Racing sailboat KER 40+

carbonwith bowsprit

In 2010 Ker Design and McConaghy Boats teamed up for the first time to produce the Ker 40. From the outset the design was extremely successful, and quickly proved that light 40 foot race boats could successfully compete against their heavier weight cruiser-racer cousins in a range of conditions including windward leeward racing. Following the shift in market perception of ‘light’ and a staggering level of technological advancement by the Ker office, it made logical sense to re-set the bar by creating a new development for the Ker 40, to be known as the Ker 40+. The Ker 40+ is easily configurable to be optimal in Fast40+, IRC and ORCi rules, while fitted with larger upwind sails it can also fit well into the HPR box. From the designer Jason Ker of KER Yacht Design The hull form, being the product of our industry leading optimization technology, bears little relation to its predecessor. Much lighter in displacement but with deeper draft, the yacht has less power but much less drag. The keel fin is highly optimized, both structurally and hydrodynamically, featuring a composite fairing over a structural casting. As with our most of Ker’s recent designs, such as 2013 Rolex Sydney Hobart, Division Winner ‘Varuna’, the hull shape has significant volume forwards above the normal waterline, to allow the yacht to be pushed hard downwind in heavy conditions.