[6] The design was built by Archambault Boats of Dangé-Saint-Romain and also by the BG Race shipyard in Saint-Malo in France between 2003 (some sources say 2005 or 2009) and 2017, but it is now out of production.
The boat has a keel-stepped mast, dyform wire standing rigging and two sets of swept spreaders.
The hull has a plumb stem, an open reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by dual wheels and a fixed fin keel.
The galley is L-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, a 19.8 U.S. gallons (75 L; 16.5 imp gal) icebox and a sink.
[2] In a 2009 Cruising World reviewer Herb McCormick wrote, "to get the most out of the A40RC, a crack team of top sailors was kept very busy.
It feels every centimetre a sweet modern racer-cruiser and, joy-of-joys, with everything set up perfectly for the racecourse it was a delight.