Design and Construction
Scott Sprague became Hans Christian’s chief designer after Harwood Ives’ departure, and the Christina 43 reflects the marque’s later design direction under his leadership. Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass, while a 378-liter stainless steel tank carries the diesel.
The boat’s displacement produces a DL-ratio of 317, and ballast accounts for 36 percent of displacement. With a beam of 13.36 feet, the length-to-beam ratio is 3.23. The fin keel draws between 6.50 and 6.80 feet, depending on load, and the wetted surface is about 48m2 (516 ft2).
An immersion rate of roughly 1,628 pounds per inch indicates how heavily the boat sits in the water and how much its trim changes when stores are added. A capsize screening value of 1.70 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 39.9 place the Christina 43 firmly in the stable, seakindly cruising category rather than at the lively, racing-oriented end of the spectrum.
Rig, Handling, and Power
The cutter rig uses substantial running rigging. Estimated jib and genoa sheet lengths are 43 feet, with a 5/8-inch diameter. The mainsheet is 107.5 feet long, and the spinnaker sheet is 94.6 feet; both use the same 5/8-inch specification. Those dimensions are useful when replacing worn lines or re-rigging the boat.
Under power, the Christina 43 may be fitted with a shaft-driven Yanmar 4JH2-TE diesel producing 57 horsepower. Its calculated maximum speed is about 6.0 knots, compared with a theoretical displacement-hull speed of 7.9 knots. That gap reflects the boat’s volume and ballast rather than any emphasis on sprint performance.
Accommodations and Tankage
Belowdecks, the Christina 43 has three cabins and six berths arranged around a teak interior, a material choice typical of cruising boats from the period. The standard layout includes a galley.
Fresh-water capacity is 150 US gallons, with a separate 34-gallon waste-water tank. Those generous capacities support extended, independent cruising. Together with the teak joinery and three-cabin layout, they point to a boat intended for liveaboard use and a crew of several rather than minimalist racer-cruiser duty.
Verdict
The Christina 43 is a purpose-built offshore cruiser with the figures and certification to support that description: CE Class A (Ocean) certification, a comfortable motion profile, and tankage suited to long passages. It is a heavy, beamy cruiser with solid-fiberglass construction, and its design pedigree dates to Sprague’s tenure at Hans Christian.
The trade-offs are modest speed under sail and a deep fin keel that demands care when choosing an anchorage.
Pros
- CE Class A (Ocean) certification for offshore use
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck
- Stainless steel fuel tank
- Generous capacities of 150 US gallons for fresh water and 34 gallons for waste water
- Stable seakeeping indicated by a 1.70 capsize screening value and 39.9 Motion Comfort Ratio
Cons
- Calculated maximum speed of only 6.0 knots under power
- Fin-keel draft of 6.50–6.80 feet limits access to shallow anchorages
- Heavy displacement, reflected in a DL-ratio of 317, favors passage-making over responsiveness
