Design and Construction
Perry gave the Lafitte 44 a moderately fine entry, a fairly high bow, and a canoe stern, with a deep keel drawing 6 feet 4 inches and a modest 12-foot 8-inch beam a deep keel drawing 6'4". The hull and deck are hand-laid fiberglass with a foam core, and the hull itself is massively reinforced with foam-filled frames and longitudinals plus glassed-in bulkheads. Every partition and cabinet divider inside is tabbed into the hull as a frame using multiple layers of 2-ounce cloth, producing a hull that is very well framed. The external lead-ballast keel is solidly secured with stainless-steel bolts, and a stainless-steel plate mounted on the hull frames carries the step for the Sparcraft mast. With a displacement of 28,000 pounds and 11,310 pounds of ballast, the boat carries a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 0.40 and a displacement-to-length ratio of 279 — figures that place her firmly in the heavy, offshore-capable camp rather than the light-displacement racer lineage.
Rig and Deck Layout
The cutter rig sits on a rather smallish mast section but is backed by heavy rigging with conventional double uppers and lowers using StaLoc fittings. On deck, the flush deck extends more than 22 feet forward of the deckhouse and provides an unobstructed foredeck. Twin bronze anchor rollers are mounted at the stem, and a foredeck locker houses the windlass, a wash-down spigot, and deck-gear storage. Two chain lockers serve the ground tackle — one directly under the windlass and another farther aft under the V-berth — and many boats have been refit with a hawsepipe so the chain runs more freely to the after locker. Well-placed handholds serve the 2-foot-wide side decks, a detail that matters on a boat with this much open foredeck.
Accommodations
The interior is both elegantly fitted out in solid teak and functional at sea, with extensive woodwork well beyond the run of the mill. Two companionways provide access — one amidships and one aft — and a second companionway hatch forward of the cockpit drops via a very steep ladder into the galley and saloon. The U-shaped galley to port is the most prominent feature of the boat, with deep double sinks inboard, large work surfaces, and between the top-loading freezer and separate fridge a substantial cold-storage volume. A bin and numerous drawers and lockers provide volumes of dry storage, while opposite sits a spacious nav station. In the saloon, both the U-shaped settee to port and a straight settee to starboard convert to sea berths, and the salon is plenty spacious with more than adequate seating. The forward stateroom has an en suite head and shower, and the aft stateroom has a queen Pullman berth to port and a settee to starboard that also converts. Four hatches and eight opening ports admit light and air, ventilated lockers and drawers abound, and deep storage sits outboard of the settees and in two levels under the V-berth. The engine warms the wet locker, a practical touch for drying gear offshore.
Known Issues
Teak decks are fitted to these boats, and their fastening method drives the principal chronic problem. On most hulls the teak was fastened from below with screws; after 20 years of wear the screw tips become exposed, leading to cut feet and leaks. On some later boats the teak was screwed from above and the holes bunged, but this system has also proven prone to leaks. Surveyors have found decks worn down to the screw heads as a routine condition. Poor engine access is a second recurring complaint — the engine is buried in a hole with very poor access, which makes routine service a genuine ordeal. A third issue involves the forward cabin air-conditioning unit, a self-contained box stowed on a shelf behind paneling, which has leaked condensate and rotted the surrounding wood. Finally, the cabin sole foundation on affected boats was not laid right and squeaks underfoot throughout the interior.
Refits and Ownership
The most common structural refit addresses the chain-run problem, with many owners adding a hawsepipe to let the ground tackle reach the aft locker cleanly. Early boats left the factory with a 60-horsepower Lehman diesel, while later ones switched to a Perkins; depending on conditions the motoring range can exceed 800 miles on the 115-gallon fuel capacity. The deep bilges and heavily framed hull have supported decades of bluewater use, and the passage-making layout — dual companionways, ventilated stowage, and a galley built around a liveaboard cook — reflects a boat conceived for long voyages rather than weekend coastal hops.
The Verdict
The Lafitte 44 is a genuinely offshore cutter with a massively reinforced hull and a passage-maker's interior, let down by teak-deck detailing and wretched engine access that any buyer must budget to manage.
Pros
- Heavily framed foam-core hull with glassed-in bulkheads and tabbed partitions
- Proven circumnavigation record including a double circumnavigation
- Galley and stowage layout built for long-term liveaboard voyaging
- Solid lead keel secured with stainless-steel bolts
Cons
- Teak decks leak whether screwed from above or below, with exposed screw tips after wear
- Engine buried with very poor access for service
- Forward-cabin A/C condensate leaks rot hidden paneling
- Cabin sole squeaks from flawed foundation lay-up
