In my endless cyber-hull kicking sessions, I came accross a couple of F&C 44 Ketches on Yachtworld. I am a big fan of almost all of German Frers designs, and these looked especially appealing. I am trying to schedule a time to view the two in the NE.
In the mean time, does anyone have anything positive of negative to say about these designs? They don''t seem to be drawn to any particular racing rule, just swift capable offshore cruisers. I''m not a big fan of the keel-c/b design, but it may be an acceptable compromise of shoal draft and ocean sailing ability.
I am not familiar with the builder. Any comments about the build quality of these boats? I will of course crawl all over, around and through them, so that will be a head start.
My intent is to find a boat in the low to mid 40'' range, displacing in the mid 20tn range. The idea of the split sailplan appeals to me for the smaller sails, yet I know that the ketch is a more difficult design to balance.
I liked the layout, and the specs seemed in
line, along with the reknown of the designer. The price point also falls in with my $150k - $200k target.
I''m in no hurry to make up my mind. I am very happy with my current sloop. It''s just my first mate is pining for something a little more than Silmaril''s "Camping with sails" approach.
Looks like this board will be up for a while longer, so I''d enjoy any discussions on this design.
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