Design and Construction
The 80/20 is a solid-fiberglass monohull with wood trim, a raked stem, and an angled transom. Beneath the waterline sits a fixed fin keel drawing 4.75 feet and a skeg-mounted rudder steered by a wheel. At 40 feet overall with a 31-foot waterline and a beam of 13.33 feet, the hull carries 24,600 pounds of displacement balanced by 9,000 pounds of ballast — a 36.6 percent ballast ratio that gives the boat a steady, grounded feel without claiming nimble performance. The hull speed works out to 7.46 knots. When new, some of these boats were placed straight into the Caribbean yacht charter trade, an early signal of their intended role as accommodating passage-makers.
Rig and Handling
The boat wears a masthead ketch rig of the Bermuda type, with a mainsail of just over 300 square feet and a working jib or genoa area near 345 square feet for a total of roughly 648 square feet of canvas. The foretriangle measures 49.25 feet up the I dimension and 14 feet along the J base, while the main luffs 43.25 feet. Owners could choose among several jib or genoa options to suit conditions. The skeg-hung rudder and wheel steering, paired with the modest 4.75-foot draft, make for predictable low-speed control in harbours, and the 52-horsepower Westerbeke 4-154 diesel is there for docking and manoeuvring rather than passage propulsion.
Accommodations
Below, the 80/20 sleeps seven across a bow cabin with a double V-berth, a main saloon with three straight settee berths, and an aft cabin carrying another double V-berth. The layout places a U-shaped galley to starboard just forward of the companionway, fitted with a three-burner stove and sink. Two heads sit on the starboard side — one just aft of the bow cabin, the other in the aft cabin — a configuration that serves two-couple cruising or charter use without crossed paths. The centre cockpit above decks anchors the accommodation plan and shelters the companionway between the forward and aft sleeping spaces.
The Verdict
The Northstar 80/20 is a straightforward, well-proportioned cruiser-ketch from the early 1970s, built in fiberglass with a practical three-cabin interior and enough tankage for extended stays. Its moderate draft, heavy ballast, and separate aft cabin give it a settled, livable character that explains its early adoption in charter service. The design's wide family resemblance to the Hughes 40 and Swift 40 also means a buyer meets a proven Sparkman & Stephens hull form rather than a one-off.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit ketch with three distinct sleeping cabins for seven
- 9,000 lb ballast and 4.75 ft fin keel for stable, predictable motion
- 75 gal fuel and 180 gal water for long self-sufficient cruises
Cons
- Modest 7.46 kn hull speed limits offshore pace
- Skeg rudder and 40 ft length demand careful close-quarters handling
- Ketch rig adds a second mast and sail to maintain
