BoatsPearson Yachts 40

Pearson Yachts 40

Masthead Sloop · Keel/CB & Spade Rudder · 1979–1981

A 12-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-metre draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speed

Designed by William H. Shaw.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/CB & Spade Rudder

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts 40, on the water

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

Footage from keeldragger

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 36 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 36
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.77
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 334
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.0
TenderStiff

54% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 54%

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

  • Draws more than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 269 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson 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 Pearson Yachts 40 is a 1979–1981 William H. Shaw-designed masthead sloop, built by Pearson Yachts as a racer-cruiser. It measures 12.2 meters LOA with a 3.8-meter beam and a 2.9-meter draft, displacing 10,341 kg. Aboard *keeldragger*, the 1982 Pearson 40 SV Marbella, hull 67 of 71 built, features a swing keel that extends to 9.4 feet for upwind performance and retracts to just over four feet for shoal-water access in areas like the Sea of Cortez, the Bahamas, and Florida.7:01 The flush deck design maximizes interior volume and provides clear foredeck space for dinghy stowage.6:41 SV Marbella carries a three-year-old main with three reef points, a 130% Genoa on a furler, and a mast-mounted whisker pole for wing-on-wing sailing.4:50 A hydraulic boom vang and backstay allow sail-shape adjustments from the cockpit.5:58 Navigation equipment includes a Raymarine radar with chartplotter, an older Garmin GPS, and an iPad running Navionics, receiving AIS via a Wi-Fi router.14:41 The boat has a 50-gallon fuel capacity and 100 gallons of water, with the engine burning 0.6–0.7 gallons per hour.10:23 The engine is reversed in the bilge, making impeller access difficult.28:33 Aboard *keeldragger*, the crew sailed SV Marbella from Mazatlan across the Sea of Cortez to La Paz, encountering light winds and GPS spoofing incidents, which they countered by logging position, heading, and speed every two hours.8:45

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Pearson Yachts 40 on video

What they go for

Market signal

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

1seen for sale

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
53.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.0
Displacement / length
333.5
Comfort ratio
36.0
Capsize screening
1.77
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1396
Hull
Hull type
Keel/CB & spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1979–1981
Units built
71
Designer
William H. Shaw
Builder
Pearson Yachts

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.

Irwin Yacht 43 (1971)13.26 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA 13.26-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.44-metre draft and keel-centreboard configuration for offshore stability
Bristol Yachts 41.112.54 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA masthead sloop with a deep 3.05-metre keel-centreboard draft, bridging the gap between the 411 and 43.3 models
Southerly 135 MK 113.41 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA Dick Carter-designed masthead sloop featuring a versatile swing keel for deep-water performance and shoal-draft access
Ovni 43512.90 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA 12.9-metre aluminum cutter with a lifting keel, optimized for offshore stability and shoal-water exploration
Brewer 4413.41 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA stretched evolution of the 12.8 featuring a reverse transom and a versatile keel-centerboard configuration
Irwin Yachts 38-111.51 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA 1970 masthead sloop featuring a deep-draft keel-centerboard configuration and a spade rudder for shoal-water versatility

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue