Fast Passage 39 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Garden’s hull philosophy for the 39 centered on reducing deadrise to the minimum needed to avoid pounding when powering into a head sea, cutting away the forefoot to limit wetted surface, and widening the beam for initial stability and sail-carrying power with proportionally less ballast and displacement. The lines fair aft into a canoelike bustle that merges into the rudder’s skeg, and the underbody is a performance-enhanced split-foil arrangement with a moderately long, shallow fin keel and skeg-hung rudder. Internal ballast—a 7,500-pound lead chunk in later castings, fitted precisely within a molded keel cavity—sits inside an FRP skin that removes any need for keelbolts. At 39'6" overall, 33'6" on the waterline, 11'10" in beam, and 5'6" draft, with 21,000 pounds displacement, the boat lands at a ballast-displacement ratio near 36 percent and a displacement-length ratio of 249, squarely in the moderate-displacement cruising category. The generous 12-foot beam contributes to buoyancy and form stability, while enough volume below the waterline dampens motion in a seaway and aids tracking off the wind. The original build could be taken as a Philbrooks-supplied kit (hull and deck) or a shipyard-finished yacht to a very high standard; later reincarnations by Noah Corporation—dubbed the Millennium Fast Passage—shifted to closed-cell Airex core in the topsides, solid glass below the waterline, and rigid AirLite core in the deck, with hand lay-up using vinylester resins and a Duratec barrier coat against blistering, all to ABYC standards.

Rig and Handling

The cutter rig is versatile and manageable enough to perform across a wide range of wind and sea conditions, with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio around 16.7 that is generous without being overpowering. Writing in Cruising World, Francis Stokes described the 39 as an excellent all-around sea boat and noted that even against a Valiant 40 he would shorten sail sooner yet always seemed to travel as fast. He found the hull very effective in light going despite its cruising nature, and the 5'6" draft worked well downwind in anxious conditions. The big skeg imparts structural strength and laminar flow, and the oversized rudder placed far aft gives good helm response; Moonshine showed quick rudder reaction to stay square to steep following waves and remained directionally stable when surfing without any towed drogue. One owner caveat: leeway became a problem once heel exceeded 20 degrees, making main reefs a regular drill, and going to weather Stokes often ran a double-reefed main with staysail and storm jib.

Accommodations

Below, the companionway is offset to starboard to free a generous owner’s double in the port hip, with the port side private cabin offering loads of storage. A forward-facing nav station sits outboard of the entry, and Garden’s original plan allowed a narrow navigator’s berth aft of the chart table; the traditional U-shaped galley faces outboard to port and is built for offshore work, while a single head and shower lie to starboard. Forward of the mast the saloon holds an L-shaped settee to port, a drop-leaf dinette amidship, and a longitudinal starboard settee, with a 6'6" V-berth all the way forward ventilated by a large offshore hatch. Garden called the forward area a good two-berth coast cabin with lockers and a sit-around saloon. Ladder access is steep by modern standards, and a woodstove was specified at the bulkhead between head and starboard settee—later replaced in the Millennium version by a smaller Dickenson Antarctic to gain head space. Two interior versions were offered originally: the stateroom layout and a sunken deckhouse option.

Known Issues

The tumblehome that gives the 39 its lovely lines also makes for a vulnerable hull, and optional rub strakes were suggested for protection. The original forward fuel tank could be immersed and, when full, adversely affected trim; later versions moved it aft. Using the emergency tiller on the original boat was awkward and required opening the after lazarette—unacceptable in a seaway. Some earlier exhaust arrangements let following seas intrude into the manifold, a fault addressed in the re-engineered vented loop using Vetus parts.

Refits and Ownership

The Millennium Fast Passage reworked the deck laminate to purge balsa core, giving far more solid attachment for jib tracks and a stiffer, rot-resistant structure. The mainsheet traveler moved from the cockpit to the cabintop or aft coaming to clear clutter, hinges and slides on interior parts eased engine access, and an optional larger-shaft engine upgrade answered the complaint of an underpowered auxiliary. Cabin sole panels lift out for bilge access, spreaders were swept aft for better support and tighter sheeting, and HF radio bonding was built into the hull. A wide variety of rigs, engines, tankage, and interior appointments exist among surviving boats, a natural consequence of kit and complete builds.

The Verdict

The Fast Passage 39 is a thoughtfully evolved Garden cruiser that traded Bolero’s full keel for a nimble split-foil underbody and proved itself in singlehanded circumnavigation. It rewards the owner with sea-kindly motion, directional stability, and a practical offshore interior, though the tumblehome and emergency-tiller access deserve a buyer’s attention.

Pros