Every yacht has a special place in the heart of its owner. For some a boat means freedom and peace, to others it gives a sense of prestige and luxury. Some love the tradition that only an old wooden yacht can offer, others prefer the performance and lightweight that only hulls in composite can give. The new V40 weekender, made entirely from cedarwood in carbon, tries to please everybody.
This new model was presented in the recent autumn shows and aroused great interest not just from yachtsmen attracted by technological and high-performance boats, but also by lovers of traditional wooden construction. The V40 Weekender was in fact created from a combination of the yacht material par excellence, wood, and the best performing, carbon. This yacht also marks the first collaboration between the design studio of Vismara Marine, the well-known Viareggio full custom sailing and motor yacht yard, and the historic Alto Adriatico 1977 yard in Monfalcone, specialising for more than 40 years in the construction and refitting up wooden boats.
For the V40 Weekender, Alto Adriatico used almost entirely red cedarwood, alongside carbon and sandwich to make the boat lighter and more modern. The build techniques used by Alto Adriatico give the yacht both sporting and elegant looks, offering at the same time plenty of interior space for cabins and storage, though it is only a 40 footer. A lightweight yacht, 12.2 m overall and 3.6 in the beam, optimised for winds from 8 to 14 kn, very fast and stable thanks to a fixed keel drawing 2.55 m. The engine is a 2.2 L Volvo Penta D2-50 diesel with four cylinders in line and natural aspiration, with an in-line cam injection pump and freshwater cooling. Thanks to low rpm, the engine is quiet and produces minimal vibration.
Deck layout
As with almost all Vismara designed yachts, the deck is extremely uncluttered to permit exploitation of all space for guests and their comfort. There are flush hatches, the anchor winch with its warping head is recessed below decks and the lines run in channels below the deckhouse, but can be inspected for maximum safety and ease of maintenance. Halyards and sheets all arrive in the cockpit, directly on Harken “Rewind” series electric winches, which make it possible to trim and ease the sheets using a battery of four backlit controls on each side to permit easy sail trimming on all points of sailing. Astern there is a generously sized sunbed with large cushions, below which are several hatches leading to storage lockers, technical spaces and the life raft. Finally, on the transom is a small bathing platform with a handy ladder to facilitate entering and, above all, leaving the water. When not in use it can be stored in the sail locker forward. In technical terms the mast, entirely in carbon, rests on the deck to give more room in the interior; the boom, also in carbon, includes a roller reef system, while the jib is self-tacking. At the bow is a dolphin striker in carbon where a code 0 can be mounted; the twin helm in carbon guarantees maximum manoeuvrability even in difficult conditions. With its technical and handling equipment, the V40 Weekender is clearly designed for single- or short-handed crews, without renouncing performance and safety. The keel in lead is lightened in its upper part to maximise righting moment and the sailplan is generous, but still “easy sailing”: the mainsail is 50 m², and can be rolled onto the boom with a manual manoeuvre handled directly from the cockpit, and the selftacking jib measures 31 m². The code 0, for downwind sailing, can also be rolled.
The interiors
The yacht is designed for outings lasting a few days and can carry up to 6 people in comfort thanks also to two heads and a roomy dinette that makes the living area comfortable and spacious.
Bulkheads and furnishings are in wood, only some of it painted to create a contrast of light and delicate tones: the wood gives off a strong and surprising scent of cedar that permeates all the environments. The layout has a large dinette with two L-shaped divans along the sides and a table that folds out to allow four people to dine. The saloon is well lit, thanks to a strip window running all round the deckhouse that gives an open view of the sea. On the starboard side is a galley with a fridge, oven and gimbal mounted gas burners, and the top becomes perfectly flat thanks to covers for the wash basin and burners that makes the working space as large as possible. Astern, beyond the galley, is a large technical compartment accessible from the cockpit that also houses the diesel tank. On the opposite side is a double cabin with wardrobe. Moving forward along the corridor, to port is the guest bathroom and to starboard the master bathroom, plumbing and bathroom accessories are by Elka and were chosen to match perfectly the curved shapes of the handles and accessories in the various parts of the yacht. Right at the bow is the master cabin, accessible through to sliding doors, with a double wardrobe on the sides and drawers and spacious lockers under the bunk. All lights on board are LED and most sockets are USB for recharging various devices.
