North American 40
Description
Overview of the North American 40 Sailboat The North American 40 (NA 40) is a classic fiberglass racer-cruiser designed by renowned naval architect Dick Carter and built by Morgan Yachts in Clearwater, Florida, between 1978 and 1981. This 40-foot monohull was developed as an Offshore IOR (International Offshore Rule) one-design class for competitive racing, with a focus on uniform construction, weight, and equipment to promote level competition. While primarily a racer, it offers reasonable cruising capabilities for coastal or moderate blue water passages, accommodating 6–8 people with a V-berth, settees, and quarter berths for sleeping 4–6. The masthead sloop rig and fin keel with skeg-hung rudder provide responsive handling and good upwind performance, but its IOR-era design means it's tender in heavy weather and requires skilled sail trim, especially downwind.
Construction Details
| Designer | Dick Carter |
|---|---|
| Length | 40.000 ft |
| LOA | 39.730 ft |
| LWL | 32.000 ft |
| Beam | 12.580 ft |
| Displacement | 17477 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.080 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 54 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 17 ft |
| p | 47 ft |
| e | 13.39 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 ft | 17 ft | 47 ft | 13.39 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 47 ft - (14326 mm) |
| Foot | * 13.39 ft - (4081 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.15 ft - (14676 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 48.42 ft - (14758 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 324.63 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 45.29 ft - (13804 mm) |
| Foot | * 22.46 ft - (6846 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.42 ft - (12015 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 19.55 ft - (5959 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.02 ° |
| Area | * 442.68 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 53 ft - (16154 mm) |
| Foot | 23.75 ft - (7239 mm) |
| Leech | 50 ft - (15240 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 131.06 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 22.28 ft - (6791 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 2.82 ° |
| Area | * 590.32 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 53.78 ft - (16392 mm) |
| Foot | * 27.4 ft - (8352 mm) |
| Leech | * 50.64 ft - (15435 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.5 ft - (7772 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.99 ° |
| Area | * 685.67 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 53.78 ft - (16392 mm) |
| Foot | * 28.49 ft - (8684 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.35 ft - (14737 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 25.5 ft - (7772 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9 ° |
| Area | * 685.74 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 53.78 ft - (16392 mm) |
| Foot | * 28.05 ft - (8550 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.48 ft - (15082 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1131 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 53.78 ft - (16392 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 30.6 ft - (9327 mm) |
| Foot | * 30.6 ft - (9327 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 1399 ft² |
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.