Brown Searunner 40
Description
The Searunner 40 (often called the Brown Searunner 40) is the largest and flagship model in the iconic Searunner series of plywood (or plywood/fiberglass composite) trimarans, designed by multihull pioneer Jim Brown (with John Marples' involvement in refinements and construction details). Introduced in the late 1960s/early 1970s, it's a legendary owner-built cruising trimaran with dozens (possibly hundreds) constructed from plans or kits worldwide. Many have proven themselves in bluewater passages, including circumnavigations, due to the design's emphasis on safety, unsinkability (via foam-filled amas in many builds), speed for its era, and affordability. It's the biggest in the series (25', 31', 34', 37', 40'), offering more interior volume, storage, and comfort for extended cruising or liveaboard use by 2–6 people, while retaining the folding/demountable akas (crossbeams) for trailering, storage, or marina berthing. The design prioritizes seaworthiness over outright racing performance—stable platform, shallow draft for beaching, and good heavy-weather handling.
Construction Details
| Designer | Jim Brown |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 40.830 ft |
| LOA | 40.800 ft |
| LWL | 37.250 ft |
| Beam | 23.920 ft |
| Displacement | 11000 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 3.330 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 46 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 17.75 ft |
| p | 42.25 ft |
| e | 16 ft |
| p2 | 18.16 ft |
| e2 | 6.75 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 ft | 17.75 ft | 42.25 ft | 16 ft | 18.16 ft | 6.75 ft | - | - |
Sails
Brown Searunner 40 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 42.25 ft - (12878 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16 ft - (4877 mm) |
| Leech | * 44.3 ft - (13503 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.99 ° |
| Diagonal | * 44.65 ft - (13609 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 345.73 ft² |
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Brown Searunner 40 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 39.44 ft - (12021 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.36 ft - (7425 mm) |
| Leech | * 33.17 ft - (10110 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.99 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20.41 ft - (6221 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.98 ° |
| Area | * 402.53 ft² |
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Brown Searunner 40 - GENOA
| Luff | * 46.84 ft - (14277 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.4 ft - (8961 mm) |
| Leech | * 43.47 ft - (13250 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 149.97 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 26.62 ft - (8114 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.01 ° |
| Area | * 623.48 ft² |
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Brown Searunner 40 - GENOA
| Luff | 45 ft - (13716 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Leech | 40 ft - (12192 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 119.83 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.27 ft - (6483 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 6.51 ° |
| Area | * 478.51 ft² |
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Brown Searunner 40 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 46.84 ft - (14277 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.29 ft - (8928 mm) |
| Leech | * 43.09 ft - (13134 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1029 ft² |
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Brown Searunner 40 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 27.12 ft - (8266 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.92 ft - (4243 mm) |
| Leech | * 21.05 ft - (6416 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 10.65 ft - (3246 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.98 ° |
| Area | * 144.42 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.