Design and Construction
The Cal 44's hull is solid fiberglass, and the keel is lead, with a fin configuration offered in two draft bands: a shoaler 5.41 to 5.71 feet dependent on load, and a deeper 6.50 to 6.80 feet that restricts her to major marinas anchor. At 25,300 pounds displacement with 10,300 pounds of lead ballast, her ballast ratio sits at 40 percent, and her length-to-beam ratio of 3.23 against a 13.5-foot beam gives a hull that is beamy without being slab-sided. The displacement-length ratio of 234 places her firmly in the heavy-cruiser camp, and her immersion rate of about 1,703 pounds per inch means she sits deep and moves slowly in the water when loaded. The wetted surface of the bottom is approximately 516 square feet, a large footprint that, combined with the 36.25-foot waterline, supports a theoretical displacement-hull speed of 8.1 knots.
Rig and Handling
She is built with a cutter rig and carries more rig than 58 percent of similar sailboats, a reflection of her 860 square feet of sail area and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.1 on the ISO reference sail, rising to 19.1 with a 135 percent genoa. The Motion Comfort Ratio of 31.2 and a capsize screening value of 1.84 position her as a stable, seakindly vessel built for loaded cruising rather than all-out performance. Under power, the calculated maximum is about 6.8 knots from the Westerbeke W58 diesel at 58 horsepower. The standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for a boat this size: mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards all run 124.3 feet at 14 mm diameter, while sheets and the mainsheet are 16 mm, the latter stretching 108.8 feet.
Accommodations
The Cal 44 is a large sailboat with 200 gallons of water and 80 gallons of diesel capacity, figures that support extended cruising for a couple or small family. The cutter rig and deep ballast give her the profile of a serious voyager, though the authority documents do not itemize berth counts or cabin arrangement beyond the principal tankage and dimensional data.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a Cal 44 means stewarding a low-production Hunt-designed cruiser with a straightforward solid-fiberglass hull and lead keel that ask little in the way of exotic repair. The 58-horsepower Westerbeke diesel is an original-fit option, and the generous halyard and sheet lengths mean any re-rigging must be specified to the boat's full 124-foot halyard and 109-foot mainsheet runs rather than typical mid-size cruiser stock.
The Verdict
The Cal 44 is a heavily built, stable offshore cutter from the Ray Hunt pen, rare enough to be a distinctive find yet conventional enough in her solid-fiberglass and lead-keel construction to be understood by any competent yard. She favors the loaded cruiser over the regatta sailor, and her numbers describe a boat that is safe, roomy in tankage, and undemanding in structural prognosis.
Pros
- Lead fin keel with two draft options for marina access flexibility
- 40 percent ballast ratio and 1.84 capsize screening value for offshore stability
- Solid fiberglass hull with lead keel and no systemic defects reported
- Generous 200-gallon water and 80-gallon fuel capacity for extended cruising
Cons
- Heavy displacement-length ratio of 234 limits light-air performance
- Deep-draft version restricted to major marinas
- Only 21 built, complicating spares and class knowledge
