Design and Construction
The Fantasi 44 Classic pairs a longish fin keel with lead set very low in a pronounced bulb, a configuration that keeps the center of gravity down and the yacht steady under sail. She is of moderate displacement at 28,660 pounds, with 9,700 pounds of lead ballast, and her fiberglass hull and solid deck are finished inside, in the photographed example, with Honduras mahogany and birchwood. What distinguishes her profile is the lower-than-usual freeboard — a choice that, combined with a careful deck saloon arrangement, lets the boat carry a full-beam aft stateroom without resorting to a high topsides or a center-cockpit layout that would have undermined her sailing character.
Rig and Handling
Most Fantasi 44 Classics left the builder with twin-headstay rigs. The inner forestay carries a near-masthead self-tacking jib, while swept spreaders give the mast good fore-and-aft support without the complication of runners. The rig and decks were kept deliberately clean and simple: the self-tacker sheet, mainsail, and control lines can be led concealed to electric winches on the cockpit coamings, leaving only the genoa sheets exposed on deck. A masthead sloop of 1,107 square feet of reported sail area on a 37-foot-24-inch waterline, she slices softly through waves without pitching and draws on that long waterline for good speed potential, with a theoretical hull speed of 8.18 knots.
Accommodations
Below, the boat answers the aft-cabin dilemma that bedevils many 44-footers. The aft stateroom spans the beam and provides more than six feet four inches of standing headroom, with a bureau, lockers, and shelves under an asymmetric cabintop. Because the main companionway is offset to starboard and pushed forward, the standing headroom in the aft cabin falls on the port side, while the double berth uses the lower ceiling to starboard — a layout that gives good access to the berths and avoids the standard crawl-across, feet-first double tucked under the cockpit sole. The galley is huge, sized for two or three to cook at once and laid out for serious offshore work; its centerline island conceals the engine and carries chart drawers facing the navigation station opposite. Cockpit seating is unusually comfortable, and the helmsman's seat, aft deck, and central transom fold out as one piece to open the cockpit aft and form a boarding platform.
The Verdict
The Fantasi 44 Classic is a thoughtful cruiser that trades the usual freeboard-and-center-cockpit compromise for a low, easily-driven hull with a genuine full-beam aft cabin. Her twin-headstay rig with a self-tacking inner jib and concealed control lines makes for a clean deck and manageable sailing, while the interior — particularly the galley and aft stateroom — is laid out for real offshore living rather than dockside show.
Pros
- Low freeboard with full-beam aft cabin and over 6'4" headroom aft, avoiding the crawl-in berth
- Slender, easily-driven hull with soft motion and good speed from a 37'24" waterline
- Twin-headstay rig with self-tacking jib and concealed lines to electric winches
- Large, offshore-oriented galley with engine concealed in the centerline island
Cons
- Exposed genoa sheets are the one unconcealed control on an otherwise clean deck
- Standing headroom in the aft cabin is port-side only by virtue of the offset companionway
