BoatsGulf 40 (Garden)

Gulf 40 (Garden)

Cutter · Long Keel · First built 1959

A William Garden-designed cutter with a long keel, built for heavy-weather comfort and later produced in fiberglass

Designed by William Garden, built by Cheoy Lee Shipyard Ltd.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Gulf 40 (Garden), on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Gently

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 narrow beam gives 42 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 42
CoastalBluewater

At 1.57 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.57
LightHeavy

384 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 384
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 12.1
TenderStiff

24% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 24%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Draws more than ~94% of boats her size on file

Compared with 396 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Gulf 40 (Garden), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Gulf 40 (GARDEN) is a 12.1-meter cutter-rigged sailboat designed by William Garden, built with a long keel, and displacing 9525 kg. Production began in 1959 by Cheoy Lee Shipyard Ltd. and continues to the present, with later fiberglass versions known as the Cape San Lucas 40 built by Gulf Marine Products in the USA. Its design, Garden #392, features a 3.3-meter beam and a 1.9-meter draft.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

  • Author sold it after deciding it was too slow and heavy for round-the-world sailing

    from Sailing Gentlyseen June 2023watch

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
23.8%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.1
Displacement / length
384.4
Comfort ratio
42.2
Capsize screening
1.57
Hull speed
7.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1122
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Wood
Production
Years built
First built 1959
Designer
William Garden
Builder
Cheoy Lee Shipyard Ltd

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.

Cabo Rico 3811.58 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterAn aft-cockpit evolution of the Tiburon 36, offering a heavy-displacement cutter platform for stable blue-water sailing
S/V SeaSprite Refit Update Late May 2026from Hold Fast!
Allied Boat Co. Mistress 3912.09 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement Arthur Edmunds ketch available in both aft and centre cockpit configurations for stable cruising
Allied Boat Company: The Fiberglass Sailboat That Changed Everythingfrom Lady K Sailing
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38from Practical Sailor
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor
Alberg 3711.33 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA long-keeled masthead sloop produced for two decades with a transition from wood-heavy interiors to moulded fiberglass
Carl Alberg’s Family Sailboat for the Ocean - Alberg 371:35from Practical Sailor
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Gulf 32A William Garden-designed long-keel cutter built for twenty-five years, offering a heavy, stable ride for offshore cruisingMariner 40 (Garden)A William Garden-designed masthead ketch with a long keel, built in wood and later fiberglass for offshore cruisingGulfstar Yachts 40 (Hood)A Ted Hood-designed masthead sloop featuring a keel-centerboard configuration for versatile draft in a sturdy 40-foot hullGulfstar Yachts 40 (CC)A masthead sloop sharing its hull with the 39, originally commissioned for The Moorings charter fleetGulf 39A 1971 masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, designed for stable, comfortable coastal cruisingGulfstar Yachts 40 SailmasterA centre-cockpit cruiser featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, designed for the charter market

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Gulf 40 (Garden), or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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