Design and Construction
The CT-49's hull is solid fiberglass, and the designers chose a significantly more speedy hull design than the conservative full-keel cruisers Ta Chiao was known for earlier in the decade. Her numbers tell the story: at a length-to-beam ratio of 3.72 she is slimmer than 79 percent of comparable sailboat designs, yet her ballast ratio of 40 percent is higher than 73 percent of them, with 12,000 pounds of lead on a 29,395-pound displacement. The DL-ratio of 254 places her among "moderate racers," and 42 percent of similar designs are heavier. A skeg-hung rudder and Scheel keel are listed in the builder's specification, with draft varying about six feet depending on load. The wetted surface runs roughly 538 square feet, and immersion is about 1,719 pounds per inch — a stiff, settled platform rather than a lightweight flyer.
Rig and Handling
As a cutter, the CT-49 carries a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.20, enough to keep her moving without demanding a racing crew. The estimated running rigging diameters are uniformly 5/8 inch for jib, genoa, mainsheet, and spinnaker sheets, with the mainsheet alone specified at 122 feet. Her capsize screening value of 1.69 would, by that formula alone, admit her to ocean racing, and the theoretical displacement hull speed is 8.2 knots. With the Perkins 4.156 diesel at 62 hp the calculated maximum is about 6.5 knots; an 89 hp diesel option raises the calculated maximum to about 7.9 knots. The Motion Comfort Ratio of 36.3 means she is more comfortable than 58 percent of similar designs — a bluewater-capable cruiser with a turn of speed.
Accommodations
Below, the CT-49 is laid out for a full crew or a liveaboard family, with berths for eight to thirteen people. Fresh water capacity is 165 US gallons and fuel capacity is 174 US gallons, supporting long passages without constant resupply. The beam of just over 13 feet and nearly 38-foot waterline give her volume without the girth of a beamy modern cruiser, consistent with her slim hull proportions.
The Verdict
The CT-49 is a thoughtfully conceived late-classic Ta Chiao that breaks from the marque's stodgy full-keel image through a slender, moderately racer-class hull with a high ballast ratio and genuine offshore credentials. She is not a lightweight, but her numbers show a designer's intent to make a 29,000-pound boat feel quicker than her weight suggests.
Pros
- Slimmer hull than 79% of similar designs with a 40% ballast ratio above 73% of them
- Capsize screening value permits ocean-race consideration by formula
- Berths for 8–13 and 165 gal water / 174 gal fuel for serious cruising
- Choice of 62 hp or 89 hp diesel with corresponding 6.5 or 7.9 kt max
Cons
- Under 100 built, so spares and class knowledge are thinner than mass-market cruisers
- Small production run limits fleet-wide reference data
