Grand Soleil 40 |
Four 40ft performance cruisers at Dusseldorf are not bad, in these times, where 38/40ft performance cruisers have become almost an endangered species. In regards to the market, new 40ft boats have become quite rare: most cruisers prefer bigger boats, and the ones that want cruiser-racers, opt for smaller models to reduce costs, and to be able to race them with a smaller crew, or, if they have the money for it, they choose bigger yachts.
Grand Soleil 40 |
Let's start with the new Grand Soleil 40, a very beamy boat designed by one of the IRC/ORC magicians, Matteo Polli.
Proportionally the 40 is even beamier than the 44, having an 11.90m HL and a 4.07m beam. Note that when I am talking about a very beamy boat I am referring to beamy for a performance cruiser with a good overall sail performance (and not maximized only for downwind sailing).
All above, Grand Soleil 40 |
If we compare the GS 40 beam, with the one of Oceanis 40.1, the Dufour 41, or Hanse 418, we will see that they all are beamier boats (4.18, 4.30, 4.18m). But the GS 40 is beamier than the Sun Odyssey 410 (3.99 to 4.07m) and that is amazing, being the GS44 a performance cruiser.
All this will give it a much better Power/Drag relation that we will see reflected in the different SA/D upwind, 24.2 for the GS and 19.6 for the SO. The sail area in a sailboat is directly related to sailing power (RM at sailing heel angles) and normally, if both boats have a main and a jib, the SA/D upwind is a good way to have an idea about the Power/Drag relation.
I am very curious about the GS40 sail and racing performance due to what seems to me an excessive beam for optimal performance, and even more, after having looked at the hull, that seems odd to me, meaning not like any other I have ever seen, in the aft sections.
I know that the hull has been tested in multiple configurations with the aid of CFD software, to find out what was the best shape in what regards the best compromise, taking into account different points of sail, wind, and different sea conditions and I guess the strangeness I find on the hull design has to do with diminishing drag in weak wind conditions.
Above and below, Arcona 415 |
Faurby 400 |
A single rudder offers less reliability (in case it is broken, by orcas or in a shock with some debris) and it poses a liability while med mooring. For sailing and cruising in the med I would advise the 2.4m draft version (the standard one) because the other two (2.10 and 1.85m) shallow draft versions will have the rudder at about the same depth as the keel, making it very exposed, and if touching the ground with the keel at slow speed is not a problem, the same cannot be said regarding the rudder, especially if you are sailing backward (while med mooring).
Faurby 400 |
Many will say that the longitudinal galley is not the best solution to be used at sea, and they will be right, but it is the best solution to be used when the boat is at anchor or at the marina or sailing heeling that side, allowing for a bigger galley.
Faurby 396 with open cockpit, the 396 is the same as the 400 with the difference of having a bit less freeboard. |
Grand Soleil 40 |
Solaris 40 Below, Arcona 410 (same hull as the 415) |
Faurby 400 |
Outside, the chain locker is big and can store an extra sail, or fenders. The storage at the stern, under the cockpit, is also big, but there is no other locker in the cockpit (all space under the seats was used for increasing aft cabins area), and that will create a problem while cruising, being difficult to find on the big aft storage all that small stuff that is needed while cruising and that is normally stored under the seats. Not the best place to have a liferaft either.
Grand Soleil 40 |
Solaris 40, 2 and 3 cabin versions |
https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2022/03/new-grand-soleil-40.html
Arcona 415, two different 3 cabin version layouts. It is also offered a 2 cabin version layout. |
Below, one of the possible Faurby 400 layouts |
Above and below, GS40 |
Above and below, Solaris 40 |
The GS40, with the right equipment, can perform well at a high level (we need confirmation regarding that), the Solaris 40 will not shame its owner at club regattas and can even perform well, depending on the opposition.
Above and below, Arcona 415 |
Below, Faurby 400 |
The Solaris interior is more discreet in regards to style than the one of the GS 40, both have very good designs and are very nice, with a very good finish.
More about the Solaris 40 here:
https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2021/12/solaris-40-on-water.htmlThe Arcona 415 has a relatively new MKII, with a hull from the 410, a very good sailboat designed some years ago by the late Srefan Qviberg. The new version offers an open transom, an integrated bowsprit, a cabin with a continuous window, and a new interior.
Regarding the interior, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the finish of the boat that was at Dusseldof, in regard to cabinet door adjustments, which were not perfect, even if all the rest maintained the same high-quality standards that are an Arcona trademark. It was the first time that I saw that in an Arcona, that are normally very well finished, and the fact is that the other boat in the stand, an Arcona 435 was impeccable.
