Design and Construction
Crealock's canoe stern and semi-long keel with skeg-hung rudder give the 44 directional steadiness for offshore work canoe stern of Bill Crealock. Before 1993 the builder used solid mat-and-woven-roving laminates with plywood-cored decks; from 1993 onward hulls adopted stitched bi-axial fabrics and balsa-cored decks with plywood mounting inserts. The hull-to-deck joint mates an inward-turning flange with 3M 5200 and through-bolts on 4-to-6-inch centers.
Rig and Handling
The yacht is traditionally built with a cutter rig, and the Bermudan cutter layout carries 976 square feet of sail. The 6-foot 3-inch standard draft gives the fin a useful bite to weather, while the 5-foot 3-inch shoal option trades windward grip for reduced draft. With a displacement-to-length ratio above 300 and a 38-percent ballast fraction, she is a steadying sea boat rather than a sprinting one.
Accommodations
The 12-foot 8-inch beam and 44-foot 1-inch length generate volume for liveaboard stretches, and the canoe stern shapes a broad cockpit-to-transom transition. The high displacement carries 90 gallons of diesel and 120 gallons of water low in the hull. The cruising layout follows the Crealock idiom of an enclosed saloon and forward owner's space.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of Pacific Seacraft passed to Singmarine Industries in 1988, then to a private investor from 1998 until the 2007 bankruptcy, after which Stephen and Reid Brodie restarted production in Washington, North Carolina in 2008. A hull from any era draws on the same molds. The 56-horsepower diesel and single-engine configuration are the builder's stated figures.
The Verdict
The Pacific Seacraft 44 is a purpose-bred bluewater cruiser with a Crealock pedigree and a build history marked by material refinement rather than redesign. She is heavy, steady, and voluminous.
Pros
- Bill Crealock bluewater design with signature canoe stern
- High 27,500-pound displacement and 38-percent ballast fraction for offshore steadiness
- Cutter rig with 976 sq ft of sail for shorthanded handling
- Continuous production since 1990 with tooling preserved
Cons
- High displacement limits light-air acceleration versus lighter cruisers
- Pre-1993 hulls use plywood-cored decks versus later balsa-core
- Shoal 5' 3" draft trades windward performance for reduced entry
