BoatsNordic Yachts 40

Nordic Yachts 40

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1982–1991

A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and balanced displacement

Designed by Robert H. Perry.

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

See her sail

The Nordic Yachts 40, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 28 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 28
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.90
LightHeavy

234 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 234
EasygoingPowered-up

17.7 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.7
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Nordic Yachts 40, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Nordic Yachts 40 is a Robert H. Perry-designed masthead sloop built by Nordic Yachts from 1982 to 1991, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on skeg. It measures 12.1 meters LOA, with a 3.8-meter beam, 2.0-meter draft, and 8164 kg displacement. The design offers a comfort ratio of 28.0 and a sail area to displacement ratio of 17.7.

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
39.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.7
Displacement / length
234.1
Comfort ratio
28.0
Capsize screening
1.90
Hull speed
7.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1443
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
FG single laminate
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1982–1991
Units built
32
Designer
Robert H. Perry
Builder
Nordic

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.

Bavaria Yachts 39012.15 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-metre fractional sloop originally built for the charter trade, featuring a 37.5% ballast ratio for coastal stability
Why Does A Sailboat Keel Fall Off?3:09from Practical Sailor
Beneteau 4012.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2007 Berret-Racoupeau design with a 1.9m draft, also marketed internationally as the Oceanis 40 and Moorings 41.3
Lithium Batteries on Boats: A Real World Example of a Lithium Battery Install0:45from Cruising Maya
Beneteau Oceanis 4012.15 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA spacious fractional sloop from Berret-Racoupeau featuring a versatile optional shallow draft keel
40' Beneteau Oceanis Full Sailboat Tour (Wonderful Turkish Couple)32:06from Adventureman Dan
J/40 Classic12.19 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.19-metre masthead sloop with a 1.98m draft, balanced for offshore cruising and production stability
On the Dock in Cherbourg 14:39from The Mariner
Dufour Yachts 405 Grand Large12.17 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-metre cruiser featuring a 2.03m fin keel and a balanced displacement-to-ballast ratio for stable coastal passages
Dufour 405from SVN solovelanet
Beneteau Oceanis 40012.19 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Groupe Finot-designed masthead sloop built for the charter trade and widely known as the Moorings 405
Women at Sea (Sailing Zatara Z-Log)3:21from Sailing Zatara

The family

Boats like this

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

Nordic Yachts 44A 1980s production cruiser with a 40% ballast ratio, designed for offshore speed and stiff handling in heavy airNordic Yachts 34A Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop originally built as the Islander 34-2, offering a balanced, stiff performanceNorstar 40A 2010 relaunch of the Nordic 40 featuring a new drop-down transom on a proven Robert Perry fin-keel hullNordship Yachts 40 DSA 12.9-metre deck saloon cruiser designed by Borghegn with a high comfort ratio for extended offshore passage-capable living

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