Sailboat Review: Hallberg-Rassy 40C

Built in Orust, Sweden, to withstand the harsh conditions of the North Sea, Hallberg-Rassy yachts over the years have tended to pull at the heartstrings of Cruising World’s Boat of the Year judges, mine included. So it came as no surprise that when I stepped aboard the HR 40C at last year’s Annapolis Sailboat Show, I was instantly smitten.

So too was my fellow judge Tim Murphy, who in numerous notes used the word “best” to describe such attributes as construction, equipment access, electrical system, soundproofing, and the like.

On some new boats, one can’t help but ponder what they might look like after a few thousand miles. With the Hallberg-Rassy 40C, there was no wondering, because the boat had already sailed 10,000 miles across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean, and up the East Coast. How did it look upon arrival on the dock in Annapolis? Perfect.

Even in the pouring rain, the 40C’s teak decks appeared elegant when we arrived for our dockside inspection. The deep cockpit was inviting, and the glass windshield and dodger offered protection from the drizzle. Below, the glow of the mahogany interior woodwork and plush upholstery promised equal measures of comfort and practicality to keep a crew rested and safe no matter the passage.

Thanks to a longtime collaboration with the Germán Frers design team, Hallberg-Rassy’s range has a consistent look and feel. But that hasn’t precluded the introduction of modern design elements such as wider beam carried aft to provide increased interior volume, twin rudders for better handling, and a plumb bow that increases the 40C’s waterline.

HR hulls are hand-laid and cored with Divinycell foam, except around where the lead keel is attached. There the laminate is solid, as it is where hardware is mounted on the Divinycell-cored deck, cockpit and coachroof.

Topsides, there are three options for decking: nonslip gelcoat, PU teak (polyurethane substitute) or real Burmese teak, which was on the boat we got to sail. The latter two materials are glued down to avoid fasteners that can allow water to penetrate.

A buyer has several choices when it comes to interior layouts. The boat we visited had an optional centerline queen berth in the aft stateroom rather than the standard two separate berths. In the salon, an L-shaped settee to port surrounds a wood drop-leaf table. Opposite, the starboard settee can be replaced by a pair of armchairs and a cocktail table. A head and shower, and a double berth, are forward.

The 40C also has two cruising-friendly galley designs. The larger option provides more counter and stowage space at the cost of less room in the starboard cockpit locker. That’s how the boat in Annapolis was laid out, and I think it’s the option I’d go with. 

In recent aft-stateroom models, including the 40C, HR has employed a nifty design trick that involves a slightly wider cockpit coaming topsides to allow for more headroom in the belowdecks passageway aft. It works well, as does the engine placement in the 40C. The 60 hp Volvo Penta diesel is installed abaft the boat’s saildrive, which opens up room under the companionway steps for a genset. Access to both motors is excellent when checking fluids or changing filters, and the space is well-insulated, so sound levels are quiet underway.

Judging colleague Herb McCormick had this to say about accommodations: “The HR 40C is a flat-out great sailboat, with all the care and attention to detail you’d find in the brand’s larger offerings in a sweet, compact package. I was a bit skeptical that HR could pull off their signature center-cockpit configuration in a 40-foot yacht, but the layout is crisp and well-executed above deck and below. In fact, that cockpit was as comfy and efficient as just about any boat we sailed in the 2024 fleet—the great sight lines and visibility were icing on the cake.”

For his part, Murphy noted that the boat’s battery bank—6-volt, wet-cell Trojan truck batteries, run in series to create a 12-volt system—has the advantage of being able to drain to 40 percent rather than the customary 50 percent discharge common with AGM batteries. This setup gives the system greater usable capacity. (Lithium batteries are an option.) The 40C’s stern and bow thrusters run on 24 volts.

The standard rig for the boat is a three-spreader Seldén spar with a full-batten main. The boat in Annapolis had an electric in-mast furling main and an electric jib furler, allowing sails to be set and doused with the touch of a couple of buttons. Electric winches also ensured that sails—main, 110 percent genoa and code zero—could be easily tamed.

Conditions were light for our test sail. The breeze was only 6 knots, and I was afraid at first that we wouldn’t be able to learn much about the boat’s performance. Instead, my colleagues and I were blown away when we took off at 5 knots and change. Sitting to the side of the boat’s single, large steering wheel, I found the visibility forward to be excellent, and the telltales on the jib and code zero were easy to keep an eye on.

And the feel of the Lewmar rod steering? Well, I wrote, “smooth as butter” in my notebook. But on this attribute, I’ll give Murphy the last word. “Steering is absolutely divine,” he wrote in his.

Mark Pillsbury is a CW editor-at-large and was a 2024 Boat of the Year judge.

Hallberg-Rassy 40C Specifications

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Price: $800,000
Contact: 410-867-9022 
hallberg-rassy.com