Valiant · Sailing yacht

Valiant 40

The Valiant 40 is a 12.16 m (39 ft 10¾ in) double-ended cutter that Robert Perry designed in 1973 for Valiant Yachts of Seattle: a fin keel with external lead and a skeg-hung rudder under a traditional canoe-stern hull made it the first ‘performance cruiser’, and it entered the American Sailboat Hall of Fame in 1997. Uniflite built the boats under contract in Bellingham, Washington, from late 1974 (hull numbers start at 101) until Valiant dealer Rich Worstell took over in 1984 and moved production to Gordonville, Texas, on Lake Texoma (first Texas hull: 267); about 200 were built before the Valiant 42 – the same hull with a new deck, keel and bowsprit – replaced it in 1992–93. Uniflite hulls of roughly 1976 to early 1981 (numbers 120 to 249), laid up with a fire-retardant additive in the resin, are the ones known for blisters that can run through the whole laminate, so the hull number matters when you buy. The engine changed over the years – a Westerbeke Four-107 on the first boats, then also the Perkins 4.108 and the Westerbeke 50, and late in production a Volvo Penta 2003T, driving the shaft through a V-drive – and many boats have been repowered since, so read the plate before ordering parts. No owner’s manual is online: Valiant Yachts stopped building boats in January 2011, the owners’ group on groups.io keeps the know-how, and Westerbeke still publishes manuals and parts lists for its old engines.

Manuals & documents

Valiant Yachts stopped building boats in 2011; its website still shows the Valiant 40 data from the original brochure, the closing letter and the Valiant 42 specification. No owner’s manual is online, so the other links lead to archived pages of the founders and the Hall of Fame, the owners’ group, magazine reviews and the makers of the engines and fittings. We host no manuals or drawings.

Equipment & its manuals

Standard equipment as the builder’s documents list it. Boats were ordered with options and refitted since — check what is actually aboard.

