accessorised galley inside a boat with such light displacement and such performance-oriented hull shapes and volumes,’ he explains. ‘And in the master cabin, the queen size owner’s bed is placed with its headboard forward, which is another feature you don’t often find in a race-focused hull.’ The GS 40’s saloon layout is also a
The stern platform is a lot lighter than usual to minimise its pitching moment
evolution of the concepts studied for the GS 44 and thus, once again, quite likely a force to be reckoned with in racing. The waterline beam is notably slender
and the bow profile remains very fine to maintain good performance in light airs and ensure a smooth passage through the waves. Unlike a more typical cruiser- racer or performance cruiser with high- volume aft quarters, this boat shouldn’t have any tendency to bury its nose when powered up on a reach, so it doesn’t need the extra buoyancy of a hydrodynamically inefficient blunt entry. As with the GS 44, the GS 40’s single rudder is located well forward – the balanced hull form doesn’t need the rudder blade to be as far aft as possible for directional stability – which helps to make the boat nimble in tacks and responsive on the helm. Two versions of the GS 40 are offered:
Performance and Race. The former is a cruiser-racer with a self-tacking jib as standard on a track recessed into the coachroof and the mainsheet led to a fixed point on the cockpit sole. The deck plan includes four winches: two on the coachroof and two on the sidedecks within easy reach of the twin helms. The Race version, while still a dual-
purpose boat, is emphatically more of a racer-cruiser with a deck plan designed for a full crew to work the boat with maximum efficiency. An extra pair of winches are mounted on the coamings and the bowsprit is extended by 70cm. The backstay tensioner is hydraulic and a mainsheet traveller runs across the full width of the cockpit, recessed into the sole. The self-tacking jib is replaced by a 100 per cent genoa on transverse tracks, giving an extra 11m2
of upwind sail area. Both versions have an electric stern
platform. It’s deliberately small and light so its impact on pitching and thus performance is greatly reduced. Three different keel options are
available, all with a cast iron fin and lead torpedo bulb. The standard keel is optimised for IRC racing with a draught of 2.4m; there’s also a 2.1m draught
86 SEAHORSE A queen size berth with its headboard forward – rarely seen on a racer-cruiser
version for ORC and a 1.85m shoal- draught option which will significantly enhance the boat’s versatility in some of the most popular sailing areas. Perhaps the stand-out aspect of the
‘A perfect balance of righting moment and aero-hydro efficiency’
GS 40, though, is the inventive design work on deck and down below by Massimo Gino, a founding partner of the highly regarded Nauta Design studio and its head of design production. ‘On deck, the position of the mast further aft and the internal headroom requirements allowed us to create a nice sunbed area on the forward part of the coachroof,’ he says. ‘The main
companionway is still positioned quite far forward even though the
mast is further aft, thus giving a great cockpit size that can be appreciated both when cruising and racing. All functions on the coachroof – winches, clutches, sprayhood and hatches – are placed very carefully, using every millimetre available.’ Some of Gino’s most innovative work
on the GS 40 might pass unnoticed by cruising sailors, but to an experienced racer it should be immediately obvious. ‘It’s not often that you get a three-cabin, two-heads interior layout with a properly
bit different, with an asymmetry between the dinette and galley that creates a seating surface comparable to what one would expect to find in a larger yacht. ‘The galley is positioned longitudinally with an L-shape worktop that allows plenty of space for crew circulation, even when somebody is cooking,’ Gino says. This arrangement works well when the yacht is anchored, with a wide-open space separating the cooking and lounge areas of the saloon. Under sail, it allows people to move about without needing to squeeze past each other. In racing mode the GS 40’s interior
layout gives the crew more elbow room and creates a clear, straight-line pathway that is nine metres long, stretching from the aft bulkhead of the port-side aft cabin to the forward bulkhead of the forecabin. Race crews will find this useful for stowing expensive moulded membrane sails that don’t like to be folded, and also for re-packing spinnakers in the middle of a race. Moving the mast aft also allowed the
design team to give the master cabin the option of an en suite heads on the starboard side. However, in the boat’s standard fit-out this is envisaged as a technical area and stowage space for racing kit rather than a private bathroom. ‘That space is a magic big storage area for sails, oilskins and all wet equipment that you may need to store,’ Gino says. ‘If the owner is more racing oriented he saves the weight of a toilet and uses that space as a great additional sail locker.’ With a boat like this, success is
primarily proven in its first full year of racing results. We await the outcome of the 2023 regatta season with interest.
www.grandsoleil.net
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
