When Aviara designers began their work, they struck out every conventional rule in boat styling and set a waypoint for their own destination. The AV40 is a perfect representation of new ground in style and performance.
Immediately, you notice the stainless-steel-clad stem, nearer to vertical rather than slanting sharply aft. It’s a wave-piercing look that speaks to the boater who marches to the beat of their own drum. At the stern, cockpit coamings lie down level with the swim platform at the touch of a button to form the largest cockpit-surrounding playground patio afloat in a 40-footer. Actuators on the terrace mechanisms are linked with the ignition switch to prevent operation while the key is on.
The helm station is edgy too and also employs electrical actuators on the helm seat, adjusting its position with a button touch. The helm is a glass cockpit arrangement with a large Garmin display that shares its screen between sonar, chart plotter, radar (if you choose it), and engine data if you link the engines to the NMEA 2000 backbone. A 7-inch VesselView gauge is dedicated to the engine data, but has sonar and chart plotting embedded into it as well. Keyword: redundancy. To port of the Garmin is another touchscreen display that gives quick, easy access to all electrical functions on board. Toggle lights and pumps on and off, and note the switching status right on the screen. Oh, and there were Auto Glide trim tabs and joystick steering for easy operation.
An expansive hardtop covers the cockpit seating, which includes a deck galley with a sink, and optional grills and fridges. Seats align to the port and starboard, and an aft couch faces forward, flanked by the transom walkways’ door.
Bow seating is entered from the port and wraps around the open deck area. Billet aluminum grab rails are in easy reach.
Full cabin amenities include a queen-size V-berth, a midship queen berth, and a 43-inch TV and audio system.
Seakeeper stabilization means your passengers are comfortable in any sea, and it’s powered by a 7.5 kW genset when at rest.
High Points
- Port and starboard terraces swing downward hydraulically to the level of the swim platform, forming a patio.
- Vertical stem is an edgy look that also extends bow space inboard.
- Fuel and water inlets are protected and hidden below hatches.
How We Tested
- Engines: Triple Mercury Verado 350
- Drive/Prop: Mercury Revolution 4 17″ x 14.625″ stainless steel
- Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 200 gal. Crew Weight: 700 lb.
Pricing and Specs
| Price: | $1,089,570 (as tested) |
|---|---|
| LOA: | 42’3″ |
| Beam: | 12’3″ |
| Draft: | 3’10” (engine down) |
| Dry Weight: | 23,800 lb. (without engine) |
| Seat/Weight Capacity: | Yacht Certified |
| Fuel Capacity: | 357 gal. |
Aviara Boats – Vonore, Tennessee; aviaraboats.com
