We are glad we can present a detailed test of the Motor Catamaran MY 40 made by boattest.com portal. In case you would like to get a complete review, please follow this link directly.
Resume Briefing:
The Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is a luxury cruising power catamaran from French builder Fountaine Pajot. Because MY 40 is a catamaran, there is a lot of space onboard. Fountaine Pajot made excellent use of the space. There is much more volume than would be possible in a comparable monohull. Her accommodations include three staterooms and two heads, plus storage to hold a months’ worth of storage throughout the yacht. Built specifically for IPS pod propulsion, the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 performed well and presents a surprisingly comfortable, dry ride.
Key Features
- Full-beam hydraulic swim platform that lowers
- Upper Flybridge deck
- Port side master stateroom with en-suite head
- Two starboard side guest staterooms with shared day-head
- Upper and lower helm stations with joystick controls
- Large side windows on the main and lower decks
- Full aft galley with service bar for aft cockpit
- Forward seating with sun pads that convert to lounge seating
Captain’s Report:
Captain’s Report by Capt. Mark Kellum
The first impression of the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is that it is unconventional even for a power catamaran. Fountaine Pajot wanted the MY 40 to be a true motoryacht with a catamaran hull. With spray rails forward on each hull that transition to form the hull chines as they carry back, the result is a remarkable dry ride.
Mission:
The Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is designed, engineered, and built to be a luxury performance yacht for cruising adventures and entertaining a crowd. The volume and open floor-plan is intended to appeal to those looking for more from a comparable mono-hull. A power catamaran is intended to provide efficiency, stability, and handling and the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 delivers all three. Designed around dual 370-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS500 diesel engines, the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is an entertainment platform with exceptional sea keeping abilities.
The upper helm is mounted on the starboard side of the flybridge on the Fountaine Pajot MY 40. The Flybridge deck, aft cockpit, and forward seating comprise the three al fresco entertainment areas.
Major Features:
- Twin Volvo Penta IPS500 Propulsion. The dual hull of the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is designed around the Volvo Penta D6 IPS500 pod drives.
- Private Port Side Master Stateroom. The Fountaine Pajot MY 40 has a split lower deck layout with the master stateroom with en-suite head on the port side and the guest staterooms on the starboard side.
- Midship Guest Stateroom. The midship guest stateroom has a double berth and hanging locker.
- Forward Guest Stateroom. The forward stateroom has upper and lower bunk-style single berths.
- Shared Guest/Day-Head. The shared guest head compartment doubles as a day head and has a separate shower.
- Full-Featured Galley. The galley has a cooktop, refrigerator, freezer, sink, oven, icemaker, and storage spaces.
- Upper Flybridge Deck. With starboard side upper helm station with joystick controls.
- Full Beam Hydraulic Swim Platform. The swim platform hydraulically lowers to provide water access or tender retrieval.
Performance:
The sharp bow entry of the twin hulls allowed the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 to cut through the 2′ to 3′ (.61 m to .91 m) chop on test day.
The Fountaine Pajot MY40 has a length overall of 45’11” (13.98 m), a beam of 19’10” (5.96 m), and a draft of 3’8” (1.12 m). With an empty weight of 30,865 lbs. (15,486 kg) with 100-percent fuel capacity, 50-percent water capacity, and four people onboard, the test Fountaine Pajot MY 40 had an estimated test weight of 34,363 lbs. (15,587 kg).
Top Speed. With twin 370-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS500 pod drive diesel engines running at 3300 rpm, the test boat reached a top speed of 21.3 knots (24.51 mph).
Best Cruise. At 2800 rpm and 15.7 knots (18.07 mph), the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 achieved a 26.9 gph fuel burn that translated to 0.6 nmpg (0.69 mpg) and a range of 196 nautical miles (225.55 statute mils/362.99 kilometers) while still reserving 10-percent of the Fountaine Pajot MY 40’s 372-gallon (1,400 L) total fuel capacity.
This sort of efficiency is typical of a catamaran with the narrow entry hulls and good hull to length ratios. The Fountaine Pajot MY 40 will remain on plane on down to 10.1 knots (11.62 MPH) but drop her down to a displacement speed of 9 knots (10.36 mph) and the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 will nearly double the range to 476 nm. All this while still holding back a 10-percent reserve of the boats 372-gallon (1,400 L) total fuel capacity.
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Observations:
Unlike many power catamarans, the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is not just a sailing catamaran that had the mast removed and larger engines installed. Fountaine Pajot designed, engineered, and built the MY 40 as a dedicated power catamaran specifically for IPS pod propulsion. In addition, Fountaine Pajot afforded the MY 40 with living and entertainment features custom designed from a blank sheet. The result is a well laid out yacht that accommodates with so much interior volume that the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 feels like a much larger yacht. The master suite alone will drive that point home, but there’s so much more to her features that make this yacht so appealing. Fountaine Pajot suggests that the MY 40 is built for customers who say, “lets entertain 20, sleep eight, and cruise two or four in stable comfort.” In addition to luxury and volume, the Fountaine Pajot MY 40 is at once a fun boat to drive and a comfortable boat to be on while underway. She handles the cruising set quite well and her handling characteristics leave nothing to be desired.
