Dec 15 2007
About Wendaway
Wendaway is a Valiant 40 and without a doubt one of the sweetest of her age. We found her in San Carlos, MX, having spent a couple of years looking for our first cruising sailboat.
SolMate (as she was then called) was an incredible find. She had gone through an enormous refit by Stan Burnett, who had her hull peeled and rebuilt by the Valiant factory; invested in all-new rigging and many improvements. After 5 years of intensive work, SolMate was as cruiseworthy as a brand new Valiant.
It’s interesting to Google this venerable classic blue water cruiser. You can also Google SolMate and see what others have said about our adventures.
Here is a typical write-up about this remarkable boat:
“What boat launched the storied career of naval architect Bob Perry? What boat is usually considered the first performance cruiser? What boat did Mark Schrader sail on his 1983 epic circumnavigation south of the five great capes? What boat was named “cruiser of the decade,” by Sail Magazine in 1980 and inducted into the Sailboat Hall of Fame in 1997? What boat represents one of the best buys on the used boat market for blue water cruising? By now you’ve either quit reading and clicked over to something more interesting or likely figured out that this is a trick quiz and there is only one answer. If your answer is the legendary Valiant 40, you’re right and that means you really know you boats. Or, like me, you’re just getting older.”
The Specs
- LOA: 39′11″ (12.16 m.)
- LWL: 34′0″ (10.36 m.)
- Beam: 12′4″ (3.76 m.)
- Draft 6′0″ (1.83 m.)
- Ballast: 7,700 lbs. (3,493 kgs.)
- Disp: 22,500 lbs. (10,206 kgs.)
- Sail area: (100%) 772 sq.ft. (71.7 sq.m.)
- Mast above water: 55′0″ (16.8 m.)
- Ballast/Disp: .34
- Disp/Length: 255
- SA/Disp: 15.5
- Fuel: 95 gal. (avg.) (360 ltr.)
- Water: 120 gal. (avg.) (454 ltr.)
- Holding: 15 gal. (57 ltr.)
- Auxiliary: 40-hp (various diesels)
- Cabin headroom: 6′0″+ (1.8+ m.)
- Designer: Bob Perry