Hughes 40 (Northstar 80/20)

Description

The Hughes 40 (also known as the Northstar 80/20 in some references or markets) is a Canadian fiberglass performance cruiser designed by the renowned firm Sparkman & Stephens (S&S) for Hughes Boat Works Ltd. in Huron Park (Centralia), Ontario, Canada, with production starting around 1975 and continuing into the early 1980s. Built with solid fiberglass hull (some debate on whether decks or certain areas were cored in owner discussions, but generally described as heavy and robust), it features a fin keel with skeg-hung rudder for balanced handling and protection, moderate-to-heavy displacement for excellent stability and seakeeping in rough conditions (no pounding typical of flatter modern designs), spacious accommodations with good headroom and layout for liveaboard or extended cruising, center cockpit or aft cockpit variants in some builds, and primarily a masthead ketch rig for versatile sail handling and heavy-weather capability (though a few sloop-rigged examples exist per owner reports). It emphasizes bluewater potential, comfort, and solid construction suited to long-distance voyages, with auxiliary diesel power and good load-carrying ability. Production was limited (dozens built, exact quantity not centrally tracked but considered rare today, with examples still sailing and occasionally listed for sale as capable classics).