Moody 44-2 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Marine Projects of Plymouth built 114 MkII boats between 1991 and 1996. The design carries forward Dixon’s talent for fitting generous volume into a moderate-displacement hull without strangling its sailing character. With a long waterline, full forward sections, and a semi-balanced, skeg-hung rudder, the 44-2 is clearly a bluewater family cruiser rather than a racer in disguise.

Design and Construction

Dixon’s hull form is essentially a canoe body with round bilges and full sections forward. A modified fin keel and semi-balanced, skeg-hung rudder give the 44-2 predictable directional behavior.

Displacement is 23,631 pounds. Sources differ on ballast: one gives 8,900 pounds, while another lists 9,480 pounds in the fin keel. That amounts to a roughly 40 percent ballast-displacement ratio, allowing the boat to stand up to canvas in a moderate breeze before a reef becomes prudent.

A Displacement/Length ratio of 226 puts the 44-2 firmly in the moderate-displacement cruiser class, able to carry voyaging cargo without undue resistance. A Comfort Ratio near 30 and a Capsize Screening Formula of 1.9 mark it as a sedate hull capable of ocean passages.

The hull is hand-laid fiberglass built to BS 5750 and ISO 9002 standards. Isophthalic gelcoat and resins below the waterline help resist osmosis. Top-hat members are glassed into the hull amidships, while tray moldings are bonded fore and aft. The decks and coachroof use balsa cores for strength without excess weight.

A structural bulkhead at the after end of the chain locker anchors a strongpoint for an inner forestay. The sound-insulated engine compartment sits between the aft head and the port passage cabin and has an automatic extinguisher.

Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling

The standard rig is a masthead sloop carrying about 1,000 square feet of sail. It has silver-anodized Kemp spars and Furlex headsail reefing, with Selden in-mast furling available. Swept-back spreaders and double stainless cap and intermediate shrouds support the rig, while a rod vang controls the boom.

Under sail, the 44-2 is stiff and quick. With a staysail and reefed main, it boiled along at 10 to 12 knots in 30 knots of wind on the quarter. When the wind dropped into the teens, it made eight or nine knots with a 110 genoa. In a moderate breeze, it tacks through about 100 degrees. During a gale, the boat hove-to for half a day while the crew rested.

The Whitlock Constellation steering conduit drew unqualified praise for its feel and precision. Together with the keel and skeg-hung rudder, it contributes to the boat’s strong directional stability.

Deck and Cruising Equipment

The deck plan is well suited to short-handed ocean work. A sugar-scoop transom, recessed Lewmar hatches, and flush deck plumbing are part of the cruising specification. There’s a saltwater shower forward and a freshwater hose aft.

One ergonomic shortcoming is in the cockpit: the seat backs rise only 10 inches above the cushions, which is short of ideal. The molded nonskid provides excellent grip but is unforgiving on knees and elbows.

The gas-bottle locker was specified for butane and won’t accept U.S. aluminum bottles, which are too fat or too tall. The No. 8 reefing winch also lacks the power to handle the genoa’s working loads and is a candidate for an upgrade to a self-tailing 30CST.

Accommodations

The standard MkII layout sleeps up to eight. It includes a large aft owner’s cabin with an en-suite head, a forward double cabin with a shared head, and two saloon singles. An alternative layout replaces the forward double with two smaller cabins, increasing capacity to ten but reducing forward storage and headroom.

The saloon has a U-shaped settee and dining table. A forward-facing navigation station includes a fiddled chart table. To starboard, the L-shaped galley has double sinks and both fresh- and saltwater faucets. Push-button positive locks secure the cabinet doors, and they stayed shut during a two-week passage.

The galley does have two practical drawbacks. There’s no opening port to vent cooking fumes, and most of the counter consists of the reefer lid, so the surface must be cleared before the refrigerator can be opened.

The aft owner’s cabin has opening ports in both the hull and cabin side and was judged the best ride in the house. By contrast, the forward guest cabin lies far enough forward for its motion to be lively. The aft upper-and-lower berths opposite the engine room are affected by noise, heat, and fumes. The port passage cabin, however, is a delight under sail, with easy motion and good ventilation.

Machinery, Refits, and Ownership

Auxiliary power comes from a 50-horse Perkins or Volvo Penta engine. Access is through doors in the passage-cabin and head bulkheads.

The Moody Owners Association supports the class. Overall, the 44-2’s thoughtful cruising specification mostly calls for minor corrections rather than major changes.

Known Issues

The main shortcomings reported in period use are:

No opening galley port for cooking ventilation
A reefer lid that occupies most of the galley counter
Cockpit seat backs only 10 inches above the cushions
A butane locker that won’t accept U.S. aluminum gas bottles
A No. 8 reefing winch that is undersized for the genoa’s working loads
Aggressive molded nonskid that is hard on knees and elbows
Lively motion in the forward guest cabin
Noise, heat, and fumes in the aft upper-and-lower berths opposite the engine room

The Verdict

The Moody 44-2 is a genuinely seaworthy, well-built Dixon design. It combines composed passagemaking, voluminous cruising accommodation, and a deck plan arranged for short-handed ocean work.

It isn’t a light-air rocket, and it has the forward-cabin motion and galley-ventilation niggles typical of its era. Even so, as a family bluewater cruiser, it’s difficult to fault.

Pros