ItemModelManual / pageNote
EngineWesterbeke Four-107 (Westerbeke 40)1,2,3,4The engine of the first boats (Kretschmer): four cylinders, 1.75 l (107 cu in), 40 hp at 3000 rpm according to Westerbeke, which later sold it as the Westerbeke 40Westerbeke technical manual 20502, Westerbeke 40 (previously Four-107), edition 8, 1980Westerbeke’s technical manual names the 4-99, 4-107 and 4-108 as stages of the same basic engine, and its repower guide points the 4-107 and the 4-108 to the W40. Westerbeke still publishes the technical manual, the parts list and the service bulletins.
EnginePerkins 4.1081,5One of the other engines used over the production run (Kretschmer); Practical Sailor names Westerbeke, Perkins and Volvo as the makes Valiant usedPerkins 4.108 Parts & service pageAlso the usual repower: co-founder Stanley Dabney replaced the Westerbeke Four-107 of his own Valiant 40 after 6500 hours with a Perkins 4.108 on the same footprint.
EngineWesterbeke 501,6,7,8Another engine used over the production run (Kretschmer): four cylinders, 1.80 l (110 cu in), 41 hp at 3200 rpm according to WesterbekeWesterbeke technical manual 23156, Westerbeke 50, edition 2, 1981Kretschmer calls it a notoriously fickle engine. Westerbeke’s W50 page carries the technical manual, the parts list (1978) and the service bulletins.
EngineVolvo Penta 2003T5,1Late in production, on the Texas-built boats: Practical Sailor’s late-1980s test boat had the three-cylinder turbo 2003T, rated at 42 hp at 3000 rpm, with a V-drive and 3:1 reductionVolvo Penta 2003 Parts & service pageVolvo’s water-lift exhaust with the hose looped high; flexible mounts on aluminium angles through-bolted to foam engine beds. At 2400 rpm the test boat made 6 knots in flat water. Our 2003 page covers the 2003T.
GearboxV-drive1,5,3,7The engine drives the shaft through a V-drive (Kretschmer); it is reached from behind the companionway and from the aft cabin; V-drive with 3:1 reduction on Practical Sailor’s Volvo test boat—Westerbeke offered the Four-107 and the W50 with Walter V-drives behind Paragon or Warner gears in several ratios, so read the plates on gearbox and V-drive before ordering oil seals or parts.
Propeller2-blade fixed5Standard equipment: a two-blade fixed propeller—
PropellerMax-Prop (option)5Option: a two- or three-blade Max-Prop feathering propeller, which Practical Sailor says improves performance under power and under sailMax-Prop feathering propellers Parts & service page
Fuel systemAluminium tanks, 90–110 US gal5,1,9Practical Sailor (late-1980s boat): one 341 l (90 US gal) aluminium tank, or two aluminium saddle tanks of 416 l (110 US gal) together on boats with a generator; Kretschmer: about 379 l (100 US gal) in two aluminium tanks; Jack Hornor: 360 l (95 US gal)—A fuel gauge sits at the chart table. Kretschmer warns that the aluminium tanks of older boats have not aged well and may need replacing.
GeneratorNorthern Lights 5 kW (option)5Option: a 5 kW Northern Lights diesel generator behind a sound-proofed door at the aft end of the engine room—With the generator the fuel is split between two saddle tanks; Practical Sailor gives no type number, so read the plate before ordering parts.
WinchesLewmar · Barient5,1Lewmar winches, ‘adequately sized’ (Practical Sailor); Kretschmer names Lewmar and Barient among Valiant’s suppliers over the years. Halyard winches either on the mast or on the coachroof at the front of the cockpitLewmar Ocean & EVO winches Parts & service pageThe staysail winches sit where the dodger frame stops a full turn of the handle (Practical Sailor). Genoa and staysail tracks are Schaefer. These winches predate Lewmar’s Ocean range; our Lewmar page links Lewmar’s 1982 and 1986 service booklets for older winches.
Mast & riggingSpar-Tech, keel-stepped10,5,1,11Most rigs came from Spar-Tech in Seattle (Mark Schrader): a tapered, custom-welded aluminium mast painted with Imron (Practical Sailor), stepped on the keel like every Valiant spar. Early boats had a longer boom with end-boom sheeting; later boats a shorter boom, a slightly taller rig and a mid-boom traveller—The mast stands on a welded H-beam of ½ in (13 mm) aluminium plate bolted to the floors, with a tie-rod to the deck to stop it panting (Practical Sailor). End-boom sheeting tended to increase weather helm; the mid-boom arrangement eased the helm and opened up the cockpit (Kretschmer).
Mast & riggingNavtec rod rigging5,1Practical Sailor’s boat: continuous Navtec rod rigging with wire for the inner forestay and the intermediates, which take the staysail load instead of running backstays; a Navtec hydraulic backstay adjuster was an option. Kretschmer: rod rigging was optional on later boats—Kretschmer advises replacing original rigging fittings and having a rigger check rod terminals older than about 15 years. A quick release for the inner forestay was an option, so the boat can also sail as a sloop.
SailsCutter: main, yankee, staysail5,1,12,9True cutter rig with the mast well aft: a small mainsail of 28.4 m² (306 sq ft) and a large foretriangle for a high-cut yankee and a staysail; 71.7 m² (772 sq ft) with 100 % foretriangle—Practical Sailor finds the boat well balanced and easy to handle, also with two headsails shorthanded; the slight weather helm helps wind-vane steering (Kretschmer).
SteeringEdson pedestal, radial drive5,1Edson wheel steering with a radial drive, reached from the cockpit locker; emergency tiller arm offset by 90° so the wheel can stay on; stainless rudder post of 44 mm (1¾ in) in three bearings (gudgeon, hull and top bracket)Edson chain & wire steering systems: planning, installation and maintenance guide (EB-381)Practical Sailor finds no comfortable place to sit at the emergency tiller. Edson’s chain-and-wire guide covers inspection, cable tension and lubrication.
AnchorBow roller(s), chain pipe1,5,13Early boats had a single bow roller, later boats a double one (Kretschmer); a divided chain locker in the bow, with a PVC pipe that can lead the chain to a locker under the forward berth (Practical Sailor)—The PVC chain pipe tends to jam; some owners cut access slots at its top. The double roller crowds a headsail furler. Patrick Childress moved the chain lower and further aft on his Valiant 40 (video).
Hatches & portsLewmar5,10Lewmar hatches, except the main hatch, which Valiant made of fibreglass and Lexan; two dorade vents and a mushroom vent (Practical Sailor’s boat)—Mark Schrader notes that Valiant used various makers of portlights and hatches over the years, so measure before ordering seals or lenses.
StoveRegal, 4 burners + oven5,1Practical Sailor’s boat: a four-burner Regal propane stove with oven and broiler as standard, a Force 10 as an option; Kretschmer describes a three-burner stove in the U-shaped galley—Kretschmer notes that some owners have upgraded the stove.
Gas systemPropane, 2 × 11 lb5Two 11 lb (5 kg) propane tanks in a vented lazarette locker—Practical Sailor would prefer two 20 lb tanks for long passages; owners have added safe on-deck stowage for more.
FridgeIcebox5,1A large icebox opposite the sinks, insulated with about 5 cm (2 in) of foam in the lid and 7.5 cm (3 in) at the sides—Practical Sailor finds the insulation too thin for the tropics; some boats have since had a fridge or freezer added (Kretschmer).
Water pumpPressure water, hot and cold5Hot and cold pressure water as standard on Practical Sailor’s boat; a Whale foot pump at the galley or the heads, for fresh or salt water, was an option—Practical Sailor calls a manual foot pump essential for long-distance cruising.
Bilge pumpPAR 36600 · Whale Gusher5Standard electric bilge pump: PAR 36600 with about 30 l/min (8 US gal per minute); a manual Whale Gusher at the forward end of the cockpit well—Practical Sailor calls the electric pump inadequate for an emergency and recommends adding a second electric pump.
Batteries2 × 105 Ah5Two 105 Ah deep-cycle batteries as standard, two more of 105 Ah in parallel as an option—Many owners have rebuilt the system into two separate house banks of 180–200 Ah each and fitted a bigger alternator.
Shore power110 V AC · 12 V DC5110 V AC and 12 V DC, controlled from a custom distribution panel next to the chart table; colour-coded wiring to ABYC standard, run through a PVC pipe to the engine room—Seacocks, propeller shaft and all underwater metal are bonded to a 15 × 15 cm (6 × 6 in) zinc recessed into the hull, and the chainplates and mast base are grounded to the keel bolts for lightning protection.

