Cal 44 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Cal 44 means chasing a scarce 1984-onward cutter with just 21 examples ever built, so the search is less about comparing many listings and more about evaluating each individual boat on its own merits. These are early-eighties Raymond Hunt & Assoc. designs with fiberglass hulls and lead fin keels, and the used fleet reflects owner-driven cruising setups rather than factory-standard simplicity.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Cal 44 is a large sailboat with a 43.5-foot length overall and a 13.5-foot beam, proportions that underpin a roomy cruising interior even though authority documents do not describe the specific compartment layout. Verified specifications show 200 gallons of water capacity and 80 gallons of diesel, so most used examples will present as self-sufficient cruisers with the tankage to match the hull's 25,300-pound displacement. The two fin-keel draft options—about 5.41 to 5.71 feet and about 6.50 to 6.80 feet depending on load—mean a given boat's marina access was fixed at build and should be confirmed against your home port fin keel option having a draft of about 1.65 - 1.75 meter.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, used Cal 44s commonly carry air conditioning, solar, lithium batteries, inverter, wind generator, bow thruster, bimini, dodger, dinghy davits, radar, and chartplotter as fitted equipment. The boat's 58-horsepower Vire 58 diesel (or, per editorial review, an inboard Westerbeke W58 diesel at 58 hp) forms the baseline propulsion around which such systems are added. The cutter rig with its 37.9-meter halyards and 33.1-meter mainsheet is unchanged in specification across the fleet, so equipment differences between boats are largely in the cruising-electrics and cockpit-comfort sphere.
What to Inspect
The documented source record for the Cal 44 contains no known structural defects, flooding paths, or systemic issues to inspect beyond confirming the as-built facts. Verify the keel type and draft band against the hull, confirm whether the engine is the Vire 58 or Westerbeke W58, and check the lead keel bond to the fiberglass hull as you would on any solid-fiberglass fin-keel yacht. The absence of a documented fault list means inspection should follow normal used-sailboat diligence rather than a model-specific defect checklist.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Used Cal 44s are typically found in the United States market, consistent with the boat's Cal Yachts heritage and low production volume. For the buyer, the takeaway is straightforward:
- Confirm keel draft option against your marina depth
- Identify engine make (Vire 58 vs Westerbeke W58) for spares planning
- Expect commonly fitted cruising gear: solar, lithium, inverter, bow thruster, dodger, radar, chartplotter
- Budget for sparse fleet support given only 21 built
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cal 44. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 44,500 | — |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 44,500 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Cal 44 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 44,500 | 2 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSY 44 | 44' | $ 55,980 | 42 | 10 |
| Caliber 40 | 40.92' | $ 169,000 | 24 | 8 |
| Morgan Yachts Morgan 44 | 44' | $ 95,000 | 23 | 8 |
| Hylas 44 | 44.17' | $ 99,000 | 13 | 5 |
| Sunbeam 44 | 43.96' | $ 183,088 | 11 | 4 |
| CAL 44You are here | — | $ 44,500 | 2 | 0 |