Fast, fun one-design

Roger McMillan test-sailed the Soto 40 in Argentina and gave it a big tick.

If you are looking to replace an aging Farr 40 or Sydney 38, or just want to race a very fast mid-sized boat, I’d strongly suggest you check out the Soto 40.

It is quick, fun and very easy to sail, the result of some clever thinking from the designers at Javier Soto Acebal Naval Architects and the builders, M Boats of Buenos Aires. In fact, it is so fast and so much fun that 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race winner, Torben Grael, has ordered one to race in his native Brazil next season. Here in Australia, at current exchange rates it will be in the water, with sails, fully rigged and ready to race for around $440,000.

Speed to burn

If you could dial up weather for a boat test, you would ask for winds of 12-15 knots and relatively calm seas. That’s exactly what we had on leaving the Yacht Club Argentina with a pair of S40s.

Even before we hoisted the headsail, I knew I was on a very fast boat. Fully canvassed and hard on the wind the figures were impressive. In 14 knots of wind, we were doing 7.8 knots at 35 degrees to the true wind and when we bore away to 45 degrees, the speed climbed to 8.5 knots. With the reacher set on the bowsprit, on a broad reach we held 12-13 knots comfortably. I’m reliably informed that with a following sea and 14 knots of wind the boat will surf, and the crew of Cusi 5 said their top speed so far is a touch over 18 knots. They believe they can reach 20 knots in the right conditions.

These figures were confirmed by the race results. After consistently beating the local 50 footers in club racing, they recently finished a 10 mile race only one minute behind a 60 footer. Javier Mendez, the owner of M Boats, said that upwind the S40 is just behind the bigger boats but as soon as they come off the wind, she scoots past them.

One Design

The S40 has been designed along the Reichel Pugh philosophy – don’t worry too much about the rating rules, just make a fast boat and it will be competitive anyway. However Alejandro Bottini, one of the designers at Javier Soto Acebal Naval Architects, makes the point that it has been designed very much as a one-design racer. While it will beat anything of equivalent size around the racetrack, it won’t necessarily win you the Tattersall’s Trophy or the IRC Championship. It’s meant to be raced against other S40s.

In this it owes much to the Farr 40 one-design rules. After talking with both Javier and Alejandro, I got the distinct impression that the Farr 40 played a big role in their thinking. Every aspect of the build and fit-out is carefully controlled to ensure that all boats are identical. Even when given a choice of wheel or tiller steering, the weight differential is compensated.

The boat carries a racing crew of eight or nine to fit under the 770kg limit. Of these, no more than five can be professionals.

Sails are restricted to one main, three genoas and three asymmetricals. The asymmetricals allowed are an A1.5 (6-12 knots), an A2 (12-18 knots) and an A4. Specific dimensions are used for each sail, not sail areas. In South America most of the sails are from North Sails, but in Australia the owners will have a choice of sailmaker.

The mast is carbon with two swept-back spreaders and the boom is aluminium. Rather than bring the King carbon mast to Australia, the importer, Tim Long of Longitude Yachts, has chosen New Zealand Rigging. Because of the running backstays, the mainsail is a square-top which reduces the height of the rig.

Construction

The boat has been designed for quick and low-cost construction, yet all bases have been covered to ensure a well-built craft.

Built over a female mould, vacuum E-glass and core-cell with epoxy resin are used throughout. Unlike the Farr 40, which uses an aluminium grid, the S40 has a carbon-reinforced grid. Although this is slower to build, Alejandro Bottini says it makes the boat very stiff and ensures a strong platform for the engine and keel. The chain plates are connected to a carbon-reinforced frame which is integrated into the grid.

Patagonia and Cusi 5, the two boats we tested in Buenos Aires, were the first two out of the factory in December 2008. Fifteen months further on, and after some hard match racing against each other and in major regattas as far away as Brazil, they look like new boats. There is no sign of wear and tear either internally or outside.

Deck layout

I have done most of my racing on boats of this size, including Farr 40s, Sydney 38s, Beneteau 40.7s and a Northshore 369. One of the things I really like about the S40 (apart from her blinding pace) is the size of the cockpit. It is 5.5m long and flares from 2.3m wide at the primary winches to 2.9m wide at the stern – absolutely huge. Watching the crew of Cusi 5 work, no-one was in anyone else’s way.

The cockpit is also very deep, which has three advantages. The grinding position on the winches is very comfortable, with the grinder standing easily over his winch. It also gives the boat a very low centre of gravity, adding to stability, and gives crew a feeling of total security. You can’t imagine falling out of this one.

On the subject of stability, 2185kg of the total 4200kg boat weight is in the bulb of the keel.

