Design and Construction
A hefty lay-up schedule and full hull sections give the 44 its substance, while a clipper bow, raised deck aft and relatively high freeboard produce a distinctive look that caused many to mistake her for a full-keel anachronism. She was in fact built around a cut-away forefoot, longish keel and skeg-hung rudder that afford plenty of directional stability. A bulletproof rub rail and a keel and ballast arrangement designed to handle a grounding explain much of her appeal to cruisers who expected hard use. CSY constructed the hull and deck from heavy solid fiberglass with no core, using nine laminations above the waterline and nearly two inches of thickness at the turn of the bilge, limiting wood to structural stringers, bulkheads and joinery.
Rig and Handling
The no-nonsense single-spreader cutter rig is well supported by 1×19 wire attached to formidable chain plates anchor. The main is less than 400 square feet and easy to reef, its long foot making it a strong driver on and off the wind, while the overlapping jib topsail roller furls and tips in just under 500 square feet. The unsung hero is the 200-square-foot inner forestaysail on a self-tending club-foot boom, a layout that suits short-handed tradewind work. With moderate sail area and a displacement around 33,000 pounds deep, she is built for steadiness rather than sparkle, and the underbody favors directional stability over tight maneuvering.
Accommodations and Layouts
The 44 was produced in Walk-Over, Pilothouse, Walk-Through and a commercial Bottomliner arrangement, and was sold ready to cruise or as a kit, which broadened her reach. Cabin headroom runs 6 feet 7 inches. The raised deck aft and mid-cockpit plan give a roomy interior for a 44-foot hull, and the retro styling with molded-in trailboards notwithstanding, the boat reads as a practical liveaboard. Capacities of 400 gallons water and 100 gallons fuel were an intelligent balance for tropical cruising, and the holding tank was a retrofit item rather than standard.
Equipment and Mechanical
The standard Perkins 4-154 diesel proved a reliable power plant for the prop and a big alternator or refrigerator compressor. Solid bronze ports, a Paul Luke stove, a tinned wire harness and Edson rack-and-pinion steering are markers of a boat built to last anchor. The deep-keel version carries 12,000 pounds of ballast against 10,000 in the shoal, the latter lopping the bottom two feet and 2,000 pounds off the keel while keeping the same hull.
The Verdict
The CSY 44 is a deliberately overbuilt charter derivative that translated into a durable cruiser. Her solid fiberglass hull, grounded-keel philosophy and simple cutter rig make her a straightforward boat to own, if not a lively one. The shoal version trades ballast and draft for access, while the deep keel keeps the heavier ballast ratio.
Pros
- Rugged solid-fiberglass hull and deck with no core to rot
- Bulletproof rub rail and grounding-tolerant keel and ballast
- Forthright cutter rig with self-tending inner forestaysail
- Generous 400-gallon water and 100-gallon fuel capacities
Cons
- Moderate sail area and heavy displacement limit light-air pace
- Holding tank was only a retrofit, not original equipment
- Longish keel and directional stability trade away close-quarters agility
