Design and Construction
The 44’s hull and deck are vacuum-infused with vinylester resin, with the hull solid glass below the waterline and foam coring used in the topsides and deck. Grand Soleil bonds a composite grid to the hull to carry loads from the keel, engine and keel-stepped mast, and a look under the cabin sole revealed beefy backing plates and double nuts to secure all stainless-steel keel bolts. A 2-inch toe rail surrounds the side decks, and hull ports and hatches let in lots of daylight. The Grand Soleil 44 is a very well-built boat, a verdict consistent with the structural detailing seen in the keel-bolt arrangement and the resin-infusion method.
Rig and Handling
The Performance version of the GS 44 sailed with a tall, 72-foot aluminum racing mast from Sparcraft, while a carbon-fiber rig is also available. The mast is set back to allow a greater J measurement, and two carbon-fiber bowsprits are available: a standard 3-foot-2-inch sprit and a racing sprit of 5 feet 3 inches. Lines are led aft under the coachroof from the mast, there’s a cockpit-wide traveler recessed in the cockpit sole, and the single rudder with twin helms and Jefa steering drew praise from judge Gerry Douglas, who found the helm lovely and one finger on the wheel on all points of sail. With beam carried aft, the cockpit is wide, and the Performance deck keeps things simple with a self-tacking jib, a double-ended German-style mainsheet, and a pair of electric winches just forward of each helm; the Racing layout moves one winch at each helm forward to the cockpit coamings and adds two additional winches on the cabin top. The jib furler for either the self-tacker or a genoa is belowdecks, forward of the chain locker.
Under sail the numbers are emphatic: closehauled at 8.5 knots in 12–16 knots of wind and light chop, reaching at 8.4 knots in the same air, and speed over ground hovering in the 8.5-knot range with occasional bumps over 9 knots in puffs when beating in about 12 knots. Test sailors on the Performance noted almost total absence of rolling in long waves, the rudder always soft and direct and never broaching upwind, and the boat not putting the toerail in the water when heeled. One tester defined it as a 44-footer with the same performance as a 50-footer and the handling of a 10-meter boat.
Accommodations
The interior was designed by Nauta Design and is finished in light oak, with a teak interior available as an option. The owner’s stateroom forward includes a head and shower compartment; in the Performance the master cabin is set back and takes advantage of a remarkable beam to house a king-sized bed and a large head with separate shower box. Aft, there’s a pair of double staterooms for guests or racing mates, sharing a head and shower to starboard at the foot of the companionway, while the Performance description notes two additional double-bedded cabins sharing a head with a separate shower box. The L-shaped galley opposite the aft head has a couple of fridges, space for supplies, and fiddled counters; the U-shaped dinette seats eight and the table drops to form an additional berth, with a settee opposite that could be another bunk and a nav station at its forward end. The Performance places the L-shaped galley to port, the U-shaped dinette amidships, and a chart table against the starboard bow bulwark.
Known Issues
Two practical drawbacks are documented. The furler drum will be hard to reach if there’s a problem because the locker opening is tight, a consequence of the belowdecks furler location forward of the chain locker. The bobstay used to support the bowsprit tends to get in the way when anchoring, a minor but real nuisance given the carbon-fiber sprits offered as standard or racing length.
Refits and Ownership
The standard engine is a 50 hp Volvo Penta, while the reviewed boat carried a 60 hp Volvo Penta diesel and saildrive that pushed it at 8.7 knots at 2,800 rpm; a 75 hp Volvo Penta D2-75 is also listed for the Performance, delivering an 8-knot cruising speed under power and 7 knots at less than 1,800 rpm in testing. Owners choosing the standard steel and lead torpedo keel get 8-foot-6-inch draft, with a shoal-draft keel at 6-foot-6-inch, an ORC-optimized foil at 7-foot-10-inch, and an IRC-favored keel at 9-foot-6-inch. A carbon-fiber rig and transverse rails for trimming bow-sail sheet points are optional, and the owner can choose 4 or 6 winches on deck.
The Verdict
The Grand Soleil 44 is a genuinely dual-purpose 47-footer: a CFD-modeled hull with ORC and IRC pedigree wrapped around a Nauta interior that loses none of its cruising comfort. The build details — vacuum-infused vinylester, bonded composite grid, double-nutted keel bolts — back up the well-built assessment, and the helm and motion under sail explain the Boat of the Year nod.
Pros
- True cruiser-racer character with ORC/IRC specification and 2022 Boat of the Year recognition
- Vacuum-infused vinylester hull with bonded composite grid and robust keel-bolt backing
- Light, precise Jefa twin-helm steering and stable, low-roll motion under sail
- Nauta interior with forward owner's suite, twin aft doubles, and eight-seat dinette
- Multiple keel and bowsprit options spanning 6-foot-6-inch to 9-foot-6-inch draft
Cons
- Belowdecks jib furler drum is hard to service through the tight locker opening
- Bobstay interferes with anchoring routine
- Standard 50 hp engine is modest against the 60–75 hp options seen in testing