The foredeck is totally flat and completely uncluttered. With no coachroof and a flush hatch, it’s a bowman’s paradise.

All the lines are run internally, which keeps the whole boat unencumbered. I particularly like the boom vang leading back behind the mainsheet track. This allows the two crew who work back there, usually the navigator and tactician, to control the running backstays and the vang.

On Cusi 5 they didn’t use the traveller much, preferring to ease the vang in gusts. Like a Farr 40, the boat is very sensitive to vang, so this arrangement makes sense.

On the tiller version, the main is trimmed from behind the helmsman. This helps visibility. Apart from that, the choice of twin wheel or tiller is a personal one. After trying both (Patagonia has dual wheels and Cusi 5 has a tiller) I thought the tiller gave slightly more control, but both had an excellent “feel” and it was easy to keep the boat tracking.

Down below

This is a pure racing machine, not meant to double as a cruiser. And it was designed for day racing rather than offshore. While any time below is spent bent over, it really isn’t much worse than a Sydney 38 or a Farr 40, both of which are regulars in the Sydney – Hobart. When I mentioned offshore racing to Javier and Elejandro they immediately began discussing a watertight bulkhead and where they would put a few pipe berths. The current configuration includes a manual toilet, open for the world to watch.

On a boat this quick, in a normal Hobart you would only be at sea for two or three nights. While it wouldn’t be comfortable off watch, it would be bearable. Tim Long will advise shortly if the boat can qualify for offshore racing.

Design features

This is not a boat that “just evolved”. It is a brand new design that has been carefully thought through every step of the way.

One of the first things to strike you is that the waterline length is almost exactly the same as the the length overall. With a plumb bow and almost immersed transom, this is where a lot of the speed comes from. The transom is wide, giving plenty of control, and the small wings keep the cockpit working area generous while preventing what Alejandro Bottini calls “the pernicious effect of flare on leeward heeled waterlines”. What he means is that when a boat with very full midship sections gets on the wind and heels, the extra buoyancy amidships lifts the boat out of the water, thus reducing the waterline and consequently the speed.

Class racing

The first two boats, launched in December 2008, were for local Argentine sailors. The next two were delivered to Brazil, including Mitsubishi on which Torben Grael sailed as tactician. The fifth boat also stayed in Argentina. These five boats meet at the major South American regattas including the Rolex Ilhabella, South America’s equivalent of Hamilton Island Race Week.

The sixth boat was in the factory when I visited, and by now will be racing on the Great Lakes out of Michigan. It is hoped that this is the first of a fleet of American S40s.

Torben Grael’s boat will be next built, bound for Brazil, followed by the Australian one for Tim Long, another for Argentina and another for Brazil, then five boats for Chile.

Javier says he can build 15 boats a year but if demand grows beyond that (which I have a feeling it will) he is happy to licence factories in other parts of the world. To keep the costs similar to Argentina, if this does happen it is likely that one could be in eastern Europe and the other in China or Thailand. A Thai factory shipping into Australia and New Zealand would be a good outcome for this part of the world.

Because the one-design aspect is so closely based on the Farr 40, it is obvious that the ultimate outcome would be regional and then world championships. A lot of water has to pass under the various keels before the first S40 world champion is crowned, but this is a boat that ticks every box. It is fast, affordable, well-designed, well-constructed and a whole heap of fun to sail. When the first boats hit the Australian shores, I know some good sailors who will be lining up to crew on them.

Vital Statistics

Anyone buying a racing yacht of around 40ft will probably have five designs on the "possibles" list. The following table gives the vital statistics for the S40, Archambault 40 RC, Farr 40, Beneteau First 40 and Sydney 38.

S40 Arch 40 RC Farr 40 First 40 Sydney 38

Designer Javier SotoJoubert NiveltFarr Yacht Farr YachtMurray Burns
 AcebalMercier Design Design Dovell

LOA 12.3m 11.99m 12.41m 12.58m 11.7m

LWL 11.87 10.54 10.75 10.67 10.75

Beam 3.75 3.75 4.03 3.89 3.75

Draft 2.6 2.47 2.6 2.45 2.65

DISPL 4200kg 6400kg 4954kg 7900kg 5560kg

Ballast 2100kg 3100kg 2250kg 3000kg 1600kg

Sail area 100sm 91sm 102.8sm 90.5sm 78sm
(Upwind)sm

I 16.05 16.08 16.2 16.5 14.06

J 5.02 4.7 4.71 4.6 4.5

P 16.3 15.6 16.7 16.11 15.4

E 5.8 5.41 5.9 5.54 5.5