Specifications

Years builtDesigned by Robert Perry in 1973; first boat launched in late 1974 (Kretschmer; the Hall of Fame and Practical Sailor give 1973); built by Uniflite in Bellingham, Washington, until 1984, then by Valiant Yachts – first a few hulls in Washington, then in Texas – until the Valiant 42 took over in 1992 (1993 in some reviews)14,1,15,5,9,10,16
Hulls builtAbout 200 (Hall of Fame, Jack Hornor); hull numbers run from 101 (the first boat) to about 300: Uniflite built 159 between 1975 and 1984, the Texas-built boats are hulls 267 to 300 (Mark Schrader)15,9,10
DesignerRobert H. Perry, to a brief from Valiant’s founders Nathan Rothman and Stanley and Sylvia Dabney; Perry calls it the cornerstone of his design office14,17,1
BuilderUniflite Inc., Bellingham, Washington, under contract for Valiant Yachts of Seattle (later owned by Sam Dick Industries, then by Uniflite); from 1984 Valiant Yachts under Rich Worstell, Gordonville, Texas, on Lake Texoma, which stopped building boats in January 20115,9,17,18
VersionsDeep or shoal keel, built to any draft between 1.57 and 1.83 m in 5 cm steps; the keel was redrawn twice; early boats with a longer boom and end-boom sheeting, later a mid-boom traveller; two interiors: the original with V-berth, head forward and aft double cabin to port, or a double cabin forward to port, quarter berth to starboard and head aft5,10,1,9
Length overall12.16 m (39 ft 10.75 in)12,9
Waterline length10.36 m (34 ft 0 in)12,9
Beam3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)12,9
Draft1.83 m (6 ft 0 in); shoal keel 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in); Practical Sailor: anything from 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) to 1.83 m in 5 cm (2 in) steps12,5,9
Displacement10.2 t (22500 lb); displacement/length ratio 25512,9
Ballast3.49 t (7700 lb) of external lead, ballast ratio 34 %12
KeelModified fin keel, a lead casting bolted to a keel stub; skeg-hung rudder; the skeg is a steel weldment in a foam-filled fibreglass shell, bonded and bolted to the hull rather than moulded in12,5,1
Sail area71.7 m² (772 sq ft) with 100 % foretriangle, cutter rig; sail area/displacement ratio 15.212,9
Mainsail28.4 m² (306 sq ft)5
Engine optionsWesterbeke Four-107 (40 hp) on the first boats; also Perkins 4.108 and Westerbeke 50 (41 hp); late in production a Volvo Penta 2003T (42 hp); V-drive installation1,5,3,7
Fuel tankAbout 341–416 l (90–110 US gal) in aluminium: one tank of 90 US gal, or two saddle tanks of 110 US gal together on boats with a generator (Practical Sailor); about 100 US gal in two tanks (Kretschmer); 95 US gal (Jack Hornor)5,1,9
Water tank454 l (120 US gal) according to Jack Hornor; 530 l (140 US gal) in two polyethylene tanks under the saloon settees on Practical Sailor’s late-1980s boat; older boats have aluminium water tanks9,5,1
CabinsTwo private double cabins: the V-berth forward (or a double to port in the second layout) and an aft cabin to port of the companionway; one head with shower1,5,10
BerthsV-berth with a filler for a double, aft double, two saloon settees that serve as sea berths (the port one pulls out to a narrow double of 2.03 × 0.97 m), and pilot berths above the settees or shelves instead5,1
HullSolid hand-laid fibreglass hull, balsa-cored deck with moulded non-skid; Uniflite hulls 120 to 249 have a fire-retardant additive in the resin (Mark Schrader); since 1984 isophthalic resin and gelcoat with an epoxy barrier coat of about 21 mils (eight coats) below the waterline5,10,1
SuccessorValiant 42 (1992–93): the same hull with a new deck, a revised keel, more ballast, a taller double-spreader rig and a stainless bowsprit that adds about 0.6 m (2 ft)19,5,9,17
AwardsAmerican Sailboat Hall of Fame, 199715,14

