Design and Construction
Gillmer's 39 carries the conservative, seakindly proportions of his earlier Southern Cross designs, but at a scale meant for serious passage-making. The 36.55 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio and a displacement-length ratio of 315 place her in the heavy-displacement category, while a capsize screening figure of 1.8 and a comfort ratio of 35.2 reinforce the picture of a boat built to carry crew and gear across oceans rather than to win inshore races. The hull is solid fiberglass; the deck uses a PVC foam core. The first 13 hulls were factory-built, and subsequent boats were offered as kits for owner completion—some of those owner-finished yachts were later badged as Gilmer models to separate them from Ryder-finished vessels.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig spreads 774 square feet of sail area across a 332-square-foot mainsail and a 441-square-foot foresail, on an I-dimension of 50'10" and a J of 17'4". A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 16.33 is modest for the weight, which is consistent with a boat tuned for control and balance offshore rather than acceleration. The fin keel with skeg-hung rudder gives a draft of 5'4", a compromise that keeps her manageable in anchorages while preserving the lateral plane needed for windward work. Period assessments describe her as a stable bluewater cruiser with balanced sailing performance, well suited to long-distance cruising.
Accommodations and Layout
The 39-foot overall length and 12-foot-1-inch beam produce a roomy interior for a boat of this era, supported by 120 gallons of water tankage and 50 gallons of fuel. The heavy-displacement hull and comfort ratio of 35.2 suggest a vessel planned for extended liveaboard use, with the volume to stow provisions and gear for distant passages. The tank capacities and displacement class frame her as a self-sufficient cruiser rather than a weekend coastal racer.
Mechanical and Known Issues
The most documented mechanical evolution concerns the propeller arrangement. Early models featured a V-drive transmission with an exposed propeller; later versions moved the propeller to an aperture in the rudder for better protection. A buyer or owner should note which configuration a given hull carries, since the exposed prop on early boats offers less shielding from ground tackle and mooring debris.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a Southern Cross 39 often involves reconciling the factory-versus-kit history. The first 13 hulls left Ryder complete; the rest were kit boats, some later labeled Gilmer. This matters for documentation and for the consistency of finish work below. The shift to a rudder-aperture propeller on later boats is the principal factory-level refit lineage worth knowing. With production running the full decade of the 1980s, a used example may reflect either the early exposed-prop specification or the later protected arrangement.
The Verdict
The Southern Cross 39 is a purposeful bluewater cruiser: heavy, stable, and quietly capable under a cutter rig, with the tankage and volume for long passages. The split between factory and owner-finished hulls, and the early-to-late propeller change, are the two facts that most shape ownership decisions.
Pros
- Stable, heavy-displacement bluewater design with balanced performance
- Generous 120-gallon water and 50-gallon fuel capacity for distance cruising
- Lead ballast at 36.55% of displacement for offshore steadiness
- Later models gained rudder-aperture propeller protection
Cons
- Early hulls carried an exposed propeller with less protection
- Modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio limits light-air pace
- Kit-built and owner-finished history varies in documented consistency
