ISLA 40 - Quite simply, a rejuvenation!

This new model - the smallest in the Fountaine Pajot range - is a real surprise for the summer of 2020. An upstream communications blackout was orchestrated to offer a bonus in addition to the manufacturer’s two new flagship models - the Samana 59 and the Power 67 - at this fall’s boat shows. Having been cancelled at short notice, the shows have been replaced by private viewings. It was after the first of these, at Bandol in the South of France, that we were able to discover the Isla 40.

Lieu de l’essai : Bandol, France 
Conditions : mer peu agitée, vent de sud-est de 5 à 15 nœuds

For a few years now, all the sailing catamarans bearing the Fountaine Pajot signature have had island names - with the names of some of them, such as the Samana - ending in an “a”. So, for the manufacturer’s entry-level range, why not use the generic term - in Spanish, to keep the “a”? This is the choice validated by the manufacturer. Readers who keep abreast of the offer of multihulls in this size - 40 feet - will note many similarities with the previous model, the Lucia 40: and they’d be right, since the Isla uses the base of her predecessor, which saw almost 300 examples built in a career lasting just under 5 years. No need to wait any longer before revealing the main modifications: these focus on the hulls, whose bows now adopt inverted stems; and the interior.

An extra 8 inches for the hulls

It’s quite amazing how the inverted bows alter the silhouette: the wise Lucia 40 turns into a catamaran with a much more sporty and seductive design. However, the hulls have only gained 8 inches (20 cm) at the waterline, increasing from 38’6” to 39’2” (11.73 to 11.93 m). In this pivotal 4...