Good to know

  • Find the hull number first. According to Mark Schrader, Uniflite added a fire-retardant to the resin of hulls 120 to 249 (built about 1976 to early 1981), and most of them blistered; hulls 250 to 266 had ordinary resin, and the Texas-built boats start at 267. Surveyor Jack Hornor found blisters through the whole laminate, above the waterline too, and repairs that often failed, though fewer than a fifth of all boats were reported badly affected; co-founder Stanley Dabney says a bad case means peeling the hull down to a shell and relaminating it.10,9,1
  • Read the engine plate before ordering parts: the first boats had a Westerbeke Four-107, later ones a Perkins 4.108 or a Westerbeke 50, the late Texas boats a Volvo Penta 2003T, and many have been repowered since. Westerbeke still publishes manuals and parts lists for the Four-107/W40 and the W50, and its repower guide points the 4-107 and the 4-108 to the W40; Stanley Dabney swapped the Four-107 in his own boat for a Perkins 4.108 on the same footprint.1,5,2,6,20
  • Check the tanks: Kretschmer warns that the aluminium fuel and water tanks of older boats have not aged well and may need replacing; later boats have polyethylene water tanks under the settees with large inspection plates. Patrick Childress, who circumnavigated in a 1976 Valiant 40, shows in a video how he repaired leaking water tanks with epoxy and paint instead of replacing them.1,5,13
  • Look hard at the chainplates and the deck around them: Kretschmer says the chainplates of early boats were on the light side and worth upgrading, the balsa-cored subdeck can delaminate around them, original rigging fittings should be replaced and rod rigging older than about 15 years needs a rigger’s check. The chainplates are stainless straps through the deck, bolted to glassed-in knees and one to the main bulkhead, all easy to reach (Practical Sailor).1,5
  • Valiant screwed its bronze ball valves directly onto the threaded tails of the through-hulls; Practical Sailor recommends flanged seacocks bolted through the hull instead. All underwater metal is bonded to one zinc recessed into the hull, so on an older boat have the bonding checked for stray current and the anodes matched.5
  • No owner’s manual is online. When Valiant Yachts ended new-boat production in January 2011, it moved staff to its sister company Cedar Mills Marina and said it would keep supplying parts; owners share their know-how in the Valiant-sailboats group on groups.io, whose archive is open to members. For self-steering, Hydrovane’s installation list includes the Valiant 40 (L shaft, HH brackets, with an installation drawing).18,21,22

Videos & how-tos

Links to YouTube, nothing embedded. The maker’s own channel comes first; the rest are channels we found clear and correct for this model.

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Sources

  1. offshoreyachts.com/buying-a-used-valiant/
  2. westerbeke.com/Category/4-107/5399ADA2DAF73A26740BF776
  3. westerbeke.com/advanced%20specs/w107.pdf
  4. westerbeke.com/technical%20manual/020502%20technical%20manual%20wb%2040-wpds%20ed.%208.pdf
  5. practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/valiant-40-reshaping-the-cruising-hull/
  6. westerbeke.com/Category/W50/5399ADA2DAF73A26740BF778
  7. westerbeke.com/advanced%20specs/w50_2.pdf
  8. westerbeke.com/technical%20manual/23156_rev2_w50_tech_manual.pdf
  9. web.archive.org/web/20121108153949/http://www.boatus.com/jackhornor/sail/Valiant40.asp
  10. cruisingworld.com/sailboats/valiant-40/
  11. web.archive.org/web/20080406015012/http://www.valiantsailboats.com:80/mac/mactoday.htm
  12. valiantsailboats.com/val40.htm
  13. youtube.com/watch?v=bRofFfb37eg
  14. perryboat.com/productionboats/productionboats.html
  15. web.archive.org/web/20130212101633/http://www.sailamerica.com/halloffame/valiant40.asp
  16. goodoldboat.com/bob-perry-profile/
  17. web.archive.org/web/20011024053710/http://valiantyachts.com:80/Association.htm
  18. valiantsailboats.com/
  19. practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/used_sailboats/valiant-42
  20. westerbeke.com/replacementguide/Engine%20Replacement%20Guide%2011-11.pdf
  21. groups.io/g/Valiant-sailboats
  22. hydrovane.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Installation-Listing-up-to-2026.pdf

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