Passport 40
Built 1980–1991 by Passport Yachts (Taiwan)
About the Passport 40
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1980–1991
- Builder
- Passport Yachts (Taiwan)
- Designer
- Robert Perry
- Length
- 39.42 ft
- Waterline
- 33.42 ft
- Beam
- 12.67 ft
- Draft
- 5.75 ft
- Displacement
- 22,771 lb
- Ballast
- 8,500 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Water
- 130 gal
- Number built
- 148
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- pedestal cable · Edson
Sources disagree on fuel tank — left blank rather than guessed.
Fin keel with skeg-hung rudder; solid hull; iron ballast encapsulated. Standard draft 5.75 ft; a shoal keel about 6 in shallower was offered. Sloop standard, most boats fitted with a staysail stay. Original engine Perkins 4-108 (common with U-shaped settee), later Yanmar; sailboatdata also mentions a Mercedes 42 hp on later boats. Semi-custom interiors vary. A reverse-transom version became the Passport 41.
Known problems for this model
-
Teak side decks - fastener leaks deck
Most boats have thick teak side decks; the many fasteners can leak, though old Passport 40s rarely show delaminated subdecks. Early decks are plywood cored, later Airex foam.sailingmagazine.net
-
Corroded chainplates rigging
A survey on an older boat found badly corroded chainplates; pull the deck covers, check the caulking and probe from below.sailingmagazine.net
-
Black iron fuel tanks on early boats fuel
Early boats had black iron fuel tanks glassed over to limit external rust; later boats had aluminum tanks.sailingmagazine.net
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Large brightwork load other
Extensive exterior teak (caprail, handrails, eyebrows) takes substantial time to maintain.sailingmagazine.net
Engines & parts
Perkins 4.108 parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Perkins 4.108”
Out of production but very well supported. Trans Atlantic Diesels (TAD) sells complete aftermarket rebuild kits (pistons, liners, rings, bearings, gaskets, valves, guides, seals), heads, blocks, crankshafts, genuine Perkins camshafts, rebuilt injection pumps and injectors, Jabsco/Sherwood raw water pumps, heat exchangers, starters, alternators and elbows, plus rebuilt exchange engines. The Westerbeke 4-107/4-108 family and some industrial engines share the base design.
Parts sources: Trans Atlantic Diesels (TAD), Foley Engines
Common problems (1)
-
Rear main (crankshaft) seal leak engine
The original rope-type rear seal is notorious for leaking and often starts leaking again a few hundred hours after replacement; Foley sells a nylon/Teflon replacement seal meant to cure it, and owners check the crankshaft sealing surface for pitting.foleyengines.com · boatdesign.net · forums.sailinganarchy.com
Steering
Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good
Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)
Common problems (3)
-
Old or slack steering wire steering
Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.usna.edu · youtube.com
-
Lubrication and fastener checks steering
Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.usna.edu
-
Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.forums.sailboatowners.com
Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good
Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)
Model sources (3)
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.