BoatsColvic Craft Victor 40

Colvic Craft Victor 40

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1978

A John A. Bennett-designed masthead ketch also known as the Blackwater 40, built for steady, comfortable passage-making

Designed by John A. Bennett & Assoc.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Colvic Craft Victor 40, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Reversing Entropy

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

1.79 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.79
LightHeavy

280 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 280
EasygoingPowered-up

10.4 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 10.4
TenderStiff

45% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 45%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~80% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2742 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Colvic Craft Victor 40, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Colvic Craft Victor 40 is a masthead ketch designed by John A. Bennett, Assoc. and built by Colvic Craft from 1978 to the present. It has a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, measures 12.2 meters LOA, 3.8 meters beam, and 1.8 meters draft, displacing 9999 kg. A variant, the BLACKWATER 40, was fitted out by Swinton and Wilkingson in the UK. The main sail is 21.74 sq m, the mizzen 9.66 sq m, and the genoa 41.25 sq m. Aboard Reversing Entropy, the crew noted that Dyneema rigging, while DIY-installable, is vulnerable to nicks after tensioning.16:04 They also highlighted the importance of a floating 12-volt electrical system on aluminum hulls to prevent stray current corrosion, ensuring the engine negative is not grounded to the hull.3:31 For anchoring, 120 meters of 10mm chain provides a safety margin for deep water despite its weight.23:46

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
45.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
10.4
Displacement / length
280.2
Comfort ratio
33.8
Capsize screening
1.79
Hull speed
7.7 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1463
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1978
Designer
John A. Bennett, Assoc
Builder
Colvic Craft

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Hans Christian Christina 4012.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA fin-keeled cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, offering a more modern underwater profile for the Hans Christian fleet
First Sail on my New 40 foot Boat10:28from Garrett’s Adventure
Moody 40 (Dixon)12.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1990s cruiser featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, optimized for a balance of coastal performance
Ella Hibbert: solo sailing above the Arctic Circle8:47from Podcast Maré Sonora ®
Valiant Yachts 40-212.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter built for offshore passage-making, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, heavy hull
New Boat??? Haul out and Survey - Valiant 40 (Sep-Oct 2019)0:49from keeldragger
Dufour Yachts 405 Grand Large12.17 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-meter cruiser featuring a 2.03m fin keel and a balanced displacement-to-ballast ratio for stable coastal passages
Dufour 405from SVN solovelanet
Hunter Marine 40.5 Legend12.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA B&R rigged cruiser featuring a shoal-draft wing keel designed for stable, comfortable coastal passage making
Back on the Water in Texas! Buc-ee’s, Broken Brakes & Baby’s First Sail VLOG 280 4K16:23from Sailing Sunday
O'day 4012.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-metre masthead sloop featuring an extended sugar scoop stern and a taller rig on later production models
O’Day 40 - A Budget Cruiser for the Bahamasfrom Practical Sailor

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Colvic Craft Victor 34A John A. Bennett-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, sharing its hull design with the Canadian-built North Sea 34Colvic Craft 31A 1972 Colvic-built cruiser featuring a high comfort ratio and shallow 1.22-metre draft for versatile coastal workColvic Craft Countess 37A cutter-rigged cruiser by Ian L. Anderson featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for balanced offshore handling

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