Design and Construction
Frers gave the Roy 43 a length-to-beam ratio of 3.23 and a displacement-length ratio of 235, a figure that classifies her among moderate racers anchor. The hull is solid fiberglass with a solid fiberglass deck, and the keel is a centerboard arrangement that lets the boat sit at roughly 5.4 feet loaded yet reach 9.4 feet when the board is down. That variable draft is the defining trick: she tucks into shallow marinas at 5.4 to 5.7 feet depending on load, then extends to nearly 9.5 feet offshore. The wetted surface of the underwater body is about 602 square feet.
Rig and Handling
The Roy 43 is a masthead sloop carrying 865 square feet of sail area, yielding a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.46. Her guiding sheet dimensions are notable: jib and genoa sheets run 43.5 feet at 5/8-inch diameter, the mainsheet is 108.8 feet of the same diameter, and the spinnaker sheet is 95.7 feet, also 5/8 inch. Her capsize screening value is 1.92 and her Motion Comfort Ratio is 28.6, while theoretical hull speed is 7.9 knots. Immersion rate is about 1,639 pounds per inch.
Accommodations and Intended Use
The builder leaves tankage and berth count undocumented, so living spaces must be judged from external geometry. The moderate displacement, centerboard, and 49 percent ballast ratio point to a vessel that heels and recovers rather than wallows.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership considerations reduce to the centerboard mechanism and long sheet leads. The 5/8-inch diameters specified for every sheet are a baseline when replacing worn running rigging, and the variable draft demands survey attention to the board trunk. The large wetted surface makes antifouling a recurring cost.
The Verdict
The Roy 43 is a Frers moderate-racer with a centerboard's versatility and solid-fiberglass honesty. She is not a voluminous coastal cruiser, but her numbers describe a stiff, quick boat.
Pros
- Centerboard keel gives 5.4-foot shallow draft and 9.4-foot deep draft
- 49 percent ballast ratio and 1.92 capsize screening value indicate a seaworthy hull
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck avoid cored-structure rot
Cons
- Large 602-square-foot wetted surface implies higher antifouling cost than a slimmer hull
