Trident Marine / Warrior 40

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raro3

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I'm looking at buying a used Warrior 40, and want to do a bit of research about the builder, Trident Marine. Can't find a web site - can anyone advise whether they're still in business.
Also, does anyone have any views on the Warrior 40? YBW's past articles only refer to the 35, an older boat, but not the 40. Finally, one disadvantage (?) is that the 40 has sail drive. Is this really as bad as I've been led to believe, apart from the fact that you have to haul-out to change the oil and anodes? I'd appreciate comments from anyone experienced in them. Thanks a lot.
 
Trident Marine went bust a few years back, I think around the late 1990's.
I have a Voyager 38 which has the same hull as the Warrior but with a shaft driven prop.
Both the Warrior and the Voyager are good solid boats, very seaworthy and well suited for living aboard.
Mine is for sale if you are interested.
http://www.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=85464
 
Yep.......... Sailed hundreds of miles on the 40, excellent boat good sea keeping and goes like a train once out in open water.

Great liveaboard and loads of room, I particularly liked the long counter galley. If I was looking for a good 40' which would take me anywhere the Warrior would be up there. Ours was a shaft drive, the only problem I had was we lost the prop which wasnt due to the manufacturer but the engineer who had put it on a week before.

They were made in two sheds somewhere around Plymouth if I remember correctly, the quality of the boats was not conducive to where they were made.

Downside............ I always thought it was a bitch in marinas as we didn't have a bow thruster and she didn't want to turn at low speed.

Good luck with the purchase
Tom
 
Superb boats. One on the hard here has just returned from a 3 yr Atlantic circuit with a family, and the owner thinks it is wonderful (shaft driven IIRC). I've got a 35, but if I could afford it I'd have the 40 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Trident Marine, founded in early 70s, ceased trading in the late 1990s after a chequered decade of intermittent trading. The Warrior 38/40 was one of its quiet successes; a solid, seaworthy and not too slow, long keeled (rudder on a separate skeg) cruiser with serious offshore pretentions and good liveaboard space below decks. About 125 were built.

Cutter rig makes her easily handled and the flush decks make working forward of the cockpit a delight. The draught is, perhaps, on the shallow side for a blue water boat at just 5ft.
The design was launched as the 38 in the mid 80s and in the early 90s extended to 40ft. The extra length was used mainly to enlarge the after cabins though these were never particularly large. A number of alternative interiors were offered by the company and a few home completed ones may have had almost anything. Mould quality was generally good and substantial but the fit out of the interior was variable, mainly adequate.

YM poblished a report in December 1984 and a Second Look in December 1996
 
Trident Marine, Portchester ... just outside gates of Wicor Marine. That's where they were - not Plymouth. Knew the place well ...

Good boats, odd ones had mods but generally good boats that have served the Blue-water peeps well.
 
So, along with Damo and Porchester I too have a 35, originally moulded by Morgan Giles in Teignmouth way back in 1966. I had a neighbour in southsea marina with a 40 which was spacious downstairs and the flat deck made for easy getting about but I would say the 35 and 40 are way different styles of boat. I am now looking to upsize and I found one Warrior 40 for sale which is sort of on my short list. My current neighbours with Bennies are quite jealous of the "sweet lines" and easy sea motion of the more classic Warrior.
 
I have one, no 94, so am biased. I have owned and sailed other boats over the years, but had always been drawn to the Warrior 38/40, mainly for her blue water capability combined with excellent interior space, and to my mind totally functional good looks. She does most things well, but needs to be sailed as upright as possible, a drawback of the 5ft draft, too much leeway, As has been mentioned, marinas can be a little fraught they are not the quickest to turn at slow speed, but you would expect that with a longish keel configuration such as she has, I sail mainly singlehanded, and have owned the boat for two years, and have tried to master her ways, i think i have largely suceeded, but am seriously considering a bow thruster, but if i had regular crew i dont think that need would be so pressing. They are big heavy boats but as with all things you learn to adapt...
 
