Ker 40
Updated
The Ker 40 is a 12.15 m planing racing yacht designed by Jason Ker and built by McConaghy, first launched in 2011. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 93% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 93% of the boats it races against.
4th of 46 in its class.
Not verified. On planing hulls this score has no match in the race results we hold: designs scoring the same win anywhere from one race in ten to seven in ten. Read it as what the measurements say, not as a ranking.
This design has been found in real race results — 76 starts across 11 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.15 m
39′ 10″
Beam
4.20 m
Draft
2.97 m
Displacement
4.3 t
Sail area
99 m²
On the podium
Where a Ker 40 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
36%
of 76 starts by 8 boats
Wins
7%
Read from 76 starts by 8 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Ker 40 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Klaipėda ORC European Championship2026
EAYK-TAYK Dogu Ege Yat Sampiyonasi2026
Sandhamn Open 2026 - Swedish Championship in Offshore Racing (ORCi)2026- Nurolbank Loryma Cup2026
- MIYC Winter Trophy 2026 - Act 62026
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
38%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
18%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Ker 40 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Ker 40 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
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
6.26
36°
Beam reach
10.94
90°
Broad reach
14.12
135°
Downwind VMG
11.50
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 is a boat that wants breeze. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is downwind once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage off the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 2.0 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Ker 40
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.36 | 5.71 | 6.08 | 6.26 |
| 52° | 6.61 | 8.12 | 8.52 | 8.79 |
| 60° | 6.96 | 8.39 | 8.87 | 9.21 |
| 75° | 7.22 | 8.65 | 9.43 | 10.01 |
| 90° | 7.26 | 8.77 | 9.82 | 10.94 |
| 110° | 7.11 | 9.02 | 10.22 | 11.93 |
| 120° | 6.96 | 9.12 | 10.60 | 12.84 |
| 135° | 6.27 | 8.66 | 10.66 | 14.12 |
| 150° | 5.23 | 7.71 | 9.36 | 13.28 |
| Run VMG | 4.53 | 6.67 | 8.10 | 11.50 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 830 kg.
Rigging
Ker 40 rig and sail dimensions
A Ker 40 carries 16.59 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.30 m boom, a forestay 16.37 m above the deck and a 7.21 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 10 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 173 to 189 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.