A Hull That Refuses to Apologise for Its Ambitions
Dixon gave the 45 DS high slab sides, a plumb bow, and a square stern with a hint of a chine in the quarters — a profile that reads more like a contemporary offshore racer-cruiser than the rounded, conservative shapes the old Moody line favored. The stern folds down to form a swim platform and an in-hull dinghy dock for a small inflatable, a practical detail that speaks to how thoroughly the designers thought through life aboard. Calf-height bulwarks run the full perimeter, topped with solid stainless-steel rails rather than lifelines, giving the deck the reassuring solidity of a much larger vessel. For crew working forward in any kind of sea state, the difference is palpable.
Rig and Sailing Character
The sailing rig — in-mast furling main paired with a 100 percent self-tacking jib — is set up for a short-handed couple to manage every sail evolution from the cockpit. Control lines and halyards run aft through conduits in the coachroof and seat backs to cockpit winches, keeping the decks clean and eliminating most of the mid-boat scrambling that characterizes older cruising designs. The mainsheet runs to a fixed point on the coachroof without a traveler; leach tension is handled by the vang, also adjustable from the cockpit.
What no one expected was how well she actually sails. In ten knots of true breeze on Narragansett Bay, the 45 DS accelerated to five and then six knots on a close reach, her long waterline and generous mainsail doing the work efficiently. The self-tacking jib sheeted at a tight angle meant she could point higher than 12-meters carrying large overlapping genoas ahead on the same day. Through tacks she maintained momentum cleanly with a single turn of the wheel, and off the wind the long waterline produced a good turn of speed. The helm carries a proper sailing feel — no vagueness, no heaviness. Dixon designed a sailboat first and a deck saloon cruiser second, and that priority is evident underway.
Deck Layout and the Cockpit Experience
The cockpit and saloon sit on one level, so opening the large sliding saloon doors merges the two spaces into a single indoor-outdoor living room. Over the cockpit, a hard bimini with a retracting center panel allows the crew to dial in as much sun or rain protection as conditions demand. Twin wheels with inlaid teak helm seats, proper cockpit cushions and bolsters, and a handsome cockpit table give the outdoor space a yacht-style quality rare in production cruising boats of this size.
The sailing instruments mount in pods on the after end of the bimini rather than at the binnacle, which is a logical placement for deck-saloon visibility but takes some acclimatization. One ergonomic caveat: steering from the windward side requires standing up to see forward clearly, a compromise that is worth understanding before a long offshore passage. Steering from the leeward side allows the helmsman to track telltales through the saloon windows.
The anchor system deserves mention for its elegance. Everything — the anchor inverted on its roller, the windlass, and chain locker — lives beneath the foredeck lid, leaving the bow deck bare. Flipping the lid deploys the roller assembly over the bow, and the windlass handles the rest.
Accommodation Layout
Below the saloon-level living space, three steps lead down to a fully separate sleeping corridor with a master stateroom forward, two guest cabins amidships, and two heads. The master, centered on the bow, carries a centerline double berth, vanity or desk, and ample storage, with a large overhead hatch for ventilation. The master head has a separate shower stall; a day head sits across the corridor. The separation of living and sleeping spaces mirrors what cruising catamarans achieve — true acoustic and visual privacy for guests — while the saloon provides a 360-degree panoramic view available from neither a traditional monohull nor a cat.
The port-aft guest cabin offers a double berth, but entry from the forward end can be awkward for larger or older crew, a genuine ergonomic shortcoming worth checking during any sea trial. The starboard cabin features twin singles with usable leg space between them. Modular furniture components across both cabins allow some mix-and-match customization between the standard three-cabin layout and alternatives that include a dedicated office.
The deck saloon itself — though not enormous — seats six at the dinette to starboard, carries a full galley with normal appliances, and offers a forward-facing pilot and nav station where the helmsman can monitor the autopilot from inside while rain falls on the coachroof. That combination of piloting comfort, galley function, and dining capacity in one continuous space is what justifies the Moody's unusual silhouette.
Known Compromises
No design this unconventional escapes trade-offs. Cockpit forward visibility is a recurring note in sea trials: from the leeward wheel you can track telltales through the saloon windows, but from windward you must stand. For a couple sailing shorthanded in flat water, this is minor; in a seaway or busy anchorage approach, it demands more active management. The self-tacking jib, while convenient, limits downwind versatility — the boat carries no overlapping headsail option in standard trim, so off-wind sailing in light air relies almost entirely on the mainsail until a cruising spinnaker is added from its dedicated foredeck locker. In-mast furling, as always, constrains mainsail shape in marginal conditions and requires diligent maintenance of the furling mechanism.
The Verdict
The Moody 45 DS is one of the few production monohulls to convincingly deliver a catamaran's interior logic — separated living and sleeping zones, panoramic deck-level saloon, genuine private cabins — without sacrificing sailing performance to do it. Bill Dixon's hull is properly fast for its displacement, the deck layout is thoughtfully ergonomic, and the build quality carries the yacht-style character associated with brands well above this price category. The pilothouse concept means passages in foul weather are genuinely more pleasant than on any conventional cruiser-racer. What you trade is some cockpit forward visibility and the conventional headsail flexibility most sailors take for granted.
Pros
- Proper sailing performance despite deck-saloon proportions — long waterline, genuine pointing ability
- Fully separated living and sleeping zones give cruising-cat privacy in a monohull
- Clean, uncluttered decks with all lines led aft; innovative anchor stowage system
- Hard bimini with retracting panel; indoor-outdoor cockpit-saloon merges at the sliding doors
- Solid stainless-steel bulwark rails provide exceptional on-deck security
Cons
- Windward wheel steering requires standing to see forward clearly
- In-mast furling limits mainsail shape options, especially in light or variable conditions
- Port-aft guest cabin double berth is awkward to access for larger crew
- Self-tacking jib is the only standard headsail; downwind versatility requires additional sail inventory