Grand Soleil 40 transom |
The Arconas are fast performance cruisers in a kind of classical way, beautiful boats, very well built and finished and that in the near future will be probably even better, in what regards a more modern design. I will leave that for another post, but you can have a hint here:
Grand Soleil 40 hull |
Anyway, it is refreshing to see a brand of performance cruisers refusing to produce very beamy boats to have the benefit of a huge interior. The Arcona 415 is slightly longer than the two previous boats, it has a 12.20m HL for a moderate beam of 3.90m. It is not a narrow boat but the beam is much smaller than the one of the GS40 (4.07) or the one of the Solaris 40 (4.10m).
With a displacement of 7800kg, it is almost as light as the GS40 (7500) and much lighter than the Solaris (9400kg). It has a similar B/D ratio, 33.3%, that compares with 32.5% on the Solaris and 33.3% on the GS, but it should be said that its smaller draft, 2.20 (compared with 2.40m) and a less efficient L lead bulbed keel will make that B/D less efficient.
Solaris 40 hull |
In regards to running ringing, it has a set-up similar to the one of the GS40 and as in the GS only 4 winches are standard, but the boat is in fact designed for a 6 winch setup (unless it uses a self-tacking rail for a jib) and in fact, I have never seen one with only 4 winches. It comes standard with genoa and the main travelers.
Above and below, Arcona 415 |
In regards to sailing potential, the Arcona 415 has a 26.4 SA/D that compares with 22.8 SA/D (Solaris) and 24.2 or 25.2 on the Grand Soleil, depending on the version and size of the mast. No doubt it would be considerably faster than the Solaris 40 in most conditions; regarding the GS40 is hard to say, due to a similar SA/D on very different hulls.
I would say (from the results I saw in elapsed time) that it has about the performance of a First 40, and that is remarkable if we take into consideration the Arcona luxurious interior.
Above and below, Faurby 400 |
The cockpit offers good storage with a big aft cockpit that is accessed by two hatches, but it does not have cockpit lockers under the seats and that is a big inconvenience. The sail locker is big and has enough space for a sail or fenders. They don't show it, but they say they have a 2 cabin layout, and I hope it is similar to the one they offered on the 410. It makes a lot more sense for extensive cruising, in what regards storage.
On the Solaris 40, which is a slower boat and not designed as a cruiser-racer, or to be sailed as one, you have as an option a narrow cockpit table, which is shown in some photos from the shipyard. On the Arcona 415 the shipyard does not show any photos, but they should, because its solution is the best of two worlds: the table is hidden under the cockpit floor and it can be taken out and mounted easily in a few minutes.
The two-cabin layout does not only make sense in regards to cruising storage but also in what regards interior space because (assuming it is similar to the one on the 410), it allows the main head to have a separate shower space without cannibalizing the chart table, as well as it will allow for the single aft cabin to be much bigger.
Only you know if the pleasure of sailing upwind, closer to the wind and having a better performance in lighter winds justifies the loss of space toward the GS40. You may very well find it irrelevant...or not. It is also a question of aesthetics and the way one likes to sail because a beamy boat offers more different sensations, than a narrower boat, not better or worse, with a better performance depending on wind intensity, and points of sail. Just a different compromise.
The biggest innovation that happened already a decade ago was achieved through collaboration with a Danish Olympic regatta racer, Jesper Banks, a very modern and strong torpedo keel that can now be used optionally on the 400. The design may be old, but the boat is still fast and in 2010 a 396 won the Palby Fyn Cup and in 2021 won the two-handed division on the Aegean 600. In between, several podiums in different races, even if not major ones.
But it is still a beautiful sailboat, and one that is so classic that will never look old and will make proud any owner that likes sailing. The 400 has an 11.98m HL, and a 3.40m beam, which compares with 3.90 on the Arcona, 4.07 and 4.10, on the GS40, and Solaris 40.
GS44 structure, below, a bigger Solaris |
Bigger Arcona |
There is another optional version with a 2.50m draft (+ 2800 euros), and that would be the one I would choose to sail in the med. With a 35,8%B/D, it offers probably the same RM as the shallow draft torpedo keel version, but has a significant gain in weight (- 260kg), reducing the displacement to 6240kg and increasing the SA/D to 21.6. But that does not tell all the history in what regards sail power because now, with more power, the Faurby can use bigger sails or reefs later.
Faurby |
If the experience of sailing a Solaris is already very different from the one of sailing an Arcona, it is radically different from the one of sailing a Faurby. Certainly, if we consider only the cruising advantages, it does not make any sense to buy a Faurby over a Solaris 40.
Above and below, Faurby torpedo keel |
So, why would someone want to buy a Faurby 400? Out of love, love for the sailing sensations only a narrow boat can offer, love for having a beautiful classic yacht, love for having a boat that is finished like a work of art, with impeccable craftsmanship, love to have a boat that will forever be beautiful because its design is timeless and will never look dated, only classic and classics will always be classics.