Not to my knowledge, but after Trident folded, Northshore took over the molds with the intention of building to order, and supplying parts for home finish, as indeed Trrident did.
Dont know if they have actually built any yet,,,,
 
Trident Warrior 40 question - Sail Drive

After 15 years, we put our boat on the "hard" in order to overhaul the Sail Drive unit. As with any transmission, bearings and seals all were replaced, and yes, putting the boat on the hard is the only way to remove the unit - it leaves a very large hole in the bottom of the boat. Oil can be withdrawn through the fill tube, or break the rear seal and oil goes all over the engine compartment; but, can be thinned with liquid detergent and pumped out of the boat.

This is a compact unit that does not require bearing packing and little or no maintenance other than topping up the oil, there is no propeller shaft to straighten, it fits between the keel and rudder for protection.

I did get a mooring rope caught in the propeller and had to use half an air tank to go down to cut the fouled rope off of the propeller. Biggest concern when hauling boat out of the water - keep the slings from catching on the Sail Drive. A fellow sailor was not as careful and had the sling break a transmission mount and off set his engine/transmission on its mounts - took a week to repair. Volvo suggests replacing the ring seal that fits around the Sail Drive about 10 years of age. You schedule this maintenance item when doing a bottom paint job. Hope this helps.

Scott
 
raro3 said:
I'm looking at buying a used Warrior 40, and want to do a bit of research about the builder, Trident Marine. Can't find a web site - can anyone advise whether they're still in business.
Also, does anyone have any views on the Warrior 40? YBW's past articles only refer to the 35, an older boat, but not the 40. Finally, one disadvantage (?) is that the 40 has sail drive. Is this really as bad as I've been led to believe, apart from the fact that you have to haul-out to change the oil and anodes? I'd appreciate comments from anyone experienced in them. Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

They were made in the shed where the radio control model shop is now (just beyond the entrance to Wicormarine?)

I was told you could request just about any build scenario from a bare hull to a completed boat. Therefore, lots of variation in specification and finish. I was shown around a 1990's 40 about 18 months ago. It was bought as a hull and completed elsewhere. It was, quite possibly, the best built boat I have ever seen. Very solid with the outstanding teak joinery!
 
A few years ago I delivered one from Lanzarote to Antigua then at the end of the Carib season, delivered it back again. Very happy, lovely seaboat, comfortable and surprisingly quick. It had original saloon cushions that made it a bit dark, total trivia! Had a brill time!
 
Old thread, he has probably bought one now, quite agree though, great boat, can be had for sensible money, if prepared to do a little work, most of them will have been well used.
 
I have had a Warrior 40 since 2006 and it's simply the best!
The suggested shortfalls, of sail-drive and shallow draft, that have been mentioned earlier were spotted by the original commissioner and were overcome at the point of original build.
The sail-drive was replaced by shaft drive and the draft was increased by nearly 2ft by adding an extra half ton of ballast.
The keel was made deeper by the addition of the extra ballast.

She will see me safely out.
 
Last edited:
Huttoft said:
I have had a Warrior 40 since 2006 and it's simply the best!
The suggested shortfalls, of sail-drive and shallow draft, that have been mentioned earlier were spotted by the original commissioner and were overcome at the point of original build.
The sail-drive was replaced by shaft drive and the draft was increased by nearly 2ft by adding an extra half ton of ballast.
The keel was made deeper by the addition of the extra ballast.

She will see me safely out.
Click to expand...

I visited the yard when it was in operation to check out the prospect of taking a hull and fitting out myself. It was a serious miscalculation - the fitting out was to be with own materials etc. End to end, apart from the time, it was expensive. Their production was very slow and build conditions poor - by modern standards. But the hulls have stood up well enough.

But I had extensive contact with a pontoon neighbour who sailed the 40 and he sung its praises - that's why I went to investigate: he had enough money to buy a finished model. Very stable, fast on the beam, and of course lots of space above and below deck - a premier 40 fter with liveaboard qualities few at this length can match. With that beam you can expect it to labour a bit in heavy heading conditions with short seas - true of many boats, of course.

The S leg? Using sling markers (who doesn't?) avoids any risk of snagging the S leg when lifting. S leg is deep set for good propulsion in heavy seas, and requires relatively little maintenance - the one exception being the new gaiter every 7-10 yrs. Of great value is that the S leg propels aft in a straight line - nice one!

PWG
 
The Warrior 40 is so special. I have had one from new for 16 years and clocked up just over 26,000 miles with no defects except engine replacement and crazed glazing in Lewmar hatches.
 
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