Design and Construction
The CT-49 has a solid-fiberglass hull. Its designers chose a significantly speedier hull design than the conservative full-keel cruisers for which Ta Chiao was known earlier in the decade.
The numbers illustrate that approach. With a length-to-beam ratio of 3.72, the CT-49 is slimmer than 79 percent of comparable sailboat designs. Its 40 percent ballast ratio is higher than 73 percent of them, with 12,000 pounds of lead ballast and a displacement of 29,395 pounds. A displacement-to-length ratio of 254 places it among “moderate racers,” while 42 percent of similar designs are heavier.
The builder’s specification lists a Scheel keel and skeg-hung rudder. Draft varies around six feet depending on load. Wetted surface is roughly 538 square feet, and immersion is about 1,719 pounds per inch. Taken together, those figures describe a stiff, settled platform rather than a lightweight flyer.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The cutter rig has a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.20, enough to keep the CT-49 moving without requiring a racing crew. The estimated running-rigging diameters are uniformly 5/8 inch for the jib, genoa, mainsheet, and spinnaker sheets. The mainsheet alone is specified at 122 feet.
The theoretical displacement hull speed is 8.2 knots. With the 62 hp Perkins 4.156 diesel, the calculated maximum speed is about 6.5 knots. An optional 89 hp diesel raises the calculated maximum to about 7.9 knots.
The CT-49’s capsize screening value is 1.69, which, by that formula alone, would admit it to ocean racing. Its Motion Comfort Ratio of 36.3 indicates that it is more comfortable than 58 percent of similar designs. The result is a bluewater-capable cruiser with a turn of speed.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the CT-49 is arranged for a full crew or liveaboard family, with berths for eight to thirteen people. Fresh-water capacity is 165 US gallons, while fuel capacity is 174 US gallons, supporting long passages without constant resupply.
A beam of just over 13 feet and a waterline length of nearly 38 feet provide useful volume without the girth of a beamy modern cruiser, in keeping with the boat’s relatively slim hull proportions.
The Verdict
The CT-49 is a thoughtfully conceived late-classic Ta Chiao. It departs from the marque’s stodgy full-keel image with a slender hull, a moderate-racer displacement-to-length ratio, a high ballast ratio, and genuine offshore credentials. It isn’t a lightweight, but the numbers show that its designers intended this 29,000-pound boat to feel quicker than its weight suggests.
Pros
- Slimmer than 79 percent of similar designs, with a 40 percent ballast ratio that is higher than 73 percent of them
- Capsize screening value permits ocean-race consideration by formula
- Berths for 8–13 people, plus 165 US gallons of water and 174 US gallons of fuel for serious cruising
- Choice of 62 hp or 89 hp diesel, with corresponding calculated maximum speeds of about 6.5 or 7.9 knots
Cons
- Fewer than 100 were built, so spares and class knowledge are thinner than for mass-market cruisers
- The small production run limits fleet-wide reference data
