The Bermuda 40 is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by William Tripp, Jr. in 1958 as a racer-

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and first built in 1959.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 352-353. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. The Bermuda 40 is a development of the Tripp-designed

Block Island 40 The Block Island 40, also known as the Vitesse 40, is an American sailboat that was designed by William Tripp, Jr. in 1956–1957 and first built in 1957. Production Three versions of the Block Island 40 were built: Mark I, built by the Bee ...

. The manufacturer considers the current production Bermuda 50 "the modern day evolution of the Bermuda 40".

Production

Henry Hinckley had originally planned to build his first fiberglass sailboat based on a 38 foot boat which was intended to serve as the plug from which molds would be built. However, a group, (the "Oldak Group”) of eight prospective buyers from the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

approached him during the 1959 New York Boat Show about building boats based on William H. Tripp Jr's Block Island 40. Two additional buyers then also committed to the new design and the prospect of ten guaranteed sales was attractive, reducing the market risk of the new design. Construction began in the fall of 1959. Hull #1, ''Huntress'', was launched in time for the 1960 Bermuda Race and the remaining first group of boats was completed that year. The design was built by

Hinckley Yachts Hinckley Yachts, founded in 1928, manufactures, services and sells luxury sail and powerboats. The company is based in Maine, United States. The company has developed yacht technologies including JetStick and Dual Guard composite material, and was ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, with 203 examples of the design completed in all versions between 1959 and 1991. The Bermuda 40 was Hinckley's first

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

sailboat, although the builder had experimented with small club fiberglass committee-type boats in the 1950s.

Design

The Bermuda 40 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...

, built predominantly of fiberglass, with

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

wood trim, including the cockpit coaming. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...

rig or optional

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

rig, with coated

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

spars. It features a spooned

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a raised counter

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, a keel-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

and a fixed long

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

with a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

centreboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...

, operated via a

worm gear A worm drive is a gear arrangement in which a worm (which is a gear in the form of a screw) meshes with a worm wheel (which is similar in appearance to a spur gear). The two elements are also called the worm screw and worm gear. The terminolo ...

. The boat is fitted with a Westerbeke 4-107

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

of for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . Later models were offered with

Yanmar is a Japanese diesel engine, Heavy equipment, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasu ...

4JH2 engines. The interior Layout "A" design has sleeping accommodation for six people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, two straight settee berths in the main cabin around the drop-leaf dinette table, each settee with a pilot berth above. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

is located on the port side at the foot of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly in ...

ladder. The galley is "L"-shaped and is equipped with a three-burner

propane Propane () is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used a ...

-fired stove and a sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side and employs the

icebox An icebox (also called a cold closet) is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common early-twentieth-century kitchen appliance before the development of safely powered refrigeration devices. Before the development of electric refrig ...

top as a chart table. A refrigerator was optional. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

is located just aft of the bow cabin on the port side and includes a shower. Stowage includes built-in bookcases, as well as wet lockers. The factory optional Layout "B" substitutes a dinette table for the port settee. For sailing there are two primary and two secondary cockpit winches as well as winches for the

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...

and

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsails ...

halyard In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term ''halyard'' comes from the phrase "to haul yards". Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of n ...

s, the

mainsheet In sailing, a sheet is a line (rope, Cable-laid, cable or chain) used to control the movable corner(s) (Sail components#Corners, clews) of a sail. Terminology In nautical usage the term "sheet" is applied to a line or chain attached to the low ...

, the

mizzen mast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...

halyard and the sheet.

Jiffy reefing Reefing reduces the area of a sail, usually by folding or rolling one edge of the canvas in on itself and attaching the unused portion to a spar or a stay, as the primary measure to preserve a sailing vessel's stability in strong winds. Restoring ...

is provided, with two reefing points. The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 163.

Variants

;Bermuda 40-1 :This model was introduced in 1959. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centreboard extended and with it retracted. ;Bermuda 40-2 :This model was introduced in 1968 and incorporates increased sail area, bringing it to , plus more ballast. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of lead ballast, more than the 40-1. The boat has a draft of with the centreboard extended and with it retracted. ;Bermuda 40-3 :This model was introduced in 1971 and introduced hull and keel changes and a heavier centerboard. The main mast was moved aft, the boom shortened, producing a higher-aspect ratio mainsail and larger

genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centreboard extended and with it retracted.

Operational history

A review in 2010 by Charles Doane indicated, "with its classic long overhangs, perfectly pitched sheer line, wide side-decks, graceful cabin profile, and distinctive near-vertical transom, the Bermuda 40 has inspired severe lust in the heart of many a cruising sailor. Designed by Bill Tripp, Jr., it is without doubt one of the most attractive production sailboats ever conceived." In May 1998 Jack Horner of spinsheet.com wrote “the B-40 was to become the bellwether for future production and established Hinckley as the premier North American Yacht builder of exceptional quality sailing yachts”. In a 2017 used boat review, some 59 years after it was designed, a ''The Spin Sheet'' reviewer stated, "I don’t recall a time when my sense of style, balance and proper proportion of sailing yachts has not been influenced by the design work of the late Bill Tripp. The Bermuda 40 is a quintessential example of Tripp’s art and masterful eye for near-perfect balance. I think it can be safely said that this boat has stood the test of time, and, although the design is now 40 years old, many people, myself among them, still consider the Bermuda 40 one of the most beautiful yachts afloat."

References

{{Hinckley Yachts Keelboats 1950s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by William H. Tripp Jr. Sailboat types built by Hinckley Yachts

Production

Design

Variants

Operational history

See also

References