At 24,000 pounds displacement, including 9,700 pounds of lead ballast, she is a moderate-weight sailboat. Her proportions and performance figures tell a consistent story of stability and passage-making intent.
Design and Construction
Jerry Cartwright drew the Cartwright 44 in the early eighties as a large sailboat built in solid fiberglass, with a monohull fin-keel hull and skeg-hung rudder.
Her 40.42 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio is higher than that of two-thirds of comparable designs. The displacement-length ratio of 211.52 places her among moderate racers, while 66 percent of similar boats are heavier.
A length-beam ratio of 3.57 makes her slimmer than 73 percent of her peers, a proportion that favors manners in a seaway over cavernous interior volume. The hull’s wetted surface is about 505 square feet. With an immersion rate of roughly 1,591 pounds per inch, her loaded cruising draft falls between 6.0 and 6.3 feet, depending on burden.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig carries a 100 percent sail area of 1,000 square feet, producing a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.23. That’s enough canvas to drive the 37-foot waterline toward the boat’s 8.15-knot hull speed without demanding heroic crew work.
Period reviews classify the Cartwright 44 as a good performer that is very stable and stiff, with excellent righting capability if capsized. Her capsize screening value of 1.71 would, by that formula alone, qualify her for ocean racing. A Motion Comfort Ratio of 33.43 places her above 58 percent of similar designs for comfort.
The sheet specifications reflect the loads involved. The mainsheet is 110 feet long, the jib and genoa sheets are 44 feet, and the spinnaker sheets are just under 97 feet. All are 5/8-inch diameter.
Accommodations and Cruising Profile
The boat’s 44-foot length and 12.33-foot beam provide volume suited to extended living, though the relatively slim hull offers less interior space than beamier contemporaries. Tankage consists of an estimated 120 gallons of water and an estimated 60 gallons of diesel, according to the builder record. The boat has a single-engine installation, the only mechanical plant aboard.
Her comfort ratio and stiffness under sail make her better suited to bluewater cruising than buoy racing. Together with the cutter rig, the estimated water and diesel capacities speak to self-sufficient range.
Practical Limitation
Draft is the main practical limitation. At 6 to 6.3 feet when loaded, the Cartwright 44 can enter only major marinas, which affects where a cruising crew can seek shelter or haul out.
The Verdict
The Cartwright 44 is a thoughtfully proportioned offshore cutter. Her stability figures, righting ability, and ballast ratio mark her as a genuine bluewater boat rather than a dressed-up coastal cruiser. The slim beam and moderate displacement will appeal to sailors who value motion comfort and sea-kindliness over maximum interior volume.
Her draft limits access to deeper ports, but the keel also underpins the stiffness praised by reviewers.
Pros
- Excellent righting capability and a very stiff, stable platform
- Ballast ratio higher than that of 66 percent of similar designs
- Cutter rig with a substantial sail plan suited to offshore work
- Comfort ratio better than that of most comparable boats
Cons
- Draft of 6–6.3 feet restricts the boat to major marinas
- Slim beam provides less interior volume than beamier contemporaries
