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New boat: Najad 405

This new 40-foot cruiser from Najad should make open-water passages a whole lot more pleasurable. Secure in the center cockpit and protected by the signature Najad windscreen, sailors can take advantage of the yacht’s 915 square feet of sail with the working jib, or power up by unfurling the 570-square-foot genoa. A 6-foot, 11-inch heavy ballast keel, meanwhile, should keep the boat nicely on its feet while the balanced spade rudder will provide a responsive helm. An optional shallow-draft keel of 6 feet, 3 inches is also available. Teak decks not only look nice, but provide a good nonskid surface.

Down below, the 405 really shines, with a bright, contemporary-looking interior thanks to the design talents of Dick Young Designs. Soothing whites predominate and the joinerwork is done in unstained African mahogany and jatoba, which is hand polished and varnished to a satin finish. Plenty of hatches and wide ports let lots of daylight in while recessed overhead lights provide ample nighttime illumination.

In the saloon opposing settees wrap around a drop-leaf table built around the compression post. The single head with shower is to starboard of the companionway, behind the nav station, while the in-line galley is to port.
The standard layout contains spacious double berth cabins fore and aft, while optional layouts allow the large aft owner’s cabin to be divided for additional berths.

Designed by Judel & Vrolijk, the new 405 should fit nicely within the middle range of Najad’s line of yachts, which runs from the 332 to the 507, set to launch next year.