and an aft heads without a separate stall, while the two-cabin version trades the third berth for a big deep cockpit locker to starboard. Either way the interior reads classic, with a forward-facing chart table, an L-shaped galley, and six hull windows bringing light below.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most boats on the market carry a strong passage-making kit. Commonly fitted are AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, heating, solar, inverter, code zero, asymmetric spinnaker, bow thruster, hot water, bimini, cockpit shower, and life raft—together these mean a buyer gets navigation, power, and downwind sail handling without immediate outlay. Often-seen additions include a furling main, swim platform, and EPIRB, which round out shorthanded sail handling and safety. For energy and autonomy, the solar and inverter combination paired with heating matters most in cooler cruising; for sail handling, the code zero and asymmetric spinnaker extend light-air range beyond the self-tacking jib.

What to Inspect

The cockpit ergonomics deserve a close look. The outboard helm placement leaves a wide gap between wheels that can make changing sides harder when the boat is well heeled bigger gap between outboard wheels, and the winches are positioned so they cannot be trimmed from the steering position. The recessed mainsheet traveller lets the sheet cross a part of the cockpit where crew stand during manoeuvres, and on some boats a low boom sweeps below 6ft across the cockpit; check whether a higher-clewed mainsail was specified. The test boat also lacked foot chocks at the folding helm seat and smaller grab handles near the companionway, and the cockpit felt lightly protected by cruising standards. Tankage is small for extended autonomy, so confirm actual fuel and water capacity against your plans. On deck, note that each cockpit locker can only be opened after a corner of the rope bags is detached.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These yachts typically appear in Italy, Greece, France, and the United States. For a buyer, the checklist is short: confirm layout (three-cabin more common, ex-charter common), verify the helm-to-winch reach and traveller path, ask for a higher-clewed main if boom height is an issue, and budget for modest tankage on long passages. A well-equipped example with the common navigation and sail-handling suite needs little before cruising.