Cobo 40
KIWI BOATS · Ron Holland · 1978
Updated
The Cobo 40 is a 12.07 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Ron Holland and built by KIWI BOATS, first launched in 1978. It races in Class C.
Length
12.07 m
39′ 7″
Beam
3.75 m
Draft
2.25 m
Displacement
6.8 t
Sail area
80 m²
On the podium
Where a Cobo 40 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
0
Seconds
0
Thirds
1
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 1 start by 1 boat between 2016, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Cobo 40 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Copa del Canal2016
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Cobo 40 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Mat 124 (1 meeting), First 40.7 (1 meeting), First 47.7 (1 meeting), First 36.7 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 50 (Judel/Vrolijk) (1 meeting), Baltic 42 (1 meeting), JOD 35 (2 meetings), First 35 (Berret) (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 49 (1 meeting), X-302 (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 45 (1 meeting), Ro 400 (1 meeting)
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.11
39°
Beam reach
8.19
90°
Broad reach
9.09
135°
Downwind VMG
7.64
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach in a working breeze, where it does more than its size and sail area promise. It holds that advantage upwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Cobo 40
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.30 | 4.56 | 5.02 | 5.11 |
| 52° | 5.04 | 6.63 | 7.13 | 7.25 |
| 60° | 5.32 | 6.84 | 7.33 | 7.47 |
| 75° | 5.50 | 7.00 | 7.53 | 7.84 |
| 90° | 5.43 | 7.12 | 7.62 | 8.19 |
| 110° | 5.55 | 7.33 | 8.05 | 8.71 |
| 120° | 5.40 | 7.25 | 8.07 | 9.08 |
| 135° | 4.82 | 6.87 | 7.83 | 9.09 |
| 150° | 4.08 | 6.13 | 7.36 | 8.48 |
| Run VMG | 3.53 | 5.32 | 6.53 | 7.64 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 430 kg.
Rigging
Cobo 40 rig and sail dimensions
A Cobo 40 carries 13.89 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.03 m boom, a forestay 15.71 m above the deck and a 5.64 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails