Best boat type in 40ft range for Mediterranean Sea

Hi, my experience is that your third boat could be a keeper... ;-)

You need to experience different types of boats in different situations for extended periods, before you can choose a boat you will be happy with for even a few years, much less the rest of your boating days. Boating experience will change you, and change what you want and need from a boat. If you have friends with boats, pick their brains, spend time with them. Read the huge amount of information from owners on forums like cruisersforum. You aren't looking at yachts, this isn't probably the best place to get your information, but there are sub-forums here on specific brands, that will be useful.

We find Itama go well in the Med ,the high deadrise 23 degrees in my case a 42 , means a nice soft ride and you can keep your speed up in a long crossing .
Med weather is often changeable - sea state wise ( sure blue sky sun all day ) but on a passage of even 40 miles due to the different mountain ranges on land and weather patterns blowing in from the Atlantic , Artic. And the east you can get it all in one day .
For seakeeping look at deadrise angles ,
Itama , Baia , Magmum , Otam etc --- get one with a Deep V said to be over 18 degrees the higher the better .
"Man maths " it's nice to cruise @ 100 miles in 3 hrs often that's a change of country too .
You need plenty of outside space too .

Ok....first : how fast you want to go?
If you want to go 9 knots (this is the cruising speed of a trawler), deep V has no influence, and not one trawler will be deep V
A deep V (from 21 to 26° at transom ) does not support well super structures, and is usefull only after a certain speed.
In one word, Grand Banks and other boats alike do not have Deep V.
Deep V you can find on : Magnum, Itama, Otam and few others, but this boats are only open.
If you want a nice compromise, I suggest boats like Hinckley, Mochi Dolphin or other well made lobster boat.
Another idea could be a fishing boat like Viking or Hatteras, they handle the sea pretty well (do not go for a Tiara, I had one, and it is not a good boat).
Just remember that deep V boats burn much more gasoline than not deep V boats since they move much more water.
So either lobster boats or fishing boats burn a lot (they have usually a V close to 19° at transom and they are heavy)
Another solution could be an Intrepid 43 or 47 (deep V, great quality, outboards)
Since I dislike slow boats ( they are ok if you have a captain and he moves the boat at night while you are sleeping), I will never go for a trawler, but this is just personal taste.
In any case remember that trawlers roll a lot, so make sure you install a fin system or a seakeeper, otherwise you and your family will not be very happy.
I have an Itama, great hull (quality wise.....I do not suggest to buy one unless you want to fight few years to solve the problems, as I did)
Hope my advices will help you, but in any case remember that only once you have experience you will understand what will be the best boat for you, which means......you will need to change few boats before understanding what is perfect for you.

I was looking for a boat of this size and came accross the Nimbus 405. I ended up on another boat because my goals are different, but this boat seems to be a good match to all points you made.

If your goals are that speeds, then trawler alike is a good choice. No one of them has a Deep V, they are all around 12/14 ° at stern.
Only remember : when going at 20 knots with a planning or semi planning trawler you will burn as much or more than a Deep V at 30.
Do not fool yourself with the story of the liter(or gallon) per hour : always check the liters (or gallons) per nautical miles.
Then....it is only budget : usually you get what you pay.

Grand Banks is build like a brick compared to the Beneteau you mention.
For what you want I suggest Azimut Magellano, or other Italian makes as Estensi Maine or the Sun Deck series, these last both designed by Zuccheri. You can also look at some other builders from UK like Hardy although finishing and detail is not as good as the Italians, but GRP is up to the same standard.

I used to build and deliver Aquastars, rugged and tough, based on a Pilot boat hull.

http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2003/Aquastar-47-2347812/Spain#.WdZcEGhSyK8

The Dale is also a Pilot boat hull with fine seakeeping qualities. The Nelson hull design is an all time classic from the 60's that hasn't been bettered outside some custom sportfishing canyon runners.

http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2006/Dale-Nelson-38-Aft-Cabin-3112972/United-Kingdom#.WdZdhWhSyK8

I agree with this assessment, but society tends to herald name brands, often giving them more credit than deserved.

Contrary to numerous articles that are clearly advertiser biased, if you're looking for a well built, sea-worthy boat, I would take Beneteau off the list.

Please note that what I am saying is that for build quality Grand Banks is much more stronger then a Beneteau.
I see twenty thirty years old GBs still looking nice in marinas and boat yards, and some of these have been running around the med in various places.

Beneteau is poorly made, you always get what you pay for.....One is a boat which fall apart after very few years, the other one is a boat that last forever......It is like saying why a Range Rover costs used more than a Trabant.....

Well......fiberglass is thin, everything on board from gas springs to forniture is low quality, it is a cheap boat which has a reason to be cheap.
A well done boat of around 50 feet to be really well done should cost new around 1.5 million us dollars. If it costs new around 600.000 can't be done with great materials....
Beneteau is probably the best done boat between the cheap once, but ......do not pretend too much from a Beneteau....same as Janneau, Bavaria, and many others.

I support this statement.