Mason 43

oceanroam · #1 (**permalink**) 05-25-2005

I am looking at a Mason 43 that is well priced. My concern is, it is such a heavy boat it is really a motorsailor, and that the maintenance is so heavy you spend all of your time maintaining and not sailing. Any comments on the boat itself and suggestions? Thanks

chuck711 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-03-2005

There was 3 or 4 Mason 43´s that was lost in Ivan in Grenada last year. The owner told me it was a great sailing yacht. Most boats sail much better and faster than one motors.
If I remember he (the salvager)was asking
$175,000 after he repaired the hull. This was
in PowerBoats ( Trinidad ).

WHOOSH · #3 (**permalink**) 06-04-2005

Ocean, the M43 is a fairly traidition design IMO and benefits/suffers from most of the predictable things, as a result. It is clearly a stable, capable offshore boat and built to take abuse at sea. It is a handful for a short-handed crew and can generate a lot of momentum when trying to maneuver in small basins. It enjoys/suffers from having an engine in the bilge; be sure you think the implications of that through before going further. Better yet, look at how you''ll replace each of the belst, do an oil & fuel filter change, and then provide ongoing ventilation in there should the boat be in colder waters.

IMO the biggest weakness of a M43 is the cockpit: it strikes me as being terribly unuser friendly at sea. If you plan to use the boat in less temperate or seasonal climates, you might want to look at how you and your crew can be comfortable on a long watch.

Jack

ckorody · #4 (**permalink**) 09-19-2005

Masons are great boats. The engine is a hassle of sorts - but that is a case of compared to what. They can be a handful in tight quarters - nothing casual about that kind of weight. Don''t know where you are with budget but I would strongly recommend the Mason 44 over the 43. Much, much better cockpit and more usable interior.

This is a tremendously strong boat. Very seakindly. Properly equipped she will sail well in 10-12+. Plenty of maintenance - the systems are old and need updating, and there is no small amount of brightwork topsides. We got by with one varnish a year in SoCal using the two part Interlux but it was not a casual project. The decks are thick and if they have been properly cared for should last.

I would focus on finding one that has been heavily updated.