Design and Construction
The Landfall 43 carries a more modern hull shape than the Landfall 42, with a slightly longer waterline and refined lines. The hull is solid fiberglass, and the boat is built with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for balanced handling and protection. At 42.08 feet overall with a 34.42-foot waterline and 12.62-foot beam, the design sits on a displacement near 23,000 pounds with about 10,000 pounds of ballast, a 37 percent ballast ratio that gives the 43 a steady, planted feel. The wetted surface runs about 473 square feet, and the immersion rate of roughly 1,515 pounds per inch means she settles predictably under cruising load. The capsize screening value of 1.74 and a motion comfort ratio of 35.1 place her firmly in the comfortable offshore-cruiser bracket rather than the lightweight racer lineage.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig was a masthead sloop, with a cutter rig common for versatility and some ketch variants offered for easier shorthanded management and better heavy-weather balance. The masthead sloop carries a reference sail area of 771 square feet, and with a 135 percent genoa the sail-area-to-displacement ratio rises from 14.6 to 17.4, a useful jump for light-air passages without turning the boat into a handful. The ketch option splits the rig for reduced single-sail loads. Under power, the theoretical displacement-hull speed is 7.9 knots and the calculated maximum under engine is about 6.7 knots. The fin keel and skeg-hung rudder combination gives balanced handling; with a draft around 5.5 feet dependent on load, the boat can enter most marinas.
Accommodations and Tankage
The Landfall 43 is known for a spacious, practical interior with generous tankage. Fresh water capacity is 145 US gallons and fuel capacity is 70 US gallons, figures that support extended liveaboard use or long coastal hops without constant resupply. The boat is often praised for good motion comfort, ample storage, and reliability in trades or heavy seas, a profile consistent with the comfort-oriented Landfall evolution rather than a stripped racer-cruiser.
The Verdict
The Landfall 43 is a considered answer to the question of what a comfortable, self-sufficient 43-foot cruiser should look like in the early 1980s: a refined-hull evolution of the Landfall 42 with solid glass construction, a versatile rig choice, and tankage that supports real distance. She is not a performance thoroughbred, but her numbers and reported behavior suit a couple or small family cruising and living aboard.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass construction with fin keel and skeg-hung rudder
- Spacious, practical interior with 145-gallon water and 70-gallon fuel capacity
- Masthead sloop standard, with cutter and ketch options for versatility
- Comfortable motion and reliable behavior in trades or heavy seas
Cons
- Moderate sail-area-to-displacement ratio under reference sail
