The Sabre 402 is a 40-foot performance cruiser built by Sabre Yachts in the United States between 1996 and 2004, with a total of 112 hulls produced. Designed by Jim Taylor in collaboration with the Sabre Design Team, the 402 represents a sweet spot in modern sailboat design: she’s fast and responsive, yet easily handled by a cruising couple.
Built in Maine by a company known for combining New England craftsmanship with innovation, the Sabre 402 incorporates modern design elements like a carbon fiber rudder post and a finely tuned keel and rig package that give her race-winning performance—yet she’s equally comfortable at anchor or underway on a long cruise.
This yacht is ideal for:
- Experienced cruisers looking to step up into a faster, more responsive boat without sacrificing comfort
- Performance-oriented sailors who appreciate quality construction
- Couples and small families interested in extended coastal or offshore cruising
While no longer in production, the Sabre 402 remains in high demand on the brokerage market. If you’re looking to buy or sell a Sabre 402, we can help you navigate the process, provide insight on valuation and condition, and connect you with listings currently available.
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Specifications & Construction
Hull & Deck
- Hull Construction:
- Single-unit, hand-laminated fiberglass
- Balsa core above the waterline for stiffness
- Vinylester resin below the waterline for blister resistance
- ISO NPG gelcoat
- Bulkheads, shelves, and floor stringers laminated to the hull
- Internal deck-to-hull joint
- Deck Construction:
- Hand-laminated fiberglass with balsa core
- Marine-grade plywood in high-stress areas
- Thru-bolted every 6” (4” at genoa tracks) with 3M 5200 sealant
Keel & Rudder
- Keel:
- Modern fin keel design
- Cast lead with antimony for strength
- Thru-bolted to molded sump with stainless steel bolts
- Rudder:
- Balanced fiberglass rudder
- Carbon fiber rudder post
- Tides Marine top bearing with lip seal
Rigging & Sail Plan
Rig Type: Masthead sloop
Spars:
- Hall Spars triple-spreader aluminum mast (Awlgrip white)
- Keel-stepped
- Rod rigging with swept-back spreaders
- Masthead with tri-sheave masthead and internal halyards
- Aluminum boom with internal outhaul and jiffy reefing
Winches (All Lewmar Ocean Series):
- (2) #54 CST primary winches
- (3) #44 CST winches for halyards and reefing
- Traveler led to Harken ball-bearing track
- Two 10” chrome winch handles
Sail Handling:
- Inboard and outboard genoa tracks for sheeting angle versatility
- Mainsheet and traveler controls led aft
- Color-coded running rigging
- Jiffy reefing, vang, outhaul all led aft for short-handed sailing
Engine & Systems
Engine: Westerbeke 55A
- 4-cylinder freshwater-cooled diesel
- 50-gallon aluminum fuel tank
- Racor fuel filter/water separator
- Remote oil sump drain
- Engine oil drip pan
- PSS shaft seal
- Aquamet shaft with 3-blade prop
- Engine access via removable sound-insulated panels
- Tach, hour meter, voltmeter, oil pressure and temperature gauges at helm
Electrical:
- (4) Group 31 deep-cycle 12V batteries
- 110V shore power with GFI outlets
- AC/DC master panels with volt/ammeters and marine circuit breakers
- Color-coded, tinned wiring to USCG standards
- 50’ shore power cord
- Courtesy and locker lighting
Accommodations
General Layout:
- 2-cabin, 1-head layout with separate stall shower
- 6’6″ headroom in saloon and aft cabin
- Varnished cherry wood interior with ash hull ceilings
- Double icebox with top and front access
- Corian countertops and ample storage
Forward Cabin:
- 6’10” centerline island berth
- Vanity with Corian counter, sink, mirror
- Hanging lockers, drawers, and shelving
- Seat and storage under berth
Main Salon:
- Dual settees (port converts to double)
- Centerline drop-leaf table seats 6
- Large storage lockers above berth backs
- Forward-facing navigation station with electronics space
Galley (Port Side):
- Double stainless steel sink with mixing faucet
- 3-burner propane stove with oven
- Large icebox (comparable to home refrigerator)
- Ample drawers, lockers, and counter space
Aft Cabin:
- 6’10” wide double berth
- Hanging locker, drawers, book/magazine rack
- Overhead clearance and open shelving for added comfort
Head & Shower:
- Molded fiberglass unit for easy cleaning
- Marine toilet (Raritan PHII)
- Separate stall shower with teak seat
- Access door to aft cabin
Ventilation & Lighting
- (6) Small + (2) large deck hatches (Lewmar Ocean Series)
- (8) Stainless opening ports + (2) fixed ports
- (2) Chrome dorade vents
- Sliding acrylic companionway hatch with teak boards and screens
Deck Features
- Stainless steel handrails, pulpits, stanchions, and double lifelines
- Teak toerails and cockpit trim
- Anchor locker with custom cast dual anchor roller
- Cockpit storage, winch handle pockets, and teak cup holders
- Transom boarding ladder with teak treads
- Bridgedeck design for added safety and interior headroom
Notable Performance Pedigree
The Sabre 402 shares DNA with the Taylor 42, a custom race boat that remains competitive today. Though the 402 is fitted for cruising comfort, she has logged impressive race results:
- Wooten 2 – Chicago/Mackinac Race
- Il Bodacious – Class win in Newport/Bermuda
- Wildflower – Regular podium finishes in buoy racing
She was named Cruising World’s Boat of the Year (Mid-Sized Cruiser & Overall Winner) in 1997.
