Intrepid 400 Center Console Guide for Intrepid Boats for Sale Shoppers

Intrepid boats for sale and where the 400 fits

Anyone shopping Intrepid boats for sale quickly learns that every Intrepid is a little different. The Dania Beach, Florida builder, which dates itself to 1983, builds boats one at a time to each owner's specification and sells factory direct rather than through traditional dealers. The 400 Center Console, launched in 2009, was the largest of Intrepid's six center console models at the time and became one of its signature boats for the next decade.

Salt Water Sportsman's first look in December 2009 highlighted a newly designed hull, custom-machined propellers and a new engine-mounting system, all aimed at a dry, comfortable ride. The boat stayed on Intrepid's website until at least 2019, alongside the 407 Cuddy and 407 Panacea, and by 2020 the 40-foot center console role had passed to the 407 Nomad, which keeps the same 11-foot 1-inch beam.

A single step, built for cornering

Intrepid has long preferred a single step to the twin steps used by some rivals. Power and Motoryacht's 2010 test of the sister 400 Cuddy described the running surface in detail: about a 45-degree entry, a 21.5-degree transom deadrise, and deadrise rising to about 33 degrees just forward of the step, which sits slightly aft of amidships. Intrepid's chief operating officer argued that some twin-step designs push the boat hard into a turn and scrub off speed, and the tester agreed after putting the boat hard over at about 50 mph: it leaned moderately into the turn and reversed direction almost instantly with no drop in rpm.

The hull was also tuned to run without fuss. Intrepid told Power and Motoryacht that the 400 can be driven straightaway without adjusting tabs or engine height, a deliberate choice because roughly 20 percent of its boats go to superyacht owners as tenders, and the company started out building almost exclusively for that market. New owners are told to just drive the boat, then refine with trim as they learn it.

At 40 feet 3 inches with an 11-foot 1-inch beam, the 400 is relatively slender, which helps it slice through a head sea at speed. Salt Water Sportsman quoted a 27-inch draft and 16,000 pounds.

Speed on triple Yamahas

Intrepid publishes no official test sheet for the 400 CC, so the best guide is that 2010 Power and Motoryacht test of the 400 Cuddy, which shares the 40-foot platform, the 11-foot 1-inch beam and a 400-gallon fuel tank. On triple Yamaha F350 V8 outboards it reached 59.7 mph at 5,500 rpm through 2 to 3 foot seas outside Port Everglades, cruised at 43.1 mph at 4,000 rpm, and was most efficient at 4,500 rpm and 50 mph, burning 51.9 gallons per hour for 0.96 mpg. That worked out to about 347 statute miles of range with a 10 percent reserve.

The open center console is likely to match or beat those numbers with the same power, but check the engine package on any boat you consider. The 400 CC was offered with twin, triple or quad outboards, and Salt Water Sportsman listed a maximum of 1,400 hp. By 2019 Intrepid listed Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki's DF350A, Evinrude and Seven Marine's 557 and 627 hp outboards.

• 400 Cuddy, triple Yamaha F350: 59.7 mph top at 5,500 rpm
• Cruise 43.1 mph at 4,000 rpm
• Best efficiency 50 mph at 4,500 rpm, 51.9 gph, 0.96 mpg
• About 347 statute miles range with 10 percent reserve on 400 gallons

Deck layout: fishing features with family comfort

The 400 CC is built to fish. Standard features include a 5-foot 2-inch insulated forward in-floor fish box with macerator pumps and 9-foot gunwale rod lockers, plus optional large baitwells and 15 stowage compartments, some of which can be rigged as coolers or extra wells. The integral motor bracket, swim platforms and guttered, self-bailing cockpit hatches are standard.

It is also built to entertain. Salt Water Sportsman noted the extra-wide bow, where seating for six slides together into a large sun pad at the touch of a button. Intrepid's own description adds wraparound forward seating with electric backrests, integrated or removable aft bench seating, and a console holding a spacious head and changing room. At the helm, options included power seating, a tilt wheel and a large dash for flat-screen electronics.

Intrepid was one of the first builders to offer a side door on offshore center consoles, and it was a popular option on its 40-footers. On the 400 Cuddy it tested, Power and Motoryacht found the optional side boarding door rock solid at nearly 60 mph thanks to substantial fiberglass reinforcement around the opening.

Construction and quality control

Intrepid builds with PVC foam coring and vacuum-bagged non-woven multidirectional and unidirectional fiberglass, all hand laid. Power and Motoryacht reported the hull fully foam-cored and noted Intrepid used an infrared FLIR camera to scan heated hulls for dry spots, voids and inconsistencies before delivery. Hardware is solid stainless, wiring is tinned, the fuel tank is aluminum, and hardtop fasteners were anodized aluminum to avoid galvanic corrosion against the frame.

Power and Motoryacht's tester said stepping onto the deck felt like stepping onto solid ground. As with any cored hull, a good surveyor should still check for moisture around hardware, the motor bracket and any later additions.

Costs, values and what to expect

The 400 CC started at $286,000 in 2009, while a well-optioned triple-engine 400 Cuddy tested at $398,000 a year later. Today, our estimate for used 400 CCs runs from about $160,000 for early twin-engine boats with tired power to around $380,000 for late boats with low-hour modern outboards. Repowered boats deserve close attention; new engines can transform the value of a 2010 hull.

Running costs for a 40-foot triple-outboard boat typically land around $25,000 to $60,000 a year including dockage, insurance, outboard service, bottom paint and electronics, before fuel. Expect about 50 gallons per hour at a fast cruise on triple 350s.

Because Intrepid builds to order, two boats of the same year can have very different equipment. Get the original build sheet if possible and compare it with the boat in front of you.