FINNGULF 41
PRICE £140,000-£180,000 YEAR 2003-2008
Often considered the ideal compromise between cruiser and racer, the Finngulf 41 comes from a long line of stunning performance yachts from Finland and is a delight to sail.
The hull and deck are hand laminated with a balsa core sandwich and her deep keel is loaded with plenty of lead ballast at the bottom, resulting in a stiff yacht that is well able to stand up to her generous sail area.
She also points like a demon but remains easy to handle with a small crew thanks to a pragmatic deck layout and quality deck gear.
Finngulf yachts are all semi-custom, so no two are entirely the same. Some are upgraded to perform on the regatta circuit, others were optimised for fast blue water cruising but with some of the finer attributes, such as teak cockpit sole and seats.
She was a surprisingly well-equipped for the cruising life, boasting a deep enclosed cockpit, large anchor locker, windlass etc, but the below-deck headsail furler gives away her intent to make use of every square inch of sail area.
Sail controls are led aft via clutches either side of the companionway while the mainsheet is led along the underside of the boom to the mainsheet track and traveller just forward of the binnacle.
There were two layouts offered, with two or three comfortable cabins, the former having more stowage. The furniture was all hand built to a very high standard and consequently has survived well over the subsequent years.
Her saloon is light and airy, the settees straight and accessible locker stowage abounds as do handy grab holds. There’s a well-appointed, seamanlike L-shaped galley with all the trimmings and an excellent aft-facing nav station with plenty of console area instruments and stowage for charts and books. She has only one heads aft, but it’s very spacious and features a separate shower and wet locker.