Design and Construction
What separates the 99 from ordinary cruisers of her size is the structural recipe. Fairport built her hull as a sandwich using E-glass fabric with Kevlar in high-load areas, wetted out with epoxy laminating resin through a mechanical impregnator and finished with vacuum bagging, then post-cured in an oven for eight hours epoxy resin and vacuum process. Below the waterline the core is ATC Core-Cell foam; topsides and deck carry Baltec AL-600. The hull-deck joint is sealed with 3M 5200 and secured with stainless machine screws on 4-inch centers through a 6061 T6 aluminum backing plate, while deck hardware is through-bolted or tapped into stainless bar stock. Jackett's lamination schedule dropped chopped strand mat entirely and reached a 67–70 percent glass content, cutting skin-laminate weight roughly in half versus polyester while adding fiber strength. The shell weighs about 780 pounds in epoxy against a 1,600–1,800-pound polyester equivalent. A Mars Metal bulbed keel bolts on with stainless steel, and the underbody carries a canoe shape, fin-and-bulb keel, and deep spade rudder far from traditional cruiser form. Fairport's confidence showed in a 15-year guarantee on these epoxy boats.
Rig and Handling
On the water the 99 reads as a balanced, easily managed machine. Her sail plan is powerful yet handled cleanly under main alone when tacking in crowded harbors, and test sailors found tacking and jibing easy singlehanded. The roller-furling jib was a snap to manage, while the roughly 300-square-foot mainsail uses single-line slab reefing led aft with big-boat controls: vang, outhaul, traveler, and a double-sided mainsheet with fine and gross tails. A large rudder kept her balanced beating to windward with only slight weather helm. Even overpowered and short on rail weight she resisted broaching and was reluctant to root her bow and raise her stern, keeping the rudder engaged. The Edson steering was strongly installed and butter smooth. The 19-horsepower Volvo MD2020 diesel with sail drive pushes her through a calm just over 6 knots and sips about two-thirds of a gallon per hour, fitting snugly beneath the companionway ladder.
Accommodations
Below, the 99 sleeps six and is comfortable for four, with 6 feet 2 inches of headroom that is a real asset on a 32-footer. The layout places the nav station, settee, and head to port, with a C-shaped galley and settee to starboard; the head sits forward to port. The master stateroom has an oversized V-berth for two adults plus a hanging locker and full-length shelves, while the aft berth is a double set at an angle outboard to port. Cherry joinery with satin finish and a teak-and-holly sole dress the interior, and cabinets use weight-saving ITW SprayCore foam. The galley holds a two-burner gimbaled propane cooktop in molded Granicote with a 4-inch-foam icebox, and provision was made for an optional microwave. Tankage is 40 gallons water, 20 fuel, 20 effluent, with water and holding beneath the forward berth and fuel below the port settee. A swim-step transom and a lazarette in the cockpit's starboard corner round out the practical details.
Safety and Offshore Credentials
The 99 carries an ISO Category A offshore approval and a limit of positive stability near 122 degrees, figures that place her among the more capably rated small performance cruisers. Her stiff demeanor, fair form stability, and light but stiff long-waterline hull support that rating, as does the safe side-deck layout noted in period review.
The Verdict
The C&C 99 is a thoughtfully engineered 32-footer that blends racer responsiveness with cruising usability. Her epoxy-vacuum hull, balanced rig, and singlehanded-friendly controls make her a standout for sailors wanting light-air quickness without surrendering offshore credibility.
Pros
- Epoxy-infused, vacuum-bagged hull with high glass content and half-weight skin laminate versus polyester
- Balanced, easy-to-handle sail plan manageable singlehanded
- ISO Category A approval with about 122-degree positive stability limit
- 6'2" headroom and smart cherry-finished interior on a 32-foot hull
Cons
- Modest-sized cabin house and smallish cockpit seating only four
- Tunnel-like saloon from low-profile fixed portlights
