Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 Review and Used Buying Guide

From Lucia 40 to Isla 40, a careful evolution

The Fountaine Pajot Isla 40 is the boat the La Rochelle yard built to protect its best seller. The Lucia 40 had been launched in 2016, was built around 300 times and, according to yacht.de, was once regarded as the best-selling multihull in the world. In 2020 Fountaine Pajot presented the Isla 40 as its replacement, with the world premiere in September. The order book proved the strategy right: yacht.de reported 110 orders within six months of launch.

Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design kept the Lucia's primary hull mold and changed what mattered. The bows became near-vertical inverted stems that stretch the effective waterline and cut pitching, the deck and coachroof were redrawn for a longer, more dynamic profile, and the interior was rebuilt around brighter surfaces, rounded Corian galley counters and a chaise lounge in the saloon where the Lucia had a navigation corner.

Weight climbed from about 8.9 tons on the Lucia to 9.5 tons on the Isla, which is still light for a modern 40-foot cruising cat. That figure is the single best reason to prefer this boat over heavier rivals.

Light displacement and a modest, well-balanced rig

The Isla 40 measures 39 feet 2 inches overall with a 21 foot 9 inch beam and a 4 foot draft. The rig carries a 59 square meter (635 sq ft) mainsail and a 36 square meter (388 sq ft) 105 percent genoa, about 1,023 square feet in total. Yacht.de calculated a sail carrying ratio of 4.6, a touch lower than the Lucia's 4.7 because of the added weight, but still lively for the class.

The narrower beam is a hidden advantage for US owners. At under 22 feet, the Isla fits more marina slips and more boatyard travel lifts than the 24 to 26 foot wide cats in the 45-foot class, and that can save thousands of dollars a year in dockage.

What testers saw from Lake Ontario to the Bay of Biscay

Cruising World sailed close-hauled in about 12 knots of breeze and saw 6.5 to 7 knots on the GPS, then cracked off to a reach and touched 8 knots in puffs. Canadian Boating took a Maestro out of Toronto's Outer Harbour in 20 to 25 knots with a big swell and a short chop and reported 7 to 8 knots upwind under a double-reefed main, with both hulls firmly in the water and a comfortable motion.

Yacht.de tested twice. Its first sail in 5 to 8 knots was too light to judge, but the second, in Force 5 and a short, choppy Biscay sea, saw the boat exceed hull speed on reaching and downwind courses, tack quickly and answer the rudders well. Their criticism was about details: the cockpit helm controls take some getting used to, the 41 centimeter passage forward past the coachroof feels claustrophobically narrow, some squeaking was audible in rough water, and a bimini with side curtains was not standard.

Maestro owner's hull or four cabin Quatuor

Fountaine Pajot sold two layouts. The Maestro gives the owner the entire starboard hull with a walk-in shower, desk and storage, plus two double guest cabins to port sharing one or two heads. The Quatuor has four double cabins with either two or four heads and is the version found in charter fleets. Canadian Boating notes the Maestro with two heads is the most popular private spec.

In the redesign the sit-down navigation corner gave way to a stand-up instrument console with a 16-inch plotter just inside the sliding door, and Canadian Boating notes the mast was placed further forward, ahead of the dinette, both changes that free up saloon space. The galley sits just inside the saloon door to port, close to the cockpit, which works well for the outdoor dining most owners favor.

• Maestro: owner's suite, 2 guest doubles, 2 or 3 heads total
• Quatuor: 4 doubles with 2 or 4 heads
• Water 530 liters (140 gal), diesel 300 liters (80 gal)
• Standard 2 x 20 hp engines with optional 2 x 30 hp

Engines, tanks and the case for the 30 hp upgrade

Standard power is a pair of 20 hp Volvo Penta diesels driving saildrives, with 30 hp units optional. On a 9.5 ton boat the 20s are adequate in calm water, but anyone motoring into chop, running coastal deliveries or fighting a current in an inlet will appreciate the 30s. Canadian Boating's test boat had the larger engines and the crew described them as comfortable.

Tankage is the limitation. With 80 gallons of diesel and 140 gallons of water, the Isla 40 is a coastal and island-hopping cruiser out of the box. Liveaboard owners usually add a watermaker, extra solar on the bimini and lithium batteries, because there is little spare capacity for a generator and air conditioning load.

New prices, used prices and the FP 41 effect

When new, the Isla 40 was not cheap for its length. Cruising World listed it at $411,000 when its Boat of the Year judges sailed it in Annapolis in 2021, yacht.de listed a gross ex-yard price of 511,700 euros in its 2024 test, and Canadian Boating quoted a fully loaded three cabin Maestro at 890,000 Canadian dollars including taxes and duty for 2024 delivery. In September 2024, on the eve of the Cannes Yachting Festival where the Isla was already missing from the lineup, Fountaine Pajot announced the New 41 as its replacement, due about a year later, with more volume, a 5 foot draft and a displacement of 12.7 tons against the Isla's 9.5.

That replacement creates an interesting used market. Buyers who prioritize interior space will drift toward the 41, which should keep Isla 40 prices reasonable. Buyers who care about sailing will see the lighter Isla as the better boat. We expect clean owner's version Islas to hold value well, while four cabin ex-charter boats will trade at a discount of 15 to 20 percent.

Costs of owning a 40-foot French cat in the US

Annual costs run lower than for any 45-foot cat. Budget roughly $28,000 to $55,000 a year for insurance, a catamaran slip, a haul and bottom paint, engine and saildrive service and routine sail and canvas care. Volvo D1 series engines need regular attention to raw water impellers, heat exchangers and exhaust elbows, and Fountaine Pajot's US dealer network is concentrated in Florida, the Chesapeake and the Northeast.

European-built boats may need their shore power converted for US use, a job worth confirming before purchase.