Berret Racoupeau drew the boat as a 42-foot-class monohull with a 36-foot-1-inch waterline, 13-foot-3-inch beam, and 22,050-pound displacement. Production ran from 2005 through 2007, with 38 hulls completed.
Design and Construction
Berret Racoupeau shaped the Pilot Saloon 41 to echo the larger Pilot Saloon 47 in profile while keeping the smaller boat’s proportions under control. The hull and deck are solid fiberglass. Iron ballast weighs 7,496 pounds, giving a ballast-displacement ratio of 34 percent.
Secondary moldings allow compound shapes that couldn’t be achieved with a single-piece deck. These moldings also form covers that conceal and partly shield the sail-control lines leading to the cockpit.
The large saloon windows are structural, made from acrylic thick enough to carry loads and bonded to the cabin trunk with a specialized adhesive. Opening ports are hidden behind louvered trim, and the windows provide panoramic views from the nav desk, galley, and saloon.
Storage and technical spaces are generous amidships, and a proper bilge sump allows the pump to keep them dry. The aft bulkhead of the cabin trunk slopes to recover headroom below, although testers found its angle a little pronounced.
Wauquiez’s trademark stern platform hinges down from the transom, but it has no swimmer’s ladder. That omission makes boarding from a dinghy more difficult in a light chop and leaves the recessed life raft exposed.
Rig, Cockpit, and Handling
The Pilot Saloon 41 is a masthead sloop with 687 square feet of sail area on the 100-percent rig. Buyers could choose a furling or conventional mainsail, a genoa or self-tacking jib, and a furling reacher.
The cockpit is elevated along with the saloon roof, giving the helm an uninterrupted sightline. The steering console accommodates modest display units, while the cockpit table folds flat against it to clear the working area under sail. The coaming wraps around the stern to provide good seating behind the helm. However, it widens inboard to form the helm seat, which causes water to pool in the leeward cockpit seat when the boat is heeled.
The high saloon roof, while useful for waist-high grabrails at the lifeline gate, makes climbing up to furl the mainsail awkward.
Under power, a 54-horsepower Yanmar drove the boat to 8.5 knots at 3,100 rpm and a quiet 7.4 knots at 2,300 rpm in flat water. The conventional propeller produced slight prop walk when backing from a stop, but the spade rudder corrected it once the boat gathered way.
Accommodations
The interior uses a three-level sole out of necessity. The companionway ladder leads down to the dining area and nav desk to port. One step lower, the galley places the cook at eye level with diners to starboard. The master cabin is one step aft, while the forward stateroom is another step down.
The aft owner’s cabin has an en-suite head and stall shower, with space that rivals a center-cockpit layout. The forward guest cabin is nearly as large but lacks the shower, and its berth narrows more at the tip than the voluminous aft berth. Saloon seating takes the form of a rectangular U.
A wet locker stands beside the companionway. Lee cloths beneath the settee and a split mattress in the master cabin reinforce the boat’s seagoing intent.
Cruising Equipment and Service Access
Standard ocean-capable provisions include a jackline kit with receiving padeyes and harness padeyes in the cockpit. A windlass sits beneath a forward hatch that also reveals a storage bin, creating an otherwise serious twin-roller anchoring setup.
Testers did identify a trap at the forward hatch: a wrap of 5/8-inch line around the starboard mooring cleat can effectively seal the hatch shut.
Engine and stern-gland access beneath the companionway foot is straightforward, and the bilges and machinery spaces are readily accessible. Fuel capacity is 58 gallons, while water capacity is 116 gallons, supporting extended cruising. The builder promoted the Pilot Saloon 41 as a fully ocean-capable liveaboard.
The design can gain weight quickly when fitted with a generator and similar additions, which is worth weighing against the sail plan and intended performance.
The Verdict
The Pilot Saloon 41 condenses the raised-saloon concept into a 41-foot hull that feels larger than its length suggests. It offers two nearly equal double cabins, a sheltered elevated helm, and structural glazing that fills the interior with light.
It’s a serious cruiser with thoughtful standard safety equipment, but the cockpit drainage and forward-hatch line trap are genuine blemishes. The high roof also makes mainsail furling awkward, and the lack of a ladder on the stern platform complicates boarding from the water.
Pros
- Generous aft and forward staterooms, with an en-suite stall shower aft
- Elevated cockpit with unobstructed helm visibility and a folding table
- Structural acrylic windows with discreet opening ports
- Easy access to the engine and stern gland, plus a proper bilge sump
- Standard jacklines, harness padeyes, and windlass storage
Cons
- Water pools in the leeward cockpit seat when heeled
- A line around the starboard cleat can trap the forward hatch shut
- High, awkward perch for furling the mainsail
- No swimmer’s ladder on the stern platform
- Generator and similar options can add weight quickly
