Its lineage begins with the Whitby 42, a Ted Brewer design from 1971, and continues through the Brewer 12.8. Fort Myers Yacht and Shipbuilding built 33 Whitby 42s under license and 40 Brewer 12.8s. By the time Practical Sailor surveyed the design, the yard had also sold 24 of the 44-foot version.
The Brewer 44 is essentially the same boat as the 12.8, but with a slightly extended stern. That change enlarged the aft stateroom, narrowed the hull a touch aft, and reduced the transom. The trade-off is worthwhile: more sleeping space forward of the rudder.
Design and Construction
The Brewer 44 and 12.8 share the Whitby 42’s basic hull and deck. However, the Whitby’s long keel and attached rudder were cut away and replaced by a shorter keel and skeg-mounted rudder. This removed a great deal of wetted surface and improved light-air performance.
The hull uses a conventional mat-and-rovings layup, with balsa core extending from just below the waterline to just under the sheer. At the hull-to-deck joint, a glass bulwark has an inward flange that overlaps the deck’s outward flange. The joint is bolted and bedded, then capped with teak—a good, solid arrangement. A fiberglass rubbing strake is molded into the hull just below the sheer.
The 44 has noticeably more substance than the 12.8. According to the builder, ballast started at 11,000 pounds and increased to almost 12,000. Compared with the 12.8, the 44 carries 2,000 to 3,000 pounds more ballast and has 2,650 to 3,650 pounds more displacement overall. Its waterline is also 1 foot 3 inches to 1 foot 9 inches longer.
Both models were semi-custom boats, ordered and built rather than purchased from a dealer’s floor.
Rig, Underbody, and Handling
The standard rig is a well-proportioned, modern, high-aspect cutter. Its Isomat mast is stepped through to the keel, with Lewmar halyard winches mounted on the spar. All sails can be controlled from the cockpit. Buyers could also pay for an optional double-headsail ketch rig with a bowsprit.
Three underwater configurations were offered:
- A shoal fin
- The shoal keel with a high-aspect centerboard
- A slightly deeper fin
The centerboard arrangement was originally standard on the 12.8. It later became optional on the 44 because owners often left the board unused.
The cutaway underbody makes both the 12.8 and 44 much more maneuverable at docking speeds than the Whitby 42. The 12.8 also sailed with exceptional balance: trimmed upwind in 12 knots, she could be left to steer herself. Reviewers expected the 44’s additional ballast to make her the better performer once the wind rose above about 15 knots. With the board down in puffs, however, she tends to round up sharply on a close reach.
A large-diameter wheel connected to mechanical pull-pull steering provides excellent response and feel. The engine room is also decently insulated against noise.
Accommodations and Cockpit
Below, the Brewer 44 is a genuine three-space cruiser. Forward is a cabin with V-berths, though they’re narrow at the foot and tight for anyone over six feet. The main saloon has straight and L-shaped settees. Aft, the extended stern creates a suite with a permanent fore-and-aft double, replacing the 12.8’s joinable quarterberths.
Two heads serve the interior. The forward head can be entered through either of two doors, while the aft head has room for a sit-down shower.
The U-shaped galley includes a large refrigerator and freezer arranged athwartships. There’s a large dry well between the sinks and stove, along with a proper hatch behind the dodger breakwater.
Stowage is plentiful. The boat has three hanging lockers, a foul-weather locker, a dedicated booze locker, and a large workbench in the passage, with storage for charts and tools. Headroom exceeds six feet throughout, except in the stooping passage to the aft cabin.
The cockpit is enormous and can comfortably seat eight at anchor. A high molded breakwater also makes it easier to fit a full-width dodger.
Machinery and Deck Hardware
The standard engine is a 62 hp Perkins 4-154; an 85 hp Perkins was optional. With 135 gallons of fuel, the boat has a range of around 700 miles under power. Low engine hours and meticulous upkeep were noted on owner boats.
Standard primary genoa winches are Lewmar 52 self-tailers, while Lewmar 30s handle the staysail sheets. A full-width traveler spans the top of the aft cabin, but its controls are mounted at the cabin’s after end, so using them requires climbing out of the cockpit.
Most of the standard winches seem marginal for retirement sailing. The main halyard lead was poor even on a new Brewer 44, and the staysail winches are hidden outside the dodger. The primary sheet winch handles also sweep through the lifelines.
The standard battery bank totals only 225 amp hours, which testers considered too small for the boat. The Dorade down-takes are also undersized for the vent mouths.
Detailing, Refits, and Ownership
Practical Sailor found the Brewer 44 noticeably better detailed than the early 12.8. Improvements included solid teak door moldings instead of glued veneer, as well as cleaner hatch cutouts.
Known Issues
Several problems run through the design’s lineage. Cruising World’s account of its own new boat described a deck issue for which the owner received compensation after obtaining two quotes.
The Brewer 44’s reverse transom can catch a dinghy as it’s lowered from davits. By comparison, the 12.8’s vertical transom allows the dinghy to drop cleanly from davits.
Movement on deck can also be awkward. The wide cabin trunk leaves very narrow side decks, while the shroud chainplates land mid-deck with no room to pass outboard of the shrouds. The fuel fills are set into the waterways, close to the sheer’s low point.
Below, the forward-cabin door takes away space that might otherwise hold a dresser. When the boat is heeled on starboard tack, seawater backs up through the head sink.
The aft-cabin companionway has a forward-facing slatted drop board, which catches spray.
The Verdict
The Brewer 44 is a thoughtfully matured descendant of the Whitby 42. It gives up some transom utility in exchange for a proper aft double and a thoroughly liveable interior. Its strengths include a sound hull-to-deck structure, a balanced cutter rig, good light-air performance, and better maneuverability around the docks than its Whitby predecessor.
Pros
- Extended stern creates a proper aft suite and a clearer separation of accommodation spaces than the 12.8
- Cutaway keel-and-rudder underbody improves maneuverability and light-air performance over the Whitby 42
- Solid, bedded hull-to-deck joint, with a teak cap and molded rubbing strake
- Enormous cockpit, genuine three-space interior, and plentiful storage
Cons
- Narrow side decks and mid-deck chainplates leave no room to pass outboard of the shrouds
- Reverse transom can catch a dinghy during launching, while the aft companionway catches spray
- Standard battery capacity is undersized, and several rig controls are awkwardly positioned or poorly led
- Head sink back-floods when the boat heels on starboard tack; a deck issue was reported on a new boat
