40 knots in a lumpy sea and a rock-solid gyro. The Windy SR40 proves that walkaround practicality doesn't have to mean boring performance
When I finished my last article, I explained that I was putting a lot of faith in Windy. I had sold my Windy 34 Alizé and committed to the new Windy SR40, based on nothing more than a small 3D model.
Fellow boating friends thought I was mad, buying a new boat off-plan and taking the first boat built! But the moment of truth came with a visit to Windy in Sweden alongside Bruno from Merveille Nautique at the end of March. I would finally get to see the boat for the first time and take it out for a sea trial.
The Swedish sea trial
The omens were good as the early morning sun rose. It was the first day of the year that had seen spring make an appearance. My biggest concern had been the proportions of the boat but it was time for a big sigh of relief. They were just perfect. The walkaround element felt so safe and secure without compromising the helm station and all the other outdoor spaces. But the layout still provided an acceptable cabin and a more than adequate heads with separate shower.
As for the sea trial, that confirmed all the Windy virtues. The boat was put through some hard turns at 40 knots on a lumpy sea and it felt every bit as good as every other Windy I’ve driven. There was of course a snagging list and some modifications to be made.
It’s easier for Tim’s boating dog too
Storage was quite limited but we came up with ways of maximising that. The specification of the boat included mooring cleats on the bathing platform, which is not enough so we added some extra ones. And Windy has all the skills on site to customise the boat in any way.
More to the point, things do go wrong as the boat’s size and complexity increases. The most important thing is that the dealer acknowledges them and works with the manufacturer to fix them as quickly as possible – and Merveille Nautique and Windy were exemplary.
One concern for me was the driving position because, despite using adjustable height seats, it really suited taller people. Some modifications had already been planned and would be retro-fitted. We jointly designed an innovative platform that could be folded down from the seat stanchion.
Hard top and side doors are great in all weathers
The result was a wonderful drop-down teak and stainless steel platform, which you can see in the pictures. Windy really welcomed the challenge and executed it superbly. But now, the race was on to get it ready for the Palma boat show. They only had about ten days left before they had to load my boat (and its sister boat, hull 001) onto trucks for the journey to Palma. And that would be the next time I saw my boat, during the official launch of the SR40 in Palma, where MBY had an exclusive sea trial booked.
The day of delivery
When I took official delivery at the end of May, it already had 20 hours of running under its belt, so its initial shakedown was fully complete. There were a couple of technical issues, which were quickly sorted. One was the failure of the bow thruster, which was tracked down to a wire that had been dislodged when the hi-low cabin table was retro-fitted.
Time at anchor is much more comfortable
The silver lining was that it forced me to use the joystick, which was much better than I had experienced with previous IPS boats. It doesn’t integrate with the bow thrusters but I think that’s a positive, as it gives me an extra degree of manual control.
Making life easy
My primary reason for the change of boat had always been the ease of use of the walkaround layout. The proportions of the seating area and sun bed all work really well – and when you’re on board, it really does feel like a boat from the next sector up. The combination of a full windscreen with sliding side doors and a sunroof provides flexibility for a variety of conditions. And the sliding side doors can be locked in partially open positions, which means the boat can be as open or closed as you like.
Walkaround decks have been very welcome
And what about the Seakeeper gyro, my most expensive option? It obviously needs an accompanying generator but the generator brings many other benefits. The gyro takes 50 minutes to spool up and reach maximum operating effectiveness and our favourite anchoring spot is about 40 minutes away, so one of my first tasks is to switch the generator on and then the gyro. And it really does work well.
It definitely deals with the swell and dampens the roll of the boat. It doesn’t keep it completely flat but it does mean we’re happy to stay put when previously, we would have lifted the anchor and headed back to port. It also dampens a cross swell when cruising, which is so handy when we find ourselves amongst the confused water of our port entrance.
The bespoke foot brace is a major helm upgrade
We wouldn’t normally consider putting fenders out until in the shelter of the port, but the gyro calms the boat’s movement enough to walk around and get the job done.
For us though, the most critical thing is that it increases the days we can anchor up, as well as the length of time we can stay. The boat’s protection does a similarly good job of increasing how often we’re able to use the boat, so I am delighted. We wanted extra usability, safety and practicality and we got it. It’s a great year-round family boat and one that still performs like a proper Windy.
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