Cherubini 44 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The standard arrangement moves from an aft cabin and navigation area forward to a starboard head with shower, a U-shaped port galley, a saloon with settees and a drop-leaf table, and a bow V-berth cabin. Because most were semi-custom, a buyer should treat the forward cabin joinery, locker count, and nav-station placement as negotiable per hull rather than fixed class specs.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market, inverters, chartplotters, teak decks, and autopilots are commonly fitted, which together cover the core of modern navigation and house power. Often-seen additions include air conditioning, bow thrusters, radar, and AIS, pointing to boats that have been adapted for tropical liveaboard or crowded-approach cruising. A frequent owner upgrade cluster sits in canvas and sail handling — dodgers, biminis, and cockpit showers show up less universally, and some boats carry a furling main or hot water, while freezers appear as occasional refits. For a buyer, the presence of a bow thruster and autopilot matters more than a stereo when assessing close-quarters ease on a 28,000-pound boat.

What to Inspect

Early Cherubini 44s with less than 50 horsepower were underpowered, so confirm the installed diesel’s rating; later boats have taken Yanmars up to 75 horsepower anchor. Engine access is good only after the navigation station is removed, and the engine can quite easily be removed through the companionway hatch if needed anchor. Original pre-Mark II boats used cold-molded marine plywood decks and cabin tops with solid mahogany sides rather than molded fiberglass, so inspect those wood structures for moisture or delamination anchor. The relatively low freeboard can produce a wet ride when pushed hard in rough conditions, a point to weigh against any reported deck or trunk-cabin leakage anchor.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats typically appear in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. For a buyer, the short checklist is: verify engine horsepower against the underpowered early threshold, examine the plywood deck and cabin top on pre-Mark II hulls, confirm the centerboard pivots and keel seals, and decide whether a three-cabin owner layout or the alternative suits your plans. The Cherubini 44 rewards patient shopping with a low-production, Herreshoff-flavored ketch that few other used-market names — a Shannon 43 included — can directly substitute.