Review of the Sabre 402
The mandate given Jim Taylor and the Sabre Design Team was to design and build a sailing yacht with exceptional performance, yet still easily sailed by a couple. The Sabre 402 is fast but requires little physical effort to make her perform. She is ruggedly built and incorporates new technology such as a carbon fiber rudder post and state of the art keel designs. The Sabre 402 with her contemporary, wider beam – carried further aft than in her predecessors – has an abundance of interior volume.
The main salon is impressive and takes full advantage of the 402’s beam of 13-feet 4-inches. Comfortable settees are found to port and starboard, with the port side convertible to a double berth. An elegant yacht table, which will comfortably seat six at meal time, is located on the centerline. Storage lockers above the berth backs provide ample space for stowage. Aft and to starboard is the forward facing navigator’s table, which has all of the space required for a sophisticated electronics system. The navigator’s seat also serves as a place for socializing with the cook when meals are being prepared in the galley to port. To starboard and aft of the nav station are the head and shower. Molded in fiberglass, this easily maintained unit incorporates a marine head, a sink recessed in the countertop, and lots of dry storage in the lockers outboard. A separate shower stall with teak seat is located aft of the head. This compartment has a door providing access to the aft cabin.
The 50 horsepower auxiliary engine is located under the galley on the centerline. Keeping this weight and the weight of all tankage in the middle of the hull adds greatly to the sea kindliness and comfort of the yacht.
The galley to port has ample storage lockers. Outboard, above the countertop, there are plenty of drawers and an ice box comparable in volume to a domestic refrigerator. A double stainless steel sink with mixing faucet is located in the island above the engine. A three burner propane stove with oven is found at the aft end of the galley. The aft cabin has a large berth with storage spaces and drawers underneath. The berth’s occupants can recline with open spaces overhead – unlike the aft cabins of many boats of this type. Outboard of the berth is a long shelf with lockers, a set of drawers, and a large hanging locker. At the forward end of the cabin on centerline is a convenient magazine – book rack.
The bridgedeck – a safety feature in heavy seas – becomes a welcome interior space, providing ease of access from the head to the aft cabin. In the forward cabin, the Sabre 402’s hull volume comfortably houses a 6-foot 10-inch long center island berth surrounded by hanging lockers, storage lockers, and ample shelving; also in the forward cabin is a vanity with Corian counter, sink, and mirror. There is storage under the berth. At the bow, the custom cast anchor roller is designed to easily accommodate two anchors. Aft of the stem is the large chain locker which can also house the optional anchor windlass below deck level. Moving aft there are six small and two large deck hatches which allow plenty of light and air to fill the yacht’s interior. Along the sides of the house are eight stainless steel opening ports and two large fixed ports. Two chrome dorades ensure circulation of the interior air when the yacht is at rest.
The AwIgrip finished, triple spreader rig, with aft swept spreaders and rod rigging, is the source of power which drives the performance of the Sabre 402. This mast section was chosen for its light weight and strength. A lighter mast causes the boat to heel and to pitch less, improving performance and adding comfort and safety. Her genoa tracks are placed well inboard for close sheeting angles and superb weather sailing performance. The Sabre 402 has a second set of genoa tracks on the wooden toe rail for use off the wind or when conditions require a more wide open slot between genoa and mainsail.
Her cockpit is designed for maximum comfort and security at sea. Unlike many other 40 footers where “picnic” tables have become the most important feature of the cockpit, the crew of the Sabre 402 can always find a place to brace their feet on the face of the seat on the low side. The cockpit shapes required to house these tables typically rob the boat’s interior of much needed aft cabin volume. The bridgedeck at the forward end of the cockpit serves several purposes: it prevents flooding of the interior (in the event that a wave should board the yacht), it provides a well sheltered seat when used with a dodger if the weather is poor, and it allows standing headroom in the passageway from the head to the aft cabin.
Jim Talyor Yacht Designs : https://www.tayloryachtdesigns.com/090.php
Other JTYD/Sabre designs: Overview | 362 | 402 | 452 | 426 | 386 | Spirit
The resounding success of the Sabre 362 led directly to the development of the Sabre 402, which began later in 1994. At this point in the evolution of Sabre Corp, their in-house engineering staff was busy with their new trawler yacht. As a result, while most of the detail work for the 362 was done in house by Sabre, for the 402 much more of it was done in Marblehead, with Jim doing most of the interior and deck design in addition to the hull shape, rig geometry, and appendage details. Once again the Sabre engineers took responsibility for the laminates and overall structure, as well as the interior woodworking details.
The Sabre 402 shares design DNA with the Taylor 42, a custom race boat launched in 1991 that is still winning races today (see Design #71). The weight of cruising amenities in the 402 replaced that of the inside ballast of the stripped out T-42, and the 402’s stern overhang is a bit shorter, but overall the designs are quite similar. Like her T-42 cousin, the 402 has had a long string of impressive race results, both around the buoys (e.g. Ron Noonan’s perennial winner Wildflower ) and offshore (such as Bill Smith’s Chicago/Mackinac wins in Wooten 2, and Jeffrey Urbina’s class win in the Newport/Bermuda offshore classic with his Il Bodacious. Launched in 1996, the Sabre 402 has also been a big winner in the marketplace, winning Cruising World’s ‘Mid-Sized Cruiser’ and Overall ‘Boat of the Year’ awards in 1997. Sabre went on to build 112 S-402’s over an especially successful 8 year production run.
Learn More or Find One For Sale
Whether you’re seeking a performance upgrade or a well-built coastal/offshore cruiser, the Sabre 402 remains a standout on the brokerage market.
Contact Murray Yacht Sales to learn more or get connected with current listings.
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