In what concerns interior amenities for cruising, the salon is comfortable the galley is very well designed and the number of cabinets and drawers is amazing, as well as the detail in using all available space, but the overall space of the forward cabin, saloon, and head is the one of a 36ft beamy cruiser and the aft cabin is even smaller, maybe too small for two adults, if both are big.
But space is not all and the overall feeling, due to the very high quality of the woodwork, is a good one: it feels nice and cozy. Outside the storage space is not much, it has storage space under the seats behind the wheel, and relatively large storage space on the other side of the single aft cabin.
They have been making this boat (396 and 400) for many years, they have made several different layouts, and in what regards that it is almost a custom boat, with several possibilities. The main problem, in regard to extensive cruising, is the difficulty of having a big water tankage.
GS 40 |
In regards to boat building, they all offer high quality, with many characteristics in common: they all have stepped keel masts (optional on the Faurby 400), they all use high-quality resins (vinylester) and the Arcona and Faurby use steel frames, as part of the boat structure and to hold the keel and shrouds.
Solaris 40 |
Arcona 415 |
Faurby 400 |
Thanks for, as always, a great write up. I would love the Faurby, but practical considerations would imply more beam. Hopefully I will have the cash to make such a decision in the coming years.
ReplyDeleteHi Paulo,
ReplyDeleteAnother great post!
I was checking your comment about the upwind behavior of GS40 in the Yacht.de test and when I translate to english (I don't understand German) I get: "The Grand Soleil 40 really gets going in between eight and ten knots of wind (wind force three). The log shows 6.4 knots close-hauled with a true wind angle of 40 degrees. A rollable Code Zero ensures a considerable increase in performance from a wind incidence of 70 degrees. At half wind the boat quickly reaches wind speed."
So, obviously, the GS40 is faster with a Code Zero at 70 degrees than going up-wind really close; however, from my point of view, your comment of "but not so good upwind without it" can be misunderstanding, because the specific data reported (3 Beaufort, 6.4 knots, 40 degrees) looks really really good to me.
What is the speed you expect with force 3 and 40 degrees?
I have not seen de GS40, however I saw GS44 in Cannes two years ago, and I realize that the hull is beamed however the boat has no chains, and it looks as the aft-deck is “a balcony”, so with small angles of heeling (low wind) the wet beam is not as big if you look only the beam distance, so its performance in up-wind is not so penalized. What do you think about this?
Really thanks for your post and comments.
Woody
Hi Woody,
DeleteI am pleased you have liked the post. Maybe I was not clear, I will try to explain better what I meant.
With a code 0 the GS44 can go upwind only at a much bigger angle, and if beating, the extra speed does not compensate the much better angle, if you have enough wind to go at full power with a jib, or even a bigger genoa (in this case you need less wind to go at full power, with a small difference in wind angle).
The GS 44 cannot use a 135 or 140% genoa due to the shrouds position and is limited to a 105% small genoa or a code 0.
What I wanted to mean is that the GS 44 because it is beamy (big hull form stability) and has a considerable ballast can use the code 0 with more wind than less beamy boats, like for instance the Italia 12.98, and therefore can benefit more from its use in the conditions a Jib or a 105% genoa cannot bring the boat to full power.
Beating against the wind, with enough wind, a 105% genoa will give a better performance (VMG), even if sailing with less speed, and it is about the speed sailing close hauled with a 105% genoa on the GS 44 that I am talking about when I say "but not so good upwind without it (in the conditions where it is not the better sail for the performance)" .
And no, I don't find 6.4K at 40º of true wind with 3 Beaufort a very good upwind performance in flat water, for a fast cruiser-racer, with a hull designed for racing.
Here (just at video beginning) you can see my boat doing well over 7kt close-hauled at 27/28º apparent (about 40 true wind). If I recall correctly, the apparent wind should be about 13/14kt and the real wind about 10kt. I have no doubt that beam reaching and downwind the GS 44 is much faster, but beating upwind I doubt, and mine is a 41ft boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx0gFeJDwT0
Really thanks for your complete answer. I really apreciate it.
Deletegorgeous boats. Are these meant only for racing/regatta? how comfortable are these? question come from the fact that I dont see the table in the cookpit. How good are these for cruising the Med with family/kids?
ReplyDeleteNo, these are not racing boats, meaning they have all that is needed for cruising, but they can do well while racing, some better than others.
DeleteSome can be equipped to do serious racing (with lots of expensive extras) but standard they are what we can call performance cruisers, designed for the ones that like sailing as much as cruising, and want to have fun sailing fast while cruising.
I cruise in a 41 performance cruiser and I regularly out sail and left behind 50 and 60ft modern sailboats, or left behind sailboats that are motoring while I am sailing. If you see the fun of doing that, this is not the type of sailboat that will suit you.