DeFever 40 Passagemaker
Built 1973–? by Jensen Marine
About the DeFever 40 Passagemaker
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1973–?
- Builder
- Jensen Marine
- Designer
- Arthur DeFever
- Length
- 39.67 ft
- Beam
- 13.67 ft
- Draft
- 4 ft
- Displacement
- 28,000 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- semi-displacement
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 450 gal
- Water
- 200 gal
- Holding
- 40 gal
Sources disagree on last year — left blank rather than guessed.
U.S.-built (Jensen Marine, California) fiberglass successor to the wooden Passagemaker 38. After Jensen closed in 1980 the molds went to Downeast Yachts and the boat was sold as the Downeast 40, which added cabin and engine-room liners. Single 120 hp Lehman cruises 7-8 knots with close to 1,000-mile range; twins were optional. Aft stateroom has a door to the large cockpit.
Known problems for this model
No well-sourced problem reports found yet.
Engines & parts
Ford Lehman 120 (6D380 / 2715E) parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Ford Lehman 120”
Marinized by Lehman from the Ford of England 'Dorset' 2715E six-cylinder (380 cu in) industrial/truck diesel; Ford built the Dorset base engines 1964–1984. Base-engine internals interchange with the Ford 2715E, and marine-specific parts (raw water pumps, heat exchangers, injection elbows, gaskets, lift pumps, air filters) are widely stocked. American Diesel Corp (founded by former Lehman people) still sells parts, publishes spare-parts lists and gives technical advice. Rebuilt and used 120s are also sold by salvage yards.
Parts sources: American Diesel Corp, Go2marine (Ford Lehman parts collection), Fred Warner Marine & Outdoors
Common problems (2)
-
Chronic oil leaks engine
Most 120s weep oil somewhere; owners often trace it to the rear of the engine near the heat exchanger (head/head gasket area) or to the drive seals of the gear-driven injection pump. Moderate oil use is treated as normal on these engines.trawlerforum.com · marineengine.com
-
Fuel leaks at injection pump, lift pump and return lines fuel
Slow diesel drips usually come from loose bleed screws or banjo washers, perished rubber injector return hoses, a failing lift-pump diaphragm, or worn internal seals in the Simms or CAV injection pump, which needs a pump shop to overhaul.yescenters.com
Ford Lehman 135 / SP135 (2725E) parts: good
Factory optional engine — you entered “Ford Lehman 135 (twin)”
Based on the later Ford 'Dover' 2725E 6.2 L naturally aspirated six (Ford built the Dover series 1982–1994, then Otosan/Dovertech to 2005). Parts are sold by the same Lehman specialists as the 120; American Diesel lists spare-parts sheets and Go2marine stocks cooling parts, heat exchangers and elbows for the 135. Do not assume 120 (2715E) and 135 (2725E) internals interchange.
Parts sources: American Diesel Corp, Go2marine (Ford Lehman parts collection)
Model sources (1)
Other DeFever models
- DeFever 41 Trawler 1980–1995
- DeFever 44 Offshore Cruiser 1981–2007
- DeFever 48 Offshore Cruiser 1978–1992
- DeFever 49 Pilothouse (soft chine) 1977–2006
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.